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Chesterfield Pickleball News

4-3-2023

Hello Pickleball Club Members,
April Fool Jokes…some people just don’t see the humor. It’s certainly more fun to be the giver than the receiver of an April Fool Joke.  We don’t like to be “gotten” and this one got many players.
I guess you heard the news that USA Pickleball is doing away with Traditional Scoring and replacing it with Rally Scoring? This was announced on April 1st by Mark Rennison of Third Shot Sports. Players were in an uproar but for naught as it was an very elaborately planned April Fool joke. He has sort of apologized for it looking so authentic. There have been many over the years so beware of that date. As Adam Goldsmith, one of our local high level certified referees pointed out, pickleball rules only change at the first of the year.
Moving on….
The month of April is National Pickleball Month!
Let’s continue to honor our sport and have a great time with our friends–new and old–trying to stay healthy for as long as possible.   Please abide by the Open Play/Rotational Play Rules during those reserved time.
There are so many people we are grateful for and I apologize for the times when I fail to acknowledge you. In this newsletter,  I will attempt to highlight those players who give of themselves to help maintain our outdoor courts. These are volunteers who often pick up trash (water bottles, cigarette butts, banana peels and other items that people either forget or are too lazy to pick up on their own). Sometimes, they repair nets, put wind screens back up when the wind takes them down, wash the drying towels (occasionally), help Parks and Rec remove and replace the canopy at CTC when necessary. They have a volunteer’s heart and do many other things too numerous to mention. Many of you do these things,sometimes, and it makes a big difference – but several people answered the call to be the named Court Monitor when a call went out last year and they have done a super job.
CTC–Marilyn Miller and Jim Weathersby
RW–Gloria Lambert and others
HD– Jay Palmore
HP–Kim Nelson and Rick Phelps
Dodd- Tim Christianson
I am sure there are more but I don’t have a list.. Let me know and I will give you/them a shout out, too. When you see people performing these duties, please thank them in person. It means a lot to all of us.
That said, Marilyn Miller, needs a break. She has gone over and beyond with her diligence to the tasks.  While she can’t be replaced, is there someone who will work with Jim to help keep CTC in good shape and report problems to a Board Member so we can determine if PCCC should handle it or it needs to be forwarded to P&R?
Thanks to everyone who steps up in so many ways to keep this sport growing and to making it an enjoyable experience for most players.
League players are excited that Spring League begins today. Wishing you all the best.
The new Drill-N-Play program is now full for this Spring season with 70 players, including 8 coaches !
Parks and Rec classes for new and improving players are starting up around the middle of April.
Next month,  Prem Carnot “The Pickleball Guru” will be back with his Clinics and Boot Camp. He is known for teaching players to play smart, not harder. You should consider signing up if you qualify. This is will be his 11th year coming to teach pickleball in the local Richmond Area. Many of us have taken his clinics (boot camps) and find his instruction both helpful and reasonably priced.
http://pickleballguru.com
Please check the calendar for other events.
See you on the courts! Linda

3/7/2023

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,

Due to increased costs of using Mail Chimp for group emails, PCCC is investigating others options and may be migrating to a new group email server shortly. Hopefully, there will be no interruption of our monthly communication. To make sure you have access to all our announcements as we transition, periodically check the tab “Linda’s Page” at (chesterfieldpickleball.club) .
In the event our new service needs to send an email to validate you as a PCCC member, please click the link in that future email to continue subscribing to PCCC emails.

Update on Leagues: An exciting Spring League Season is about to begin the first week of April. It is always an adjustment period as the courts are not just open all the time during this 8 week period. All league times will be on the calendar which will help you to avoid those times and find another location to play. Even on league nights, there will be at least one court available for drop in/open/rotational play at each location. Dodd Park and Huguenot Park have no leagues. Rockwood is only scheduled for two nights and Harry Daniels only one. So there will be plenty of open courts and it may be fun to try a new location. Most leagues are at CTC of course since it was built primarily for league and tournament use.
I hope most of you were able to sign up for the league of your choice but if you didn’t, Fall Season is just around the corner.

Update on new Indoor Facility: Check out the web site for Bangersandinks.com and sign up for a discount on membership.
This will be a great addition to pickleball in our local area. I can’t wait to try it out.

See you on the courts! Linda

2/1/2023

Big News to start the New Year! Scroll through this newsletter for each important topic.
-Spring Leagues
-New Outdoor Courts
-Relevant Pickleball Articles
-Indoor Pickleball Club/Restaurant
-Pickleball Discounts and Calendar

Spring Leagues
Our new League Commissioner, Lynze Kapp, and the PCCC Board of Directors with the assistance of Colby Rogness, are working on the final stages for the planning of PCCC Spring Leagues. My next newsletter will give you details for the league and the signup dates.

New Outdoor Courts
Try out our newest outdoor courts…Huguenot Park off Early Settlers Road, across from Johnston Willis
and Dodd Park Enon Church Road, near Chester

Relevant Pickleball Articles and Survey
https://richmondfamilymagazine.com/…/all-in-on-pickleball/

This important article from USA Pickleball addresses sportsmanship. I encourage you to read it and abide by it for the benefit of all players.
https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/sportsmanship-guide/

Chesterfield County C-Fit and Virginia Orthopedics want to gauge your level of interest for them to offer health information and advice for pickleball injuries and prevention with in-person visit from the doctors. Please take the attached survey to let them know what you might be interested in learning more about, i.e. how to avoid knee replacement surgery.
https://forms.office.com/g/kPjks15cym

Indoor Pickleball Club/Restaurant
Chesterfield will soon get our own “Chicken and Pickleball like” facility. It will be called Bangers and Dinks. Featuring eight full size indoor pickleball courts, they will serve a modified menu plus beer and wine. This will be a private club with various membership levels. It will be located near Chesterfield Town Center, right in the heart of Chesterfield. Stay tuned….

Pickleball Discounts and Calendar
See https://chesterfieldpickleball.club (no DOT COM!) for our calendar. Click the Resource tab for Discounts.

See you on the courts!
Linda

1/1/2023

Out with the old and in with the new! Be sure the check on the item in RED.

The past year has been a banner year for PIckleball in Chesterfield and far beyond. The growth continues to amaze us and our Chesterfield Parks and Rec Department, as well as, our Chesterfield Board of Supervisors have not let us down. Perhaps many of you do not know that the Scott Pickleball Center at Rockwood were the FIRST DEDICATED PICKLEBALL COURTS IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA and look what has happened since then! When players visit from other areas they are full of compliments regarding how lucky we are to have all these beautiful courts. Our club alone has over 2,000 (2,077 at last count). I get copies of pickleball articles in magazines and newspapers, daily, from across the country. REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT RICHMOND FAMILY MAGAZINE for January. The article by Paula Chambers may be the most thorough article ever written about local pickleball as she interviewed so many people and she is a pickleball player, herself!
Pickleball has been on all 3 major network morning shows, “Pickled” was it’s own 2 hour special. Commercials now feature people playing (playing at) pickleball, and it was even mentioned on NCIS the other night and not as a joke…:-). You can watch tournaments live on Apple TV, U-tub, and The Tennis Channel. There are so many training videos it’s difficult to know which ones to watch. There are more and more local tournaments, touring pros and other pickleball programs coming to our area each year.
Now, we have 40 (YES 40) dedicated pickleball courts in Chesterfield alone. Henrico and Richmond are close behind. YOU ARE PART OF A SEACHANGE IN A SPORT WHICH HAS EVOLVED FROM A FUN LITTLE BACKYARD FAMILY GAME in 1965, TO A GAME FOR OLDER ADULTS IN RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES, TO A REAL SPORT WITH ALL OF THE FORMER ATTRIBUTES, AS WELL AS, PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES WHO ARE ACTUALLY MAKING A LIVING PLAYING AND TEACHING. IT IS HOPED IT WILL BE AN OLYMPIC SPORT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED?

Just so you know, here are somethings that your Club has done this year using money brought in mostly from league play and some from generous donations.

Offered CPR/AED classes
Negotiated the installation of AEDs at 3 locations (two AED’s were donated).
Negotiated for courts for Leagues for Spring and Fall and provided insurance for all players
Offered guidance and support for League Coordinators
Purchased balls for leagues
Encouraged Parks and Rec to build new courts at Huguenot and Point of Rocks/Dodd Park. This new courts are filling up fast! There be a Spring Grand Opening for these in April.
Supported Visiting pros, tournaments and clinics
Championed the complete renovation of Scott Pickleball Center at RW
Negotiating with Parks and Rec for Certified Volunteer Coordinators at each outdoor location (this is still on-going)
Purchased replacement of canopies for the center area at CTC
Scheduled and paid for the location fee for the Certified Training Program for New Instructors through IPTPA. We had 16 attendees and most took their exams and passed.
Donated Christmas Goodies baskets to Parks and Rec Maintenance personnel who are so helpful at the outdoor locations
Gave a little “thank you” present to our indoor facilitators and our Calendar Girl. We could not do without each of you.
Attended meetings with Parks and Rec on your behalf
I’m sure there is more……. but it’s 4:30 a.m. on Jan 1 and we have to get on the road!.

While the Board of PCCC has worked hard, all of our volunteers deserve a huge thank you. These are the givers. When we ask for help there are those who routinely and immediately step up.. We all know who you are and appreciate you greatly.

If anyone knows of possible new locations for pickleball, please let me know and I will be happy to follow up. I’m thinking gyms in churches, that sort of thing. We need more indoor locations for Winter/Summer/Rain/Wind/Sun, evening play…:-) Speaking of that read the next paragraph.

NEW IN 2023. CHECK THIS OUT.

Exciting news from Leah Fremouw!

“I am part of a small group looking to launch a year-round pickleball facility in the area. Can you help us figure out if this is viable? We developed a quick survey to get feedback from our community and would love your thoughts.”
Here is the link.https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/yearroundpickle

Please take the survey ASAP, if you are at all interested, so they can tailor their plans to the needs/desires of the community. You have the option of completing this anonymously, if you wish.

Leah will share the results with me and I will publish it here, next month, for all to see.

WE WILL HAVE A NEW LEAGUE COMMISH FOR SPRING. LYNZE KAPP has graciously stepped up to this position. Please welcome her when you see her on the courts. We are gathering information to give to Lynze in the next couple of weeks. At this point it looks like sign ups will open in February with League play to begin the first week in April. There is still a lot to be decided and then get approved through the PCCC Board and finally with Parks and Rec. Remember the list above? All players benefit from league play, not only the league players.

We are planning on a big meeting for all Club Members who wish to attend in May, 2023. Location and time to be announced.
Stay tuned…..

REMEMBER, IT IS SAID THAT WHATEVER YOU DO ON JAN 1 IS LIKELY TO BE REPEATED MANY TIMES DURING THE YEAR SO GET OUT PLAY SOME PICKEBALL!

THE OFFICERS OF THE PCCC WISHES YOU A MOST HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Linda Scott, President
Lisa Murphy, Vice President
Gloria Lambert, Secretary
Leslie Moore, Treasurer

12/2/2022

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,

The big news this month is the soft opening of those beautiful, long-awaited courts at Dodd Park at Point of Rocks, 201 Enon Church Road, Chester, Va. This is a lovely park with great walking trails, play grounds, it has historical significance and the pickleball courts are great. We are just awaiting the permanent divider nets which are due to arrive in about a week. Chris Christensen has installed some temporary divider nets that seem to be doing the trick for now, and allow people to play. Thanks Chris! PRAC wants us to fill these courts as soon as possible, like we have all the rest – so if you know of folks out near Chester/Enon/Hopewell/Colonial Heights please help us get the word out. As soon as the permanent divider nets are in, The Club will host a Pickleball Demo Day to attract more new players.

The Huguenot Park courts have an expected opening date of Dec 15 or before. Check our Facebook Page “Chesterfield Pickleball Group” for the latest updates. We will need to do a Demo Day there, too, so keep that in mind for those who want to learn to play and don’t mind being a little cold…:-)

In order to keep our website more interesting and up-to-date, we are asking that you send pictures of local and current pickleball events to add. You may email them to Lisa Murphy at [email protected].

Smitty (Levin Smith) is coordinating another Christmas Toy Drive to benefit local children on December 2. Donations are welcome for this worthwhile cause. Contact Smitty at [email protected] for details.

The Club always gives a Thank You Gift to the men and women at Parks and Rec who are so helpful and keep the courts so nice for us at RW, HD and CTC. Looks like we will be expanding that next year…:-) We are so grateful to PRAC (Parks and Rec Advisory Council) and the Chesterfield Parks and Rec Department for their support of the Pickleball Program in Chesterfield for the last 12 years. Let’s keep pickleball growing strong!

Print the calendar at the end of this email for reference throughout December. Reserved time for open play will be 12:00 pm to 3:00 p.m. each day through February.

The Board Members of the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

See you on the courts. Linda

PS The light schedule has changed for all courts for the Winter months. They will come on earlier now and shut off at 9:30 p.m. instead of 11:00 p.m.

8/7/2022

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,

League Update Don’t despair as there are still a few openings in some leagues
The first wave of players signed up for “one league only” on August 1st. This allowed for more players to be included in a league. These players had over a week to get their registration and payment to the respective league coordinators. Tomorrow the leagues coordinators who still have openings will start filling their leagues with new requests and working from their waitlist. On April 10, players can sign up for additional leagues. So jump in as soon as you can and get in one of these leagues. Look at my last Mail Chimp email at our website Chesterfield Pickleball.Club under Linda’s Page or League Information for the league description and how to register. It’s easy.

A few openings are still available in:
Beginner’s League–no partner needed 1.5-2.0
Advanced Beginner Fixed Partner League 2.5 to 3.0
Intermediate Fixed Partner League 3.0 to 4.0
Intermediate Men’s League -no Partner Needed 30 to 4.0
Intermediate Singles League 3.0 to 4.0 No partner of course
Senior 65+ Friday Fun League 2.5 to 3.0 No partner needed

Filled Leagues (consider for next Spring)
Intermediate Co-Ed League
Woman’s League “A League of Their Own”
Advanced Beginner Co-Ed League

Why play in a pickleball league? Leagues are played in various formats during reserved times with other players at your same level. Some leagues are more relaxed while others are highly competitive. They are fun and a great way for you to meet new players to line up additional play times and a way to improve your game by playing 6 games or more each time you sign up. You don’t have to play every week because sometimes you have other commitments.

Note to Beginners: ...I highly recommend the Beginners League for you. If you have just graduated from PB101 this is for you. If it has been a while since you have played and you want to get back in the game, this is for you. I will be there the first night to help get you started and perhaps some other nights, too. Reach out to me for questions or Email [email protected] for Beginner League details. You will be glad you did.

Welcome All New Members. We are over 1,800 members on our PCCC Membership List. We hope you will enjoy being a part of this great pickleball community which is twelve years old.

Status of Rockwood Courts The new date for completion of the renovation of the Rockwood Courts is now
Sept 15. They have run into several issues which delayed the time table but that happens in construction, doesn’t it? These will be awesome once completed with great new LED lights for night time play.

Status of Huguenot Courts and Dodd Park Courts
All the permits and funding is in place for adding 6 pickleball courts at Huguenot Park and adding 8 pickleball courts at Dodd Park (Pt Of Rocks). We are just waiting to get on the contractor’s schedule for next Spring. It is too late in the season to start the project now,

AED’s The AED’s are in place at CTC and HD. We are so grateful to Parks and Rec for the installation and maintenance. They are available for anyone in the parks who need them. Find them, read the directions before you may need them. You will need a cell phone to call 911 since they are locked. The 911 operator will give you the code and direct you from there while at the same time EMT’s will be directed to your location to help/

In the meantime, stay hydrated and wear your eye protection (even empty frames) while playing.

