2014 TBA Memberships are Now Open

April 18, 2014

President’s Message

Hello fellow Thunder Beach members! The calendar signals that it's spring, however the bay is still covered with ice and the snow has yet to melt away even though it is now mid-April. What a winter we've had in southern Ontario this year! Hopefully a pleasant summer makes up for the amount of snow and cold we had to endure.

Your executive has been working hard to get the summer organized with new activities and old reliables. To assist with the Children’s Program we are happy to welcome Susan and Dave Butler who've agreed to work alongside Michelle Morneau, our Children’s Program Director, to manage our program this year. Their experience in the field of academia will be an extremely valuable asset to all of us.

As well, Courtney Jones and Ashley Jones will be working alongside Laura Logaridis our Social Program Director to bring fresh and creative ideas to our summer events. Our website as you can see has had a small facelift and we hope that it will make it easier for you to navigate and register for all your needs. Using the website to register continues to be the most efficient and cost effective way to communicate with us. Take the time to read Mark Macdonald’s article below and find out more from our Web Master directly.

Here is hoping that summer is just around the corner. See you at the beach soon!

Louise O’Connor

 

Website Update

Welcome to the new Thunder Beach Association website We've rebuilt the site on a new platform and members should find the site faster and easier to use. As a result of the upgrades we've made, we can now accept credit cards directly on our website instead of sending you off to PayPal. This not only provides you with an easier checkout experience but also helps us save on expensive transaction fees. We're using a 128-bit SSL certificate that keeps your information secure – the same level of encryption used by large banks around the world.

We've also rebuilt the TBA Classified's section - a free service that has become a well-used and relied upon resource for people looking to rent out their cottages.

If you have any issues or questions about using the website, please contact us.

Mark Macdonald
Website Director

 

Membership Renewal and Roster deadline

2014 TBA Memberships are now available for renewal. A TBA membership is required in order to be included in the TBA Roster and to take advantage of other member benefits such as Tennis Membership.

This year's Roster deadline is May 19th, 2014. If you would like to be included in the 2014 TBA Roster, you must renew your membership by this date, so please don’t delay and renew your membership now.

Renew Now

Anne Hardcastle
Treasurer and Membership Director

 

Social Update

Summer is around the corner… we hope!

Please remember to mark these dates on your summer social calendar:

Tickets are available now and always sell out quickly. You're encouraged to buy your tickets when signing up for your membership to ensure that you do not miss out. Reserved tables will be available for parties of eight or more.

Let’s make this a summer to remember.

Laura Logaridis
Social Program Director

 

Golf News

The annual Thunder Beach Golf Tournament is back at Midland Golf & Country Club this year. Please mark Saturday, August 16th, 2014 on your calendar. Registration will be taking place at 9:30am with a shot gun start at 11am sharp!

After 18 holes of golf, cocktails & dinner will follow back at the TBA Clubhouse. After dinner, there will be live music to rock the crowd well into the evening hours.

Round up your foursomes and please join us for a great day of golf. If you are shy a player or two … not to worry, we will join you with a fun team. If you are interested in sponsoring a hole this year or donating a prize for auction, please contact David Northcott at northy@csolve.net.

Look forward to seeing everyone at the tournament.

David Northcott
Past-President

 

Refrigerator needed for the clubhouse

We're in urgent need for a fridge/freezer for the clubhouse. Our current one is no longer operational. If you have a spare one in good condition or are in the process of buying a new one, we could use it and we can arrange for pick-up.

TBA Executive

 

2014 Children’s Program Update

Two (2) months and 21 days or 82 days in total (from the day we are writing this which is April 9th)! Yes, that is the official number of days remaining until the start of the 2014 Thunder Beach Children’s Camp.

Over the past couple of months there has been a lot of activity going on behind the scenes to get things ready for the upcoming season. Firstly, we want to extend our most sincere gratitude to Stephanie Bates for the time, energy, and commitment she gave to the Children’s Camp in her role as Director. Her creativity and insight have helped navigate the program to its current status. Her success is best recognized through the feedback received from members of the Thunder Beach Community. Secondly, we want to warmly welcome Susan and Dave Butler on board, they have joined Michelle Morneau as Children’s Camp Directors. Susan and Dave have already shown their educational expertise (they are both teachers) and professionalism through the last months in both programming for the upcoming summer and in the important task of interviewing and selecting our 2014 slate of Counsellors and CITs.

