Closed vs Open clubs at Rec Centers
 

If a person goes to a club that is supposed to be open, but the people there refuse to accommodate them, when they could, doesn't that mean it's a closed club. If so shouldn't that club be made to pay for the room at the rec center?

This happened to my wife and the the director in charge of the rec center refused to intervene. She called John Rohan's office and they referred it back to the director. The director did call my wife back, it sounds like nothing is going to change.

I refrained from pointing out the club and the rec center, but will if I get enough interest, or, if she goes back there and nothing has changed.

Some of the so called clubs are real clanish.

Depends on what the club is. If it's a neighborhood club, I would think that could be a closed club just for those people.

If the club has reached capacity that the room can safely hold, it must be closed to new membership

It could be one of those that clubs where maximum membership has occurred even though the room can hold more people. This is especially true of some craft clubs that have a lot of snowbird members. If that's not the case, then it is absolutely inexcusable to not allow a new member. If nothing else, they could have let your wife participate as a guest unless it was an activity that required two people and she'd be the odd man out.

I think we need more information. What kind of club is it? Is there a certain level of expertise required? I know of a bridge club (I'm not in it) that is for a specific level of bridge. A beginner showed up, and they advised her that she was not at the club's level of play. She tried to persist, including bringing in doughnuts the next week. They still would not let her participate. This was a level of play well beyond beginners level, and she would have hampered play. The head of the club intervened and she was not allowed to play.

Some clubs make it clear in the Rec Magazine that they do not teach; they are only for practicing your craft. There is more information needed in order to make a judgement about what happened.

OK, here are more details.

My wife and a friend went to El Santiago rec center at 4:30 Friday night to play Pokemo. She goes there and there were several people already there some of them 6 at a table. When she gets there she asks to play, but the people at the tables say that they have been playing for years together and don't want to break up their group. Now you need at least 4 to play. She was told that she should have brought 4 people to play.

My wife saw the leader and someone else go talk to the rec center director, but they never talked to my wife. My wife went up there and asked what was going on. The director sided with the leader. Now my wife pointed out that the the club was supposed to be open which means they are supposed to accommodate new players. After a while, since nothing was changing, she and her friend left.

She and her friend went to another Pokemo game later in the week and they broke up a group of 6 and created two groups of 5. They made the effort.

My point is that if the club is "open" the club does not pay for the room, but if it is "Closed" then the are supposed to pay for the room.

Don't we have rules for a reason? Shouldn't the rec center directors enforce the rules? Aren't we all equal, or are some more equal than others?

We belong to a very large social club in The Villages with 350 members but only 240 seats at our rec center. It is a sell out every month with a long waiting list for new members. The people on the waiting list got together and started a new club very similar to the other club. Now the two clubs (sister clubs) do charities together a few times a year so it is a win win.

It is not difficult to run your own club and that is the beauty of living here is you can start your own club. It used to be you just needed a short list of those interested who will join your club. Check with the regional recreation centers for info if interested. They will advertise your club in the newsletter for you to get more members if you have the initial few.

Who would want to play with a bunch of people like that! Not me.

This is probably a group of friends and neighbors that live in Santiago that get together at a rec center because their houses aren't big enough for everyone to get together. If they have played together for a long time, they may not want to break up their groups of friends for strangers.
I'm assuming all would have been good if your wife came with her own group of 4.

Sadly, that is the way with many clubs here -- either bring your own friends or don't play. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to make new friends. Since the club did not outright ban her, the odds are there is nothing the rec center/department could do. Stinks but it is what it is. To me, it is inexcusable to not welcome new players so long as they can be accommodated. I'm so glad your wife found a more welcoming group.

I'm a serious duplicate bridge player. We rarely have a spare player at our sessions to accommodate someone wanting to play without their partner (true even if a long-time player's partner doesn't show up). We do, however, go out of way to invite newcomers to call our partnership desks so they can play another time. (So long as they know bridge basics.) And, of course, they are always welcome to kibbutz.

I'm with Bonny on this one. If a group of card players has been playing together for any length of time they are a "club" unto themselves and I don't think your wife and her friend should have tried to join them. A group of six of us play cards once a week and we would not appreciate anyone trying to break us up, it is our own private little social group for the time we are there.

I'm going to suggest that your wife call the contact for a club in which she is interested, and ask whether they welcome newcomers.

friends
 

If it is a group of friends that gets together for social get together and cards. If it isn;t a listed group for the rec center I don't see them admitting new people.

That is simply incorrect.

I run the LI Club we have and will continue to have unlimited membership. We have 565 now, the room can't hold all nor does the rec ctr ever ask how many members we have.

you can have a zillion members, sell the seats first come basis, we have had 300 attend at times.

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Based on the above-stated description it appears that there were no adults in the room including the rec center director who failed his/or her job in directing.

In our neighborhood gatherings there is always room for one more

When we have events my wife and I stay open to sit at any of our tables. Aren't we a bit too old to still be clinging to cliques. clique clingers can't live with them can't live without them:D