See you on the courts! Linda

7/31/2022

Leagues, Leagues, Leagues! This is what you have been waiting for.

The following is a list of leagues and the volunteer coordinators who have offered to run these leagues with a brief bio and description of their league.

Set your alarm early tomorrow morning. Registration opens at 6:00 a.m., Monday, August 1st. Some will be disappointed since leagues are so popular, fill up quickly and we have fewer courts to use this year….:-(. Don’t wait!!!

After 6:00 a.m. email the Coordinator of the league you are interested in by email. They will give more more information regarding qualifications and availability. Then they will email you a registration form to be completed and returned with the $30 fee. They must have the signed registration form and your payment to be added to the final roster. Roster numbers are limited so it will be first come, first served. The league coordinator will be your contact. The best of luck to all.

You may sign up for one league only to give as many players as possible a chance to play in a league. On August 6, the coordinators will tell me how many openings they still have and I will then send out another group e-mail notifying of the vacancies so you could sign up for another league if you wish.

Monday 3.5 + Fixed Partner League Lynzee and John Kapps [email protected]com
3.5 – 4.0 Intermediate Fixed Partner Mixed League
The Fixed Partner Mixed League will be at CTC on Monday Evenings @ 6:30pm with Lynze & John Kapp returning as coordinators. The premise of the league is that you and your partner (1 Male & 1 Female or 2 Female) will be together for the entire season (perfect for teams practicing for tournaments!). Teams will sign up each week if they are available to play and will be split into 3 groups based on the previous week’s results. Sign-ups as a team are preferred, but we will also register free agents and match them up on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tuesday Intermediate Men’s League CTC [email protected]
My name is Rick Black and I am the coordinator of the Tuesday Night Men’s League (TML). This is my fourth season heading up this group of players. I really enjoy being part of the great camaraderie that exists among the players, but let me warn you, the play is very competitive. I am looking to fill this league with strong Intermediate players who would like to strengthen their games in preparation for tournament play. I get excited when tournament results are posted and I see robust representation from PCCC. Last season about 15% of the Men’s League players were approximately 4.0 level, 15% were about 3.0 and the middle 70% were 3.5 players. We use PickleballDen software to administer the league, and they use a Shootout format for weekly play. Scores, rankings and results are continuously updated during the entire 8-week season. Visit their website at www.pickleballden.com to learn more about their format and scoring.

If the county gives us the full allotment of courts, we will enroll up to 70 players for the league roster with 50 players made eligible for play every Tuesday. Weekly signup sheets are posted on Fridays and the first 50 will be slotted for play. The software automatically maintains a waitlist, and any player on the waitlist that does not play that week, will be pre-enrolled for the following week. A player will never involuntarily miss two weeks in a row.

I look forward to playing with you this season, and hope that you enjoy league play as much as I do….see you on the courts!
Rick “Alley Cat” Black
Men’s League Coordinator
Contact Info:
[email protected]
804-316-0521

Tuesday Intermediate Women’s League RW Jackie Keenan [email protected]

The Women’s Leagues League, also known as “A League of Their Own,” is open to all 3.0 and above women. While competitive, the mission of this league is to create a place for women who love Pickleball to have fun in an encouraging and positive environment.
Please include in the email that goes out for registration: Please email Jackie at [email protected]. All emails will be collected until Thursday, August 7th, at which time you will receive an email indicating if you made first 36 (based on time stamp of the email) or have been placed on the waitlist. You will not be receiving any communication from the coordinator until this date.
Jackie has been playing Pickleball for 4-years and is experienced in coordinating both Pickleball and softball leagues. She and her partner transplanted themselves from Florida in 2021, reside in Henrico and recently expanded their family with new Cavapoo puppies, Rika and Rusty. When not playing Pickleball Jackie loves being on the water, biking, hiking or entertaining family & friends at home.

Wednesday Intermediate Mixed League CTC Paul and Tina DiBella [email protected]
Paul and Tina DiBello – Intermediate Coed League
We have been playing pickleball for 3 years now and you can almost always find us on a court somewhere. This will be our 3rd season coordinating the coed league and we love being a part of this organization. Our goal for this group is to provide the highest level of competition while at the same time creating a fun and supportive atmosphere.
Intermediate Coed League will play at CTC on Wednesday nights, warmups starting at 6:00 PM and games beginning promptly at 6:30 PM. We will be accepting 66 players this season, 33 women and 33 men. We will divide players into groups each week, based on their individual performance, which range from very strong 3.0 players through low 4.0 players. Missing a week will not negatively affect your rating. We generally play 8 games per night, 1st to 11 wins. We will make every effort to keep each group as coed as possible, but it always depends on who can play on any given night. We are looking forward to a GREAT fall season with fun and talented players.

Thursday 2.5 to 3.0 Advanced Beginner to Low Intermediate Fixed Partner League
CTC Dwight Gordon [email protected]
Dwight co-ordinated this league with Dave Scott last season when he and his partner, Victoria, went on to claim the #1 spot in the upper section of this league. This Autumn season, he has agree to handle it alone. It will be a fxied partner league of a mixed team or a womens team (not two men) and a great way to work towards playing in tournaments together. You partner will remain the same throughout the season. Contact Dwight at the information above.

Thursday 2.5 to 3.0 Advanced Beginner Mixed League RW David King [email protected]

My name is David King and I am the coordinator of the Advanced Beginner League.
This is my first season heading up the league, so I ask for your patience. I am looking forward to a fun and competitive league. This league is open to Female and Male players who are ready to move up from beginner level and start their next level of play. This league is a great way for players to advance their game and possibly strengthen your game in preparation for tournament play. I have been playing Pickleball for 5yrs and in the leagues the last 2 yrs. The leagues really helped strengthen my game.
I look forward in helping everyone this season, and making their league experience fun!

Friday 2.0 to 2.5 Beginner League No instructions RW Colby Rogness [email protected]

This is an entry-level league for players new to the sport of pickleball. There will be no instruction but some help if needed. If you have taken a PB 101 course you would qualify but this is not a requirement. The beginner league is relaxed and fun – great for practicing the fundamentals, and meeting new players! By the end of this league, you’ll be prepared and ready to participate in open play at the many courts available in the Greater Richmond area.

Players should be familiar with the basic rules and scoring (see the USAPA Rule Summary below). Bring your own pickleball paddle and plenty of water/hydration (very important!). Sunscreen, comfortable attire, and protective glasses are recommended. Balls for play will be provided.

Regular participation each week is strongly encouraged, but not required. Weekly sign-ups will be sent each week throughout the eight-week season.

Senior Fun Friday League for age 65+ Dave and Linda Scott [email protected] CTC 1:00 to 4:00
This league is for Adv Beg to Intermediate Level. It will be a no-stress fun league. You will play with a new partner each game in a round robin foremat. We will have two levels based on skill. .Note: the age is 65+ and it has been moved to CTC. It will be warm the first couple of weeks but we will take breaks as needed under the awning with the fans. Bring plenty of water and sun screen.

Friday night Intermediate Mixed Singles League HD Pending

See you on the courts!
Linda

6/1/22

Hello Pickleball Players,

Courts
Indoors: St Mark’s, Ramsey Memorial, Bon Air UMC are all open and welcoming players. As the weather warms we are likely to see more players at the indoor locations.

Outdoors: Change is coming
Rockwood will close tomorrow, June 1 – July 15 Once the crew is there, we need to stay off those courts even after they “look” playable. Last time players who could not wait played on the courts damaging the coating before it was dry. It is hard to be patient but we really want this make over to last a long, long time. I hope they will lock the courts as maybe some newer players will not realize the problem.

CTC and HD will be very busy with Rockwood closing. At CTC, we are trying something new to balance players on the courts. It will be similar to the link below, but with a few modifications. We will need some volunteers to help explain it for the first week or so until players get used to it. Please let me know if you can help at least once per week.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=8092545234096361&set=gm.7556367941101291&__cft__[0]=AZVX6vIt0znFvzjyXUnvL3PIKYh2Yne7NrFAtSz-hGmRHmdKt1OIERt9i5X66ZRarVVqr_ya9yJiTNR6MzV6AFZ2a6fzR0HfnVI3CaFWW3H1OvdSP0XErnLgI-E53vF1jDcaXJ6XBBYw8KyuSxt3hTNy&__tn__=EH-R

Six new Courts in Powhatan:

From Kathy, a Powhatan player. Please spread the word about the six new outdoor courts in Powhatan at the Landmark Center, 4290 Anderson Highway (Route 60). I know it’s a “long haul” for some folks, but a good number of Powhatan players enjoy the Chesterfield (and other) venues, and we would like to offer the same. The county added two benches since it opened May 5th ! The courts are open from 7AM till 11PM and the standard rules/regulations apply for pickleball play. Our only “set” time to play since we were in the gym until recently is Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30-11:30. We will be inside of course if weather is uncooperative, but otherwise players should be outside.

Six new Courts in Richmond
They are located at Broad Rock Sports Complex. Check them out. I hear they are a nice, too.

CPR/AED Training June 7 There are still a few spots for the June 7 CPR/AED training sponsored by PCCC. The course runs 5:30 – 8:00 pm at Clover Hill High School. We are excited to be nearing the installation of AEDs at our Chesterfield pickleball courts. Contact Lisa Murphy at [email protected] if interested.

See you on the courts! Linda

2/6/22

WE NEED MORE COURTS and CHESTERFIELD PARKS AND REC NEEDS YOUR INPUT. Check out the Info/News section of this website, and click on email and share your thoughts with Parks and Rec. It should only take a couple minutes.

2/5/22

The following leagues will be offered by the PCCC for the spring season with play in the months of April and May. Adult players may sign up for a maximum of 2 leagues. If spots are still available in certain leagues after the initial sign-up period, then players may sign up for additional league participation. The league fees will remain at $ 25 per player. Another PCCC memo will be sent out the morning of February 15th to provide the league coordinator e-mail addresses for the official start of the sign-up process.
Rating are used to insure that all players get the most benefit and enjoyment from league play. Rating decriptions from 1.0 to 5.0 can be found at pickleball.land/pickleball-ratings-explained If you have questions about your rating, PLEASE ASK THE LEAGUE COORDINATOR BEFORE YOU SIGN UP.

3.0 FIXED PARTNER LEAGUE
This league will be played on Sunday evenings at the CTC courts with Dave Scott returning as the coordinator with assistance from Dwight Gordon. The league will consist of “fixed partner” adult teams of 2 players of 3.0 ability level ratings. Partners may be male/female or female/female gender teams, and may not include male/male genders due to obvious competitive advantage. Partners play with each other the entire season with no substitutions allowed. Teams sign up each week if available to participate in the following week session. Hence, if a partner is unavailable to play a certain evening, that team would just simply not sign up to play that evening. Teams would be split into two groups each evening based upon cumulative records during the season. Limit of 30 teams on league roster.
3.5 & 4.0 FIXED PARTNER LEAGUE
This league will be played on Monday evenings at the CTC courts with Lynze & John Kapp taking over the coordinator duties this year. Same description of team formats as described above for the 3.0 group, with the weekly availability and evening competition formats to be determined by the coordinators. Limit of 30 teams on league roster.
INTERMEDIATE WOMEN’S LEAGUE
This league will be played on Tuesday evenings at the Rockwood courts. Jackie Keenan will be the new coordinator. This league is for women players of 3.0 and 3.5 ability levels. More information on the format will be determined by the coordinator. Limit of 40 players on the league roster.
INTERMEDIATE MEN’S LEAGUE
This league will be played on Tuesday evenings at the CTC courts (moved from Rockwood last year to accommodate more players) and will consist of adult male players with rating levels of either 3.5 or 4.0. Rick Black will be the coordinator again this year and will use the same format as last year for the evening sessions through the Pickleball Den software program (which would entail a $ 5 supplemental fee charge for each player). Limit of 64 players on league roster.
INTERMEDIATE COED LEAGUE
This is the most popular league and will be played again on Wednesday evenings at the CTC courts with Tina & Paul DiBello returning as the coordinators. The league will consist of adult women and men players with rating levels of 3.5 and 4.0, as well as high 3.0 level. The same format will be used from last year with players grouped by ability levels and cumulative season records. Limit of 70 players on league roster.
ADVANCED BEGINNER COED LEAGUE
This league will play again on Thursday evenings at the CTC courts with Lisa Murphy returning as the coordinator. The league will consist of adult players with rating levels of either 2.5 or low 3.0, and the league is not for pure beginner players. The same format will be used with players assigned a court for the first game, and then rotate courts for succeeding games based upon the results of the previous matches. Limit of 56 players on the league roster.
ADVANCE COED FIXED PARTNER LEAGUE–TOURNAMENT PREP
This league will be played on Thursday evenings at the Harry Daniel courts, and Bryan Still will be the coordinator. The league will consist only of women and men players of 4.0 and 4.5 ability levels. The format will be determined by the coordinator. Limit of 16 teams on league roster. Absolutely no players below 4.0 for this league.
SENIOR INTERMEDIATE COED FUN LEAGUE
This league will be played again on Friday afternoons at the Rockwood courts with Frankie Contratto and Joan Shumaker returning again as the coordinators. The league will consist of women and men players over the age of 60 with rating levels of either 3.0 or 3.5, and the same format will be used as from last year. Limit of 50 players on league roster.
BEGINNER COED LEAGUE (Friday Night Lights)
This will be a fun, low stress league to be played on Friday evenings at the CTC courts with Linda Scott being the primary coordinator with other volunteers filling in as necessary. Dwight Gordon has agreed to help. This league is for adult men and women players who have taken Beginner pickleball classes and/or know how to play. You may want to 1) brush up on your skills after a lay off for one reason or another, 2) enjoy a fun beginner league, or 3) continue your path to becoming a better player.. Although not a teaching clinic, Linda will call foot faults if she sees them and answer any rules questions with the idea of helping you become a better player. Rating 1.5 to 2.0. Not for total Beginners.

Be watching for that email on February 15th!

1/5/2022

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts and Welcome to Year 2022!
First, please take note of the calendar as there are some changes and additions with some indoor locations opening. Please note mask requirements, if any, for your safety and the safety of your pickleball friends.
Your Club had an active 2021, and here are only a few of the accomplishments.
We sponsored and managed the very popular Spring and Fall Leagues which are our main source of revenue for court improvements. This money is used only for pickleball improvements. In 2021 it was used to:
Donate to two worthwhile local charity events, Dance for Pickleball (Christmas Toys) and Trunk or Treat event for Chesterfield County (Halloween Candy) at the Fairgrounds.
Replaced some shade awnings which were damaged by the wind last Fall at CTC
Purchased fans and cords (some were donated) for CTC
Place artificial turf between courts to slow down the rolling balls at CTC, RW and HD
Paid for the materials for 4 new gates to block flying balls between courts at CTC
Gave appreciation gifts to Louise Carloni for her excellent work in producing a calendar each month. Provided baskets of Christmas goodies in appreciation to Parks and Rec Staff at all 3 outdoor locations for their excellent help in keeping the courts in good shape for us to play, bathrooms in good condition, replace lights as needed, and other all around needs. Please thank them every chance you get…they are top notch!
Paid for a new gate on court 1 at CTC
Rented a room for the hugely successful CPR and AED training class (more to be offered in the near future)
Purchased a Rain Shuttle for the courts at RW
Maybe most important, we acquired 3 AED to be installed at each of the 3 outdoor locations. We are awaiting installation.
I know I have missed some others.
We want to thank some very important people:
First, the The Commish for all Leagues, Dave Scott. This will be his last year functioning in this capacity. He has done an outstanding job over the years (mostly in the background as he prefers). Next, the League Coordinators. What a job they do getting all the information to us for insurance purposes, collecting fees and scheduling who will play each week (plus dealing with last minute drop outs…the pits!)…..Dwight Gordon, Lisa Murphy, Rick Black, Tina and Paul Dibello, Robin and Chris Terrell, Dave Scott, Frankie Contratto and Joan Shumaker, As I said this is where the money comes from for all the the things we accomplish each year. If you play in the leagues, thank you! If you support league play, thank you, as that means you are supporting the growth of pickleball.

