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Here’s the Dill…
Club President, Tim Williams
As we enter the season where the hot pickleball tips shift from “how to hit a rolling volley” to “these hand warmers and hats provide the best heat with the least bulk,” it’s a great time to reflect on the year and set our intentions for next year. Whether those are individual goals (next year I am going to better anticipate Don Church’s misdirection shots!), group goals (let’s make sure we play together every Tuesday), or club goals (let’s grow to 600+ members and raise our profile in the community), the downtime from less pickleball gives us all a chance to lay the groundwork now for success next year.
Among the Club goals for 2025 and beyond, we all know getting some weather-protected courts is a high priority. Along those lines, the Court Expansion Committee has been hard at work assessing various opportunities around the area. We’ve chased down some wild rumors (no, the Elks’ Club is not building courts), determined some opportunities are not good fits (The Shipley Center will be adding only one or two indoor courts at their new facility and those will be part of a multi-use area), and uncovered some exciting potential partnerships. I won’t detail each of those opportunities since the conversations are in the very early stages, but I am pleased to report that one of those potential partners is so excited by the prospect that they have commented on it publicly. At a recent meeting of their pickleball-playing members, the YMCA stated their desire to work with us on building a four-court-covered pavilion on their property. There are still many, many details to work out and significant funds to raise if any of that is to come to fruition, but it’s exciting to see our efforts starting to show some progress. As we continue to work with the Y and our other prospective partners, we will provide further updates as we can. Please know that conversations (and progress!) are occurring, we just may not be at a point yet where we can share the details of a given partnership.
The Tournament Committee has also been working hard envisioning some innovative events for 2025. Our goals have been to distinguish our events from the increasingly crowded lineup of tournaments throughout the region, decrease barriers to entry, and create more dynamism and excitement as brackets progress toward medal matches. We hope to finalize our plans in the next week or two and will send out a separate update once we’re ready.
Finally, in this season of giving thanks, please allow me to thank each and every one of you for bestowing your trust in your Board of Directors and all the various Committee Members. We work hard to earn and keep that trust and we know we couldn’t do any of this without you. We are thankful for your support, encouragement, and confidence. Happy Thanksgiving!
Our Club Calendar is online and easily accessible. Some dates that you may want to put into your calendar include:
As of Saturday, October 19th - Indoor play began at the Boys & Girls Club. See the website for further information. Check the calendar and pop-up for blackout dates.
Sunday, November 17th - Board of Directors Meeting. The agenda is linked here.
Wednesday, December 11th - Holiday party at the B&G Club, 6:30 pm.
Happy Thanksgiving Sequim Picklers!
As we changed our clocks back…we also knew Fall would be a time of change and transition. One of the positive changes that will be added to the Membership Chair articles is “Sequim Player Spotlight”.
Our very first Pickler we will “get to know” is Ken Wahl. Ken learned pickleball while snow birding in Yuma, Arizona in the winter of 2018. Taught by a Canadian with the group’s wooden paddles, he had no idea how popular this game already was (or was going to become). Then, he found out it started right here in Washington….Hooked!
When Ken & his lovely wife Janet returned to Sequim, he wanted to play, so he found the Sequim Picklers, joined, and it was a great way to meet folks who just want to stay active and young. As stated by Ken, “This Club has some talented people for teaching and offering their skills for those that want to up their game. I believe it’s a way many of us “give back” to the sport and the Club. I am fortunate enough to travel and love spreading the word about the Sequim Picklers. In fact, some of those people I’ve spoken to have experienced the hospitality here in Sequim and Pickleball. Walking and pickleball go hand-in-hand for me. I’ve managed to bang up both knees in the sport, but with a brace, rest, ice, and knowing my limits, I think I’m pretty agile for my age. This may sound simple, but I love being asked to “partner up” either at the courts, teaching, refereeing, or for a tournament….Come on, join us.”
