In Case you Missed them:
EG Pickleball Emails
July 13, 2020
Folks,
So after being asked for the 10th time I think its time to open up the conversation! I know your all getting cabin fever right now and want to get out and PLAY!
Here is what I know.
Some of us have been getting together at a couple places recently.
First is the Park off of Exchange streetTown of Colonie - West Albany Pocket Park
Braintree St, Albany, NY 12205
There are 2 courts there, old tennis courts so the net is still high. I believe they play Sunday, Monday and Thursday?
Another is a new place that is very nice in Albany off of Central, Rapple road.Milton Pocket Park1 Gail Ave, Albany, NY 12205
This has 4 courts that are very nicely done, nearly as nice as Emma Willard ( which we have not played there yet)
They have a league there I believe they play everyday from 8:30-12:30 but after then its open.
Another is Nicols park in Voorheesville (I think that's the name.)
29 Voorheesville Ave, Voorheesville, NY 12186
This has one tennis court that has pickleball courts and one Dedicated Pickleball court.
Rumor has it Frank has been banned from this park, it may be just a rumor but I can see it.
Other parks we have not played at.
Collins Park in Scotia,
Schonowee Ave, Scotia, NY 12302
Appears to have 6 courts, tennis nets.
Palma Pocket Park
50 Van Buren Ave, Albany, NY 12205
Appears to have 2 tennis courts, not not sure of condition.
Some other folks mentioned Clifton Park and elsewhere. If you know of a place please let me know!
If you're looking for contact info for someone to play with, let me know.
Bill
November 11 2019
Folks,
A couple things, we have a Nov social on the 21st. Its reserved for 20 so please see ED he has the list.
Also,
The Annual Holiday party is scheduled for December 13!
Get your dancing shoes ready to move to the sounds of the Not 4 Profits and DJ Ed.
$30 per person can be given to Claudia, Sue or Fred.
There will also be a cash bar.
As we get closer to the event, we may have more info for you.
Any questions please let me know.
September 9 2019
Training Sessions:
We are pleased to report that the training sessions scheduled for the next 4 weeks have been totally booked. The sessions will begin this Wednesday and run from 9-10am in Gym A&B. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate walk-ons, so if you haven’t registered recreational play begins at 10am .
Fall Schedule
Summer is over, kids are back in school and we now go back to our fall schedule. As a reminder we had agreed that it would be as follows: [In some instances our schedule for training on Wed and allotted time between advanced and recreational play on Friday is a little different from what is listed in the YMCA schedule}
Sunday: Gym A- 8am-1:00pm- recreational play
Monday-Gym A- 8am-10am- advanced play; 10-2pm-recreational play; Gym B-9am-11am recreational play
Wednesday-Gym A-6-7:30 am-singles; 9am-10am-training sessions; 10-2pm-recreational play Gym B- 9-10am-training sessions; 10-12 noon-recreational play; [The Y schedule shows GYM A from 9-10am available for beginners-we had agreed A&B would be used for training]
Friday- Gym A-9-10am-advanced play; 10-2pm-recreational play; Gym B 9-11am- recreational play. *** We are checking with YMCA staff about Gym A being available from 8-9am as well for advanced play. Currently, the Y schedule on line does not have that listed but we had agreed with Y staff that it would be available at the end of last year. We will keep you informed. If we do not get the 8-9am time for advanced play then the following schedule was agreed to by our community although not reflected in the schedule
Friday-Gym A-9-10am-advanced play; 10-2 pm-recreational play; Gym B- 9-10am-advanced play; 10-11am-recreational play.
August 20 2019
We currently anticipate beginning PB lessons on Sept 11, 2019, which is the first Wednesday after the beginning of school. Lessons, instruction and practice will run from 9-10am. We anticipate using a new format this year based on feedback that you provided to us. To facilitate better planning we are breaking the sessions into 4-week intervals and requesting that players let us know if they are interested in signing up for the 4-week block. We anticipate limiting 8 players to a court and expect that if folks sign up for a block that they are there ready to start at 9:00 am each week. Latecomers will be admitted only at the discretion of the instructor.
