We are so excited to be able to have a swim team this year, even though the Columbia Swim League will not be officially having a season. We are looking to practice and have meets with other local Clubs, extending our training season through July.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES, OUR COACHES CANNOT BE IN THE WATER WITH YOUNG SWIMMERS. Although we have traditionally placed emphasis on the development of our youngest swimmers, this year, we are limiting enrollment to swimmers 7 years of age or older who can ALREADY swim a length of the pool.
COVID can’t stop a shark! The Murraywood Sharks will swim this summer. Though we won’t be having an official Columbia Swim League season, we will be training and competing through July (extended season since late start).
As you may know, Governor McMaster announced that pools in South Carolina could re-open. DHEC has provided operational guidelines that we will be following to facilitate social distancing and sanitary conditions. We have formulated a game plan that is in accordance with these guidelines in an attempt to give members access to our great pool while keeping members, guests and staff as safe as possible.
The protocols described below will be evaluated every two weeks, and adjusted as needed to reflect any evolution in the status quo. This is uncharted territory, and we are eager to make all the right choices as things evolve. With luck, protocols that seem restrictive now will be loosened if the presence of disease in our community diminishes.
Attendance COVID-19 does not survive in chlorinated water, so it is not considered a water-borne illness. However, DHEC has specified limitations for use based on size of pool and deck space. It has been determined that 75 people can use the pool safely if they follow personal social distancing from non-family members.
Block Scheduling To ensure that we have no more than 75 bathers at the pool at a time, we are starting the season with block scheduling of pool attendance. Booking slots will be 3 hours in length. In this manner, we can accommodate up to 225 swimmers daily. At the end of each block, the pool and deck will be cleared of all members and guests, and all member-used surfaces will be sprayed and wiped down with a commercial grade sanitizer. This process will include:
You may schedule your pool booking up to two days in advance, and will be limited to one booking per day. You may schedule additional blocks on the same day ONLY if there are openings at the start of that block time. The schedule blocks will be:
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
2:30 pm to 5:30 pm
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
We will send out more information on booking your reservations next week. Stay tuned!!!
No cash to pay your guest fees? No problem! You can pay online by clicking the image above. Payment is processed via PayPal – but you don’t need a PayPal account. The cost for online payment is $8 (includes processing fees). You can still pay $7 at the kiosk.
Also, look for QR codes court-side. Use your smart phone camera on the code – it will take you to the payment page automatically!
Congratulations to Kate Snyder! She has been named a USTA SC Awesome Athlete of the Month. Kate has been taking tennis lessons at Murraywood since she was 5, and has dedicated herself to the sport. She’s on court with us four times a week, and displays focus, energy, sportsmanship and incredible skill.
USTA SC School Tennis Coordinator, Pamela Banks, presented the award to Kate at Murraywood on Thursday, April 20.
Kate, 8 years old, is a third grader at New Providence Elementary in Lexington.
Take a look at our brand new fire pit! Designed and built by members Alex Paris, Elizabeth Paris and Tom Keckeisen, it is beautiful and will be so wonderful on chilly days and nights at the ‘Wood.
Come celebrate the holiday season on Sunday, December 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and toast a marshmallow over the fire! Bring the kids – it’ll be fun and tasty! Beer, wine, sodas and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Hope you can make it!
Join us on Sunday, December 11, 2016 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Gazebo for a celebration of the season! Beer, wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided, and we will also have a fire pit with marshmallows! Hope you can make it!
On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, a month and 6 days after the devastating flood that rocked our world, Tommy Rayfield arrived at Murraywood at 9:00 a.m. to discover that the facility had flooded AGAIN! The hard courts were covered with mud, the shed was a wreck, and waterlines indicated that the floodwaters had been up 4 to 5 feet, almost level with Courts 7 & 8.
“Uh, oh,” thought Tommy, as he opened the shed. “This isn’t right.”
All of Sean and Anne’s new balls were ruined. The tractor was flooded. The brand new refrigerator was on its side, mud stained, possibly ruined.
Investigation revealed that the new flood had been about 5′ high on Court #1:
Sean is about 6′ tall. The water mark on the windscreen is almost to his shoulder.
Check out the other water marks:
3 to 4 feet high on the shed.
Check out the water meter cover outside Courts 7 & 8:
CleanUp Time
We already knew how to clean the hard courts the hard way. It took 20-30 volunteers two full days to get the mud off last time. This time, we called the Irmo Fire Department who had offered to help us out with fire hoses after the October flood. The City of Columbia was so overwhelmed at that time that we couldn’t obtain the necessary water meter to take advantage of the Fire Department’s generosity. This time, we got a meter from Aqua Pool Care (fantastic company!) and the Fire Department came out right away. Time to clean the courts!
Sean now has a backup career: Fireman!
Powerful!
Ronny Christie can be a fireman too!
Andrea Creighton and Jeannie Watson assist, but also had turns operating the big hose!
Amazing!
So when is CSX going to fix the malfunctioning culverts that are causing us this woe? Can anyone help us? C’mon, CSX! DO THE RIGHT THING! FIX THE CULVERTS!
