February 5, 2022

President’s Report Sequim Picklers, I am happy to be back on the board, serving the Sequim Picklers. We’re working on five — count ‘em, FIVE! — tournaments for 2022.

1. Sequim Major League Tournament — Saturday March 19, 2022 (times to be announced later) Location: Carrie Blake Park Invitees: Open to Sequim Picklers Club members only Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 Entry Fee: None — Includes refreshments and snacks For a full description of this tournament — and to sign up — see the announcement below.

2. Spring Fling — June 10-12 2022 (times to be announced later) Location: Carrie Blake Park Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 Categories: 49 and under, and 50+ with 10-year age bands (50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and so on) Spring Fling is a regional tournament for players from Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Bainbridge, Seattle, Canada, and beyond. Sequim Picklers established a good reputation for putting on this really fun tournament, held regularly prior to Covid. Registration information and other details about the Spring Fling Tournament will soon be available on pickleballtournaments.com.

3. Blue Hole Bash — Fall 2022 (dates and times to be announced later) Location: Carrie Blake Park Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 Blue Hole Bash is our annual fall regional pickleball tournament.

4. Local Yokels Tournament (dates and times to be announced later) Location: Carrie Blake Park Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 Sequim Picklers hosts this tournament for our 50+ pickleball friends in Port Angeles and Port Townsend. A competitive, fun, social tournament.

5. Bragging Rights Cup — Fall 2022 (dates and times to be announced later) Locations: Carrie Blake Park in Sequim, and the Bainbridge Founders’ Courts on Bainbridge Island Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 players This will be a new tournament for us. We’re working out the details with the Pickleball Club of Bainbridge Island now. Sequim Picklers will travel to Bainbridge to compete against the Bainbridge Club, with Bainbridge hosting. Then, Sequim Picklers will host the Bainbridge Pickleball Club players traveling to Sequim. The club with the winning point total will take home the Bragging Rights Cup for that year. This will be an annual event, with the trophy traveling back to the winning club. No entry fee for members of either club. Just pure, competitive fun.

Rumor Control The last thing I would like to address is rumors. It has been brought to our attention that negative rumors are being spread about the Board, Board Members, Sequim Picklers, and our intentions for the Sequim Picklers.

This is my second time as President, and I am offended by these rumors. If you knew the time and effort being put in by our Board members for your benefit, not ours, you would be as upset as I am. I can only speak for the times I have been on the Board, but I know that every decision made by the Board is made with only the Club’s best interest in mind. Whether it is buying equipment and supplies, or coordinating organized play, tournaments, and training clinics, the Board always puts safe, fun play as our first and foremost goal. We also have the responsibility of planning for the future of the Club and building the Club within our community. We are held financially responsible for looking after and using the Sequim Picklers’ money wisely, not spending it just because we have money in the bank. The smart thing is to enjoy the present, but also plan for the future.

So, the next time you hear someone spreading rumors about your Board and Club, please contact a Board member at sequimpicklers@gmail.com to find out what is actually happening. Or, politely correct the individual spreading information you know is not true. I am not saying that the Board does everything perfectly, but we strive for excellence in our duty to you.

Thank you, and, remember, you can volunteer — help is always needed. —Arvo Johnson, President, Sequim Picklers Board of Directors

Coming this March!

Sequim Picklers’ Major League Pickleball Tournament The Tournament Committee has exciting news!

Saturday, March 19 will be our first tournament of 2022. It will be called the Sequim Major League Tournament. The idea for the tournament came from Club member Gayle Powers, who was inspired by the pros Major League Tournament held last year. To enter, email me, Kendal Wake, at pickleballkendal@gmail.com.

You do not need a partner to play. We will be taking 64 entries and making 8 teams of 8 players. We want to have a balanced group for each 8-person roster. We need all levels to enter so we can draft even teams. You will be notified before the tournament that you are on a team. If we fill up, we will start a waiting list. On the day of the tournament, you will get your team assignment. —Round One will pit you and another player with a similar rating as a doubles’ team against another similarly rated doubles’ team. You will play each team once in a single game to 15, win by two. That will give each team seven games. When you are not playing, you will be rooting your team on. Each game won will give your team 1 point. After all 28 games have concluded, there will be a tally of the points. —Round Two will be 28 more games, but this time, you as a team will decide who you will send out to play. You can send out a 4.0 teamed with a 3.0, but you might be facing a 4.0 team or a 3.0 team. There will be strategy for each team to figure out on this round.

Once all 28 games have been played, we will add up the points. The wins count double in this round. We will reward the top three teams. Food will be provided. The cost is free to members and $10 for non-members. Sequim Picklers members have priority until March 1, then it will be open to non-members. This will be a lot of fun. —Kendal Wake, Director of Court Operations

Welcome to our newest Sequim Picklers!

We are now 294 members strong — and growing!

Arnold Bleicher Sherri Hanke Ann and Gary Kirby Flo Larsen Gary and Pam Schneider Gabriel Schuenemann

Looking forward to seeing all of you on the courts!

