What a difference 48 hours makes. As Cleve (and Governor Cuomo) have already let you all know, The Manhattan Community Squash Center has joined all bars, restaurants, movie theaters, casinos and gyms and we have closed. In Governor Cuomo’s words:
“Our primary goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus so that the wave of new infections doesn’t crash our healthcare system, and everyone agrees social distancing is the best way to do that.”
Most of you have already been behaving as though we are closed: A week ago today we had over 50 court bookings. Today we had 4. A clear demonstration of the collective wisdom of our community. In this email we’d like to answer questions we imagine you might be asking:
Q: Will we continue to charge membership fees?
Yes, because we really need them to help defray the significant expenses we will have even while closed. But we will convert them to charitable donations for which you can get a tax deduction (yes, we will eventually send you an official receipt) and if that’s a genuine hardship for you, we can of course discuss alternative arrangements, just call Cleve or me (to set up a time I’ve put our email addresses at the bottom of this post).
Q: When will you reopen?
We will reopen when all the other gyms are given the green light to re-open. We have absolutely no idea when that will be.
Q: Is there any way I can use the facility while it is closed if I come in alone?
No. This would run in direct conflict to the Governor and Mayor’s edicts. We will make an announcement when we re-open.
Q: How will you survive? Will Manhattan Squash be able to weather this financially?
We will survive. We are lucky to have a team (including you) who support us and will help us weather the storm.
Q: Is there anything I can do to help Manhattan Squash?
Yes! You can:
- First of all stay safe and follow the guidelines the CDC is recommending. We want to see you when we re-open!!
- Continue to give us feedback and ideas.
- Stay fit and start playing squash again as soon as we are allowed to re-open
- Reach out to any of our staff and/or partners who you know personally and give them support and assistance
- Help us financially by staying committed and participating in our fundraiser when the world gets back to normal.
This is an unprecedented time in the world. We have never been so connected or seen anything like this pandemic. Fortunately, our community has never been stronger. We are grateful to all of the emails and calls we have received with outpourings of support. The only reason we are here is because we love our sport and our community and we want to make it stronger. Thank you for being part of our adventure.
As always, don’t boast, just keep it deep.
James
On behalf of the entire team at The Manhattan Community Squash Center
If you’d like to reach out to arrange a time talk to Cleve, he is at Cleve@TheSquashCenter.org and I am at James.Green@TheSquashCenter.org.