Over the course of the past couple of months we've received multiple applications for counselling and CIT positions. Interviews were held for the position of Head Counsellor and it is with great pleasure that we officially announce Emily Heron as the Head Counsellor for the Thunder Beach Children’s Program. Emily has just finished her fourth year at Trent University where she was studying concurrent education. In the fall she will be enrolling in teachers college at Queen’s University. Emily worked as a counsellor in the Children’s Program in 2008, and following that experience she worked for five years with the Harbour West Marina. We are excited to welcome Emily and feel her experience and education will make her a great asset to the Children’s Program.

We are also pleased to announce Brendan McCarthy has accepted the role of Senior Counsellor and Tennis Coordinator. Brendan has just finished his first year at Queen’s University and has worked for 4 years as a counsellor in the Children’s Program. Brendan’s camp experience combined with his knowledge of tennis make him a perfect fit for this position. Both of these individuals are very excited about their upcoming responsibilities. Prior to the summer and throughout the course of the summer they will give a great deal of time and energy into making the camp experience for your child both rewarding and fun. Your support of them and their efforts is greatly appreciated.

We are in the process of finalizing the counselling and CIT positions. It is amazing to see the number of adolescents that apply for these positions. This is a true testament to the community of which we are part of at Thunder Beach.

The feedback at the conclusion of the 2013 season was great and was an affirmation that the changes that were made were for the betterment of the program, campers and parents. We therefore feel it is most advantageous to keep last year’s formatting in place. Below is a list of the changes that were made that will remain intact for the 2014 season:

We will continue with the single start time for camp. All campers from Kids Camp to Junior Sports to Senior Sports camp will start at 10:00am and finish at 12:00pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Tuesdays and Thursdays tennis will proceed as follows: Junior Tennis (campers 9 and under) will take place from 9:30-11:00am, Senior Tennis (for those 10 and up) will run from 11:00-12:30pm and for our youngest campers (3 and 4 year olds) physical activities promoting hand-eye coordination and gross motor movement will take place on the hard top area at the clubhouse from 9:30-11:00am.

The above scheduled timing will remain the same in the event of rain on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If/when it rains the children will report to the club house for indoor activities.

Pricing:

 Time Price
Daily Rate $15
Weekly Rate $40
June 30 - August 1 $125
August 4 - August 29 $100
Season's Pass $210

The “Flexible Family Plan” will remain in effect for the 2014 season. This package allows families to purchase in advance 10 days of camp for the price of $100. We have extended the length of time in which these can be purchased from last summer. This summer they will be available throughout the summer.

However just a reminder - these packages must be purchased in advance, may only be used by children within an immediate family whose names have been registered in advance, and are non-refundable and non-transferable and cannot be carried over from one summer to the next.

Camp packages are available for purchase online.

We have spent a considerable amount of time brainstorming and discussing programming ideas to ensure the entire camp population is engaged and actively enjoying their summer experience. This planning will continue right up to the commencement of camp ensuring another great summer at The Thunder Beach Children’s Program.

Camp scheduling information will be listed as part of the Children’s Summer Calendar which accompanies your roster. Please feel free to contact us with inquiries or feedback at michelle.morneau@hotmail.com, daveybutski@gmail.com or doingood7@yahoo.com. Looking forward to seeing all of you at the beach!!!

Susan Butler, Dave Butler and Michelle Morneau
Children’s Camp Directors

 

Tennis Update

We look forward to warmer weather and opening the courts for play. We're having many discussions to make your Thunder Beach tennis experience better. Tennis is on the upswing and we expect the courts to be busier in 2014. Remember you must be a TBA member and also be a tennis member to play on the courts.

We will once again use the shoe tag system we initiated a few years back, for the 2014 season. We encourage you to wear your tag every time you play, this tells everyone you are a paid member. We are just finalizing the dates for our annual tournaments. Once finalized, we will post all confirmed dates on the website.

The maintenance of the courts continues to be a high priority. We want to make sure the once the season begins that the courts are ready.

We would also appreciate your ideas, thoughts and feedback for this upcoming season matt.ducharme@sympatico.ca . It is important that we hear from you.

See you on the courts.

Matt DuCharme
Vice President

 

Baseball Update

"Batter Up!"