Fred will work with brand new players and use an area in the gym other than a PB court for his orientation to the game. Two courts will be used for folks (16 players) who are developing and refining their skill sets and strategies. One court will be for folks in the 1.5 to 2.5 skill level while the second will be for folks from approx. 2.5-3.5 level. More experienced & skilled players will be provided advanced instruction on the remaining 2 courts. We will ask you to self assess your skill level, but the final decision for court placement will be made by the instructors based on the full assessment of the folks who are attending during a block of time. We are endeavoring to recruit as many highly skilled PB folks as possible who have the time to spend an hour with us during the 4-week block to share their techniques and strategies. This has always been a difficult challenge, as the timing during the week, usually does not work well for folks who are interested in assisting. However, we have some leads that may work.
Bill created a form on our site to sign up.
https://egpickleball.weebly.com/polls.html
We will also have more traditional paper sign-up at the courts but we prefer you to use the online form as it will be easier to manage. Additional information will be shared and refined as we get closer to the start date. In the meanwhile please let Ed, Fred, Rick, Peter or Greg know if you are interested in participating.
August 12 2019
Thanks to all of you who donated towards our ball fund. Through your generosity, we collected $ 177. We ordered 3 dozen balls that should arrive tomorrow. The cost was $92. I will give the remaining money to Ed once he returns. Thanks again. -Greg
Also, for those who were wondering, My surgery was a success today. The Mininucus was in much worse shape then it appeared on the MRI. about 50% was removed.
The good news is they replaced it with this new experimental animal-based meniscus that my Dr. said will increase my returns by 30% and my slams by 80%, sadly this will not help my crappy short game. See you all in 6 weeks, Jerry may want to get some body armor by then.
Miss all of you and will visit soon.
August 5 2019
Hey all- as we approach September we need to ensure a good stock of balls as our inventory is low. To accomplish this we are requesting a donation of $5 per person . Please give the money to Greg or Ed. Thanks
June 20, 2019
Folks, if you were unable to attend the meeting on Monday they have created a survey you can fill out. Its anonymous. I think this would be a great opportunity to let the town know we want pickleball courts made!
surveymonkey.com/r/egcompplan
Thanks!
Bill
June 20, 2019
Prophets- as another pickleball year enters the summer season it is time to get your thoughts on where we are as a community. To help us in this regard please list one thing that you really like about your experience and one thing that you would like to see changed.
We will tabulate the results and use it to determine our next steps that will be shared with you.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to this request.
Greg
April 27, 2019
Folks we are famous!!! Check out the Channel 10 coverage of us!
April 14, 2019
USAPA SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT PLUS SSIPA:
USAPA Atlantic Regional Tournament
Hanover, Massachusetts
June 28-30, 2019
https://www.pickleballtournaments.com/welcome.pl?tid=2865
*Every match is refereed.
*You'll get an official rating after the tournament.
*Medal matches would have line judges (at least gold medal matches anyways).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 5, 2019
Anyone who has not paid but would like to attend this Saturdays Spring get together at the Lake House Restaurant can call Ed Pieper to attend and pay at the door. We have room for a few more and lots of fun. Ed Pieper 518 859 5594
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PICKLEBALL SUNDAY LEAGUE SESSION 3
SOUTHERN SARATOGA YMCA IN CLIFTON PARK IS OFFERING
2 SUNDAY PICKLEBALL LEAGUES
LAST LEAGUE BEFORE SUMMER BREAK OPEN TO MEMBERS & NON MEMBERS
REGISTRATION IS OPEN- ONLINE-CALL OR REGISTER IN PERSON AT THE FRONT DESK
LAST INTERMEDIATE SESSION FILLED IN 24 HOURS
1 LEAGUE FOR 12 NOVICE PLAYERS
SPRING 2019 Session 3
Openings for only 12 players
7 weeks
DATES: MAY 12 (MOTHERS DAY),
MAY 19
MAY 26 NO PICKLEBALL LEAGUE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
JUNE 2, 9, 16 (FATHERS DAY), 23, 30
TIME: 11:30 to 2:00
COST: $30 for YMCA members
$60 for non members
GYM A 2 COURTS
You will get to play 6 games to 9
We keep a record of your weekly scores
*****************************
2nd LEAGUE FOR 12 INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS
SPRING 2019 Session 3
Openings for only 12 players
7 weeks
DATES: MAY 12 (MOTHERS DAY),
MAY 19
MAY 26 NO PICKLEBALL LEAGUE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
JUNE 2, 9, (16 FATHERS DAY), 23, 30
TIME: 2:00 to 4:30
COST: $30 for YMCA members
$60 for non members
GYM A 2 COURTS
You will get to play 6 games to 9
We keep a record of your weekly scores
*****************************
REGISTRATION IS OPEN - Please specify WHICH LEAGUE you are signing up for.
