President’s Report Sequim Picklers,
It’s official. The Bainbridge/Sequim Cup tournament is coming in the fall! We hope this cross-town rivalry between the Sequim Picklers and the Pickleball Club of Bainbridge Island will become an annual event.
When September 3rd at Bainbridge courts September 17th at Sequim courts Both dates are Saturdays and will be full days. Each Club will host the other Club for a mini-tournament and fun play. If you have not played in Bainbridge, the courts should look familiar to you as they were modeled after our courts.
Levels The levels will be 2.5s, 3.0s, 3.5s and 4.0s. These are the levels each Club feels they can get the most players to sign up.
If you are a 2.5-level player, you will be playing 2.5 players from Bainbridge, and each bracket will do the same. We will go by your Club rating or another rating you have. Please sign up in the appropriate bracket. If you sign up in a bracket you should not be in, you will be moved to the correct rated bracket. If that bracket is full, your name will go on a waiting list.
Who can sign up? This tournament is open to Sequim Picklers and Pickleball Club of Bainbridge Island members only, and space will be limited. Sign up early and specify which day/days you would like to play. You can sign up as a team in the brackets you are rated, or, if you don’t have a partner to sign up with, one will be assigned to you, if available. Your team can be two women, two men, or mixed — it’s up to you.
No entry fee for members of either Club. Just pure, competitive fun.
Because we want this tournament to include as much play as possible, we are limiting the number of teams in each bracket to between 4 and 6 teams in each division.
For those who sign up to play on the day our Club is hosting, we will provide some form of lunch and snacks, but feel free to bring tasty items to share with fellow members and our Bainbridge friends.
If you are interested in playing, please email me [Subject Line: Bainbridge-Sequim Cup — I want to play!] with: (1) the names of your team members, (2) which bracket you wish to play in, and (3) the date/dates you wish to play. Remember, this tournament will fill up fast, so don’t wait too long.
Let’s show Bainbridge Island players who the Sequim Picklers are!
Membership matters I would like to briefly mention something about Sequim Picklers members. As a Club, we are trying to continue to add benefits for all our members. It will never be perfect, but do know the Board is always thinking of ways to improve and evolve.
The majority of the Board has voted to allow only Sequim Picklers members to participate in Club activities. This might not sit well with some, but the decision was made because it did not seem fair to allow non-members who do not wish to be members to have the same benefits as members do. The Club is not about the benefit of an individual, but the benefit as a whole, that being the members.
There are many members that give of themselves to help other Sequim Picklers, not for any benefit for themselves, but only to help other members improve their game and have fun. Club activities are for Club members.
We will always welcome any level of players into our Club — all they have to do is join. Annual Basic/Individual ($50/year) and Basic/Household ($75/year) memberships break down to just a little over $4 and $6 a month, respectively.
Welcome a-Board Lastly, I would like to welcome the new Board members. I look forward to working with them for the benefit of our members.
Bill Schiffman – Vice President Bill Penczak – Secretary Annette Clem – Membership Chair
It has been my pleasure working with the outgoing Board members and I thank you for your service.
Richard Cary – Vice President Lynda Schroeder – Secretary Sue Felix – Membership Chair
Without their hard work and dedication, many things that we/Sequim Picklers might take for granted would not get done. Next time you see them on the courts, please thank them for making this a better club.
Dear Sequim Fling Volunteers,
On behalf of the Sequim Fling Pickleball Tournament Committee, I would like to personally thank you for volunteering your time. This event could not have been a success without your help and the help of many others who volunteered their time.
To improve our future tournament events, please send your comments to Katinka Nanna at katinka@nikola.com, Subject Line: Future Tournaments
Once again, many thanks for your efforts and contribution of time.
— Katinka Nanna
Congratulations to the following Sequim Picklers who joined at, or upgraded to, the Bronze Level of membership in 2022:
February 2022: Arnold Bleicher March 2022: Victor Johnson June 2022: Sue Felix (upgraded) June 2022: Sherri Ghazarian (upgraded)
Membership dues at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels go to support Sequim Picklers’ Capital Funds for possible future courts.
Whitelisting: Are you tired of having to search your Spam, Junk, and Trash mailboxes for Sequim Picklers Updates and other Club communications? If so, it’s time for you to begin “Whitelisting.” Whitelisting means adding an email address to your Contacts list, so your computer “recognizes” it and doesn’t send it to Spam, Junk, or Trash folders. It’s super-easy to do. Select this link for step-by-step instructions.
Members-only Password: An announcement about the new Sequim PIcklers’ Members-only Password was sent to all members on June 24, 2022. If you forgot to write the new password down, or just trusted yourself to remember it (what were you thinking?!), fill out a Contact Us Form on the website and, after confirming your membership, we’ll send you the password. (And, this time, WRITE IT DOWN!)
