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