There are many members at Coolhurst that are very musical across an assortment of genres including a number of professional musicians. That is very interesting to me being a musician of sorts myself, progressive rock and psychedelia being my genre. I am surprised how many musicians play tennis to a good standard and I have played tennis with many of them over the years.
Here I am with the guitarist from Iron Maiden, Adrian Smith, who is my regular doubles partner when I play at the David Lloyd Club in Bushey. The corona virus is a terrible universal pandemic, but music is a universal language that can be an antidote that offers a soothing release from the pressures it has brought upon us. Play, listen and dance to music, I do every day.
I mention playing tennis with Adrian at David Lloyd Club for a reason. There is a substantial difference between a commercial club run for profit like David Lloyd and a members club run by the members, for the the members, like Coolhurst. The main difference is the members, of course; for me, David Lloyd is no more than the use of tennis courts and the other facilities on offer, whereas I view Coolhurst as my tennis club, a club that I am part of and belong to, a community. The difference between the clubs has been highlighted for me with the lock-down closure of both clubs, David Lloyd members view it as a closed facility, whereas Coolhurst members view it as having an important impact on their community and have rallied round to support it; it remains their club even though they can’t use it at the moment.
Meanwhile, your GMC has been zoom meeting on a weekly basis and will continue to do so while the club is closed. Now things have settled down, it will be a chance for us to keep connected and up-to-date with each other, informal meetings that the committee members can choose to participate in or not, a way of communicating while we are closed. Of course, we are ready to deal with any unseen problems that might arise, but I am very pleased to report that everything is going very smoothly at the moment and that has everything to do with the quality of my GMC colleagues and the fantastic support we have received from the members.
Wishing everyone a Happy Easter holiday weekend that includes music in one form or another.
Steve
Stephen Nardelli
Coolhurst Club Chairman (in exile)
Thank you for that Steve. I agree entirely about the cathartic, restorative and uplifting nature of music. Music is a very important part of my life, especially in these very uncertain and dark days.
I wish you and all your family a very happy Easter as well
Thank you Mark, great music minds think alike!
On the subject of an overlap between clubs like Coolhurst and the world of music:
i) We had in 2018 a brilliant after dinner talk by the original leading lady of Hair – Annabel Leventon
ii) The music quiz and charity fundraiser led by Anna Tilbrook was another highpoint with a packed-out Clubhouse in 2018
iii) 2019 saw a brilliant after dinner talk from ex-Club Chair Penny Chalmers on singing the lead in a Wagner opera at Covent Garden
iv) last but not least, it was at Coolhurst that fellow Coolhurstian Paul Barnes talked me in to joining his orchestra, they had no french horn player so I became the french horn section. One thing led to another and I married one of that orchestra’s second violins. That’s why our little daughter Yuika is the official orchestra baby.
So Steve, how right you are.
Thank you for this Coolhurst musical overview Michael, it shows how sport and music can be linked as great universal communicators. The events that led from a fellow club member to your orchestral participation and marriage are heart warming. As you know, I have had the great pleasure of having dinner with your lovely wife and daughter, Yuika, the official orchestra baby!
‘If music be the food of love play on.’
I wonder how many of us met our life partners through being part of a members club community. Me for one, while my mother and her sister both bagged a husband at Hillhead Tennis Club in Glasgow
Thank you Steve for being in touch with the members. It will be great to get the club open again. You mention musicians so perhaps we can also look forward to you playing a tune or two – I understand that you know how to pull a few strings on the guitar and elsewhere.
Hopefully you will have good luck in your new role as Chair when the club opens again.
Thank you Gerald, I have inherited as Chairman a great club from you, albeit my first action was to close it!
I’m very grateful that you continue to be involved in finalising your new tennis courts project, much appreciated.
I look forward to our next game of tennis in the not too distant future.