P.S. You can pick up your Sequim Picklers name tags later this week. Look for the bag marked “New Members” hanging on the wall to your left when you enter the equipment shed.

DOCO News (Director of Court Operations)

Greetings Picklers, It will be spring soon, and we will be having a lot of pickleball activities.

I will need some help with court operations. I’m looking for volunteers to help with Ladder Play, Drill Instruction, Rated Play, and the Beginners’ Class. All of these folks would serve on the Pickleball Court Operations Committee, and will run, with help, the different areas of play. Please email me at pickleballkendal@gmail.com to volunteer.

Beginners’ Class will be starting again on Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m. and continuing every Sunday (weather permitting) throughout the summer.

Rated Play was a recurring theme in the Sequim Picklers Members’ Survey, conducted in fourth quarter of 2021. As we get started in the spring with Rated Play, I have been thinking about your comments.

Some things that stood out to me: —About half of the responding members (49%) indicated they were happy with Rated Play. —About 14 percent do not like keeping score. —About 20 percent are not happy with the way partners are being chosen during Rated Play. —Some would like more Rated Play, some would like less. —Some would like to break Rated Play into two rating sessions — one for higher and one for lower Rated Play.

Some points I would like to make. —We need a variety of pickleball offerings in the Club: drilling, clinics, instruction, Ladder Play, Club exchanges, League Play, Rated Play, Open Play, etc. So, if you absolutely dislike some type of play, you can always choose to attend the type of pickleball event you do enjoy. —Rated Play allows us, as a Club, to sort people out for a lot of the activities that we offer or will offer. For instance, the Bragging Rights Cup Tournament — the Bainbridge exchange tournament we’re planning for fall of this year — will require ratings for members so we can match them up across the two clubs. (See Arvo Johnson’s President’s Message, above, for more information about this tournament.) —As far as the partner situation goes, the Rated Play program itself protects and sorts that problem out, but in order to make the play more fun and keep it competitive, we will work on coming up with a better way to sort partners before each game.

Foursome Breakdown. I want to announce a pickleball instruction program we will offer called “Foursome Breakdown.” This program will be for four people at a time. Here’s how it will work: —Choose three others of a similar rating level to your own. —We will meet at the courts and each of you will be videotaped going through a specific set of drills. These drills will be very fast — on the order of five minutes per person. —Then you will be filmed playing one game. The video will then be analyzed by a 5.0 teaching certified instructor. You will receive access to the video, as well as a written analysis and statistics from the game, and an evaluation of your basic shot-making. This video analysis will be something you can refer to, to improve your game and know what to work on. Seeing yourself play gives you a unique perspective on what you look like in your shot-making.

The cost of this program will be $15 per person for members, $20 for non-members. Email me at pickleballkendal@gmail.com to get on the list.

Equipment Shed. Please be sure to lock the equipment shed if you are the last Club member on the courts. It has been left open a few times recently. If people are playing and you have to leave, please designate a Club member to accept the responsibility to lock up. Just a simple handoff. Also, please put the lock on in a way so that the numbers can be read. Do not put the lock on backwards.

Franklin pickleballs are breaking at a high rate. —If the temps are in the 30s, it’s best to use the yellow outdoor Onix balls in the shed. —Mid-to-high 40s, it’s okay to use the Core balls. —In the 50s, Franklins could be used. —Above 80 degrees, the Franklins become soft and we will need to play with the Dura.

Thanks. —Kendal Wake, Director of Court Operations

Pickleball RULES! By Sequim Pickler Kathryn (“K.T.”) Thomas, Registered Trainer of Referees and USA-Pickleball District Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest Coast

Question: I hit a ball and it was pretty high. The receiving player was just inside the back line of the court when he reached up and caught the ball in mid-air with his hand. I said that was a fault. He said, “Gentleman’s agreement,” because he didn’t want to have to chase the ball. They took the point. Was that okay?

Answer: No. It does not matter whether the player is inside OR outside the court, the ball must bounce before it is caught (Rule 7.I). The ball can look like it is heading to Seattle, but it may NOT be caught before it touches the ground, regardless of where the catcher is standing. The reason for this is that Wiffle balls are easily distracted, and a ball may look like it is going in a certain direction, but, with a puff of wind, it may actually change its trajectory.

Call for Referee Training

Pickleball referees and line judges are an important part of tournament play.

Coming up this summer, Sequim Picklers will offer our members a Beginning Referee Training Class, taught by Club member Kathryn Thomas (“KT” of Pickleball RULES! fame), a Registered Trainer of Referees and USA-Pickleball District Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest Coast.

The training is designed to teach interested members the skills needed to referee our fall Club tournaments. All class materials will be supplied by the Club.

Look for a sign-up sheet in May. Class will begin after our June 10-12 Spring Fling Tournament. If you can’t make the first class, you’ll have a chance to sign up in July for our second Beginning Referee Training Class.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” —Henry Ford