Ken has been married to Janet (nonplayer) for just about 49 years. He retired from the State of California, Highway Design, in 2015. Janet and Ken both retired from the Army in 2003. They have no kids, love those nieces and nephews, and Janet has been a successful dog breeder and handler. When they moved to Sequim in 2016, he didn’t know anyone, so he became a member of the local Elks Lodge. He intended to golf five days a week; however, he’s only picked up the clubs maybe three times since that move (ha-ha)! He loves being on the water or near the surf, fishing, crabbing, and clamming.
Ken is so grateful for the friendships he’s made with the Sequim Picklers members. Back in 2021, after the “shutdown”, he made it a goal to get to know players beyond the courts such as more one-on-ones, careers, families, and interests of his fellow Picklers. Ken says “Y’all are interesting! "
“Hit me with your Best Shot”
Many people spend time developing their strokes but not enough on their footwork. Proper footwork is an indispensable tool in pickleball. At no point during a rally should we stand upright with our feet close together. This stature creates unbalanced movements, which lead to us miss-hitting balls. Understanding and utilizing the split step is vital to becoming better players. Please click on this link to learn more……
If you have any tips, videos & helpful Pickleball information, please email me at charsequimpickler@gmail.com
Our Sequim Pickler Board is proud to serve all of you and very THANKFUL for all our Members….Gobble on---Then---Game On!
Courtside News
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to start by thanking Tiffaney, Jennifer, Rodney, and Sharman for putting on such a great event for the Bo family. I feel blessed to be a part of a community that looks out for one another.
Bring a Dish - Holiday Mixer is Back! Wednesday, December 11th at 6:30 pm.
We are renting the Teen Room along with the gym at the Boys & Girls Club. Bring your favorite dish, socialize, and play! It is a great opportunity to hang out and meet new people. Wear your most festive holiday outfit. You are the decorations!
Boys and Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Club is up and running for winter indoor play. Please note that we can not enter the building before 6:30 pm on Wednesday evenings. We will still be closing at 9:15 so that volunteers can get home by 10:00 pm.
On Wednesday, November 27th we will only have access to the club from 6:30 to 8:00. The cost will be reduced to $1.50 BRING SMALL BILLS and QUARTERS!
Themed Clinics - Looking for Instructors
Over the past year Chris has designed, taught or helped facilitate six themed clinics. His most recent being, “The Two-Handed Backhand.” Last spring, Kendal taught “Introduction to Singles.” The clinic format is designed to include a range of coaching without the hassle of a long term commitment. If you are an instructor or a player that excels at a particular skill please consider volunteering your expertise. Contact Chris Jafay for more information.
Clinics are informal and “pop up” as weather, court space, and instructors permit. If you are interested in participating, we recommend that you periodically check the shed cork board or Sequim Picklers' website for announcements. Sign-ups are required and you must be a Sequim Pickler to participate.
Rain! Rain! Rain!
The rollers act as dried-up sponges; they need to soak up water to activate. We recommend soaking them in the puddles that tend to form at the end of courts 1, 3, 5, and 7. You can release water by lightly pressing on the frame with your foot. Watch the video to learn more about proper use of our rollers. The squeegee is the best tool to remove water from the corridor but should not be used on courts themselves; it scrapes off adhesive traction.
Blower
The PCOC decided to purchase a battery-operated blower. If you see sand or leaves start to build up feel free to use the blower. - it is very intuitive and easy to run. Instructions are hanging in a zip lock bag, on the peg board next to the blower.
Happy Holidays!
Lettie
Members-only Links
PCOC Minutes, 11/03/2024
The Member's Only page password is DayDinking2024 (please note this changed on June 16th).
