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President's Message
I hope you all had a great holiday. I am writing this message from the warm air of Arizona. I spent Christmas and New Year's with an older brother (he is 16 years older) - what a treat. We plan to be back to normal by the end of March and will be homebound. I am learning some basic information that pickleball clubs suffer from when they lack enough court time for the membership. The club I have joined in Arizona has about 680 members and 16 courts. That sounds right until you figure out that 95% of the people are retired and just want to play pickleball. If the weather is good, everyone is trying to play. They have rated play almost every day. They schedule two-hour windows and have people sign up and play round-robins at the rated level. Higher level people can play down but lower level can only play up one day a week and just one level. One day a week they have a "challenge court" and share the courts with different levels; 4.0 and 4.5 are combined, and 3.0 and 3.5 are combined. It's quite a chaotic calendar.
It is very difficult to qualify to play 4.0 and above. This club uses the USAPA rating only. Previously, USAPA was the rating system. I played many tournaments last year and USAPA only rated three of them as they do not recognize many of the tournaments that are either senior or sponsored by Pickleball Brackets or PIG. I am proud that our club utilizes the newer type tools to rate our members, along with using this information for club ratings.I am learning that many of the expansions made for pickleball in the smaller communities have come from investments made by people who love pickleball. They either donate to the community or try and build and operate a private club that charges a membership fee. We are hoping that we can develop some interest in our community for both public and private pickleball. To support the youth and broaden the game, public courts are needed. State and federal grants may be an option in the future. We are studying how pickleball may encounter this type of funding.
I am so proud of the activities that are happening in Sequim. We have a very active team that is developing super fun plans for our spring, summer, and fall.
I do have a few important items to discuss about Carrie Blake's pickleball courts. These courts do belong to the City and everyone has public access. We never know who might be on the court next to us. As Sequim Picklers, I ask that we as members be kind, friendly, fair, and always respect the people around us. We have families and children all around us, playing at the skate park and watching the games. Please be aware that some may not appreciate loud, foul language or humor that might be offensive. If you see someone offend anyone, please stop them or at least have the courage to say something. As members of the Sequim Picklers, I would appreciate everyone doing their part to enjoy the great opportunity we have to be pickleball ambassadors. Be great sports, win or lose, and focus on making everyone feel at home.
Until next time, see you on the courts.
Daryl Ness
Courtside News
Hi Everyone!
The PCOC has been busy!
Coach Chris has already put together three 2-hour clinics. This is a great opportunity to receive personalized small-group instruction – there is a six-person limit. Clinics are themed and rating-based. You can find upcoming clinics, along with a sign-up sheet, on the corkboard attached to the shed. These are one-time events and can be repeated upon request. Check the corkboard frequently!
"Chris is thoughtful and patient – he has helped me slow down my game. Ron and I find ourselves discussing concepts we learned well into the evening." Tanya Baumgardner
King or Queen of the Hill is back by popular demand! We scheduled two events for January. The event on January 17th (3.5+) and the one on January 27th (2.5 – 3.4) are both full. Last November, Shauna Bo and Phil Milliman held the court the longest and were the team to beat! Sign up through the pop-up box on the Sequim Pickler’s website. If you need to cancel or want to be on a reserve list - send me an email.
Gayle Powers monitors most of our equipment. She recently discovered a loss of approximately 30 balls, occurring sometime over a 10–12 day period. This is an “off the charts” aberration; we do not know what happened. We are asking that members empty hoppers as the courts appear to clear. If anyone sees anything odd or knows what may have happened please let us know. This appears to be a one-time occurrence – the last couple of weeks have been otherwise normal. The Selkirks continue to perform well, but it is about to get cold, so the pickleballs will get their first real big test soon! Please remember that any balls that are broken or out of round should be put into the hanging net on the shed door - please DO NOT throw them away.
The City is aware of the damage to the lower-level fence pipes. They are “on the list.”
Requests from indoor players:
1) When hitting a ball off-court – make it known.....yell “ball” loud and proud and raise your hand.
2) When returning a stray ball – take the extra second to toss the ball back intentionally.