Others we want to thank:
Chris Terrell for keep the windscreens in good shape (remember only approved ties can be used for those) Chris has some and a small supply can be found in each storage box at CTC. Please let us know if the windscreens need some work.
Tammy Scott for leading the CPR/AED Workshop. Another one is planned soon. Let us know if you wish to partcipate. Email Gloria at [email protected].
Smitty (Levon Smith). How can we thank him enough. He was responsible for the two charity events which we helped to sponsor which are listed above. It feels good to give back to worthwhile causes in the name of Pickleball and we could not have done this without him.
Michael and Susan Those new gates at CTC are so perfect. We appreciate your dedication and craftsmanship.
Becky The gate you donated to RW is working very well. Thank you.
All Club Members who donated toys and candy for the two charity events mentioned above, who support the Club in numerous ways, are willing to abide by the rules, welcome others into the fold and exhibit good sportsmanship.

The Club has received some very kind and generous monetary donations this year which total of $4,575. One very special one of $2,000.00 was made by Vicki Jolena-Orthaus in memory of Bobbi Orthaus in appreciation of the kindness they received while learning to play pickleball at Rockwood and at St. Mark’s UMC. Another was in the amount of $450.00 from Jo and Lori of The Dink Shop from proceeds from the League Shirts they designed and sold this year. Russ Thompson also donated $200.00 from his shirt sales to the Club. I am not listing all as some wanted to remain anonymous. Also, one of the AED’s was an anonymous donation. The Club is so fortunate to have these geneours donors.

Last, I want to thank the current The Board Members, Gloria Lambert, Secretary, and Leslie Moore, Treasurer, as well as Chris Terrell, past Vice-President. Speaking for past board members who have contributed greatly to the growth of Pickleball, Bob Clay and Alan Sikora. We will never forget all you have done for the Club and for pickleball.

PCCC Board Members work hard for you and for Pickleball. Some of the things Board Members do:
Encourage the growth of Club Membership with everyone they meet. This keeps players in the know about what is happening in our area regarding pickleball. The PCCC is a Co-Sponsored Club with Chesterfield County, and they look to us to keep communication open between pickleball players and our county representatives. We attend PRAC meetings monthly to keep our pickleball needs in the forefront of Parks and Rec and the PRAC Members (who are appointed by and report back to the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors). We, inturn, report back to you with regard to the outcome of such meetings. We also, at times, ask for your support for various projects, new courts locations, etc. and will be doing so in the future.
The PCCC is ALL ABOUT SAFETY. We post signs at the outdoor locations with instructions for SAFETY and what steps to take in an emergency. We have provided all the equipment to affix ICE (Incase of Emergency) information on paddles for those who want that (We recommend that all have that information on their paddles as you never know when it will be needed and it’s a good way to identify your paddle). At last count we have 1,631 members and are adding more each week (sometimes each day). Our area was listed as #6 in the Nation for Pickleball locations to play. WE WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SERVE ON THE BOARD TO REACH OUT TO US. WE CAN FIND A PLACE FOR YOU, FOR SURE.

Please be sure to check that calendar that Louise Carloni labors over to make sure you can find an appropriate place to play each month. Thank you Louise!!!!

See you on the courts! Linda

ANY MISTAKES IN SPELLING OR GRAMMAR, BLAME ON AUTO CORRECT…:-)

12/11/2021

Happy Holidays to all Pickleball Enthusiasts,

What a great year for Pickleball, national and locally. Let’s keep the momentum moving forward.
While I am grateful for each of you, I am so particulary grateful to those who step up and do the extra work of promoting this great sport.

In this issue:
Light schedule for outdoor courts
CTC
RW
HD
Proposed New Pickleball Court Locations
Indoor pickleball update
Stonebridge potential

Winter schedule for lights is in effect until March 13. All court lights are turned off at 9;30 p.m.
CTC:    The awnings on the shade structures have been removed in hopes we can make them last longer. Thank you Jeff Rogers and his Parks and Rec team for all they do to make these courts as comfortable as possible. The fans are gone.  Who is providing the winter home for these fans?  They sure came in handy for the spring, summer and fall.
   The windscreens:    So, thank you for repairing the windscreens but please use the ties you will find in the box marked for that use. They are tinsel strenth of only 18lbs and are designed to protect the fence by breaking away in heavy wind.  They are the only ones approved by Parks and Rec.. Chris Terrell has done a great job of keeping them repaired but he may not be able to get there immediately. They are in a red plastic and marked as Parks and Rec approved.
RW Rockwood is still scheduled to be totallly renovated late Spring or early Summer with the new lights. They will be able to adjust the posts to the correct position this time for you ATP players.   The little gate that Becky built seems to be working to keep balls from rolling between courts. Perhaps someone, who is handy, would be willing step up and build a few for CTC and HD? Talk to me, first, as the Club would be happy to pay for the supplies for an approved structure..
HD: Thank you for not moving those benches. The artificial grass is working and hopefully, someone will build some gates for us which will help even more….hint, hint.

Sharing the courts is important. It’s the pickleball way to make people feel welcome and included. This is one of the biggest reasons pickleball is growing so fast. Please continue the friendly culture. One game to 11, vacate the court and wait for the next open court.

Please read the following article in Bloomberg. I know, it seems that mainstream is writing articles about pickleball all the time now. I will be sending this one to Parks and Rec, PRAC committee members as well as The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors for their consideration regarding building more courts for us.

https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/move-over-tennis-and-golf-networks-and-brands-are-cashing-in-on-pickleball

Proposed locations for additional pickleball courts….this needs your attention

At the PRAC (Parks and Rec Advisory Committee) Meeting last week, it was announced that Parks and Rec may be repurposing some tennis courts for pickleball. The plan is they wlll place signs at these two location so that players and other interested parties can give comment as to whether they agree/disagree with the plans A public hearing will be held at the April PRAC meeting regarding these two proposals. Please plan to be there (virtually or in person) Both locations need pickleball courts. One proposal is very good and the other not good at all.

The first proposal is for Garland Dodd Park (Historic Pt of Rocks). The back 3 courts are in poor condition and under used. If the county makes all of three court designatied PB courts, there could be 8 courts (another Rockwood) at that location….:-) This still leaves 3 well-maintained courts for tennis players in the front. I think there is a population in that area and people who will teach and encourage new players as well as plan activities so that these courts will be well used. I’m sure Chris/Tim is one of them!

The second proposal is for the two stand-alone courts behind Johnson Willis Hospital which is part of Huguenot Park. These two courts may look idea to those unfamiliar with pickleball and the noise it makes (we make). THE PROBLEM: These back right up to people homes. This is asking for neighborhood complaints or requiring that we use sponge balls to play (NO WAY!) It would be a waste of funds to put pickleball courts there. Still, like in Enon (Pt of Rocks), we need some pickleball courts in this part of the county. I suggest that Parks and Rec (PRAC) consider converting 2 of the 6 tennis courts inside the park to dedicated pickleball courts. There will be resistance to this from tennis players, I am sure, but they would still have 4 tennis courts to play on plus the two behind Johnson Willis which are much better suited for the quieter game of tennis.. Please take note when you are there of how many tennis courts are in use.

You will have your chance to comment online, soon, and inperson in April. I hope you will take the time to go visit each location so you will have an informed opinion and make your thoughts know. Our County is very intune to what the residents want and need.

MORE. Since no final decison has been made regarding the use of the Chesterfield RACE TRACk property on Genito Road, adjacent to River City, express you thoughts about a picklebal complex being built there….at least more courts. This is an ideal location between RW and CTC….the Hull St corridor for more courts for larger tournaments which seems to be the way this sport is going..

STILL MORE:

Indoor pickleball:

Richmond, Henrico, Powhatan and Goochland all have Rec Centers offering indoor pickleball, yet our County does not except for the one court, on concrete, at Stonebridge on the mezzanine which you can call and reserve on specific days

Here is a possiblity:

Stonebridge. If you have not been there….go. It’s in the behind where the Old Clover Leaf Mall used to be. This is where RVA Volley pays a substantial fee to rent in the evenings and weekends. During the weekday, this big beautiful gym remains mostly unused. It was supposed to be for pickleball use during the day but the floor which RVA Volleyball chose, keeps that from happening. know. Parks and Rec said not to worry we would find a ball that works on that surface but after 3 years of searching, there isn’t one. Our balls (no matter which ones we try) either die when the hit that Sports Court surface or they take an insane bounce when they hit a corner of each 18 x 18 inch tile. There is a cushioned surface which works well for both sports, however and it is being used many places (even in our elementary schools and some church gyms…BAUMC, for one). IThe current Sports Court floor could be replaced and we would have an indoor facility for our use. I think we could get 6 to 8 courts in there using portable, roll away nets which would not interfere with volley ball. We could get sponsors, take donations, have special events to help defray the costs. This flooring is in all the major college volley gyms.
I don’t know the politics behind a decision to do this but it seems like a win-win situation for both sports as well as the residents of Chesterfield for that building to be used more beneficially. Please reach out to your County Board of Supervisors and let them know your thoughts on this.

Bon Air United Methodist and St. Marks United Methodist: May reopen in late January.
We are looking for someone to be the lead coordinator for other volunteers at Ramsey United Methodist. Please let me know if you are interested. We know many of you love to play indoors and some need to play indoors for health reasons or a softer surface. Bon Air UMC has that softer surface I am talking about for Stonebridge.. Check it out. It’s made of recycled tires I hear and our ball bounces great.

Until then, there are small groups playing at several indoor locations but not sponsored by Chesterfield Parks and Rec or the Club. Some of these are by invitation only, some require proof of vaccination but none of them want to be listed on the calendar, at this time. Other than Amelia, we have no indoor pickleball on the calendar for this month. Many of our churches use the gyms for holiday gatherings and the spread of Covid, indoors, without masks is still controversial. Keep your ears open and maybe you will be invited to join but January is just around the corner.

We have a lot going on in our area but if you would like to get a since of THE BIGGER PICTURE, YOU MAY WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE Charlotte Dilly News. It is both funny and informative.

If you would like to share the Charlotte Dilly News
with fellow pickleball enthusiasts,
please forward them this Link…
Subscription Link
…which they can use to subscribe.
Note: All email addresses are kept private
and are never shared with anyone.

That is all for today. Be a pickleball activist. Let your voices be heard.

Happy Holidays, guys and gals. All the best for each and everyone of you.

Linda Scott and The Board of the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County

11/8/2021

Just check the highlighted area and read the ones you are interested in…:-)

Please check the calendar. We put a lot of effort into getting it as accurate as we can. Louise especially spends lots of time as she get input of many people. Thank you Louise for your tireless work. Open Rotational Play starts at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 this month. The courts at RW will be closed on Nov 20th for a tournament. A playing schedule has been reinstituted at Point of Rocks/Dodd Park on Tuesday nights weather permitting. We will get it on the calendar next month. Contact Chris Christensen for more information. Sorry, I don’t have his contact information but he is on ChesterfieldPickleballGroup FACEBOOK Page.

LEAGUES

All Fall Leagues are over for the season except the 60+ Fun League on Friday afternoon at Rockwood. This is their last week. I want to take the opportunity to thank all the league coordinators for the wonderful work they have done this league season. It has not been without problems and I’m sorry for that. It seems some “new-to-the-sport” players don’t appreciate the value of league play for the players, for the County and for the growth and enjoyment of Pickleball. If there are those who are not members and you know them, please share this with them. Even though it may be an inconvenience for the 8 weeks (twice a year) during league season, all monies collected for league fees are funneled back into court improvements which make the courts more enjoyable for all of us. Examples are: the benches, the windscreens, the shade structure, the storage boxes, 6 fans, just to name a few. Future purchases will be AED’s and perhaps cameras so we can check on court conditions before we make the trip to the court. I hope more players will appreciate this and sign up for league play in the Spring. Find out for yourself how much fun league play can be while you are advancing your level of play at the same time. There is a league for every level.
Here are the specific names of those to be thanked for their hard work and devotion to the game as league coordinators. No one knows how much work this is, until they do it:
Dwight Gordon…..Beginner League (The first one ever)
David Scott…Mixed Fixed Partner League
Robin Terrell….Woman’s League
Rick Black… Two leagues: Men’s League and Fixed Partner League
Tina and Paul DiBello Mixed Intermediate League (the most popular of all leagues)
Frankie Contratto and Joan Shumaker Friday Senior Fun League (the first daytime league for seniors only)
A special thank you goes to Dave Scott as he did double duty as “The Commish” who over saw all the leagues and directed one, two.

Trunk or Treat event
While I am thanking people, let’s thank Smitty for his excellent job in representing Chesterfield County Pickleball at the Trunk or Treat event which was sponsored by the county. Everyone loves his “Pickleball Man Costume” and his decorated little car. You can see pictures on ChesterfieldPickleballGroup page on FACEBOOK. All of this would not have been possible without our wonderful players contribution of candy for this event. You are much appreciated.

AED’s for CTC and RW
Let’s thank Chesterfield County, too, while we are at it. They have agreed to install two protective boxes to house our AED’s at CTC and the Scott Pickleball Center at Rockwood. I will have an update on more thank you’s regarding the AED’s in my next newsletter. Getting these AED’s in place is now my top priority.

New Lights at SPC at Rockwood. They are also replacing the lights at Rockwood with the LED type sometime this month.

THE PICKLEBOO TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND
Congrats to all the players and especially the winners. I hope everyone will post their pictures on FACEBOOK. Our group had a lot of winners. I just can’t name them all. Let’s look for them on FACEBOOK. I’m so proud of you guys and gals. Let’s hear it for the Referees, too, and the organizers. Hosting a tournament of that size is quite a feat.
One day Chesterfield will have a big, well-run tournament, too. If you know anyone with experience of running a large tournament, please reach out to the Board of the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County.

Rule changes for 2022. These have been approved and will be forthcoming in the new rule book.

1. The Drop Serve is no long provisional…it is permanent. The drop serve means the ball is dropped from your fingers and not propelled or toss the ball in any way. “The server shall use only their one hand to release the ball to perform the serve. The server’s release of the ball must be visible to the referee and the receiver. In matches without a referee, the server’s release of the ball must be visible to the receiver. A replay shall be called before the return of serve if the release of the ball is not visible.

2. Spin Serves using a combination of the paddle, paddle hand, or non-paddle hand to impart spin on the ball are outlawed. “The server shall use only their one hand to release the ball to perform the serve. The server’s release of the ball must be visible to the referee and the receiver. In matches without a referee, the server’s release of the ball must be visible to the receiver. A replay shall be called before the return of serve if the release of the ball is not visible. Exception: A player who does not have the use of their non-paddle hand may use only their paddle hand to release the ball to perform the serve, or use only their paddle to toss or drop the ball to perform the serve.”

3. No change in scoring. So, no Rally scoring for now.

4. There is still no “let’s” on the serve in pickleball. If the ball hits the net and lands in the appropriate court, it is playable.

There are others but these are the ones which will be of interest to recreational players. Tournament players will need more information and when it is released, it will be available on-line at USA Pickleball.org.

DID YOU SEE THIS ON THE TODAY SHOW TODAY? IT IS PRETTY AWESOME AND SHOULD BRING A LOT MORE INTEREST IN PICKLEBALL. WE WILL NEED MORE LOCATIONS AND COURTS.

#pickleball #TodayShow #pickle

USA PICKLEBALL HAS money for grants for new locations and especially for high schools wanting to start pickleball. The amount is $350.00 which can be used for portable nets, paddles and balls or court tape if needed. For more information, check out USAPickleball.org, Click on Get Involved. or ask me.

