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.   AsAdam 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

A big thank you.   I have gotten quite a few emails and phone calls recently, from players who (1) came here to visit family in Chesterfield, (2) have children playing soccer at River City (3) or are just passing through the area.   All have been complimentary of how welcoming you all have been to them when they stop by the courts in hopes of playing pickleball while here.   This what pickleball is noted for across the USA..   These visitors are becoming more frequent because more people are playing this great sport and want to add it to their travel experience.    I thank you for being such good ambassadors for our County and for pickleball.   When you travel, you should check out Places2Play on the USAPickleball.org website and play in as many new locations as you can.  You will be surprised at the information you pick up from the locals that you will never get from an App, and the new friends you will make as well.

Thank you, too, to those who helped Parks and Rec take down the Shade Structure before the big windstorm tomorrow that surely would have destroyed it.   It gets really hot over there at CTC with no trees, so, we would really suffer this summer without the canopy.

League play begins next week, so be sure to check the April calendar when it comes out.  You can find it on the web site  ChesterfieldPickleball.Club or the Facebook page Chesterfield Pickleball Group.           Louise Carloni puts a lot of work into the calendar so players know where to play each month.  Be sure to thank her.

Gratitude for League Coordinators – As leagues get underway, let me once again thank our wonderful League Commissioner Lynze Kapp and all the League Coordinators for their volunteer service.  You make a huge difference in pickleball players enjoying the spring season!

A new program has been added for the PCCC membership to enjoy this spring season.     It will be called a “Drill-N-Play” session that will be available for the PCCC senior players ages 60+ with a rating level of 3.0 aspiring to become a solid 3.5.
***  What is your level?   Ask Prem, the Pickleball Guru.

These Drill-N-Play sessions will be planned for two hours each, with the first hour and 15 minutes focused on basic drills.    Then for the final 45 minutes of each session, we will have 4 timed games of 8 minutes each with 5 minute breaks in between each game.    There will also be plentiful breaks during the drill sessions as well.    Linda and Dave Scott enjoyed these sessions while at The Villages this past Winter.  They will be the overall coordinators for this program with assistance from 3.5 level  “coach” volunteers.

The sessions will be offered on Monday and Friday afternoons at the CTC courts 7-12……beginning with Monday April 24th and running 5 weeks through May 26th.    For the April week .the sessions will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. since “open play” times end at 1:00 p.m.     Then for the weeks in May, the sessions will be held from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. since open play time ends at noon (except May 12).   

Players sign up for the 30 available slots (6 courts of 5 players each) beginning on Friday evenings at 9:00 p.m. on SignUpGenius (same system as used for the autumn league last year).  If you are unfamiliar with that system, instructions will be provided.   Players will be allowed to sign up for just one of the two sessions each week.    Then, if there are still slots available in a session by Sunday evenings at 9:00 p.m., then players may sign up for the second session also for that week.

There will be a “one-time” minimal fee of $ 5 to participate in this program, with the fees used for the supply of pickleballs and the remainder “donated” to PCCC.

We are hoping to get volunteers (3.5 ability level) to serve as “coaches” for these sessions.     They would be in charge of 1 or 2 courts offering “coaching” tips and running the designated assigned drill as provided by The Scotts…….and they would also participate in certain drills when there is room and as a way of demonstrating the basic techniques for the particular drill.    These “coaches” would participate whenever they are available and do not need to be there for every session.  This is a great way to give back to the sport we love.

If you appreciate the value of the “dinking” aspects of pickleball, but have few opportunities to enjoy this strategic part of the game in league and open play times…..then this program is for you !     If you want to get better with your serves, the return of serves, volleys, the third-shot “drop” and the general “nuances” of the soft game…..then this program is for you !

In conclusion……if you are interested in participating in these drill sessions as a player or as a “coach” during this spring season…..then please contact Dave at [email protected] to be placed on the “roster” list for the weekly sign-ups.

This new program should be fun and may become an addition to the Fall League program if it is successful.

See you on the courts!   Linda