We are trying to avoid dangerous situations and stop balls from moving through multiple courts.
Thanks to Rick Perdue for spearheading a test of the Hot Lava Red indoor Penn pickleballs. They are by far the easiest to see. I just placed an order for six.
Happy New Year!
Lettie
Membership News
Hi Sequim Picklers – I’ve been a little scarce as I recover from shoulder surgery. I am SO itching to play but am going to follow the doctor's order and take it slow. I hope all of you are getting in your games until we see the light of spring!
In the last quarter of 2023, 20 new members have been added to our ranks for a grand total of 496 players! Please help me welcome Marsha Hedrick, Robin, Kris, Kinzley, Bjorn, and Emmelia Henrickson, Linda Friman, Denise Martinez, Mike McDonald, Jim Lavrakas, Tracie Van Etten, John Stevens, Rosemary Simms, Patty Griffin, Bryce Garner, Mike Tandy, Dawnya and Mike Scarano, Cobilynn and Hagen Dickinson, Alan Drew, and Sheila and Steven Cech.
A reminder that Coffee Talk is the first Saturday of every month. I’ll be available (with coffee and pastries) for questions, concerns, and input. If the weather is decent, I tend to go to the Carrie Blake courts. If not, I’ll be at the Boys and Girls Club. And of course, you can always reach me at 206-832-7627 or libby.hartman@outlook.com.
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.
Congratulations to our Sequim Picklers (who do double duty as The Lavender Lobbers): Donald Church, Tim Williams, Sherri Hanke, Coach Terri Leathers-Wiebe, and Jennifer Cox. The team competed in their first-ever MiLP format event the weekend of January 6th in Marysville. They walked away with two match wins, lost 2, and came in a VERY respectable 5th out of 8 teams.
Sequim Fling with a Twist CORRECTION
In the last issue of the Sequim Picklers' Update the date for this event was posted incorrectly. Please make a note that the Sequim Fling will take place June 27-30, 2024. Pickleball Is Great will be running the event and registration will begin February 1, 2024. Mike Hoxie (PIG) is the Western USSP representative. Watch the website for further details.
Any questions, please email katinka@nikola.com.
Members-only Links
PCOC Minutes, 1/02/2024
Pickleball Central has changed their Loyalty Program. Click here to learn more.
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.
Jeannie Ramsey and partner Vicki Taylor (from Bend, OR) are silver medalists in the Diablo Classic in Mazatlan, January 12-14, 2024. Congratulations!
Pickleball RULES!
As usual, USA-P has come out with yet another rules book: 2024 Official Rules, the rules “necessary for recreational, social, organized league and tournament play.” Meanwhile, we also have new professional groups who each have their own unique set of rules… anything, I guess, to distinguish them from each other. It seems like after almost 60 years, pickleball would have a set of rules that were consistent year after year. But it is not to be (yet).
Some leagues are using traditional USAPA rules, where, for example, a ball hitting the net on a serve is a fault. New USA-P rules now call for those balls to be played as long as the serve landed in the correct court. One league uses rally scoring versus side-out scoring, and in doubles, partners do not change places with one another during the game, so there is no need to identify the first or second server when calling the score.
There were 92 new rules recommended for 2024, but luckily only 27 were accepted, most of them relatively minor. In most cases, USA-P is trying to rewrite old rules so they have more clarity. For now, this article will deal only with one of the more interesting changes, that is, those most likely to affect Sequim pickleball tournament players.
In recreational play, players may overrule a partner’s line call, their own line call, or an opponent’s call AFTER the completion of a rally, when changing the call works to their own disadvantage (Rule 6.C.12). This has not changed.
But Rule 13.E.4 now calls for a replay when a referee overrules a line judge’s “out” call. However, the player (singles) or team (doubles) may choose to concede the point if they believe they would not have been able to return the ball even if the “out” call had not been made (thus stopping play).
Similarly, in Rule 13.E.5, a player who disagrees with an “out” call on their side made by a line judge may overrule that call, and a replay can occur. However, again, the player or team may also choose to concede the rally, rather than do a replay, if they agree that they would not have been able to return the “in” ball even if play had not stopped.
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.