10/3/21

Lots of news this time but just click on the bolded parts that you may be interested it….:-) If you find misspellings, etc, blame it on Auto Correct. I’m lucky to find the time to send this out.Indoor pickleball. Amelia is on our calendar. Check on the dates and times. Powhatan Rec Center is open but you must call to get their schedule, charges and requirements. Some churches are open but none on our calendar and none that wish to be publicized. Talking to others and word of mouth in the best way to find out. Once the Covid numbers are down, Bon Air United Methodist, Ramsey Memorial, and St Mark’s will reopen. Let’s do our part and send Covid packing. I know many of you are missing this indoor play as it is easier on the knees and ankles. During the bitter cold winter days ahead, it will be nice to come inside to play with your friends for a few hours. You wil love the new floor at Bon Air United Methodist. The process uses recycled tires. How is that for being good for the body and good for the EARTH, too.

It is rumored that one of Richmond’s rec centers may open, soon. I’ll let you know as soon as I know. Henrico Rec centers are open to all but my understanding in that masks are mandatory even while playing Call Henrico Rec and Parks to get the latest.

Speaking of INDOOR PLAY. The Chesterfield Rec Center at Stonebridge. Parks and Rec is looking into the possiblity of changing out the floor to make that REC Center more user friendly for more activities during the day. It is a great, big beautiful facility but the gyn area is vacant on most days. It was supposed to have been for pickleball use during the day but the floor they chose prohibited our use since our ball would not bounce on it. Now, there is a floor which both sports will enjoy. BAUM (as mentioned before) has it and the County has put this floor in all of our elementary school gyms. Our pickleball bounces beautifully on it and it is still cushioned to help protect players of all sports from injury. Parks and Rec is collecting data and studying the possibiity in conjunction with Richmond Volleyball. I think we could get 8 to 10 courts in there. Stay tuned……

Remodeling of old Beulah Elementary School. The work is progressing on the improvements to the building for offices, classrooms and the gym. Parks and Rec has promised there will be scheduled time for us in this gym when it is complete. I know we need evening indoor playtimes since many of our players are young and still work during the day. Perhaps this will be the location for that.

CTC: Permanent Sheltered walkway. We were looking into a permanent cover for the walkway between courts. The only verbal quote I got was for $100,000 and that is not something anyone could entertain for that project. We can replace the temporary awnings for many years at that price. Still waiting for quotes in writing.
AED’s Dr. Casey, Chesterfield County Administrator, stopped by the courts a few weeks ago and was told by our players of the need for AED’s at our courts. He agreed and said he would support it. We are blessed that we have a bequest from one of our recently deceased players for enough to purchase one or more AED’s. Now, we need to work out the details with Parks and Rec.
Cameras We need WiFi for cameras. Maybe the school will boost their wifi out to the courts? A work in progress. This would be great for tournaments, too.

Artificial Turf (Andy Bradshaw’s idea) seems to be stopping and slowing the balls down except for the ones he hits….:-)

RW: The new lights are schedule to be placed in Novermber. The artificial grass and ball stopper fence (Becky Jilcott) seems to be working well at that location. We are still waiting on word regarding those courts being taken down to gravel (they are over 45 years old) so they will hold the coatings and paint.

HD: The benches are back in place and being used for their intended purpose. The artificial turf is helping. We could use some stopper fences at this location, too.

Leagues: The leagues are going strong. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and it looks as though their pickleball games are benefiting, too. The League Coordinators are doing a great job and of the court The Commish is always on the ball. Be on the lookout for Spring League info in February, 2022. It will be here before we know it.

League shirts, hoodles, hats and visors are beautiful. Order for yourself or a loved one. Order together and save postage.
Click on the link below for ordering!
Chesterfield Pickleball League Womens | Etsy
Chesterfield Pickleball League Mens | Etsy

injury Prevention: Please remember to warm up and stretch before you play and then again afterwards. Do not back up for a lob or overhead under any circumstances. It’s just a game and we want you to make it your long “lifetime game.”

For others:
Smitty will host the Halloween Truck or Trick for Chesterfield Parks and Rec, Tuesday Oct 26th. He will use Pickleball as his decorating theme. Sometime soon, we will start a candy drive so he won’t have that expense. I know how generous our members are so we’ll load up his trunk for the kids. When people say What is Pickleball? he will be there to show and tell. Thanks Smitty! If you want to volunteer for this fun evening, reach out to him. [email protected]
Tournament for Cystic Fibrosis at CTC. Oct 16th 5 to 11 p.m. Reach out to Kevin to sign up [email protected] All proceeds will go to that charity.

See you on the courts! Linda

9/1/2021

The USA Pickleball Sportsmanship Guide can be found online. Click HERE. Please take a look at this. USA Pickleball is our parent organization and abiding by this guide ensures fair and fun play for all.

Summer has been a rather quiet time on the courts. Now that September is here, classes and leagues are back for a couple of months. There are still lots of Open/Rotational play opportunities for those of us who enjoy that.

What is Open Play/Rotational Play, and why does the Club reserve time for it?
–it gives many more players a chance to play because the courts keep rotating after each game
–everyone who shows up can play
–it give players flexibility to show up early/late/staying as long or as short as they wish, knowing they are not putting any one out
–players can count on someone to play with when they come at this time, no partners necessary
–you can still play with your partner or a group, just stack you paddles together and wait your turn
–if the courts are not busy, you can practice and drill…just be ready to cheerfully give up the court when people are waiting to play

The September calendar is attached. To keep things simple, here is the printable open play schedule.
Morning: Little changes except for 2 courts that will be used sometimes for Parks and Rec Classes at CTC. Other than this, the courts are reserved for Open Play 8:00 to 11:00 each day.
Evenings: Open Play is available at each location every evening. Note time change for some due to league play.

Sunday:   Open Play at Rockwood and Harry Daniels 5:00 to 8:00
CTC  4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and after 8:30
Monday:   Open Play at Rockwood and Harry Daniels  5:00 to 8:00
CTC 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and after 8:30
  Tuesday:    Open Play at Harry Daniel    5:00 to 8:00
Rockwood and CTC   4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and after 8:30
Wednesday Open Play at Rockwood and Harry Daniel 5:00 to 8:00
CTC   4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and after 8;30
    Thursday   Open Play at Harry Daniel   5:00 to 8:00
Rockwood and CTC   4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and after 8:30
Friday:      Open Play at  CTC, Rockwood and Harry Daniel   5:00 to 8:00
Saturday    Open Play at CTC, Rockwood and Harry Daniel   5:00 to 8:00

Please don’t complain if you have to change your schedule a bit or play at a different location.. This is only 4 months (2 months in the Spring and 2 in the Fall) out of the entire year, and it gives the Club money for upgrades at the courts. Right now we are looking into a permanent structure for the middle section at CTC, as well as checking on getting a camera system for each location so we can check on court conditions before making the drive to the courts. We will be getting costs estimates next week. More on that soon.

Indoor play: For the time being, indoor play at Ramsey UMC, Bon Air UMC and St Mark’s UMC will not resume until we can play there without needing to wear masks. With Covid-19 numbers continuing to rise, it’s not worth the risk. Amelia is still open for those who wish to play indoors. I think Powhatan is too, but that is not on our schedule. So you should call them, and there is a fee to play in Powhatan.

We are happy to have so many new players added to our ranks,but with that, we will need more courts sooner than later. So, please reach out to help any of the local ambassadors to find additional places to play. Here is an important thing you can do which will only take few minutes, right now. Parks and Rec is in the planning stages as to what to do with the Southside Speedway Property they just purchased. Please complete this survey and ask for more pickleball courts at that location. We will need them. Please click and do this now since the cut off date is only a few days away.
https://www.chesterfield.gov/5465/Genito-and-288-Special-Focus-Area

Music on the courts. It seems that some like music with their pickleball. While others find the sounds of pickleball being played as the music they prefer. So, please be respectful of others. Thank you.

Rockwood. The new LED light installation is still unscheduled at this time. The courts will need to be closed during the installation, but hopefully not for too long.

League Play. For those of you in a league, we wish you a fine league season with lots of fun, camaraderie and most of all good pickleball. Thank you to The Commish and all the League coordinators. It’s a lot of work, and we all appreciate it.

Hopefully, we will see lots of you at the Labor Day Celebration at Rockwood on Monday for club members only.. We have to specify that as Parks and Rec has a strict protocol due to Covid. Some people will bring delicious food, but you don’t have to. Come and stay as long as you like. The courts will be busy, and there will be lots of play with old and new friends.

See you on the courts! Linda

Remember to go to the ChesterfieldPickleball.club website (link below) to see
current photos of Pickleball in Chesterfield.

Download Chesterfield Calendar

Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Pickleball Page

Go to ChesterfieldPickleball.club

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July is here and the hot and humid weather is upon us for the next few months. The Fourth of July celebration is just around the corner. More on that later. Be sure to find shade when you can between games, and drink lots of liquids the day before you play as well while playing to avoid dehydration. The number one reason that parametics are called to the court is dehydration. If you feel dizzy, sit right down where you are so you will not fall and get injured. Don’t try to make it back to the benches by yourself and someone will help you immediately.. Also, make sure your ICE (in case of emergency) info is on your paddle. Your own name and number doesn’t help any if we need to reach an emergency contact. This was a major issue two weeks ago.

It could read something like this:
YOUR NAME (so we can call you when it’s your turn to play…:-)
I.C.E. # 555-555-5555
BENCHES. Thank you for leaving the benches in place at the courts (CTC and HD) The benches are to sit on and not to block the balls. They were purchased for a price of $250/$350 depending on the size, and plaques were added by generous donors honoring special people and loved ones. Parks and Rec has determined that turned over benches are a hazzard to safety. If your ball goes past the net, just ask a player close by to retrieve it for you when they are between points, or go get it yourself. We are trying an astro turf product to stop rolling balls for those who have trouble retrieving them. When you play on courts around the country, you will find that most don’t even have divider nets, and they certainly don’t put up blocking devices between the net and the fence…..:-)

BALL ON COURT! OR BALL, BALL, BALL!!!!! Don’t forget to use this warning. If someone is injured by a ball you did not try to warn them, you could be liable for the injury. But more than that, you would feel so bad if one of our pickleball friends was injured because of you. Don’t go on their court to retrieve your ball while they are in the middle of a point. If they hear BALL! they will stop playing and return it to you. If it is not a hazzard, just retrieve it after they finish the point.

There is some good news about indoor play. Ramsey, St Mark’s and Bon Air United Methodist will reopen in September. Bon Air Baptist has reopened, but have asked us not to put it on the calendar as they don’t want to have too many waiting for long periods of time. Some other churches in the local area are open in Henrico, Hanover, Richmond and Colonial Heights. The local YMCA’s and AMFAM are open for pickleball too. I know that some other private clubs are now offering indoor pickleball as well such as U-Turn Sports. Another county has just remodeled a school and has pickleball, but again they don’t want to be so busy that their local players have to wait for a long time to play. Henrico Rec Centers are open to all players……check the times on their website. Courtside West has indoor courts at a reasonable price they tell me. Richmond Rec Centers are still closed. Stonebridge Rec Center has one court on concrete which you can reserve. Parks and Rec has told us that the gym at the old Beulah location, which is being renovated, will have room and times for indoor pickleball but that is a year or two away. Still it will be a first of more, we hope.

In the meantime, ourdoor pickleball is going extremely well. Just choose your playing times wisely, and remember to abide by Open Play/Rotational Play rules when the courts are reserved for such.. During the Summer it is 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. each day for all three main Chesterfield locations. There are other locations, listed on the second page of the calendar that are not reserved during that time. Midlothian Middle, Swift Creeke Middle, Pt of Rocks Park, and more. The calendar is attached if you have any questions about that. If someone says they have the courts reserved during those hours, ask for their COUNTY PERMIT. No one can reserve courts that are already reserved without Club Permssion and a CHESTERFIELD PERMIT.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES ON THE COURT. IF YOU A SEE WATER BOTTLEs OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT SOMEONE LEFT, PLEASE CONSIDER PUTTING IT IN THE TRASH CAN WHICH IS LOCATED OUTSIDE EVERY GATE. Parks and Rec does a great job of keeping the restrooms clean and coming to the courts to fix problems when we call. So, let’s do our part in keeping them looking nice..

Visitors I get frequent calls from people who are traveling through and/or vacationing in our area. Some times they are vacationing here because of all the pickleball that is available in this area. What a great way to give back to Chesterfield for all they have done for us. Please continue to be welcoming to players that you don’t recognize. It’s so much fun to meet people from other areas of the country. Chesterfield has a good reputation of being friendly and welcoming. Thank you for that!

LEAGUES: NEXT MONTH, THE COMMISH, WILL BE SENDING OUT INFORMATION FOR FALL LEAGUES.. THE SPRING LEAGUES WERE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS WITH SO MANY PARTICIPANTS. THE LEAGUES BENEFIT THE CLUB, AND THE CLUB PUTS EVERY CENT IT COLLECTS BACK INTO PICKLEBALL. SO IT’S A WIN/WIN FOR ALL PLAYERS WHETHER OR NOT YOU PARTICIPATE IN LEAGUE PLAY.

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO THE FOLLOWING FOR GIVING OF THEMSELVES TO COORDINATE LEAGUES JUST FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME:
FRANKIE CONTRATO FRANKIE’S COED FUN LEAGUE
JOAN SHUMAKER, ASSISTANT

LISA MURPHY ADVANCED BEGINNER COED LEAGUE

EDUARDO AND DIANA GONZALES INTERMEDIATE COED LEAGUE
DAVE SIMON, ASSISTANT

ROBIN TERRELL “A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN” WOMEN’S LEAGUE

RICK BLACK MEN’S LEAGUE

CHRIS TERRELL ADVANCED COED LEAGUE

AND, THE COMMISSIONER OF ALL THE LEAGUES, “THE COMMISH,” DAVE SCOTT!!!

COMING THIS MONTH: FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION AT ROCKWOOD. TRADITIONAL FOR 11

YEARS, MINUS 1. WILL BE CELEBRATING THE 4TH WITH A 5TH, I MEAN ON MONDAY, JULY 5TH AT 8:00 TO 11:00 A.M. DURING ROTATION/OPEN PLAY. COME JOIN THE FESTIVITIES. SOME BRING FOOD/DRINKS TO SHARE BUT IT’S NOT REQUIRED. MOST COME TO PLAY AND SOME COME TO VISIT.

JULY 18TH THE ROCKWOOD COURTS WILL CLOSE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS (you never really know) for RE- resurfacing. Hopefully, it will be successful this time. Parks and Rec will be temporarily relocation some of Rockwood Benches to CTC during this time because the courts will be very busy and people will want to sit while they are waiting to play. Open Play rules will be enforced.

July 12 to 16th Coach Andy G will be here for clinics. He will only use one court at HD (court 4) for his three days of clinics and will only take up to 6 players at the time. He likes to give lots of personal attention to his clients. He was here 2 years ago and got glowing reviews from participants. His clinics are for 3.0 and above. This is how you can reach out to him to register and to ask questions. https://coachandyg.com/spt-va/ I am not sure if he still has openings since they are filling fast, but you should check. He is also offering private and semi-private lessons.

FYI, The Pickleball Club of Chesterfield is a Co-Sponsored Club with Chesterfield County. We have been working together for the last 11 years developing and growing Pickleball from a mere 3 taped courts over tennis nets at Rockwood with 12 players to what it is today. However, with your continued help, we are not done. It’s important to keep growing so that we will qualify for even more courts. You can help. Please reach out to me, and I will tell you how.

