Monday Musings: Masks, Pools and Rules

Hi Everyone,

We are playing tennis!!!! It’s important to remember that! And begin with that. We get to play tennis! 

And we are healthy, for the most part. There has been relatively little COVID-19 in Contra Costa. Another important thing to keep in mind. 

And our society has its challenges, around race, and the pandemic, and hopefully there is real growth, understanding and improvement, so that we can get back to our fundamental ideals that have made us such a great nation for so many years. A nation that can change, adapt and keep improving. Admit our mistakes, build for the future. 

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Last week I watched a WWII movie. Not a great movie, but entertaining. It got me thinking about “The Greatest Generation,” the so-called group that were born in the 20s, grew up in the 30s, were young adults in the 40s, started families in the late 40s and 50s and their children, the baby boomers that came after (my generation). And now their grand kids, and great grand kids. And of course, the parents of the greatest generation, that suffered through WWI and the Spanish Flu, that early 20^th century that smashed of 100 years of peace and prosperity, the Victorian age. Much death and destruction.  

Each generation has something that defines them, molds them, makes them tough, or breaks them down. 

The same goes for leaders. Great leaders are often made by the situations they find themselves in, often not of their making. FDR, Lincoln, Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, MLK, Gandhi, the people we look up to are often a product of their times, and the challenges they had to face. 

Perhaps there were other great leaders in office, but the times were not such to challenge them and so their greatness never came out. I remember both Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi being grateful for the other, for bring the best out in them. Same for McEnroe and Borg, and Federer and Nadal. Greatness needs a challenge. 

As we combat this pandemic, and the recent racial tensions and inequities, I wonder how prepared we really were for all this. 

My parents, born in the 20s, raised in the 30s, off to war in the 40s, having kids in the 50s, then the turbulence of the 60s (when so many of their peer’s kids staked their claim in the world they didn’t like, a vision of peace and love that got sidetracked by drugs). 

When World War II hit, my parent’s generation was already battle tough. They had been made tough by the Great Depression. They were ready for battle, for sacrifice, for teaming together to beat a common enemy, for taking what it took to get by. No wonder the 50s were such a “care-free” time. “Happy Days.” These people were tired of the great world issues. They wanted to come home. “I like Ike.” 

And the “normal” they created, with the back drop of the Cold War looking over their shoulder, and the Red Scare, and all that, drove their kids crazy. So, the rebellion of the 60s, as those baby boomers came of age, and the demand for social justice, civil rights, and change. 

My generation, the baby boomers, born in the late 40s, and 50s, we had the constant threat of the Cold War, of a nuclear winter, of destruction of most things on earth. It always kept you on edge. Always in the background. And there was the constant string of off-shore wars, beginning with Vietnam (and still ongoing). That toughened us up as well. But since then, the challenges have fallen away.

The twentieth century has often been called the American Century, especially with the collapse of the USSR in 1989 and it has extended into the 21^st century, with continued prosperity. Only a few stock market hiccups have blemished the road to success. Smooth sailing. 

I can’t help but feel that things have been going so well, for so long, that we just were not ready for this battle. The pandemic. Especially our younger members in society. Much like those Victorians were not ready for WWI. We are not battle tested, we are not battle ready. Sure, there has been 9/11, and a couple of wars, fought far from the comforts of home, but not much the general society or average person has had to go through. The twenty-year old remembers or experienced little of that. 

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So, what does this all have to do with Orindawoods, and masks, pools and all that? 

Masks suck. They are not comfortable. They fog our glasses, they block our airflow, we can’t breathe as well with them on (we get C02 headaches), and … they save lives. 

That’s a tough balance. 

Not only that, but they primarily protect other people, not you. You are protected by other people wearing their masks. Masks is something we do for each other. So, if you wear a mask, you are protecting your partner. If you partner doesn’t wear a mask, they are not protecting you. 

Wearing a mask is a hardship, and pain, uncomfortable, and primarily a long-term solution. Short-term pain, long-term gain. Today’s unpleasantness makes society healthier in the future. Delayed gratification. 

So how tough are we? Can we sustain some short-term pain to make the world better for all of us, like our parents, or grandparents? Make sacrifices for our children’s future? 

Or is it short-term gain (no masks, more comfort, “the road goes on forever and the party never ends”) and long-term pain (disease)? 

“I protect you, you protect me.”

Sounds like a nice place to live. A nice Club to belong to. Or it is: 

“Every man for himself.”

