From the President’s Desk
THE GOOD OLD DAYS, ARE THEY GONE FOREVER? Many conversations I’ve heard recentlymention the good old days. They go something like this: “It seems like the Club is turning into a di ff erent Club than it was 50 years ago. We’re losing our culture, our family-focus, our values.
workforce, turnover ismore frequent. • COVID-19 literally stopped us fromcoming together, magnifying any and all changes when we finally saw each other. It’s a delicate balancing act to honor and keep the long-held traditions of the Club alive, while remaining relevant and adjusting to inevitable changes in our community, much less the world. As hard as we try, dues will continue to increase, and unfortunately, that maymean somemembers cannot a ff ord them. Will that change our values and culture? I hope not. So howdo we hold onto the culture, the connections, the friendships? Howdo we stop being too busy to talk and hug and just hang out?Most importantly, what canwe do to ensure that in themidst of all these changes, the Club continues to be the special place we all treasure? We are exploring ways to integrate newmembers more quickly into the OCC community so we feel like a family again. And it’s important that we all continue the conversation. The Board needs to communicatemore e ff ectively when andwhy the oldways simplymust change, andmembers need to continue to let the Board know their ideas and engage through Committees, discussions, surveys, etc. Also, you’ll noticemany cherished Club activities are back (learnmore on pages 16-26). These things will help us all feel more connected to each other and the Club again. Remember that today will be the good old days of the future, so let’s enjoy everyminute of it.
I remember when: • Dues were $50 amonth and senior members only paid 50%of that. Membershipwas a ff ordable to all. We are likely to losemembers as dues continue to rise. • We all used to know each other and the employees by name. The connections were strong and ever- lasting. Now I come to dinner and it feels like I don’t know anyone. • Paddling wasn’t just for the elite. Members could sign up to go
paddling withMike Town, Aka Hemmings and Sam Clemens. It was all about ocean and paddling culture. • Family and kids were everywhere, the foodwasn’t great but you could a ff ord to feed your whole family at the snack bar. • Eva Pomroy blessed the canoes and the Teves Trio blessed our weddings and passings with their sweet Hawaiianmele. • OCC dominated ocean sports, our teams set the pace andwere the ones to beat. …those were the good old days.” It’s true. Many things have indeed changed since the good old days. • There aremany new faces at the Club in all categories, including non-resident, andwe welcome guest and reciprocal members fromaround the world. They’re a big part of our community and an important part of our success. • Increased lease rent, an aging facility and beach erosion are factors that have fundamentally changed the economics of running the Club, not tomention inflation that’s growing exponentially. • Ocean sports will always be important, but members have new interests and priorities. • Older employees retire after decades of service and due to changing priorities among the younger
Laurie Foster President
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