Also, Gloria, Gary and others taught 5 Chesterfield Police Officers how to play pickleball on Thursday. The officers said they apprecitated it, liked it and will be back….:-) They also joined the Club. Welcome!!!! I hope they will bring their families and friends, too.

Last, we have had over 50 new members to join in the last 2 months. Welcome to you all, too! .

TOURNAMENTS: Rick Black got Pickleball Tournaments to add the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield to it’s list of Clubs. So when you register for a tournament, please go to the drop down menu and click on our club. He thinks our club deserves recognition and so do we….:-) Thanks Rick.

There are so many tournaments these days. PCCC Tournament Directors, Robin Terrell and Louise Carloni, are planning one for CTC in September/October. Please check our website, ChesterfieldPickleball.Club, as we try to keep the list up to date. If you are aware of tournaments that are not listed and please contact Leslie Moore, club treasurer, and she will add it to the website. You can reach her at [email protected].

Happy Fourth of July! See you on the courts!

Linda and the PCCC Board Members.

3/28/2021

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,

We hope all of you are well and maybe have gotten your vaccines by now. If you haven’t and are over 65, maybe I can help. Reach out to me and I will try. As always this email will be rather long, so, check on the highlighted areas and only read what is of interest to you.

CALENDAR CHANGES
There are a few changes now that classes and leagues are added, so check it closely before you head out to play. There will be plenty of times to play before/after these reserved times. Here are some highlights:
Spring Leagues times are added for April 10th to June 15th. Most will be played at CTC and some at RW. Harry Daniels location is not covered by our insurance, hence there is no league play at that venue.
Parks and Rec classes are added: Most will be at CTC on courts 1 and 2 or Rockwood, courts 3 and 4.

OPEN/ROTATIONAL PLAY

CTC: Open Play will be on all courts from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. daily and evenings when leagues are not playing. Usually the 2.0 to 3.25 players play on the 7 to 12 side and the upper level players, 3.5+ play on the 1-6 courts but if a court is empty, play on it.
Rockwood: Open Play on all courts and that will remain the same as in the past.
Harry Daniel: Open Play/Rotational Play will resume on all courts now that more players are returning and many new players are joining us. The Open Play hours are the same at CTC and RW
When the courts are not reserved, please adhere to Pickleball Etiquette which is: ” If players are waiting, play one game to 11 and give up the court. Others will do the same, so you and your group will get the next open court when it is your turn. If you are practicing and people are waiting, please practice for 15 minutes and then give up the court to those who are waiting.”
Courts cannot be reserved by anyone during Open Play times except by Parks and Rec for their classes, tournaments, etc. No private parties can reserve over Open Play times. If they say they did, ask for their Permit. If they don’t have one, call 804 748 1623 and press 1 to report to Parks and Rec who will send someone out to have them leave the court.

LEAGUES
Here is the latest on Chesterfield Pickleball Club Leagues:
Beginner League 2.0 to 2.5 mixed Location/time TBD   Spots are Open contact: Linda Scott pickleball4all @aol.com if interested
Daytime League 2.75 to 3.5 mixed Rockwood Thursday 1:00 to 3:00    still open until April 5    contact: Frankie or Joan   [email protected] or [email protected]
Men’s Intermediate 3.0 to 4.0 Rockwood Tuesday 6:00 to 8:30 Filled
Women’s 3.0 to 4.0 CTC Tuesday Few Spots Still Available    6:00 to 8:30 contract: Robin at [email protected] gmail.com
Intermediate Co-ed 3.0 to 4.0 CTC Thursday 6:00 to 8:30 Filled
Advanced Beginner Co-ed 2.5 to 3.0 CTC Friday 6:00 to 8:30 Filled
Advanced Players Co-Ed 3.5 to 4.5 Wednesday Rockwood 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.  Few Spots Still Available   contract: Chris at [email protected]

If you did not get in a league this time, we are planning Fall Leagues, so read your email and check the website so you can sign up around August.

Parks and Rec Classes
The next registration date is Monday, April 19 to sign up for May, June, and July classes. Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate are handled through the County. You may call 804 748 1623 or go online at Chesterfield.gov/Parks and Rec/. 50+ Lifestyle courses. There are also private vendors who give lessons. We are developing a list for these, but as a Club, we can only provide a list on our website but cannot recommend anyone. It will be up to you who you choose.
There will also be a free class to help teach you to teach pickleball if that is of interest to you. These classes will be held the first Saturdays of the month starting in May.

Message from Gloria, PCCC Secretary
We are seeing so many new players on the courts in recent weeks which is very exciting! I would like to encourage our regular club members to ask these newer players if they are members of the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County. We have over 1,250 members, and we’re always hoping for more. Benefits of club membership include:

Reserved courts for open/rotational play, league play, visiting pros.
Eligible to play in leagues
Monthly emails with the latest news.
Contributing to the growth of PB in Chesterfield County
Represent you with the County Administration.
Supporting the sport you love.

All we need to sign them up is their Name, email address, City/County, ZIP and a membership fee of $1. Please email that information to Gloria Lambert at [email protected] and if you see Leslie Moore or me on the courts, we will collect the membership fees.

Another reminder…please clean up the courts before you leave. Leaving water bottles, trash, etc. does not represent our pickleball community well, and even if it’s not your trash, please help by picking up after others. Thank you.

Calling “BALL ON COURT!!” is essential for safe pickleball play. It may be irritating to have your play interrupted, but just think how a broken ankle would interrupt someone’s play for many weeks!

From Leslie, Our Treasurer.
“We try our best to keep things updated on the website. If you have announcements or pictures you would like to add, please send them to Leslie at [email protected]. With the generous donors who contributed, we have enough for the shade options and fans at CTC this year Thank you!”

New Places to Play:
Amelia has 4 outdoor courts. I will be getting more information, but this is what I know. The courts are lined for pickleball, but the portable nets are locked in a shed. The cost is $30 for one year to get the combination so you can put up the nets and play all you want, any time you wish. More on this once I talk to the Director of Parks and Rec.
Colonial Heights: There are outdoor courts in Colonial Heights. Email Roger at [email protected] for more information. Once they get specific times for Open Play, we will add them to our calendar.

Speaking of Places to Play: Check USAPickleball.org and click on Places to Play so you will know where you can play as you travel. Visitors are finding us as they travel through our area. It’s great to meet and play with new people.

Have a wonderful Passover and Holy Week if these are holidays you celebrate.

3/1/2021

Be sure to check out the calendar this month. Not only does the OpenPlay/Rotational times change but more activities are picking up with warm weather returning. For some, the lower use of the courts during the cold weather has been fantastic! Some players have felt they had their own country club…:-) and they will be looking forward to next Winter for more of the same. However, Springtime brings out the players! There will be classes, visiting pros clinics, tournaments and leagues, too.

Pickleball, nationally, has had a record growth over the Winter months, and locally, we are no exception. Covid-19 has brought out more players once it was suggested that outdoor play was safer and younger players are finding out how much fun pickleball can be. I’m not sure you know, but pickleball has been taught at our local high schools for many years, but the kids had no place to go play after they learned so their interest waned. Now, those kids who have grown up are coming back to pickleball and the new students have found they do have courts to play on and are joining us, too. The youngsters are the future of our sport and we welcome them.

LEAGUES – (The following is from League Commissioner, Dave Scott)
The PCCC will have a spring adult league season of 8 weeks from mid-April through early June. Courts are reserved on certain weekday evenings for exclusive use by the league participants. Players sign up weekly if they are available to play in the following week league session. The one-time league fee will be $ 25 per player per league regardless of the number of times played during the season. The fees go to the PCCC for the funding of various improvements to the three court locations in the county. Sign-ups are now underway for placement on the league rosters, with a deadline of March 10 for such sign-ups. In mid-March, the league coordinators will provide the details to the registered players regarding league format, collection of fees, weekly sign-ups, etc. The following leagues are being offered:

ADVANCED COED – 4.0 and 4.5 levels
Wednesday evenings at Harry Daniel Park
Coordinator: Chris Terrell   [email protected]
WOMEN ONLY – 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 levels
Tuesday evenings at CTC
Coordinator: Robin Terrell   [email protected]
INTERMEDIATE COED  – MID 3.0 through HIGH 3.5 levels
Thursday evenings at CTC
Coordinators: Eduardo & Diana Gonzalez   [email protected]
ADVANCE BEGINNER COED – 2.5 and LOW 3.0 levels
Friday evenings at CTC
Coordinator: Lisa Murphy   [email protected]

THURSDAY DAYTIME COED league for the 3.0 and 3.5 level players at Harry Daniel Park. If interested, contact Frankie Giles at [email protected]

In addition, there is a SOCIAL COED league for the 2.0 level players (beginner) in the planning stage, with location, day and time to be determined. If interested, contact Linda Scott at [email protected] if you are interested in playing/being the Co-ordinator for this league.

Leagues are so much fun! Ask anyone who has ever played in one. If you are interested in joining any of the leagues, send an e-mail to the respective league coordinator by March 10. If you are unsure about your relative rating level, refer to the rating descriptions provided on the PCCC website at chesterfieldpickleball.club or ask a respected, knowledgeable player to watch you play over time and give you their opinion. It’s not how you play on one day, but how you play consistently that is your rating.

Depending on the number of sign-ups, more courts/times may be added.

LEAGUES ARE ONLY RESERVED FOR only 2.5 HOURS EACH SESSION, SO IF YOU ARE NOT PLAYING IN THE LEAGUE, PLAN YOUR PLAYING TIME BEFORE OR AFTER League Reserved Time. With all courts lighted this should not be a problem.

Looking forward to a great spring league season !

CTC A Level Up Clinic has reserved 10 courts on March 19, 20 and 21. Most likely this will take place during the day, so you will still be able to play in the evening.

Parks and Rec Classes start this month with only 2 Beginner Classes. These are played on Courts 1 and 2. They last for 2 hours.

Lights are on until (9:30 p.m. now and until 11:00 p.m. starting March 15) and we are loving them.

ROCKWOOD The Spring Fling Tournament is scheduled for the Rockwood Courts on March 27 and 28th. The courts are reserved both days.

HARRY DANIEL These courts are getting more use all the time. Right now only 2 courts are reserved for Open/Rotational Play, but that will change in April as more players will be coming out and the courts will need to be shared

THE BEST THING TO DO IS CHECK THE CALENDAR ON THIS MAIL CHIMP, THE FACEBOOK PAGE, THE WEBSITE, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY WEBSITE OR THE KIOSK POSTED AT THE COURTS. ALL RESERVED NOTICES WILL BE POSTED IN THE KIOSK, TOO.

The Club has received some very kind donations towards the canopies at CTC. The second Lost and Found Box was put together and delivered to court 9 just last week. If you would like to donate, please donate in person to any Club Officer or mail your donation to Leslie Moore, Treasurer. We are upgrading the website so players can donate directly and make their league payments there, too.

All the best!
Linda
If you have not done so, please register with the Dept of Health for your Covid 19 vaccine, if you wish to get yours. Go to Vaccinate.Virginia.gov. It only takes 3 minutes to fill out the form and get your registration number. Help friends and family get registered, too. They can’t get a call for an appt unless they are registered. It’s always great seeing my pickleball friends at the vaccination clinics, but it will be more fun to see you on the courts!

2/13/2021

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,
This is long, check the highlighted areas and only read what is important to you….:-)

Spring is just around the corner, but it can’t come too soon. As a kid, I loved this kind of weather especially if it meant we could stay home from school and sleigh ride all day with our buddies and take a little break for hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches at lunchtime. I guess most kids don’t do that anymore and staying home from school has certainly lost its appeal since it’s become the norm.

CTC:    LIGHTS!!!!!!  and the electrical system, too!    We are so lucky and blessed that we now have bright lights for evening play at CTC-Hull courts. Thanks to the Board of Supervisors as well as Chris Winslow, in particular, since CTC is in his district. We also want to thank Joe Stovall, who is in charge of building for the County, Jeff Rodgers, who is in charge of maintenance for CTC, River City, and much more. The Parks and Rec Staff is so very good to us, so let’s be sure to thank them every chance we get.
The lights were turned on for the first time on Tuesday night, and we were thrilled to see how well they illuminate all the courts.   THIS IS HOW THEY WORK:    There is a large button to push on the light post, on the parking lot side, closest to courts 1-6. It’s very visible from the gate to court 6.  This button will not turn on until after the parking lot lights come on automatically at sunset. We can’t turn them off, so do not attempt to do so. Up to March 15th, they turn off automatically at 9:30 p.m. After March 15th, they will stay on until 11:00 p.m. for our after-dark pickleball enjoyment until next December.
SHADE OPTIONS: Donations welcomed.    Many of you have asked over the last few years if we needed donations, and I have said I would let you know when the time came. Well, I’m letting you know now. If we are going to have the middle walk-way shade option this summer, we will need to purchase those awnings again. It was so nice to have those last year, until that big Fall storm bent the poles and down they came. Fortunately, they did not damage the fence or the courts.  Parks and Rec say they are not salvageable. So that means buying new ones is our only option if we are to have shade. If we know when a big wind storm is coming, perhaps we can get them down this time before they are damaged. I think we could have a volunteer team to watch out for that, maybe, as we don’t want to have to replace them again for a long, long time. Last year, I got a really good deal. They cost appx $200 each, and we had 4 of them, room for 5 but we ran out of money with the expense of the windscreens for CTC and part of HD. Maybe they will be that price again if I can buy them in early Spring. They get more expensive as people need them.
The $1 initiation fee to join the Club doesn’t really give the Club much money to work with and with Covid, we could not have leagues last year which is our biggest moneymaker.   All of the money collected over the years has gone directly into improvements for local pickleball and will continue to do so. We are trying to upgrade the website so people can make donations, pay for league fees, tournament fees, etc.
In the meantime, if you wish to donate, you can (1) mail a check to our treasurer, Leslie Moore, 9700 Buteshire Road, North Chesterfield, Va 23236. Make the check payable to The Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County (PCCC) or Treasuer, Chesterfield Parks and Rec, if you want to deduct it from taxes (for those who qualify).   Note: Pickleball Account on the check. They will send you a receipt you can use. (2)  You may also give your donation to any of the Club officers when you see them on the court. If cash, we will give you a receipt. President, me, Chris Terrell, VP, Gloria Lambert, Sec, Leslie Moore, Treasurer. Thank you in advance!
Due to the generosity of several CTC players, we were able to purchase another lost and found box for the 7 to 12 side of the courts where we can store our fans and cords for the summer. What fans? That’s another project….:-) Also, would someone like to volunteer to put the box together on-site once the weather warms and dries out a bit? If you have a truck, you can put it together at your home. Right now it is in the box in our garage.

ROCKWOOD: The court damage is becoming more apparent as time, usage, and cold weather takes their toll. These courts will have to be closed down for a while this summer for these repairs to be done correctly. No date yet, but the weather needs to be HOT. Thankfully, we have the other two locations as well as courts in Richmond (including perhaps some future ones at Westover Hills Park), courts in Henrico, and courts in Hanover. Check out Places to Play at USA Pickleball.com if you don’t know where they are located. The Spring Fling Tournament will be held on these courts on the last weekend in March. They will even have a Youth Division! Should be a lot of fun.

HARRY DANIELS: There is a lot of good play going on at HD courts. I expect that these courts will get a lot busier as the weather warms, more people come out to play, leagues and classes begin.

INDOOR PICKLEBALL: Amelia continues to be our only indoor location on the calendar. I hope those who are ready to play indoors are enjoying it this winter. New Indoor Location in Richmond/Henrico. U-turn Sports Performance Academy will open open their gyms to indoor pickleball beginning next week on Tuesday (Feb 16th) from 8:00 a.m. until noon. They will have 4 courts to begin with, and they say they have had lots of interest. It only cost $10 a month to join, then PB is free. Their goal is to get some leagues started. If you are interested in helping them start leagues, please let Phil know at [email protected]. It is suggested that you call the front desk to register (804 358 2775) and pay the $10 before you arrive. It will be Rotational Play with 4 on and 4 off. It’s a nice facility, and the price is right for those who wish to play indoors. It has potential for indoor tournaments, too. The physical address is 2101 Maywill St. Richmond, Va. which is off West Broad St.

