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President's Message
Dear Sequim Picklers, Spring is in the air. Our team has been busy planning the Spring Fling and coordinating activities and schedules to fill up the calendar with super fun activities for the remainder of the year. Many of the dates and coordination for tournaments, competitions, new player training, and yes, some serious training opportunities (or just having fun) are on that schedule.
We have some very dedicated volunteers who donate their time to this club. And these volunteers are very good at what they do. Please remember that any appreciation for their efforts keeps them coming back.
Sequim is marked like a city on the pickleball map. We have developed many tournament players who are getting well-known across the country. With the Spring Fling open for sign-up, we have offered senior-age events this year. This provides the opportunity for Sequim Picklers to expand the tournament. I would encourage members to please get the word out and invite friends and family. By adding the senior-age events, we hope to attract those who mainly just play senior events so we can also open the normal brackets for the weekend. We are hoping for a much larger turnout.
My wife Vicki and I are still in Arizona and plan to return at the beginning of April. I have been playing softball and pickleball and have muscle pain in spots I never knew existed. Running full speed in softball has been a challenge; I seem to be in better pickleball shape. I hope to see you all on the courts soon.
I know I mentioned language and courtesy to others in my last message. I want to say it again as I want everyone to respect others at the courts. Pickleball is a friendly game that instills integrity, friendship, and fun. It is a sport for all ages and very family-driven. Make the Sequim Picklers proud by displaying an attitude that allows everyone to be comfortable at the courts.
Stay tuned for additional communication as we start sharing the schedules.
Daryl Ness
Courtside News
Hi Everyone,
Spring seems to be approaching quickly. We have several programs planned for April, but for the time being I would like to focus on March.
For the last few months, Kendal has been experimenting with a Skinny Singles format to help members determine their club rating. The initial experiment used Touchstone Players (members possessing stable, preferably tournament ratings) to see if Pickleball Brackets would rate them similarly. It did. These TS players formed a base from which other players could ping. Kendal continues to expand and monitor that base and this process appears to be working. We believe SS is our best option for developing club ratings and we would like to use these ratings to properly place members in future activities and events.
If you want to attain or test a rating, come down to the courts on Thursdays at 1:00. This is our first scheduled programming for the season. Check Facebook or the Website for cancellations.
The 2.5 - 3.4 King or Queen of the Hill was exciting to run. Gill Goodman and Tiffany Isaacson were the official King and Queen. It’s always cool to see which pairings gel. I got some feedback that the queue was too long; we will adjust and limit players from 25 to 22 next time around.
Looking to volunteer? Goose is starting Beginning Classes in April and he is looking for some help. You don’t have to be an expert ....some patience and being better than the people you are helping would be good! Some guidance will be provided. Send an email to Goose if you are interested in helping.
Want to start an MLP team? Talk to Chris Jafay or leave him a note on the corkboard. He can help explain the rules, score your team, and advertise a challenge.
A new, official, Exit Only sign from the City has been posted on the south gate. Using the main gate and mat helps keep the courts clean of debris. Repairing the fence piping is still on the list.
Thanks to Mike Cooper for ordering and installing the carbon fiber windsock pole, and Robert Wight for keeping the Lobster running. Be careful that the balls placed in the Lobster are dry. Sand and moisture tend to misalign the drum.
I want to thank everyone for giving us the space to run Skinny Singles on Thursdays. As a club, we cannot reserve space without acquiring a Special Events Permit, the cost of which is prohibitive. Creating programming on public courts can sometimes feel untenable; there are many times at PCOC meetings when we have to acknowledge that we are simply “rolling the dice.” The Sequim Picklers are the predominant force at the courts. We can offer some pretty cool programming. It will, however, require cooperation.
Looking forward to spring!
Lettie
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.
2024 Sequim Fling tournament will be held at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim, June 27-30, 2024. Registration recently opened at PickleballBrackets.com.
