When you walked into the court area for the 2015 fall season,
you would have noticed that things have changed. Considerably. We all know
about the renovation we ‘suffered’ through, and many of you have already met
and tested out our new and much needed assistant squash pro, Corey. If you
remained active over the summer in either the box ladders or the league, you
would have also noticed the occasional e-mail coming through with your match
results from a company called “Sporty HQ”.
Sporty HQ caught my attention at the end of last season from
one of the squash web sites. Admittedly, we hadn’t been having problems or
complaints from the Game Time system the DAC had been using for the past 7
years - it worked perfectly fine for the purpose of reserving courts. But that was all it did. Sporty HQ appeared
to offer just about everything from a reservation system to tournament
organization and much in between. To have a program that covered all the bases
for us under one roof was, undeniably, attractive.
We have been working diligently with the Sporty HQ creators.
The man behind its handiwork must wince every time he sees my number pop up on
his phone. Henry Weber has bent over backwards to accommodate us and the unique
needs of the DAC. Also, the fact that he is an Aussie has helped, he can
decipher my accent…mate! The
advantage this system has over its competitors – I believe – is that the
creators are squash players themselves. They understand what clubs need and can
see it from a member’s perspective as well as a programmer’s perspective. They
have been exceedingly helpful and cooperative with us in modifying the program
to suit our requirements and specific rules. It is not difficult to use. But
like any change, it can be met with resistance. People can get uncomfortable
when presented with something different, a little out of the comfort zone. I
hope to appease some of that.
Access is very simple. Sporty HQ is linked in to the DAC
website, and it is also synced up with our membership roster. Any changes that
occur on the membership roster on the DAC end, automatically transfer to Sporty
HQ. A very advantageous feature. Once you are in the system, you can explore its
many facets. Go to your profile and update your personal information as much or
as little as you wish. You can also upload a photo which can be helpful (and
fun) for other members to see.
Reserving courts is still very easy to do. The look of the
booking screen is a little different to the Game Time, but functionally it is
actually better. Peak times are easily distinguishable by the (tinged) red
squares, all the singles squash courts and the doubles court are on the same
page. The racquetball and handball courts have a tab at the top of the page. There
is some scrolling required to see the whole day’s activities, but there are
also links at the top of the screen that will automatically jump you to either
‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’ times. A very helpful extra as well, and
something Game Time could not provide for us, is a ‘waitlist’ function. With
all the court usage we get, this will be extremely beneficial.
E-mails are automatically generated when a court is reserved
or deleted. The e-mail you receive when a booking is created can also be
entered onto your Outlook calendar if you click on the calendar attachment that
comes with it. It is recommended you do that, since reminder e-mails are not
created – or even necessary anymore.
It is essential that you reserve a court every time you step
on court, regardless of the time of day. Not only is it peace of mind for you –
knowing that you will not be kicked off – but we track court usage very closely
every day and the more accurate the numbers, the better decisions we can make
in the future regarding the squash program. Want more courts? Then book them.
It is also just as crucial to make sure you cancel any court that you no longer
need. Especially now that we have a waitlist function. Respect your fellow
member by opening up the court for others to reserve. We all know that usage is
continually growing and there is nothing more frustrating for members to see
that courts sit unoccupied but were booked solid on the reservation sheet.
Sporty HQ also offers a ranking for all the court sports we
have: squash, doubles squash, handball singles, handball doubles, and
racquetball. Currently we are running the box ladders, boasters league and the
Doubles Select Tournament through the system. Being able to do this within the
one website is incredibly useful. All of your scores are entered into Sporty
HQ, your ranking is automatically calculated. It is a point based system, so
how many points you gain or lose depends on who you played against. You can see
all of your stats on your profile page, wins, losses, streaks, ranking history,
just to name a few. You can peruse other members stats as well, send them
messages, e-mails, make notes on your page about them.
Is the system perfect? Well, no. But, Henry and Sporty HQ
are doing their best to make it so. The system will evolve over time, apps are
in the works, updates and improvements are constantly happening. It is the best
system I have seen, it will get even better, and we will enjoy the benefits.
