Ashbridges Beach in 2010 – The future of Not So Pro and Canadian So Pro is in jeopardy!

What you are about to read is very close to my heart and is my passion. As you may or may not know over the past 6 years I have been the Chairman, Tournament Director and have run the Canadian So Pro Beach Volleyball tour, one of Canada’s best.


I am sad to say that for me and so many professional beach volleyball players throughout Canada, the future of Not So Pro including Sports Leagues, Ski + Snowboard Club, Social Scene, Beach Tour, Tournaments, Canadian So Pro and PVB Youth Volleyball is in dire straits and jeopardy of losing the access to Ashbridges beach.

Please read below and contact your councillor.

The following matter is extremely important to us and to YOU and we would appreciate that you to take the time to inform yourself of the details. We would like to tell you about our current situation with Ashbridges beach.


Not So Pro started beach volleyball at Ashbridges 14 years ago and has since become a community success story. Throughout the years, Not So Pro has built lasting relationships with hundreds of companies, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities, has developed youth programs, supported local schools, as well as helped to build an entire beach volleyball community; YOU!


In 2009 Not So Pro has paid the City of Toronto over $230,000. Since 2005, our most recent contract, over $1 million has been paid to the City including $125,000 through your registration fees toward building a playground at Ashbridges beach. The playground has not yet been constructed. This playground issue, numerous breaches in our contract, future construction of the bathing station, the city strike, and other matters around the 5 year contract renewal have lead us to where we are presently.


This issue will be brought before City council on March 31st that all Councillors are going to have to vote on to decide whether or not, Not So Pro will be able to continue all of the great accomplishments we have achieved since 1996. We are confident that with our proven track record and your support that the City Councillors will make the right informed decision and we will be back on the beach in 2010!


This entire situation has been completely agonizing for all of us at Not So Pro. It is a travesty that our business is in jeopardy of being taken away after 14 years of hard work and to simply hand it over to another organization as if it is the City’s to give. This decision will affect all properties within Not So Pro including our Sports Leagues, Ski + Snowboard Club, Social Scene, Beach Tour, Tournaments, Canadian So Pro, PVB Youth Volleyball, etc. We have been trying to act in good faith and negotiate fairly with the City of Toronto for many years until as recently as a couple of weeks ago. These actions are not fair and are morally unjust!

We ask you to please read more of this story so that you have a clear understanding of the situation at hand on our website and respectfully communicates to your Councillor and the Mayor to vote to have Not So Pro continue what we started at Ashbridges Beach.


To read more about our story and for more information on how to contact your local Councillor and the Mayor, please click here! - http://www.toronto.notsopro.com/articles/ashbridges-beach-2010.html


Thank you in advance!

Sincerely,

Marc Roberts and the Not So Pro Sports Team
Not So Pro - Toronto
p: 416.694.6244
f: 416.694.4654



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See Canada’s Top Beach Volleyball Players

FUNK ROBERTS READY FOR CANADIAN SO PRO BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Funk Roberts is happy to announce that for the 3rd year in a row, he will be the Tournament Director of the $5000 Canadian So Pro Beach Volleyball Tournament in Toronto. “I am proud and happy to be a part of such a great tournament. It gives me pleasure to be able to give back to the sport that I played and love for so long” says the elated Funk. Funk has organized this successful tournament 3 years in a row and is very optimistic that this one may be the best ever.

The tournament will draw the best professional beach volleyball players from across Canada. For both the men’s and women’s sides, the 16-team main draw will start Saturday morning, August 18, and run until the finals, Sunday afternoon.

As of today, leading the pack in the tournament for the women are 2005 Wasaga and Toronto winner Caroline Fiset and her partner Isabelle Rancourt, who have been playing internationally for Canada on the FIVB Tour. Other notables include 2005 Grand Bend winner Izzy Czerveniak, Kara Zawkrewski and the newly crowned Ontario beach volleyball champions Sarah Hogarth and Suzana Majcen. The women’s side promises to be action packed.

The men’s side is still fleshing itself out. Teams like Ontario Beach runner-up Jason Hubbard and Anton Hauser and the return of Olympian Jody Holden should ensure the beach stays hot with competition over the weekend.

There will also be the Not So Pro tournament that will feature close to 200 teams and over 1500 people. The weekend will also feature social breaks every hour to win some cool swag, a hot D.J. spinning the tunes all weekend long, sponsor booths to visit, as well as the ever-popular food and beverage gardens right on the beach.

If you have some time on your hands this weekend, come down to Ashbridges Bay in Toronto and check out great volleyball action.

www.canadiansopro.com

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