It’s fair to say that when the TGCA’s current site went live in March of 2020 there were a few hiccups. One of the bigger issues ended up being that we got all of the existing members into the new system, but most membership accounts didn’t have their addresses and some didn’t have the correct email address. Your email is how we identify your user account -it’s also your username- so this was not ideal, but then again March 2020 was a pretty bad month for all of us, right?! 

Since the switch to the new site and new membership system, we’ve collected a lot of the correct information we needed from our very patient members and some of you have really taken to the membership accounts.  

Records in your account 

If you book or purchase anything on our site, your membership account has your booking and order records in it, which can really come in handy when you’ve booked quite a few things like bingo shifts or maybe you booked a bowling party a couple months ago. You can find these under their respective names, “bookings” and “orders.” 

Membership cards & numbers – a thing of the past? 

We’ve also moved away from the membership cards though we did have our IT team develop one. Your card is in your membership account and you can print it by clicking on “print card,” but if you’re savvy with your smart phone, it’s much easier to take a screenshot and keep it in a handy folder; much like many people did with the AB QR code. It’s unlikely that your physical card will be requested anywhere in the facility with the exception of the arena during public and member skate times. Most staff will ask for your email or name to look up your membership, but of course we’re happy to have a look at your card too.  

Some of you were disappointed to learn that we’d left the membership numbers behind and a couple of you told me that you’d been one of the first 100 members in the association, so your number was very easy to remember. I know that moving to a new system can often be a pain for folks (well, what the heck is my username now?) but losing those little bits of TGCA history is indeed a bummer. Unfortunately, our new system doesn’t include that feature, so it’s on to email.  

Edit your info  

You can edit your personal info like address and phone number should those change, and you can add your spouse and dependents as well. When you add your family members to your account, their names will appear on your membership card, so that’s handy, particularly when you’re going to a public skate in the arena.  

Get a discount! 

We recently reopened our drop-in pickleball program on Fridays for February and March and you can now book online (and get a $1 discount) by logging into your membership account to book a timeslot online. If you want to book program sessions or pickleball slots for your spouse, adding them to your account is essential.  

When you book/register online as a member, you get a discount on plenty of programs and services at the centre, like pickleball, racquetball/wallyball, bowling, yoga, Sit & Be Fit and more!  

I’ve created an overview of your account, find that here. Learn more about becoming a member of The TGCA here. 

I’d like to thank all of our members for their patience over the last couple of years as we’ve been perfecting our new membership and online booking system. If you have any questions, comments or frustrations, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Vanessa, v.gillard@tgcacalgary.com.  

Look for this blog from the TGCA programming and community engagement coordinator on the community news page twice a month! If you have a topic suggestion or you’d like to write a guest blog, please let me know at the email above.