Thunder Beach Youth Baseball: Tuesday July 1 to Friday July 18th. Games will be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 4:15. All players between 6 and 15 are welcome. No experience necessary (It has been years since anyone struck out!).

Volunteer coaches please contact Doug Jones: djones000@sympatico.ca or 705.533.2385 or 519.884.4359

Doug Jones
Baseball Coordinator

 

Beach Volleyball Tournament Update

Dear Thunder Beachers,

The thoughts on the 2014 summer season have become more prominent as spiring is now upon us. Over the past few months I've been deliberating on my placement within the community at Thunder Beach and I have had to come to the very tough decision to take a step away from being an organizational focal point of any events at Thunder Beach for personal reasons for an indeterminate amount of time.

This is a message hopefully being sent out with enough time that there will be somebody or a group of people who will take on the Volleyball tournament and keep it running for the good of the community. I believe that this tournament has grown to become more than just a memorial for Tawny, but also a staple of community athletic activity including a great number of people of all ages. I will be there to offer any advice or assistance behind the scenes for anybody who is interested in heading up the tournament or field day from this point on.

This was most definitely a challenging decision to come to; however I think it will be for the best.

Thank you and see you at the beach,

Tyler Richard
tylertrichard@gmail.com

 

Luke Santi Memorial Flag Football Tournament Update

Tyler Richard, a founding member of the organizing group that has staged the annual flag football tournament at the McNamara Park field for the past decade has decided to step back from his operational responsibilities. The tournament, renamed in honour of Luke Santi in 2008 has enabled hundreds of children to participate in a week-long series of games.

The majority of Tyler’s ‘behind-the-scenes’ work takes place throughout the year when schedules are set, rules are established and equipment is secured. His leadership has been instrumental in recruiting coaches and referees and most importantly, in teaching our children to play flag football safely.

The event has grown to now include clinics, adult games and a championship tailgate party. None of these activities would have been as successful without Tyler’s support. As Thunder Beacher’s know,

Tyler has the rare ability to connect with children, teenagers and parents to ensure that everyone involved has fun.

Please join us in extending our appreciation to Tyler for helping to build the tournament into the highly anticipated community activity that it is today. We are thrilled that Tyler has agreed to serve as an advisor to the event on an ongoing basis.

We are very pleased that Connor Houston will take over from Tyler and assume the role of Coordinator. He will handle this summer’s tournament planning, logistics and communications. If you are interested in playing, coaching, refereeing or volunteering, please contact Connor directly via houstonconnor@ymail.com or 416.844.2730. We appreciate ALL the help from many friends and parents during flag football week!

This year’s tournament will begin on Monday, July 21st and conclude on Thursday, July 24th. NEW this year, on the afternoon of Saturday, July 19th, Connor is planning to stage an optional warm-up clinic for all players, coaches and referees! This is open to all, but new participants are encouraged to attend to familiarize themselves with the game.

We would appreciate you contacting Connor and registering for the flag football program, including the clinic by June 26th so we can get an accurate participation count. Additional details, including sign-up sheets/information will also be posted at the Friendly Corner Store closer to July. We look forward to seeing everyone again this summer!

Gordon and Martha Smeaton, Luigi, Shelagh, Andrea and Janelle Santi, Connor Houston

 

Thunder Run Update

After many years of stewardship and organization, Tom Macdonald passed the Thunder Run torch to me this past year. A big thank you to Tom and the Macdonald family, for doing such a great job, over the past number of years.

We stuck to tradition with the exception of two minor changes. The race was moved this year to the Saturday of the August Civic Holiday weekend - done, in part, to avoid losing competitors to the usual Sunday post-event headache. The other change involved moving the race finish line to the beach, which led to an impromptu post-race beach party. We lucked out with a perfect August day and enjoyed a great turnout. Many members of the Beach community also showed up to cheer on the runners, and they were not disappointed when Brendan MacDonald blazed to overall victory, followed by Ariel Burkett as winner of the women's category, and Debbie Nettesheim as the "most honest" competitor. A special thanks to Tyler Richard and Kristen MacDonald for their help on race day. And a big congratulations to all of the competitors who completed the 8 km course! I look forward to seeing you all again for the 2014 race on August 2!

Chris Burkett

 

Sympathies

The following members of the Thunder Beach Community have passed away during the winter months: Blair Makin, Bill Ballard, Eva Craig, Ralph Robitaille. We extend condolences to family and friends.