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Sequim Fling Tournament Outstanding Success! Despite winds of up to 12 mph at times, pickleball players from Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Bainbridge, Seattle, Canada, and beyond lined up to play in last weekend’s Sequim Fling Pickleball Tournament, June 10-12, at Carrie Blake Park, under the direction of Pickleball Is Great.
Congratulations to: —All Sequim Picklers who played in the tournament, —Our many medal winners, —The army of volunteer-members who helped run the show, and, —All our members who turned out to cheer on the home team!
You can find photos of all the medal winners in the “Featured” section on the Members-only Forum on FaceBook.
Membership Has Its Privileges New rules govern nonmember participation in Club Activities Sequim Picklers has enjoyed a tremendous upsurge in membership this year. We currently have 338 members (with another two in the wings), and new people are joining the Club every day. Most of our new members play at the 2.5 to 3.5 level. After much discussion, the Board of Directors has voted to restrict all structured Club play to Sequim Picklers’ members only.*
Structured play is sponsored by the Director of Court Operations and includes: —Local Tournaments, such as Local Yokels and the recent Major League I and II —Instructional Classes for Beginners (Tuesdays, 1 p.m.) —Ladder League (Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.) —Instructional Play (Fridays, 12 p.m.) —Rated Play (Saturdays, 9 a.m.) —Chance to Advance (Saturdays, 11 a.m.)
Although the courts themselves are public, the Club pays for Special Event Permits (SEPs) to reserve the courts for each of the aforementioned activities.
In addition to the many structured activities offered by Sequim Picklers, your membership dues pay for: —Member access to the Lobster Ball Machine and Rebounder Wall —Professional tournament management —Insurance —Professional accounting firm fees —Website with links to resources, including a Members’ Contact List —Sequim Picklers’ name badges for new members ($10 apiece) —Discounts for Bronze, Silver and Gold members participating in regional tournaments —Pickleball balls and ball replacement —Cleaning of the courts —Annual Members’ Party —Beginner’s Classes (Club supplies balls and paddles) —Referee Training Classes —Pickleball Brackets (Club-paid participation provides ratings for members) —Youth Pickleball Program and Youth Scholarship Program (in the works)
And, with individual membership dues at just over $4 a month, there’s no good reason NOT to join!
*The motion to restrict structured play to Club members was passed unanimously by the Directors in attendance at the June 5 Board Meeting.
Voting — It’s Easy as 1-2-3 Earlier this week, you received a list of candidates who have volunteered to serve as your new officers on the Sequim Picklers’ Board of Directors for 2022/2023. They will be introduced at the Annual Membership Meeting and Party on Sunday, June 26. Then, it will be time for you to vote in the online election.
Here’s how it will work: —Friday, June 24: An email from Sequim Picklers will arrive in your Inbox. It will have a new password that allows you to access the Members-only section of the Club website for 2022/2023. Be sure and make a note of the password, because you’ll need it to access the online election ballot. —Monday, June 27: You’ll receive a link to the online ballot over email. Online “polls” open at noon, and stay open until noon on Wednesday, June 29. Cast your vote for the candidates or write in your own choice. —Wednesday, June 29: Online polls close. Votes are tallied.—Thursday, June 30: Final election results are announced by email. —Monday, August 1: The Sequim Picklers’ Board of Directors for 2022/2023 get to work!
DOCO* Update
By Kendal Wake
*Director of Court Operations, USA-Pickleball Ambassador
Hello Picklers, I hope all is well with your pickleball playing. Here’s what’s happening on the courts:
Clinic Update (July 16 & 17) We have 13 sign-ups for a special Pickleball Clinic on Saturday, July 16, and three for a second Clinic on Sunday, July 17. I have contacted Port Townsend and Port Angeles pickleball clubs to advertise the openings.
The Clinic held on Saturday, July 16, begins at 1 p.m. and lasts around four hours. The first half will focus on building a soft game. The last half will be about building weapons to use in your pickleball arsenal. The Sunday, July 17, Clinic runs from 8 a.m. to 12 Noon.
We created two separate, stand-alone Clinics to accommodate more people. The cost is $100 for members and $125 for non-members. I would like to have the days somewhat set by level. It will make it easier to teach if there are similar skill sets. Just email me at pickleballkendal@gmail.com to reserve your spot in this special clinic led by high-level coach and player Devin Schmidt. You can check out his information at https://www.devinschmidtpb.com/. If we get a lot of sign-ups, Devin will need to bring more instructors on board, so please do not wait until the last minute to sign up.
The last day to sign up to attend one of our Pickleball Clinics is Friday, July 1. I urge you to evaluate this opportunity right away and sign up if you want a top-level pickleball clinic experience.
Ladder League (Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.) All levels are welcome to participate in our Ladder League on Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. Once the group gets there, we give each person a number, then play starts with each person playing games with a different partner. Scores are recorded for entry into the ratings formula.
If we have a huge group, we divide into two or more groups. Pickleball Court Operations Committee (PCOC) members Libby Hartman and Cris Gonzalez lead this evening. We had 12 people for Ladder League this week. Please consider coming out. I hope to get some higher-level players there in the coming weeks.
Instructional Play (Fridays, 12 noon) Instructional Play is going well. Come out and measure your play against the Club’s 4.0s.
Sequim Fling Tournament (June 10-11-12) The Sequim Fling Tournament was a success. I heard many comments from our out-of-town folks on how much they enjoyed the tournament. Some said they were amazed at how many volunteers we had helping. Someone said Club members made up about 15 percent of the tournament entries. I have not verified that, but, wow, that is a lot of outside folks coming to play. If you are a Sequim Pickler, and this was your first tournament, I would be interested in knowing what your experience was like.
Instructional Class (Tuesdays, 1 p.m.) Phil Milliman’s Instructional Class is going well. The class is for people who are newish to Pickleball, but know how to keep score. Once people come out of the Beginner’s Classes, this is where they go to get more help with their games. They were using four courts the other day. Nice turnout.
Please see the members of the PCOC with questions or suggestions on court operations. Thanks.
Pickleball Rules! Question: They chose “receive,” so we chose “serve.” Who chooses “side”?
Answer: When I received this question while refereeing during last weekend’s Sequim Fling Tournament, it momentarily threw me for a loop. Then I got my wits about me and began logical thinking.
If they chose “receive,” your only choices were “side” or “defer.” You had no choice but to serve. So you could choose which side you wanted to start on, or you could defer and let them choose “side” as well as “receive.”
These glips in responding happen! Just take a step back and think in “If -Then” steps — whether you’re reffing or not!
—Have a question about something that happened on the court? Send it to me at Kathryn (“K.T.”) Thomas, Registered Trainer of Referees