THE PARKS AND REC DEPT WANTS ME TO REMIND YOU
(1) IF YOU SEE ABUSE OF THE COURTS DO NOT CONFRONT THE OFFENDER (S). THIS CAN LEAD TO A BAD OUTCOME AND/or HARD FEELINGS. Instead, please call the main number for Parks and Rec Administration 804 748 1623 and PRESS #2 or you can call 748 1251 Non-Emergency # for the police department or 911 if it is a dangerous situation or the courts are being damaged. Thank you for being good stewards of all the courts.

(2) ALSO, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF BASIC PICKLEBALL ETIQUETTE and OPEN/ROTATIONAL PLAY RESERVED TIME.   We have a lot of new players coming to the courts (many from tennis and other sports) where they don’t know about or understand that pickleball has specific rules and expectations.
PICKLEBALL ETIQUETTE:   This is preferred behavior for non-reserved court time. Unlike tennis where you grab an empty court and keep it for 90 min, with pickleball if another group is waiting, we play a game to 11 (win by 2) and exit the court allowing them to play. Get a commitment from them that they will do the same. We then take the next available court as others exit after their game. If someone is drilling/practicing, we ask that you take a break after 15 minutes and relinquish the court and wait your turn for the next one. If you are practicing for an upcoming tournament, it is understandable that you may need the court longer.
OPEN ROTATIONAL PLAY.  RESERVED.   There is no choice here if players are waiting. If you come during reserved hours for Open/Rotational Play that is what you are expected to do. The courts are reserved by the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County for set hours each day/evening.   Everyone gets to play who shows up. Players rotate in and out at will. They can either play in their own group of 4 or mix it up and play with everyone. Most players enjoy playing with others, but during COVID-19 some have chosen to stay with their own little group and still rotate after one game to 11. This is totally fine and acceptable. Playing smart and playing safe is a wise thing to do. Speaking of that, please don’t congregate around the benches or where the paddles are lined up….keep your social distance. As far as I know, outdoor pickleball has not been a spreader event, but we have the new more contagious strains now, so don’t get careless. Hopefully, everyone who wants to can get their vaccine soon so we can get our PICKLEBALL HERD IMMUNITY. If you have questions about Rotational Play, the regular players can help you out.
THESE TWO WAYS OF PLAYING WHICH I BELEIVE ARE UNIQUE TO PICKLEBALL have contributed to the phenomenal growth of our sport as more people get to play and don’t have to wait so long between games.
RESERVED COURTS:    Parks and Rec will be posting the reservations of the courts on a weekly basis in the kiosk near the gate. We also have the monthly calendar posted for you to check on reserved times. There will be more with leagues, classes, clinics and tournaments coming up. If you wish to reserve a court for your group during non-reserved times, you can go online to [email protected] Chesterfield.gov. She will be happy to reserve a court for you at a cost of $25.

Stay warm and stay well while doing good,

12/5/2020

Happy Holidays to all,
No matter which holiday(s) you celebrate during this time of year, we hope it is special for you and yours. Christmas has always been our favorite one to celebrate Dave loves to decorate, and we enjoy the seasonal offerings of the various churches, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Maymont, etc. I always found the Richmond Zoo Live Nativity to be inspiring, but that will be virtual this year as will many other events because of Covid-19 of course.
I know you join us in looking forward to the good news that a safe and effective vaccine will be here very soon along with more effective treatment options for those who do contract it. So many people have been lost.

Just find the highlighted title and read the areas in which you are interested.

News from the PRAC meeting, Dec 3rd.

CTC: THE LIGHTS ARE ON SCHEDULE TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SPRING SEASON. INSTALLATION MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS FEBRUARY. IN Regard TO THE RECENT CAR BREAK-INS, PARKS & REC WAS ASKED IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER PUTTING IN CAMERAS IN OUR PARKING LOTS. Privacy issues are a concern, but they said they would talk with the County attorneys to see if that can be done but we may have to pay for it. UPDATE: Yesterday, I got a callback regarding this. Parks and Rec checked with the Chesterfield Police and found that 5 reports of valuables being stolen from cars had been reported in the last month only at Harry Daniels. In each case, the cars had been left unlocked. So, please do not leave anything of value in your car that would tempt a thief and PLEASE LOCK YOUR VEHICLE. The police have a possible suspect in these cases, so maybe the I-95 Thief Ring is not back in our area as we thought.

HD: Other than the thefts, all seems to be going well at Harry Daniels with people sharing the courts and practicing social distancing from my observations. Keep up the great work.

CTC: Build it and they will come! These courts are getting so much good daytime use. I can only imagine what they will be like with lights. Hopefully, people are practicing Pickleball Etiquette and sharing the courts when people are waiting. It is the right thing to do.

RW: This beautiful resurfaced court complex Is having a resurgence in use, especially now with the lights during this time of year. Of course, the leaves are always an issue in the autumn season, but we sure love them for the shade in the summer season ! Parks and Rec as well as our players do a good job of keeping them safe and clear.

SWIFT CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL: Parks and Rec has agreed to leave these lights on for the winter season. Although you would be playing on tennis courts with blended pickleball lines, players are loving it there.

Indoor Pickleball: Amelia remains on our calendar, but it does not mean that we encourage indoor play at this time. There have been no reports of Covid-19 at that location that I am aware of and people are playing there and enjoying themselves.

If you have a group that wants to play together, email or start a What’s App group so you can plan to do that. Plan these meet up times to avoid Reserved Open Play times if you can unless you want to play Open Play with others at the courts. Outdoor courts are getting more use now that indoors is not available but the use is small compared to the boom that we expect this spring. We may be looking to add more courts before long!

There will be lots of rule changes, I am told, for pickleball that will begin in January. Probably the most controversial one (and the one I get asked about so frequently), is the one that was leaked before USA Pickleball was ready. NO MORE LETS (replays) on the serve rule. What does that mean? A ball that clips the net before going over the net is either in or out when it hits the ground. Do not interfere with the flight of the ball before it hits the ground. It has to bounce before you can return it, anyway. If the ball lands in, play it. If out, it is a fault and no replay is allowed. That means it is more important than ever for the receiver’s partner to be paying attention and calling “out” immediately if the ball is out, and also important for the receiver to be ready for whatever that crazy ball bounce may be after hitting the net first. Whether we like this rule or not, we just need to adjust. Life is all about adjusting to new circumstances….:-) As soon as the new rules are released, and I am given the OK to share them with you, I will.

USA PICKLEBALL has hired a company to help us get into the OLYMPICS. Who knows how long it will take, but the way pickleball is growing, it will probably happen sooner than any of us thought it would. If you have not joined USA Pickleball, I would encourage you to do so. It is our parent organization and they are doing a lot to encourage the growth of our sport. You can find them at USAPICKLEBALL.org.

Spring Leagues: Oh how we have missed league play! So many have asked about spring leagues. Since we are all thinking that Covid-19 will be on the run by spring, we are excited and eager to begin league play again. In league play, The Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County reserves the courts for a specific time for each league–only those in the league can play during that time on those courts. During the spring and summer and fall this becomes very important as the courts will be crowded, again. There is a minimal fee payable to the Club. This covers the insurance which is required and reserved courts for 8 weeks. The leagues are set up for skill level, so you will be competing against/and playing with those at or near your level each week. In the past, we have had social leagues as well as competitive leagues and everyone has enjoyed and benefited from the play. THE ISSUE IS WE NEED SOME LEAGUE COORDINATORS. It’s not that difficult or time-consuming if you just take on only one league. Please let me hear from you if you are willing to step up to take charge of a league. No special requirements just the desire to help pickleball players have fun. You will be a hero among players….:-) “Commish” Dave is willing to help you get set up and give advice as needed.

Recreational Play: Rules are what make pickleball, pickleball but they are not the most important thing for Rec Play. Let’s follow the rules the best we can, helping others who have difficulty with some rules, only if they WANT YOUR HELP. Most of all, be kind to each other. We are all doing the best we can. If you are playing in a group that you are not enjoying for any reason, it’s pretty easy to find another group. No one is the boss of others on the court. There is enough stress in this world that we don’t need to find it on the pickleball courts, too. I think we can all agree that playing pickleball should be a stress reliever. We have always fostered a climate of inclusion and acceptance, and I hear good things so often from visitors who hook up for some pickleball while they are in town or just passing through. Thank you for that….the word gets out that Chesterfield is a great place to play with friendly welcoming players. We even have someone who is moving to Chesterfield for that very reason….:-)

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. Our chance to reach out to others as caring remembers of the Pickleball Group is during Dec 1st to Dec 12th. Please remember to bring canned goods to the courts to share with local food banks. With job losses and virtual schools, people and pets are suffering during these difficult times. There are plastic bins set up at each outdoor location, and we have volunteers who are assembling the items and will deliver them after Dec 12th. I think it was Gloria and Sidna who first thought of this, and many others have jumped in to volunteer. If you have questions about this, you can reach Gloria at [email protected]. Thank you for supporting this worthwhile endeavor.

Stay Covid-19 safe, keep your car doors locked at the courts and enjoy this season of giving and of love. All the very best to each of you and blessings upon blessings as we bring 2020 to a close.

11/16/2020

Covid19 Report:
There are still no known cases of Covid-19 being transmitted by playing pickleball on outdoor courts. Let’s help to keep it that way by maintaining a social distance when possible, washing (hand sanitizer) our hands, and wearing a mask if you wish. New restrictions will be in place tomorrow, but I am not sure they will pertain to us. As soon as Parks and Rec meets and makes a decision, I will let you know.

PICKLEBALL ETIQUETTE: Those of us who have been playing pickleball for a while know this, but some of the new players may not. Pickleball is unlike tennis in a lot of ways,, and this is one of them. If players are waiting to play, you should play one game to 11 points or drill for 15 minutes if that is what you are doing and then leave the court for the next group to play. Another court will be available to you very shortly as others are doing the same thing.

IF YOU RESERVE THE COURT THROUGH PARKS AND REC (CALL 804 748 1623 AND ASK FOR RONNIE HOBSON) that court will be for your use for a 3 hour period for $25.00. She will email you a PERMIT which you will need to produce should someone ask you for it. Please do the right thing.

CODE OF CONDUCT: There is an official Parks and Rec Pickleball Code of Conduct in effect. You can find it on our website. ChesterfieldPickleball.Club.

CTC: The lighting project for these courts is progressing, and you may see some preliminary work being done soon. The projected date is still for Spring. Who knows, maybe a warm Winter will help with the construction project. All approvals and money are in place. Thanks again to our Board of Supervisors and Parks and Rec for going to bat (paddle) for us. As all of you know who have played at CTC, the shade structures in the middle of the courts have been removed. They were damaged by the heavy winds in the last storm. We will assess the damage this Spring to see if they can be repaired. They were so awesome while they lasted.

RW: All repairs were made, and the courts look beautiful, even better than before.

HD: These courts are some of my favorites. They are lighted, and parking is convenient and plentiful. I stopped by after the PRAC meeting last week around 7:30 p.m. to find two young adults playing soccer across the net on court 4…:-( Not sure why they would prefer the pickleball courts to the tennis courts?

There is an after-hours number to call for issues like this on the courts: It is 804 1623 then press 2.

INDOOR FACILITIES: Amelia is the only indoor option on the Chesterfield calendar, at present. The one concrete court at Stonebridge Rec Center can be reserved on a first-come/first-served basis by calling that location 804 768-7885. There are limitations to times and numbers allowed. Henrico has opened their Rec Centers with restrictions for usage and for Henrico Residents only at this time. Richmond Rec Centers are still closed. Most churches are still closed too. We know the virus can be spread at indoor locations such as the Mid-Atlantic Tournament in Myrtle Beach earlier this year. Of course, people play at their own risks as adults.

We have had almost 50 new players to join the Club this month. More families and youngsters are joining in the fun. We will need to be thinking about adding more courts sooner than we thought if this keeps up, and I see no reason that it won’t.

Be safe and have fun out there.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Linda

8/7/2020

CTC: Courts 7 – 12 have been reserved for Open/Rotational Play each morning from 8 to 11 and each evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There are paddle holders that will help direct the players since all play together during these hours on these courts. If you have any questions you may email, call or see me on the courts as I will be there on most mornings.
For those of you who have not been to CTC for a while, you will be pleased to see the improvements. The restrooms have been remodeled and we have windscreens and lots of shade! The fans will be plugged in for a breeze, too, if needed.

HD: Courts 1 and 4 are reserved for Open/Rotational Play during the same hours as CTC, above.
The Permits are posted in the kiosk if you are interested in what they look like. Frankie, Joan and Lena have volunteered to be court coordinators at that location.

These changes are in effect until August 27th. It is hoped that the Rockwood renovations will be completed before then, but we know how that goes from past experiences.

On August 28, Level Up Pickleball Clinic has reserved 7 courts at CTC for their use. This clinic is for Intermediate 3.0 to 4.5 players. I will post a flyer in the kiosk if you wish for more information. The dates are August 28 to 30. 15 hours of instruction for $525.00. The Club is not sponsoring this as such, but we are hoping that it will be successful. You can reach them at LEVELUPPICKLEBALLCAMPS.COM OR CALL 888 308 3720.

The October Tournament will be held totally in Henrico, and not at CTC. I will post a flyer with that information too. I’m sure it will be another great tournament with Jim and Jack as tournament directors. You can reach them at VaPickleball.com.

REMEMBER: THIS INFORMATION IS FOR YOUR USE. YOU WILL PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK, SO KNOW YOUR RISK AND FOLLOW CDC AND LOCAL GUIDELINES TO KEEP COVID-19 AT BAY UNTIL WE GET A VACCINE AND OR SAFE TREATMENT. YOU MAY WISH TO BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR, IF YOU WISH TO SOCIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN GAMES SINCE THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH BENCHES TO ACCOMPLISH THIS. MOST DO NOT WEAR MASKS BUT YOU ARE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO IF YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. LET’S BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN!

8/2/2020 Good Morning Pickleball Enthusiasts,

New Open Play/Rotational Play reserved court time
CTC News
Rockwood News
HD News
Indoor Pickleball

Welcome new members! Pickleball has been growing in popularity even in the Covid-19 era….:-)

Due to popular demand, Open/Rotational Play has returned to CTC on courts 7,8 and 9 each morning from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and to Rockwood in the evenings.

. MANY PLAYERS HAVE RETURNED AS IT APPEARS THAT PLAYING OUTDOORS, WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND NOT SHARING EQUIPMENT IS NOT AS RISKY AS ONCE THOUGHT. THAT SAID, WE ALL PLAY AT OUR OWN RISKS SO CONSIDER THOSE AND THOSE OF YOU LOVE BEFORE RETURNING TO THE COURTS. I’ve heard it said over and over, “It’s not only the sport I have missed, but it’s THE PEOPLE.” The social aspect of this game cannot be overlooked.
OPEN PLAY/ROTATIONAL PLAY DEFINED: This is how pickleball was designed to be played as it encourages lots of play with many players. The flexibility of not having to have a partner and showing up at any time during the reserved hours when one is pretty sure they can find someone to play with has added to the popularity and growth of the sport. During the hours specified in the calendar, the courts are used for all to participate, rotating in with a 4 on/4off after a game to 11 pts, win by 2. If there are lots of players waiting, the games may be shortened to accommodate more players and shorten the wait time between games. Open Play is required during the reserved hours only. No other reservations are allowed during RESERVED OPEN PLAYTIME on those courts. If you want to play with your group during this time, just stack your paddles together and play your one game, come off the court and stack your paddles together again. Oh yes, be sure to look at the new paddle holder which was installed this weekend. Our very talented Robin Tarrell made that and will follow up with 3 more for the CTC location.
At times outside of reserved hours, the courts are used FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED for a 90-minute time limit if others are waiting to play.
To RESERVE A COURT for your group or to teach a class, please contact Ronnie Hobbs at Parks and Rec. She can be reached at [email protected] Once you reserved the courts, you will be given a permit which should be shown if questioned about your reservation. She will be happy to answer any questions about the reservations you may have.