Ellie Bo Follow-Up
The Sequim Gazette has a fabulous article following our October 19th Bo Family Pickleball Event that can be found here. Additionally, Shauna Bo passed along the following:Ellie's scoliosis battle continues to be a long journey. We started casting her with Mehta casts at age 2. Every 3 months she has had to go under anesthesia to get readjusted. We've gone back and forth between regular casts and waterproof casts depending on the weather, lack of improvement, and skin issues. We've spent hours with orthotics trying different brace styles that would both correct and hold. Ellie has gone through halo gravity traction twice. The first time she followed it with a cast that created a pressure sore so bad that she had to get it surgically cleaned and had to take a month off of cast and brace, which cost us all the progress that the halo had gained. Following this most recent halo experience, growing rods were placed. That surgery was long and the recovery has been difficult. She's too small for the magnet rods, so she will have to go under anesthesia every 6 to 9 months to have them extended surgically. Eventually, in 3-5 years, Ellie will have spinal fusion surgery, which may be preceded by halo depending on how stiff she is and how her surgeon feels about things at that time. Ellie is currently wearing a brace with a chin attachment for 3 months while the screws set into the bone in order to prevent her from putting her chin down and hunching forward. She has regressed in multiple ways. Prior to surgery, she was sleeping through the night, potty trained and becoming somewhat independent. While we're so grateful to be home and back together as a family, every day is filled with a lot of work and little sleep. We go back to Seattle on the 21st for a day trip clinic visit with orthopedics. Sequim Picklers, continue to keep the Bo Family in our hearts!
Occasionally, Sequim Picklers find terrific tips to contribute to our newsletter. Ken Wahl, our Spotlight Member of the Month, sent this bit in from Primetime Pickleball. I think there are all too many of us who can relate.
I've noticed a disturbing trend in pickleball and the stories are eerily similar. Things generally go something like they did for John...
In the quiet town of Pickleville, there lived a gentleman named John. At the age of 62, John found himself leading a rather sedentary lifestyle. Retirement had given him plenty of leisure time, but despite having played some sports in his youth for recreation, he hadn’t been particularly active or engaged in sports for the past two decades.
One sunny afternoon, as John strolled through the local park that had recently undergone some renovation, he stumbled upon a group of people playing a sport he had never seen before—pickleball. Curiosity piqued, he watched the players with fascination as they maneuvered on the court, laughing and cheering with every point played.
Intrigued by the game, John struck up a conversation with the players and learned all about pickleball. They warmly invited him to join them for a friendly match, and he decided to give it a try. From the very first hit of the ball, John was hooked. The game filled him with excitement and a sense of camaraderie he hadn't experienced in years.
Eager to embrace this newfound passion, John invested in top-of-the-line pickleball equipment, from a high-quality paddle to proper court shoes. He couldn't get enough of the sport and soon found himself playing pickleball at least five days a week, sometimes for hours on end.
However, John's zeal for the game outweighed his understanding of the importance of proper form and injury prevention. He would swing with all his might, not realizing that his technique needed refinement. As weeks turned into months of intense play, the consequences of his actions began to surface.
Aches and pains started to creep into John's joints and muscles. Ignoring the initial twinges of discomfort, he continued to play, believing the discomfort was just a minor setback. But one fateful day, while going for a particularly ambitious shot, John felt a sharp pain in his knee that left him wincing in agony.
Alarmed, John sought medical attention, and the diagnosis was a moderately serious knee injury. The doctor advised him to rest, undergo physical therapy, and avoid pickleball for several weeks, possibly even months.
John was devastated. He had become so addicted to pickleball that the idea of being sidelined from the sport, even temporarily, was heart-wrenching."
Does that sound like something that has happened to you or someone you know?
It’s definitely happened to quite a few people I know and I’ve heard even more stories through the grapevine. And chances are, it's going to keep happening more and more as the popularity of the sport continues to rise.
The good news is that very often with a good amount of rest and rehabilitation, most injuries can be overcome and you can return to play in due time.
The better news is that most injuries are more preventable than you realize. There's a simple 3 step process that can get you ahead of injuries creeping in and taking you down, even if that seems to be a repeat pattern for you. We lay it all out for you in today's video:
Happy Pickling,
Nicole
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.