When I read the Health Directives, it is easy to just skip to the bottom of the directive, or the part that has changed, to find out what you want to know. “What does it say about tennis? What does it say about pools?” 

Then there are headlines, press releases like “pools open at 5pm today” and people see that, and they have a vision in their mind of what that means. This vision may have little to do with what the directive actually says. Or allows. Such is human nature. We’re hopeful and optimistic. 

When you hear pools open, what to you visualize in your mind’s eye? Don’t you see kids splashing, playing “Marco Polo,” people swimming and then lying in the sun, laughter, splashing, maybe a pool party or BBQ. 

Well, that is not what the health order says. Or allows. For example, our “play and go” rule for tennis, is pretty much the same for swimming, “swim and go” no hanging out, no socializing on the deck, no going in the locker rooms, no showers, no changing. No sunbathing. 

Get wet and leave. 

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The health orders, the science, the experience of the pandemic keeps coming back to one primary thing: 

Social Distancing

That’s the answer, the same boring, repetitive, now unwanted answer. It’s not going away. With its best friend: 

And where social distancing is not possible: wear face masks.

So, people ask me, “When are we going to be able to take our masks off when we play doubles?” 

And I don’t think anything has really changed there. COVID-19 is primarily transferred from one person to another by breathing. Either for long, sustained periods in the same room, or a large blast of air directly in the face, like heavy breathing from exercise, or a sneeze or a cough. 

What needs to change for masks to disappear is there is no more COVID-19. I don’t think that has happened yet. And I don’t see that reflected in the health directives either. 

Of course, you don’t have to wear a face mask down on the court if you are playing singles, with members of your household, or practicing by yourself. You do need to wear a mask when walking around the club, to and from the courts, or to or from your car. Our pathways are narrow, and we need to wear masks. 

Here is a question, how many of you realize that Shelter in Place is still in effect? 

Yeah, a lot of things have opened up, some stores, some restaurants, but when you read the health directive, we are still in Shelter in Place. Here is just part of June 5^th directive: 

2.  When people leave their place of residence for the limited purposes allowed in this Order, they must strictly comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined in
   Section 15.k, except as expressly provided in this Order, and must wear face coverings as provided in, and subject to the limited exceptions in, Health Officer Order No. HO- COVID19-08 (the “Face Covering Order”). 

Some clubs or courts may not be following these rules. That is what I hear from various members. “At ____ tennis club, they are not wearing masks.” 

That is there, this is here. 

Orindawoods is very concerned for the health and safety of our members. Most of our membership is at or near the age where COVID-19 is very dangerous. Most of us have a bull’s eye on our chests (in our chests?). 

Now it is true that our membership tends to be healthier than the average person of their age, but we are mostly at those challenging ages. We need to be careful just the same. 

There are many of our members who have not returned to the courts yet or are very cautious about doing so. Some groups are saying, “off with the masks,” while the court next to them is barely able to play and certainly wants those masks on. And they want them on their neighbors, they want to feel the Club is a safe place to play. They are counting on us. 

What about guests? The problem with guests is 1) they don’t know our rules, 2) they have no loyalty to the club to follow the rules and there is little of consequence we can do to enforce the rules, 3) there is no way to pay for guest that doesn’t involve the exchange of cash or checks, and 4) almost no clubs are allowing guests at this time. Again, the idea is to primarily protect the Club’s members. So, we will continue with no guests for now. 

And pools? The June 5^th Health Directive says pools can open if there is social distancing. And of course, you can’t really wear a mask in a pool. That was our solution on the courts, for doubles. (many places still don’t allow doubles, by the way). 

The Health Directive has defined social distancing as 300 sq. feet per person (not in the same household). Six feet apart in the water. So where does that leave us? Our pool is 1,200 square feet, and most of it is the deep end where people don’t “hang out,” or “cool off.” Especially kids. 

We have about 300 square feet of “shallow end.” Where kids play. And that is where everyone enters and exits as well. The Spa is 91 sq. feet. One person at a time. 

How do we open, with those kinds of restrictions, these kinds of challenges? 

“Ignore them” would be one popular answer (like the speed limit), tried at many beaches across the country. Not Orindawoods. 

We are trying to explore several possibilities. One option is one family at a time, but there are challenges there too. How do we reserve, take turns, sign up, no drop ins, crowding on a hot day, etc… We are working on this, but we are not there yet. 

Bottom Line: We should have more information for you, and an opening plan in the next couple of days. We are sorry for the delay, but we want to get this right.