Once we get the dates for the renovations/repairs for Rockwood, more courts will be reserved for Open Play at CTC and at HD.

CTC and HD. The windscreens have been adjusted so that some were removed from CTC to HD with permission of Parks and Rec These not only give us wind protection but also some more shade as well.
We are once again looking into some lighting for some of the courts at CTC. Parks and Rec will be getting some quotes. Of course, as many of you know, the overriding concern is that we only have 5 to 7 years, at this point, before The School Board could take the courts back. They only gave us that long of an option, so we would not want to put too much money into that project. I will keep you informed as we will need to collect monetary donations for this project if it is feasible to move forward.

Indoor Pickleball: As of now, only the indoor courts in Amelia are open for play. No word on when the others may open.

Please check the website. Leslie Moore had added some good information under RESOURCES AS WELL AS ADDED SOME MORE PICTURES. If you have any suggestions as to what other information you may like to see there, please let us know.

TOURNAMENT: THERE IS TALK OF A TOURNAMENT AT CTC AND POUNCEY TRACT IN OCTOBER. AS SOON AS THAT IS FINALIZED, I WILL LET YOU KNOW. My hope is that Jim and Jack will want to proceed.

All the best and see you on the courts,

Linda Scott, President PCCC

Please follow Local, State guidelines for safety.

Discount Codes for Pickleball Central PRBAD
Discount Code for GAMMA SPORTS is PCCC2016

6/24/2020 Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,

GOOD NEWS ON COURT UPGRADES AND REPAIRS and one indoor location opening!

Jeff Rogers of Parks and Rec and his Division 5 crew have been so awesome in their help with fixing the gates, installing the numbers on the fence and most helping to find a great deal and then installing those awnings at CTC. This group were a huge help in getting the courts ready for the tournament last weekend. We could not be more grateful. And Jeff is a pickleball player! Be sure to thank him when you see him.

Rodger Perkinson, Rockwood Manager, and his crew are doing an excellent job power-washing those courts. It looks great and most of all will no longer be a safety issue.

HD: Tomorrow, Joe Stovall, Construction Manager for Parks and Rec, along with the contractor is coming back to address the issues at Harry Daniel Courts….the cracks and maybe the seepage holes too. It will take about a week. They only work during the day and they will work around the players, but occasionally the gates may be locked if something needs to dry. This should not be a huge problem, and it will be nice to get these issues addressed.

CC: ChrisTerrell and his crew finished installing the windscreens provided by The Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County just in time for CTC to be used for the Woman’s Division of the Pickleball Classic Tournament which was headquartered at the Pouncey Tract courts in Henrico. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the courts and especially the new shade canopies which were also purchased by the Club. I want to thank all of you who pitched in with this project and especially Chris for taking charge to ensure that they were installed to the specifications required by Chesterfield County Parks and Rec. As we have known since the courts opened, there are some surface areas that have a few dips which need to be repaired. We are working with the County and the contractor regarding that.

FREE COVID-19 TESTING. The CTC courts, fields, and parking lots will be closed on July 25 for a drive-by Covid-19 testing event. This is a free test offered by the County for anyone who has symptoms or has come in contact with someone who may have the disease. No medical referral necessary and you just drop in. However, it is better if you make an appt to be sure they do not run out of test kits before they get to you. They usually only have about 150 each time. Please pass the word to others you may know who want or need this test. I don’t have the number handy to call for a reservation, but the County is setting these free testing sites up frequently. There is one tomorrow at Falling Creek Iron Works. I’m sure the Chesterfield Dept of Health can help you out.

RW: As you know the dear old Rockwood courts (the oldest Park in Chesterfield probably means that the courts are the oldest in Chesterfield, too) were due to be taken down to gravel this summer, but with the budget cuts due to Covid-19 restrictions, that plan was scrapped. Instead, Parks and Rec will do another FACELIFT this summer which should give us another 5 to 7 years before they are totally re-built. The courts will be closed for 3 to 4 weeks when this happens. NO DATE YET. SOMETIME AFTER JULY 1ST. They will repair the cracks, resurface, repaint and restripe all the lines. They will look brand new and the surface will be easier on the knees…:-)

According to our friend, Neil Joshi, Amelia will re-open tomorrow (Thursday) from 12:00 to 3:00 with social distancing guidelines in place. The address is: Amelia War Memorial, 16330 Dunn St, Amelia, Va If you feel this is the right time for you to play indoors, here is your opportunity.

I have heard only good things about the tournament last weekend. Congrats to all the players, but especially the winners. Many are posted on the ChesterfieldPickleballGroup FACEBOOK page. We will post the pictures on the website if you will send them to [email protected]. Leslie Moore will be happy to add them.

That’s all the news for now.
See you on the courts,
Linda

6/10/2020 – Good Afternoon Pickleball Enthusiasts,CTC: Your Chesterfield County Pickleball Club purchased and volunteers are installing windscreens. CTC was notorious for constant high wind which caused no many bad shots….:-). They are about 90% complete but still need more tweaking. Thanks to all who helped in the installation. There are so many to thank. I will ask Chris to post the list on our website with some pictures for all to see. Those who rolled around on carts attaching the bottom of these screens deserve an extra big shout out. We want to especially thank Chris Terrell who led the installation project for The Pickleball Club. We are also grateful for Esther Woodlee, the pro installer and Principal owner of Mid-Atlantic Tennis Supplies, who volunteered her time to teach us the trade. It was hard, hot, (sometimes wet from rain showers) involving long hours. Hanging windscreens the right way is more laborious than we had thought it would be. Next time, we’ll take up a collection and pay to have them installed….:-) We sure hope you will enjoy them.
Like with most things, there are pros and cons to windscreens, too. The pros are: (1) they block the low-level wind, (2) watching the flaps will show you what direction and how strong the wind is, (3) blocks the early morning and late evening sun on the East and West sides of the courts giving us a little extra shade and (4) creates a great background so we can see the ball better. Some disadvantages are (1) we can’t see who is playing without getting very close to the courts and (2) the courts in the shade and with no wind will dry slower. THE BIGGEST DISADVANTAGE, though, it will get hotter on the courts, especially mid-day. So be sure to hydrate the day before you play, during play, and afterward and take frequent breaks in the shade. Enjoy this new addition to CTC. The beautiful shade structure near the courts is almost completed. Two picnic tables and 2 benches will be placed under there for our use. The newly renovated restrooms should be unlocked soon.

Rockwood: As you know, the courts at Rockwood will probably not be taken down to gravel this year due to budget cuts. However, the final decision has not been made as to what the County is able to do to improve the condition of these courts. Perhaps we will get more information at the next PRAC meeting regarding that. In the meantime, they have agreed to clean the moss which is growing on some of the courts making them slippery when they are wet. So, be careful until that project is complete.

HD: Meanwhile, the courts at Harry Daniels are getting lots of play. Remember, those lights do not stay on automatically. You have to hit the button near the gate when the light starts flashing. You have about 15 minutes to do that, so you don’t have to stop your game.

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY REQUIRES THAT I SEND YOU THE FOLLOWING AND THAT YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES FOR PHASE 2 Please remember to social distance.

Return to Play Protocol-General Guidelines 6.9.20 (6).

These will be posted on the FACEBOOK page Chesterfield Pickleball Group
and on the Website ChesterfieldPickleball.Club

TOURNAMENT: There is a Pickleball Tournament at Pouncey Tract courts in Henrico on June 21 and 22. They are encouraging social distancing, as well as taking other safety precautions. Many of our Chesterfield tournament players will be participating. They have 386 participants to date. People are hungry for things to get back to normal.

REMEMBER JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH COMING OUT TO PLAY AT THIS TIME, DON’T. THINGS WILL GET BETTER AND WE’LL ALL BE OUT THERE AGAIN BEFORE LONG.

That said, many players are out there each day playing pickleball and having a great time. Since we are in our 70’s agewise, Dave and I are waiting a little longer to join the crowd. We still are playing singles in the evenings when the courts are not busy. It’s not nearly as much fun, but “any pickleball is better than no pickleball.”

See you on the courts,
Linda

Discount for GAMMA SPORTS OF 40% for Club Members until June 30th. Write me for the code if you are interested in anything GAMMA.

5/11/2020

Pickleball is Back! (At least outdoor pickleball)All Chesterfield courts are open, and the signs are up with regard to recommendations for safe play from the Parks and Rec Department. Chesterfield Parks and Rec is our authority. There will be no monitoring by Parks and Rec or by anyone else that I am aware of. You know your individual risks, you know the CDC guidelines, and you can read the posted signs.

Use your good common sense when you play and have fun. If you are at high risk and it would not be fun, perhaps you will want to wait a while before returning to the courts. Some people are wearing masks, some are sanitizing the balls after each game, some are only using one ball for each player. Others are only playing singles at this time or only playing with members of their own household. The options are endless. Even if you choose not to play right now, you can still stop by to see everyone and social distance from 6 ft away.

It’s so great to be back out on the courts again. Right now, Dave and I are just playing singles when the courts are not busy since we are in the high risk group until phase III, but I’ll wear a mask and stop by to see all you “youngsters” whenever I can.

See you on the courts!

Linda

PS No word on indoor pickleball yet. I know this is the preference for many of you. It is a higher risk situation to be inside breathing the same air for an extended period of time. More on this as soon as I have the information.

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14248 Spyglass Hill Circle

Chesterfield, VA 23832

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5-2-2020

Good Morning Pickleball Enthusiasts,I know we are all wondering when will we get to play pickleball with our friends again? Pickleball changed our lives for the better, and not playing pickleball feels like it has changed our lives for the worse….but only temporarily. Pickleball will survive and thrive!

The Parks and Rec Department cannot commit to a reopen date yet, but we need to start planning for when they do. They will base their decision on the science before opening to ensure that most will be safe WHILE PLAYING WITH THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS which will be necessary during this transition period. We cannot stress enough the importance of following any safety rules required by Chesterfield Parks and Rec when the courts do open as they can easily be closed again, and we don’t want that.

Here are the latest guidelines suggested by USAPA for the transition period just for your information. The local guidelines may be more/less restrictive. Some of the guidelines for those courts which have opened already are (1) “singles only” or two people per court playing singles, skinny singles or drilling, (2) every other court to be used…like court 1 and court 3 leaving court 2 open (3) only 10 people at one facility at the time (4) while waiting to play, social distancing is expected, (5) each person has their own marked ball and only touches that one. But, we will have to wait and see. I think you will agree that any pickleball is better than no pickleball as long it is played safely and not endangering ourselves or others.

https://www.usapa.org/usa-pickleball-statement-on-the-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR3YNReSKSgXUTV_2dy5O2E98J0DMnbCNbjKI_2D9W7L-afEhBpRicyuLN0

If this does not open for you, go to USAPA.org and find it there. Again, the local governments will be making the final decision about when and how we play in our respective counties and cities. Of course, the indoor locations will have their own issues and the churches, etc. will weigh in on that.

Please note that the guidelines are suggesting that you stay active during this time of no pickleball play since coming back to pickleball after a long time of inactivity can result in more injuries than usual. At least take walks and practice your balancing skills. There are many U-tube videos that will help and encourage you with your pickleball skills while we wait.

ENCOURAGING NEWS: Parks and Rec has now reserved the courts at CTC for September 23rd to 27th for The 2020 Seniors Games which had been postponed previously. Now that is something to look forward to either as a player, a volunteer, or a spectator. By then, we are all hoping, things will be returning to a “new normal.” There is one issue: The Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament has moved from Va Beach to Myrtle Beach and recently changed the date which is the same time period as our Senior Games. This is very disappointing as I know many want to play in both. Perhaps, this may change with the Senior Games being rescheduled once again.

I was at CTC yesterday and was able to see the new restrooms. They are still locked, but Jeff was there and agreed to show me. They are nice, and there is a cold water fountain with a bottle filler so you don’t have to touch anything. The sinks are the kind that you wave your hand, and the water comes on automatically and the hand dryers are top of the line. I hear that the concession area is very nice too, but I didn’t ask to see that. They have not started on the shade structure yet, but that is promised to start soon. We will surely need it.

We will get back to normal, but it will have to be gradual. In the meantime, some players have devised ways to play with family members in the same household in a cul-de-sac or their driveway or dinking in their garage. Dave and I challenge you to try to dink more shots without missing than we did last week……276 ! Granted we were cooperatively dinking, but sometimes the shots were accidentally anything but cooperative..:-) Try it. A line across two chairs make a net. It should be 32 inches high and painters tape or chalk marks the lines for the 7ft dinking court lines. You don’t need 20 ft for a practice court. Ours is only 10 ft. Be creative and send us a picture to share.

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of opening the CTC courts. What a celebration that was! Can you believe it’s only been a year?

We sure do miss you all and look forward to seeing you all soon….fingers crossed for luck. Until then, stay healthy and stay safe.

Remember, pickleball will survive and thrive!
Linda

Good Afternoon Saddened Pickleball Enthusiasts,

We all have heavy hearts right now due to not being able to play pickleball on our local courts as well as so many other things that we have taken for granted not being available to us right now. During this temporary hiatus from pickleball, it is time to use our core values of creativity and innovation to look for ways to include healthy exercise in our lives. It is a time of reflection for what is REALLY IMPORTANT in addition to playing pickleball. We have all made sacrifices and are continuing to do so. It is also a time for us to set the example of following the guidance and recommendations of our health and safety agencies who are looking out for our best interests.

First and foremost, Dave and I and most of the Board, totally support and champion Chesterfield Parks and Rec for locking up the courts, taking down the basketball nets, and sealing off as many areas as possible for the good of the many. While no one wants this, but it has to be done.

Dave and I have dedicated the last 10 years (yes, 10) to bringing pickleball to our area and growing it year by year…offering various activities through Chesterfield County….lessons, leagues, open play, bringing in pros for advanced teaching and starting The Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County. I was fond of saying that no one loves this sport more than we do but I’m finding that we all feel this way so I will say no one has given their hearts, soles and time to this sport more than Dave and I have through our volunteer efforts. That said, None of this could have been done without YOU. We love you guys, miss you, and want you to be safe.

They say, this too shall pass and we will be ever more grateful for our sport and our friends with the hopes that we will all be together, not having lost even one due to the virus.
.
Further, adversity builds character and character defines who we are. This is who I am. I WANT TO PLAY PICKLEBALL! but as strong as these feelings are and as much as I care for you, I don’t want to put my life on the line to fight a virus that I got from you and I don’t want to give you one that you could take home to your loved ones. My hope is that you would feel the same way about your fellow pickleball players and your loved ones.

