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President's Message
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the Membership. I have been in Kauai for the past two weeks and I had the pleasure of playing in a pickleball tournament in Princeville. I was a blind date replacement player fill-in for the men’s 4.0, with no age limitation. It was a very fun tournament and a super good time meeting players from all over the country. I felt honored to be able to play with some of the nicest people. They were not nice enough to let me win a medal of any kind, however. Several members of the Pickleball board invited me to meet and play at several places here in Kauai. Nolan Ahn, President, took me under his wing. He invited me to events around the island where open play was happening. He and Gary McGuire kept me informed on where the games were occurring and what was happening on the island, whether it was organized play or private. I learned so much about the politics and hard work that has been put into the game of pickleball and how important it is to the health of the entire community. Young or old, we need these opportunities to have a safe place to get some exercise and for some, exercise with competition.
On the island, I found it very important to have the option for public play. Many of the private entities had so many rules about who could play and how much it would cost and when you could play, that most private entities were empty. It was mostly the resorts, private sports facilities, and golf clubs that had very nice pickleball courts. I visited many resorts and private venues just touring and most pickleball court locations were empty. The public courts had multiple lines painted on the courts for multi-use options. Basketball, tennis, and pickleball used shared space on many of the courts with schedules offered for each sport. In many of the instances, you had to wait your turn to share the space.
Nolan and I had discussions concerning the possibility of becoming sister organizations. We both have communicated and shared many of the challenges along with sharing many of the positive things we have learned along the way.
We also discussed the possibility of inviting their team here to Sequim for a scheduled competition event (much like the Bainbridge event) and then see about traveling their way the following year. That would need to be discussed with the Board and much of the membership. 'Sounds like a fun event, though.
I consider Sequim very fortunate to have the courts we have. For the size of our community, we are ahead of many cities and towns our size on both facilities and our membership.
We have formed a More Courts Committee and are just getting started. Stay tuned as we develop our next actions as a group.
Daryl Ness
Membership News
from Libby Hartman
Hi Sequim Picklers,
A huge thank you to the 153 members who completed our Member Survey. Below, you will find a summary of the results (bullets created by Chat GPT after looking at the PowerPoint slides of the results – WAY cool), and the rest are key data points that I thought would be interesting to most members if not all. If you’d like to see every detail, click on this link where the entire survey results are provided. For many of the questions, we also provided answers by skill level (as needs and interests can vary).
Libby’s summary – We have 460+ members with a wide variety of needs, some of which the Club is meeting and some not (at this point). This data will help us prioritize how we spend our time and provide great insight into the strategic plan the Board is working on for next year. Until then, please keep your ideas coming and appreciate the efforts to fulfill everyone’s wants and needs (it’s NOT easy!).
Top Line Summary
Survey Results: 32% of Sequim Pickler members responded to the survey, with 58% of respondents falling in the 2.0-2.9 skill level.
Gender Goals: 65% of female members and 52% of male members are interested in competing in tournaments or improving their play with clinics.
Satisfaction: 71% of respondents reported being Satisfied or Highly Satisfied with Club programming.
Communication: The preferred method of communication for most members is the Sequim Pickler Update, followed by the SP website.
Expectations: Members expect the Board to abide by the Bylaws, communicate with the city, and provide support to the DCOC.
In addition to the data, there are also many comments which are in the presentation on the website at the link above.
We appreciate the time our Members took to complete the survey, and want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season.
Pickleball is Life!
Libby
Members! Please take a few minutes to review your Contact Information and keep us all up to date. If you have a new email, phone number, or address, contact our Membership Chair, Libby Hartman so that our records are correct.
Courtside News
Hi Everyone!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
So far so good on the Selkirk balls. We put 200 in circulation – caddies, ball machine, and gameplay. As of December 7th we are missing 9 balls, none of which showed up in the black net attached to the shed door. We think this means that the balls are performing well. According to our survey, providing high-quality balls and a ball machine is essentially universally important to members. Just a reminder, placing broken balls in the black net helps us monitor our equipment.
Robert put in a request to the city to have the courts air blown and a few lower-level pipes repaired. The clean courts are appreciated and thanks to everyone for using the main entrance. I am working on the status of the pipes. The King and Queen of the Hill was a blast! Rodney and I had fun watching. We learned a few things, but felt like the rotation accomplished our goal. Keep an eye out for another in the future and one specifically combining 2.5 and 3.0 players.
2024 dates for the Spring Fling, Blue Hole Bash, and Big Dill are out and on the website.
The Boys and Girls Club has been busy! Please note the 6:30 – 9:30 time change on Wednesday evenings. I am making a poster of the rule changes that trigger as lines get longer. This should help with any confusion. The ebb and flow of courts takes some awareness and judgment. We are trying to create both a relatively fair distribution of space along with several levels of play. The volunteers opening and closing the gym are doing a great job. Thanks for your patience with the increased volume of play – we are responding and adjusting as best we can.
Happy Holidays!
Lettie
A festive time was had at the Boys & Girls Club on December 13th! Thank you to everyone who showed up in their holiday garb, played, and celebrated with good food and friends. A special thank you to the PCOC Committee for organizing the event.
Visit the Gallery on the Sequim Picklers website for pictures, courtesy of Drew Ealey and Kami Magera.
