Bruce Burgess, President
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President's Message - March 2018
As we wind down another fun season of Pickleball at Festival, it is time to turn our focus to the Annual In-House Pickleball tournament. This tournament allows us to see the fruits of the great programs we instituted during the season -- how our members have benefited and grown as a result of our skill development programs. Expect to see some exciting play.
But let’s reflect on this past season -- first off, the amount of play has increased significantly at both the Wagner Courts and Sage Courts, due in large part to the number of new members that were added to the club. Yes, we are still growing!
All our programs were a success. A big thanks goes out to the supervisors and helpers of our various programs – we tried to leave no one behind making sure we included all skill levels from 2.0 to 3.5+. One of the items on our future agenda is to see what we can do to increase the numbers of courts for play next year. Your Board is always looking ahead and always welcoming all new ideas from our members.
We also had a large increase in the “basic skills lessons” – we outgrew our usual 8 courts to 12 courts! Getting help from so many extra coaches was fantastic – the beginners really appreciated all your helpful tips. Other programs that consistently had high attendance were our well-received Top Shot program, and Ladies and Men’s intercommunity league play.
This year we introduced the club’s participation in the (IPTPA) International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association. It is a great educational program with a testing component at the end of each scheduled training program. This program allows members to acquire measurable goals and skills, enabling them to see how their individual skill levels compare to a national scale. It was an “eye-opener” for many members, and more importantly, test results allowed them to adjust their goals and fine-tune their skills.
Which brings us to our 9th Annual In-House tournament which is just around the corner. It begins Monday, March 19 and will run through Thursday, March 22. Rain day will be on March 23 if needed. We are going to provide hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and a drink for all players and volunteers. (The community may purchase a meal for $6.00.) This year we are introducing music performed by the band, Cross Roads, on Monday March 19 from about 4:00-6:00 pm. Invite your friends, neighbors and fellow players to come out, watch and partake of the fun and social activities.
At the conclusion of the In-House Tournament, check your emails for a survey looking for your input on the Tournament and the past season activities. I encourage you to take the time to complete the survey, as it will help the board of directors plan for next years’ activities.
The conclusion of our In-House Tournament marks the winding down of our spring schedule. Many of our program leaders need some time off, and others will be leaving to go back home for the summer. But for all you “year rounders,” expect a Summer Program calendar to be posted around the first of May. Needless to say, we are seeking volunteers to help run those programs.
A big thanks to all our volunteer members who helped out during this pickleball season -- this club would not be what it is without your valuable help.
Bruce Burgess
SCF Pickleball Club President
But let’s reflect on this past season -- first off, the amount of play has increased significantly at both the Wagner Courts and Sage Courts, due in large part to the number of new members that were added to the club. Yes, we are still growing!
All our programs were a success. A big thanks goes out to the supervisors and helpers of our various programs – we tried to leave no one behind making sure we included all skill levels from 2.0 to 3.5+. One of the items on our future agenda is to see what we can do to increase the numbers of courts for play next year. Your Board is always looking ahead and always welcoming all new ideas from our members.
We also had a large increase in the “basic skills lessons” – we outgrew our usual 8 courts to 12 courts! Getting help from so many extra coaches was fantastic – the beginners really appreciated all your helpful tips. Other programs that consistently had high attendance were our well-received Top Shot program, and Ladies and Men’s intercommunity league play.
This year we introduced the club’s participation in the (IPTPA) International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association. It is a great educational program with a testing component at the end of each scheduled training program. This program allows members to acquire measurable goals and skills, enabling them to see how their individual skill levels compare to a national scale. It was an “eye-opener” for many members, and more importantly, test results allowed them to adjust their goals and fine-tune their skills.
Which brings us to our 9th Annual In-House tournament which is just around the corner. It begins Monday, March 19 and will run through Thursday, March 22. Rain day will be on March 23 if needed. We are going to provide hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and a drink for all players and volunteers. (The community may purchase a meal for $6.00.) This year we are introducing music performed by the band, Cross Roads, on Monday March 19 from about 4:00-6:00 pm. Invite your friends, neighbors and fellow players to come out, watch and partake of the fun and social activities.
At the conclusion of the In-House Tournament, check your emails for a survey looking for your input on the Tournament and the past season activities. I encourage you to take the time to complete the survey, as it will help the board of directors plan for next years’ activities.
The conclusion of our In-House Tournament marks the winding down of our spring schedule. Many of our program leaders need some time off, and others will be leaving to go back home for the summer. But for all you “year rounders,” expect a Summer Program calendar to be posted around the first of May. Needless to say, we are seeking volunteers to help run those programs.
A big thanks to all our volunteer members who helped out during this pickleball season -- this club would not be what it is without your valuable help.
Bruce Burgess
SCF Pickleball Club President