Focusing on the positive, here are some things we can still do:
Get our of the house…it is good for body and soul. A change of scenery is will brighten your day by taking walks in your neighborhoods and in the local parks
Enjoy Spring flowers and birds. Get out the camera and take some pictures you can share on social media with your friends and family.
Use the mail. Send notes and letters to people who haven’t heard from you in a while or to those in convalescent centers and nursing homes. Reconnect with some old friends who don’t play pickleball.
Use the phone. Check on someone who may not have anyone else checking on them
If you are not in the high-risk group, offer to pick up something at the store for those who can’t . Take the usual precautions so you are not taking the virus to them, too.
Find some pickleball videos on U_tube or FACEbook if that doesn’t contribute to your sadness
Find a wall in a parking lot where you can practice your serve, volleys, and groundstrokes.
We have ordered a practice net (10ft long) to practice in the garage. It is on backorder so who knows when it will come in. Until then, we are using a rope for a net to hit some dinks. No, it is not the same but it is exercise if you do it right.
Take up a hobby that you have been putting off.
Clean out your closets or storage room. The first step in the hardest.
Yardwork which you have put off that you will be glad you did now before the courts open up again.
Take a ride somewhere…bike or car. You would be surprised at how our area has grown.
Learn some words in a new language
Plan a trip to someplace you have always wanted to go

I know the rest of you have some more good ideas and I hope you will share them with us.

I’ve heard the argument that going to the grocery store is probably more dangerous than playing pickleball. The difference is we have to eat to live. It only feels like we are dying without playing pickleball…:-)

Until we see you again,
Be brave, stay strong, stay healthy, stay home as much as you can (not inside, though).

Linda Scott

CTC news:
We have permission to purchase and install windscreens at CTC from Parks and Rec as long as they meet their requirements and if they can be there at the beginning of the installation. Pickleball members will need to volunteer to install the windscreens with the proper “brake away” attachments. We are working with Parks and Rec to see how much money is still in the Parks system from donations which may cover this expense. It has been challenging getting this information but as soon as we do, I plan to order the screens and get a date for installation as soon as possible. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER TO HELP INSTALL THIS. I will not order them unless I have at least 10 volunteers. It shouldn’t take that long with enough help and we should need no ladders since the fence is only 6ft tall.
There will be a 20 x 20 shade structure which will be built on the grassy side near the 10 ft walkway between courts during the renovation of the restrooms and concession area which is now under construction. Parks and Rec is handling that as an accommodation for us seniors who have difficulty playing in the hot, humid weather with no shade protection.
Rockwood news
All courts (tennis and pickleball) will be closed this summer at Rockwood after July 1st for a complete renovation. They are old and need to be taken down to gravel to be maintained properly. When that happens, we will be scheduling play at HD and CTC until Rockwood is complete.
HD news
Glad to know that activity has picked up at Harry Daniels. There was some court damage reported, but when Parks and Rec went to take a look, they could find nothing. Maybe the players fixed it before they got there.

Please continue to take your purses and wallets with you to the courts and don’t leave valuables in your vehicles to tempt thieves. Pickleball bags or duffel bags are nice for this and not that expensive. You may want to put your name on the bag so it can be returned to you if you accidentally leave it at the court.

REFEREE TRAINING
Becky Jilcott has been kind enough to give several referee training sessions last month to those who were interested. On SATURDAY, May 2nd, our District Referee Trainer will be coming to Rockwood for more training for new trainees as well as follow up for those who have had some training. The morning session will be indoors at the Nature Center and the practice will be outdoor on the courts. YOU SHOULD SIGN UP TO TAKE THIS COURSE. Even if you are not sure refereeing is for you, you will learn so much which will help your own game. You may find that you like refereeing and this is a great way to give back to the sport which has given so much to us.
One misconception is you have to be an upper-level player to Ref, you do not! You just need to know how to do it. This is your chance so don’t miss it. It’s free!!!! Email me today.

This and that.
The USAPA Ambassadors for the State of VA will be meeting in Chesterfield again this year. We met at CTC last year. This year we will meet at Rockwood on Sunday May 3rd.
You may see us playing on the courts in the morning or the afternoon before or after the meeting. Once I get a headcount of how many are coming, I will let you know how many courts will need to be reserved for that group. We only needed 3 last year.

So….. Rockwood will be Rocking on May 2nd and 3rd this year, especially in the afternoon with Ref training on May 2nd and Ambassadors meeting and play on May 3rd.

We hope you enjoyed Leap Day yesterday, and got in an additional day of pickleball for the year. I heard that many brave souls were playing and having a great time even in the cold and wind. That’s Pickleball…..:-)

See you on the courts,

Linda and the Board of PCCC

Download Chesterfield Calendar

Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Pickleball Page

Go to ChesterfieldPickleball.club

Our mailing address is:

Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County (VA)

14248 Spyglass Hill Circle

Chesterfield, VA 23832

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Open Play (for short) is unique to the sport of pickleball and one of the reasons it has grown so fast. Open Play/Rotational Play times are Reserved by the Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County through Parks and Rec. It is a time that all are welcomed to play. It is 4 players on/4 players off after playing one game. Then the next 4 players take that court rotating around so that all get to play, and the wait time is usually minimal. You can most often count on finding someone to play with during this time so there is no need to show up with others. This is different than other sports and is meant to be. If you prefer playing or practicing with specific players, then you should have your friends meet you at times when the courts are not reserved. RESERVED TIMES ARE SHOWN ON THE CALENDARS AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THIS EMAIL, ON OUR WEBSITE, POSTED AT EACH COURT AND POSTED ON THE CHESTERFIELD COUNTY WEBSITE.WRAPPING UP 2019 BEFORE THE NEW YEAR.

Dear Pickleball Enthusiasts,
2019 has been a big year for pickleball everywhere! If you are a member of USAPA (which we highly recommend) then you get the Pickleball Magazine and know of its phenomenal growth around the world.
Here in Chesterfield this year, we have added two additional outdoor locations…Harry Daniel’s Park with 6 dedicated pickleball courts and CTC-Hull with 12 dedicated pickleball courts which were designed with extra room for tournament play.
Richmond added 6 dedicated courts at Forrest Hill Park plus several more at Randolph Recreation Center.
Henrico added 8 more to bring their total up to 12 at Pouncey Tract.
This is just talking about major construction. There is lots of activity indoors too with our churches and with Own Touch, a private facility offering pickleball in Chesterfield County. Plus there are big plans for the Sports and Entertainment location in South Richmond.
It seems like there is more news every day regarding the growth of pickleball. I’m sure you see and hear about it, too. You should be proud of any part you have played in growing this awesome sport which means so much to all of us.
One huge announcement is that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament will be held here in Virginia for the first time. It will be a USAPA Sanctioned Tournament and The Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club off Great Neck Road will be hosting. It will be an event that you don’t want to miss whether you are playing in it, volunteering or there as a spectator rooting for your local players. Save the dates September 16 – 20th.
Now back to Chesterfield. After 9 and 1/2 years, we have shown that we (meaning all of us) (1) can organize and grow a Club, (2) that we can teach and encourage many new players, (3) that these players enjoy the sport at all ability levels, some bring home medals which make us proud of their accomplishments in tournaments while others mostly enjoy recreational play, (4) that we can successfully run leagues for all levels of play, (5) that we can foster a good/respectful relationship with each other and our County representatives. All this is great. One thing though that we are lacking is the ability to put on our first successful tournament. We have the desire, we have the location, we have the support of Chesterfield County but we don’t have the “know-how.” We are very hopeful that will change in 2020 as Robin Terrell, with the help of others, is trying to direct our first tournament in May of 2020. That will be such an accomplishment and will be the first of many more we hope.
Status at CTC:
We are still waiting to see what our balance in our pickleball account with Chesterfield so we can order windscreens for this location. We have the County’s permission which we need whenever we want to alter the courts but we don’t have an answer from them regarding the money. The windscreens will cost appx $2,500 and we will need to install them with breakaway ties in case of a strong wind. Mid-Atlantic Tennis has made exact measurements and will give us directions on how to install them. Parks and Rec usually do not allow windscreens but will make an exception in this case as the courts are out in the open and they understand that we need this protection in order to play there sometimes. Sun protection: The county will build a 20 x 20 ft covered sun protection area just outside the gates to give us a place to recuperate during the hot summer months. They will put in additional gates in order for us to get to this area easily. The remodeling of the concession stand and the restrooms have started and should be completed within the next couple of months.
Harry Daniels: We have had some problems with vandalism at this location but hopefully that has subsided. This should be a good winter location with all the sunshine it gets and it does have some wind protection with the existing trees.
Rockwood: The big news here is that Rockwood (pickleball and tennis courts) have been slated for a complete makeover from the gravel up with new LED lighting like the ones on courts 1,2 and 3. This will happen this summer. We have requested that construction be started as soon as possible after July !st, when the money is available so that the longer days will allow play at CTC in the evenings while the work is being done and we will have the lighted location back in the Fall with shorter daylight hours.
Also, Chesterfield is finally getting a Rec Center with indoor courts. They are remodeling the old Beulah School location off Hopkins Road. I’ve tried to get in to see the courts but it is a construction site and I have not been able to. We need this indoor location during the day for pickleball and for some evenings for those who work and can’t play during the day. The other school gyms are scheduled for children but we need something, too. I have let Parks and Rec know of our need for this for several years but they have not found a place for us, yet. This seems to be a good place to start. We may need your help with letter writing, emails and showing up at meetings to express your interest. That means more than just one or two of us showing up at the meetings.
As many of you know, Dave and I will be out of town for a few months. However, we are always available by cell phone, email and TEXTS. Gloria Lambert, PCCC Secretary and Leslie Moore, PCCC Treasurer will attend the PRAC meetings in my absence to stay abreast of things as they are happening within Parks and Rec. and we will keep you up-to-date.
TOMORROW, many of us are meeting at Rockwood to continue the tradition of playing a little pickleball on New Year’s Day. There are many places to play, now, so I know we will be spread out. It’s not like it used to be when we could all come together at one place. I remember those days fondly but also rejoice in these days with more players and more locations to play. This is progress.
We are wishing you a wonderful New Year and we hope all your dreams come true.

All the best and see you on the courts,

Linda Scott

Download Chesterfield Calendar

Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Pickleball Page

Go to ChesterfieldPickleball.club

Our mailing address is:

Pickleball Club of Chesterfield County (VA)

14248 Spyglass Hill Circle

Chesterfield, VA 23832

Add us to your address book

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You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

It has been a busy Summer with lots of action on the indoor, as well as, the outdoor courts. Richmond has added 6 new courts at Forest Hill Park, and I hear they are being well used. Henrico has broken ground for 4 more courts at Pouncey Tract so that news is also exciting. Two new indoor locations/sessions were added over this summer, Bon Air United Methodist Church and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church. Beginning Players are welcomed at specific hours at these two locations. Pickleball would not have enjoyed its great success without our church partnerships for sure. A huge thank you to these churches and to those who volunteer to coordinate these locations.

Stonebridge Rec Center is also a good place for Beginners to play and practice. It’s available almost every day from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. You can call to reserve the one court at 804 768 7885. If the court is not in use, you can use it for a 2 hour period…..:-) You will need to pick up the net at the front desk and put it up yourself (they will help you the first time), take it down when finished and return it to the front desk. On Fridays, it is drop-in play. All are welcomed.

Please keep in mind that we don’t have room for all pickleball locations. For example, there is still play at MAC, at Midlothian and Swift Creek YMCA, Midlothian American Family but they are for members, only, or there is a substantial fee to play. If your insurance plan has Silver Sneakersyou can join Am Fam for free. You will have limited hours but you can’t beat FREE.

With the Fall season, Parks and Rec classes will begin again. In fact, registration opens today, Monday, Sept 19th. Call 804 748 1623 to register or go online at Chesterfield.gov/Parks. Please remember Parks and Rec classes take priority over any other use of the courts.

Another thing that Fall brings is the resumption of the Leagues. There is a league for all players 2.5 and above. With these leagues and with designated times for Beginner players 1.0 to 2.0 there is something for everyone.

Fall Leagues: September and October

Returning Leagues:

Advanced League (4.0-4.5+) Sunday evenings 6:00 p.m. Harry Daniels Park (Boyd Burton)

Women’s Intermediate League (3.0 to low 4.0 levels) Tuesdays two shifts 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Rockwood Park

Coed Advanced Beginners (2.5 to low 3.0 Levels) Fridays 6:00 p.m. Rockwood Park (most of the time since there are no lights at CTC)

Potential New Leagues:

Coed Team (2.5.- 3.0 Levels) Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m Rockwood Park
Coed Team (3.5 to 4.0 Levels) Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Rockwood Park

We encourage all players to give league play a try. It’s really a lot of fun. If interested in participating in any of these leagues and you did not play in the Spring season leagues, contact Dave Scott at [email protected]

Magnolia Green is having a Grand Opening for their two new courts on September 6th. If you live in that community and would like to participate in a Demo that evening, please email me at [email protected]. Or, if you know of any players who live there, let me know so I can contact them.

Yes, the calendar will get very busy again. Louise is working hard to get input from all the locations so that it will be as correct as possible by the first of the month. She is also checking with Crestwood Presbyterian to get the hours and days they will be open for the Fall/Winter season. I hope you will consider volunteering to help at that location.

The Chesterfield County Parks and Rec Dept is working on some improvements and corrections to the newest outdoor courts at Harry Daniels and CTC. As soon as the contractors can get there to fix the gates and the dips in the court, they will. More about shade options and electricity as soon as I know. It’s hard to be patient when we need these things.

Hope you have had a great summer! As always, please email or call me if you have any questions or concerns. The Board of PCCC is here for you.

Don’t forget the discount codes for Gamma Paddles PCCC2016
Pickleball Central CRBAD

See you on the courts,
Linda

From Jared Dieffenbach, our Dinwiddie Ambassador, extraordinaire, reminds us as to why we should all be members of the USAPA.

As part of my Ambassador duties…. if you haven’t already, consider joining the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) for just $20/year. It’s our national organization that promotes pickleball and keeps it growing both locally and nationally. USAPA and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) recently announced a strategic alliance that will provide both youth and adult programming for athletes across the country. Pickleball is said to be the #1 growing sport in the U.S. and the world with future plans to make it an olympic sport.

What does my $20 USAPA Membership get me?
Becoming a USAPA member is a simple yet powerful way to put your support squarely behind the sport that is one of the fastest growing in the United States. When you join USAPA, your $20 annual membership supports rules and equipment standards, introductory and developmental programs for all ages, standardized competitive play and much more! In addition, USAPA members also receive:

FREE e-mailed Copies of ‘Pickleball Magazine’ (6 per year)
40% Discount (off cover price) of Mailed Subscription of ‘Pickleball Magazine’
$10 Discount on USAPA Net System
Seasonal Discounts on USAPA Merchandise
USAPA e-Newsletter (6 per year)
Member Upgrade Options (optional USAPA discount products members can select during the online registration process)
USAPA Rating for all Sanctioned Tournaments (coming in 2017)
Secondary Medical Insurance for USAPA-Sanctioned Tournaments
Printable USAPA Membership Card
Member Access to new ‘Look-Up’ on USAPA Website
Member Access to new ‘Partner Search’ on USAPA Website
Member Access to new ‘Referee Trainer Guide’ on USAPA Website
Member Access to new ‘Referee Handbook’ on USAPA Website

* * * Now, USAPA members get discounts on travel, hotels, car rentals and much more! * * *

Club T-shirts. These make a great gift even to yourself…:-) There are some new colors available. They look great. I know you have seen many of us wearing them. This is a wonderful way to declare your affiliation with the club and your love of pickleball.
Click here for pictures and order form

Please ask each player you play with to join the PCCC in support of Pickleball in the local area. It’s a deal and they get the calendar and updates, league play and more. Thanks.

Chesterfield Pickleball News

4-3-2023

3/7/2023

2/1/2023

1/1/2023

12/2/2022

8/7/2022

7/31/2022

6/1/22

2/6/22

2/5/22

1/5/2022

12/11/2021

Happy Holidays to all Pickleball Enthusiasts,

https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/move-over-tennis-and-golf-networks-and-brands-are-cashing-in-on-pickleball

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts, This is long, check the highlighted areas and only read what is important to you….:-)

Hello Pickleball Enthusiasts,
This is long, check the highlighted areas and only read what is important to you….:-)