Spring Fling with a Twist
News from Katinka Nanna
Our Sequim Fling tournament will be a US Senior Pickleball (USSP) Circuit Event this year. This is an organization dedicated to seniors who want to play in tournaments within their age/skill group. We want to try this to see how successful it can be and what kind of turnout we will have. We decided this for the following reasons:
No membership required to play in any USSP Tournament.
USSP will provide a banner and two items to raffle off.
If there are only 1 or 2 teams, let’s say 75 +, you will receive a medal and will play down with 70+ and can place there, as well.
Scores will not go into DUPR (individuals can however do that themselves).
USSP has Humana as their sponsor and in 2024, if you are associated with Humana, you will receive a free 1-year membership in USSP (roll out by 1st quarter 2024).
USSP charges $20/year, $50/3 years etc.
USSP membership runs for a year from the time you join.
USSP offers a point system (you must be a member) and you must add your membership number to your profile to accumulate points. $20,000 plus prize value annually.
USSP points are awarded each year – the point system runs from January through December.
The point system is the same for 3.0 and 5.0 etc.
Round Robin/Pool Play.
Operating system through Pickleball Brackets.
USSP offers tournaments using age/skill for players 50+ in age. When skill levels are combined, 3.0 and 3.5 are often combined within an age group. If a player or team would rather stay in their rated skill group then they can always play down in age. If a player or team wants to challenge themselves then they can always play up in skill. Either way, with USSP, both players and teams have a choice in all competitive tournament play.
USSP addresses these issues:
· Play with 5-year age groups from 50 to 80 years old.
· Play with skill groups from 3.0 to 5.0.
· Points awarded for the top 4 places in a reward system offering prizes.
· Tournaments are offered at the National, Zone, and Circuit levels.
· Anyone can register for a USSP tournament without membership.
USSP FORMAT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY ONLY – no membership requirement
Thursday 6/20/24 – Senior Mixed Doubles (50 or 60+) age/skill events
Friday 6/21/24 – Senior Men’s and Women’s Doubles (50 or 60+) age/skill events
Saturday 6/22/24 – Men’s and Women’s Doubles (under 50 or 60) skill/age events
Sunday 6/23/24 – Mixed Doubles (under 50 or 60) skill/age events
We have all heard that we want to play within our age and skill level and under USSP that is exactly what will happen, although if you (as a senior) want to play on Saturday and Sunday, you certainly can but you will have to play down in age. I believe this will give us more play and fuller days.
Pickleball Is Great will be running the event and registration will start mid-January 2024. Mike Hoxie (PIG) is the Western USSP representative.
Any questions, please email me at katinka@nikola.com.
Are you looking for the perfect gift for that 'Pickler on your list? There are still Sequim Pickler hats and athletic shirts available. Contact Katinka Nanna for sizes and colors. Your gift will surely be appreciated.
Members-only Links
Sequim Picklers Profit & Loss Budget vs Actual, June 1- December 4, 2023
Board Meeting Minutes, 11/19/2023
PCOC Minutes, 12/07/2023
Why not delve deeper into the Sequim Picklers website? Here are a few tips:
The SP Member Community is a GREAT place to connect with other members. By joining this add-on, you are able to directly contact other Sequim Picklers who are also on the Community page and chat online. To join, click the Log In button in the upper right and sign up with any one of the options available. Once your membership is approved (which entails simply being recognized as a current Sequim Pickler, not as a Bot or Spam), you will receive an email with further directions. Please remember, this feature is for Sequim Pickler Members ONLY.
Click “My Profile” and then “edit profile.” You choose how much you want to share. When you are done, be sure to “Update Profile.” If you prefer NOT to be a part of this Community, click the three dots in the upper right of your profile and choose "Make Profile Private."
You can also change your profile picture, which may help others know it’s you they are looking for.
Now you have all the basics. Play around, send a chat message, AND if you have MULTIPLE accounts, please remove the ones that you don't want active. Finally, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Are you aware that there is a webpage on our site called Events? You will find information about upcoming activities in this area.
The Member's Only page password is SweetOrDill23 (please note this changed on August 10th). Save this for future use, but please don't share it with non-members.
The Club is looking for members who would like to learn how to referee. Contact Katinka Nanna at katinka@nikola.com. This class will be twice a month during the winter months, beginning in January, and practices will be done at Boys & Girls Club. More details coming soon!
IF YOU'RE THE LAST PICKLER TO LEAVE THE COURTS, please put away all balls and toss abandoned items (water bottles, sweatshirts, paddles, sunglasses) into the Lost & Found box in the shed. Lock up the shed and have a great evening.
NO DOGS ON THE PICKLEBALL COURTS by order of the City of Sequim. Dogs are also prohibited from hanging out in the center alley between the courts. (Apologies to our canine friends...)
WEAR YOUR BADGE. Let the world know who you are — a proud Pickler. Carry your badge in your pickleball bag to snap on when you hit the courts.
WHITELISTING. Add "sequimpicklers@gmail.com" to your Contacts list and avoid having to search your Spam, Junk, and Trash mailboxes for the latest Sequim Picklers Update and other Club communications.
The Sequim Pickler Update comes out each month on the 16th. If you would like to contribute an article, picture, or link, please send your submission to Tanya Baumgardner no later than the 11th of the month.
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