DOCO News by Kendal Wake, Director of Court Operations, USA-Pickleball Ambassador
Kendal Wake
Hello Picklers, I hope all is well with your pickleball playing.
Clinic Update. We have 15 signups for July 16 and four for July 17. I would like to move the July 17 signups to July 16. Four people just isn’t enough to fill the class for that day. Please send your $100 check for the clinic to me at: Kendal Wake 439 W Prairie St Sequim, Wa 98382
Make the check out to Devin Schmidt. Any issues, email me at pickleballkendal@gmail.com, Subject Line: Pickleball Clinic. This will be a great clinic. Thanks.
Playing Up. Everyone wants to play up, learn new shots, and experience an elevated style of play.
2.0-2.5s (Beginners): If you are a beginner, I would encourage you to come to Sunday’s Beginner’s Class at 3 p.m. for instruction. Once you know how to keep score and where to be on the courts, come to Instructional Class for more advanced instruction (details below). You can also come by the courts any morning and find games to play in that will test your abilities.
3.0s: Ladder League Play on Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m., and Rated Play from 9-10:30 a.m. on Saturdays, will allow you to play up.
3.5s: In addition to Ladder League and Rated Play, Instructional Play on Fridays is made for your level. Come test your skills against some of our 4.0s.
4.0s: Since the Board is not allowing non-members to come to Rated Play, I have nothing in the way of advanced play to offer you. I am working on an idea for this. Thanks for coming out to help on Friday’s Instructional Play for the 3.5s, even though I have nothing currently to offer you for your games.
Instructional Classes — Tuesdays, 1 p.m. Phil Milliman’s class is for people that are newish but know how to keep score. Once people come out of the Beginners’ Class, this is where they can go to get some more help with their games. Phil is gone for a couple of weeks, but the class is still going.
Ladder League — Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. All levels are welcome. We had three 4.0s play last Tuesday. It is a lot of fun. We will be adding prizes this next week.
Instructional Play — Fridays, 12 p.m. These classes are going well. We changed the format a little by having the 4.0s coach teams. These sessions are ideal for 3.0-3.5 level players.
The Northwest Regional Qualifier is happening this weekend. Many from this area are going over with high hopes of earning a golden ticket to Nationals. You can see results at pickleballtournaments.com/tournamentinfo.
Chance to Advance — MOVED TO Sundays, 5 p.m. We are offering a chance to work on your individual Doubles game in a Skinny Singles format. Ratings will be kept, and you can really see your progress since it is all you. This activity begins after the Beginner’s Class on Sundays at 5 p.m. There will be a clipboard in the shed with the score sheets on them for the play. Leave the recorded scores on the clipboard and I will pick it up and enter them. The format for Skinny Singles is on the score sheets. Come out and work on your game. Since this rating will all be based on your individual play, I will rely on it for your rating. If you are currently not happy with your Club Rating, this is your chance to work on it.
Court Cam: The camera is working now. Please log out after looking at the camera. (See directions below) The church has a small bandwidth and if we all log in, we can take their system down. The best solution for this is to have one feed on our website. But we need professional help to do this and, so far, the board is reluctant to spend the money for a website redesign.
Directions for logging on and logging off the Court Cam 1. Download the Hik-Connect app for Android or IOS. Or, use this link to download the app for your phone 2. Select region 3. Enter this phone number: 3604615517 4. Enter this password: CarrieBlake7529 5. Click the Code under My Device to view the live Court Cam. IMPORTANT! After you’re done viewing the courts, you MUST log out so others can use the Court Cam 6. Log Out. Click the back arrow at the top of your screen. 7. Select “More” at the bottom right 8. Select “Logout”
Please see the members of the Pickleball Court Operations Committee (PCOC) with any questions or suggestions on court operations. Thanks.
Pickleball Rules!
QUESTION: When you’re asked which side of the court you and your partner want to start on, are there variables you should keep in mind?
ANSWER: Definitely. Weather and sun being prominent IF you will be changing sides at the mid-point (6, 8, or 11). You want to choose the least desirable side to start on, assuming the weather is likely to hold for the next 15-20 minutes or so. After the side change, you could be on your new side for several more points beyond 11, 15, or 21… if the scoring goes on and on because you have to win by 2. In that case, you want the advantage of being on the “good” side for the longer period of time.
No mid-game side change, but a definite weather disadvantage, choose the better side, definitely.
Do you have an alternate strategy you would recommend? If so, please let me know at Kathryn (“K.T.”) Thomas, Registered Trainer of Referees, Subject Line: Rules Question