You can register & pay on line, in person at the front desk, or by Calling the Y.
If you have any questions please call me at
518-664-5829 H 518-466-2111C
Or email me at [email protected]
We are also LOOKING FOR SUBS in both leagues
Please get in touch with me if you would like to be on the SUB list.
If you are already on my sub list I will keep you as a sub unless you wish to be removed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 2, 2019
The PB community was canvassed and the following folks indicated a willingness to be part of the PB committee that you would like to start. We have more than the 7 you requested but we wanted to ensure a good cross section of folks with various levels of skill and tenure. Also, on any given meeting date some folks will not be able to attend. Please contact me if you have any questions, Greg.
Claudia Suppa [email protected]
Dick Klee [email protected]
Jerry Wall [email protected]
John Salamida [email protected]
Leigh Zwanka-D’Lezeld [email protected]
Diana Locker [email protected]
Mary Semon [email protected]
Tim Kovarik [email protected]
Ed Pieper [email protected]
Neal Lane [email protected]
Greg Bayduss [email protected]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 15, 2019
Prophets- I had a recent conversation with one of our community members who is also responsible for creating a similar PB community in Vermont. As such he is well aware of the problems, issues, strategies and structures of various sites. During our conversation he expressed a concern that he was confronting that is common to many other sites and was looking for suggestions as what could be done to address the presenting concern in a positive manner. During our conversation, he stated a fact that resonated with me. The statement was that we have a process at EG that makes us “special” in his eyes and that is the Wednesday training that we provide. I reflected on this comment and agree with him 100 percent. It is special in the sense that it helps recruit new players and then helps them learn to play the game in a way that will assist them to become better players in the long run. We see the evidence of this as the overall quality of play, from the most advanced to the newest players, has improved considerably since we have introduced this concept. All of these positive results with a minimum investment and/or sacrifice made by the community at large. One hour of time and the time of folks to help provide the orientation and training to folks. The return on investment (ROI) is remarkable.
That being said, and recognizing that the only way we could have introduced the training time was with the support of the community at large who were willing to sacrifice an hour of play time, I am asking your assistance to determine if you have any ideas that we could implement that would provide a similar ROI. It seems to me that the more that we can make our site unique and special , the more likely it is that our community will continue to prosper and grow. Recently, for example, we staged our first ever king/queen of the hill event. This event was received favorably by the 32 players who elected to participate. As a result I’m sure that we will have similar events in the near future. Please share any ideas that you have. We have created a form you can fill out here
https://egpickleball.weebly.com/polls.html
Once they are received, we will canvass the community-at-large to determine which if any of the ideas will gain traction and be further vetted to determine the best way to implement the idea to ensure community support. Thanks, Greg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 13, 2019
Pickleball will only be able to utilize 1 side of the Gym (Gym A) for Pickleball on Monday, January 21 due to it being MLK Day and children being off from school. Also, with that being said, an association wide clinic is also being held in our gymnasium beginning at 1pm that day.
I wanted to make you aware as Pickleball will also have to wrap up by 12:15ish that day so we can gear up for the association clinic.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 8, 2019
Prophets- Since we have changed the PB schedule, most of our procedures seem to be going pretty well. However, a problem seems to exist on Monday caused by the segregation of advanced vs. non-advanced players. We have agreed that Gym A is reserved for advanced level play from 8-10am. This means that gym B, which is available beginning at 9am, has been established with a priority for play given to non-advanced (recreational) players. It seems that on many occasions fewer than 8 non-advanced (recreational) players are arriving at the gym between 9-9:30 am. If there are 4 or fewer non-advanced players then it makes sense, that if an excess number of advanced players are in attendance, they can use the empty court in gym B until enough non-advanced folks arrive. Once enough non-advanced (recreational) players arrive then the advanced players should limit their play to gym A until 10 am. During the period from 9-10am advanced players should stack their paddles in gym A while non-advanced (recreational) players should stack their paddles in gym B. At 10am both courts are open for recreational play until 11am. Beginning at 10am all paddles should be stacked as usual in Gym A. To be fair to the players in gym B when combining the paddles at 10am, it is suggested that the first 4 paddles from gym B be placed after the first 4 paddles from gym A and then rotate successive 4 paddle placements between A&B until all paddles are placed. So at the time of placement it would result in an A,B,A,B,A,B etc. configuration.
