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Rinks and Refrigerators


Yesterday the Columbia Association posted a short video to their social media accounts and it really took me back.

Good vibes means finding your happy place, Columbia Association 

The video features CA’s President and CEO, Shawn MacInness, suited up for some ice hockey at the Columbia Association’s ice rink in Oakland Mills. Skating is, he tells us, “his happy place.” He encourages viewers to explore the many CA facilities to find their own happy place. 

I couldn’t help but think of one of my earliest blog posts about another CA President and CEO: Phil Nelson. Originally published on Columbia Patch, it was entitled “Phil Nelson Is On My Refrigerator.”

It all began with a promotional mailing featuring then President Nelson in his swimsuit, smiling from the pool at Supreme Sports Club. It was the first thing I had ever received from CA that made me feel like joining, probably because I felt as though Nelson had stepped out of his comfort zone a bit in order to make a personal connection with Columbia residents. 

That was in May of 2011 and it feels like a million years ago. If you go back and read the post you’ll see that I was a good deal more naive and idealistic than I am today. Ironically, Nelson’s contract was not renewed because he was characterized by the Board as “not being visible enough in the community.” You’ll probably recall that a more recent CA president was backed into announcing her resignation largely because some folks didn’t like how much she was visible in the community. 

This is why I wrote in my end-of-year post for 2024:

The Columbia Association has a new President and I have seen next to nothing about him online which past experience tells me is probably…a good thing? You never can tell when it comes to the CA Board, though.

And now here he is, up close and personal and impressively steady on the ice. According to this piece on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, a successful ice hockey player must have endurance and stamina, strength and power, agility and balance, flexibility, endurance and mental fortitude. If there is some kind of metaphor here about how one survives being CA President I must say that being a capable ice hockey player might be a useful skill to have.

Most folks are largely unaware of the current happenings in CA-world until somebody gets mad about something and the whole thing turns into A Crisis. At that point there will be angry social media posts, contentious meetings of the CA Board, and a sense that we are all children in the middle of a bitter custody battle.

But we are not going through that right now and I find it rather restful. Perhaps I should be paying closer attention during the more peaceful times but I have grown less idealistic than I used to be. I don’t really have a strong sense anymore that my being informed and engaged makes any difference whatsoever. I regret admitting that, but, it’s true.

For now I wish Mr. MacInnes smooth skating, and, for the rest of us, good vibes and a chance to find our happy place.


Village Green/Town² Comments 



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