We’re excited to share some new tournament details:
Adding USSP Senior (Age/Skill) events (Thursday & Friday)
Standard (Skill/Age) events (Saturday & Sunday)
No USSP membership is required, but if you have your USSP membership number in your profile, you will get a $10 refund
Early registration is only $45 + $15/event through March 31
Round-robin play with additional medal-round playoff to guarantee lots of games
Using the Franklin X-40 ball
Your rating is IMPORTANT! Please review your rating prior to registration. You will not be allowed to play in an event if your rating is more than 0.5 different than the skill you want to enter. This will hopefully eliminate “sandbagging”. (i.e. If you want to play 4.0, your rating must be either a 3.5 or 4.0)
Daily schedule:
Thursday (Age/Skill) = Senior (50+) Mixed Doubles (50+,55+,60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
Friday (Age/Skill) = Senior (50+) Men’s & Women’s Doubles (50+,55+,60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
Saturday (Skill/Age) – Mixed Doubles (19+,30+,40+)
Sunday (Skill/Age) - Men’s & Women’s Doubles (19+,30+,40+)
Take advantage of this early registration pricing through March 31 and sign up soon! Registration pricing will increase as we approach the tournament dates
Members-only Links
PCOC Minutes, 2/06/2024
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.
Sequim Picklers Have a New Forum!
Have you been looking for a venue to communicate with other Sequim Picklers - a place to find a partner for a tournament, someone to drill with, or even share resources that would benefit other Club members? Look no further than our new Virtual Bulletin Board.
How to Post
Simply double tap anywhere or select the plus (+) button. A simple text post will appear. To attach a file or link, click any of the icons below the text. Padlet supports every file type you can imagine, from an Excel spreadsheet, to a Spotify playlist, to a YouTube Video, to any link from any site.
Etiquette
The rules are simple: No trash talk. No politics. Topics need to be pickleball-related and beneficial to our membership. Posts must include your contact information. If you post an item for sale and sell it, or are looking for something in particular and find it, please come back and remove your post. This is a MEMBERS ONLY forum….please do not share the link.Admin reserves the right to delete posts that do not conform to these
rules.
Questions? Send an email to Tanya Baumgardner
Pickleball RULES!
Since 2022, pickleball players have had the option of using either a drop serve or a volley serve. This is especially helpful if a player’s normal serve has suddenly “disappeared.” Being able to change up serves is also useful, so it doesn’t hurt to practice both types.
It is important to understand that either a volley serve or a drop serve may be done with either a forehand or a backhand motion. The advantage of the drop serve is that none of the rules associated with the volley serve are in play, except, of course, that the ball must land in the appropriate service court after being contacted by the server.
Of note regarding the drop serve: the ball may bounce as many times as desired before being hit. The ball may also be picked up after a drop and re-dropped if the server so desires, as long as it happens within the 10 seconds after the score has been called (the 10-second clock begins as soon as the score is called). The ball may be dropped inside the baseline, and as long as the server does not step on or over the baseline to hit it, it is a legal serve. And finally, the ball may be dropped from any height.
What is most important to remember with the drop serve is that it is a DROP. It is not a toss and it is not a downward-motion push. The arm is raised, the fingers open, and the ball drops. Period.
Rules 4.A.4.a, 4.A.4.b, 4.A.4.c., and 4.A.4.d. (page 17 of the 2024 Rulebook) are still in effect regarding the positioning of the feet. Basically, at least one foot must be on the playing surface BEHIND the service line, neither foot may be on or inside the service line, and neither foot may be outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or the centerline. Rule 4.A.4.d. deals with wheelchair players, in that the wheels must follow the same basic positioning rules as the feet.
If you have questions or on-court situations that arise for which you would like clarification, please send your comments or questions to kwt.dr588@gmail.com. If you see an error in any of these answers, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Happy pickling!
KT— Sequim Pickler Kathryn (“K.T.”) Thomas, is a Registered Trainer of Referees and USA-Pickleball District Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest Coast.
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 be sure to spin the combination so that it cannot be pulled open.
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.