If only 3 non-advanced recreational players are in gym B, they should have access to a court to warm-up and practice shots. It would be kind if an advanced player from gym A who is waiting for a game volunteer to join them to create a 4 some and play a game. They should be able to do this without sacrificing their spot in the Gym A line up. Once they are called to play in gym A another advanced player could join the 3 some in gym B to finish the game or the 3 players could resume practicing or playing 1 against 2 .
-Greg
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Dec 10/2018
Prophets- The will of the community has been established regarding the placement of paddles on Wednesday. The consensus is that Option 2 prevails by a pretty wide margin. 28 folks voted and 16 favored option 2. Option 1 received 6 votes and I don’t care received 6 votes. Option 2- excludes folks who are practicing from entering the queue until they finish their practice session and hence allows individuals who are not practicing to have first right to game conditions once it becomes 10:00 am. The argument being that players who are practicing are already playing and should not be able to hold a spot on the queue while they are playing. Folks should be reminded that previously you have voted to provide instructors during this 9-10am period first option to play a game. This will continue.
Also, this would be a good time to remind folks of other procedures to determine who plays next.
1. Winners of a game should be able to place their paddles before the losers of a game. Otherwise an advantage would be provided to players who are closest to the paddle placement area.
2. If 2 people are waiting to play, the winners of the game can stay on the court. The losers will sit.
3. If 3 people are coming on to the court, 1of the 2 winning players will remain. This decision will be made by the two winning players using whatever means they judge to be fair.
4. If 1 person is coming on to the court, the winning 2 players will remain and one of the two losers will continue, using whatever means the 2 losing players judge to be fair.
I hope this helps ensure a smooth and orderly process to the movement of players.
Also- I have contacted both Emma Willard and Kingston YMCA pickle ball sites to determine if either or both would be interested in participating in a showdown against us. The showdown takes players from our site (Prophets team) and pits us against comparably skilled players from another site. Matches are played (we try to ensure at least 3 matches per person} and the team with the greatest number of wins is considered the winner of the showdown. We did this on 2 occasions in 2017 against the Saratoga Y and it seemed to be a fun time for all. Last year we could not find an opponent willing to play. I have heard from the Kingston site and they seemed to be interested in arranging this competition. We are looking at sometime in January for the match to take place. They have 3 courts available on Monday and Friday so we will probably play on one of these days. I am awaiting word on the beginning time for the event and the specific day that works best. Will keep you informed. Meanwhile, please let me know if you would be interested in traveling to Kingston to play and the day(s) in January that works best for you. Thanks, greg
Folks,
So after being asked for the 10th time I think its time to open up the conversation! I know your all getting cabin fever right now and want to get out and PLAY!
Here is what I know.
Some of us have been getting together at a couple places recently.
First is the Park off of Exchange streetTown of Colonie - West Albany Pocket Park
Braintree St, Albany, NY 12205
There are 2 courts there, old tennis courts so the net is still high. I believe they play Sunday, Monday and Thursday?
Another is a new place that is very nice in Albany off of Central, Rapple road.Milton Pocket Park1 Gail Ave, Albany, NY 12205
This has 4 courts that are very nicely done, nearly as nice as Emma Willard ( which we have not played there yet)
They have a league there I believe they play everyday from 8:30-12:30 but after then its open.
Another is Nicols park in Voorheesville (I think that's the name.)
29 Voorheesville Ave, Voorheesville, NY 12186
This has one tennis court that has pickleball courts and one Dedicated Pickleball court.
Rumor has it Frank has been banned from this park, it may be just a rumor but I can see it.
Other parks we have not played at.
Collins Park in Scotia,
Schonowee Ave, Scotia, NY 12302
Appears to have 6 courts, tennis nets.
Palma Pocket Park
50 Van Buren Ave, Albany, NY 12205
Appears to have 2 tennis courts, not not sure of condition.
Some other folks mentioned Clifton Park and elsewhere. If you know of a place please let me know!
If you're looking for contact info for someone to play with, let me know.
Bill
November 11 2019
Folks,
A couple things, we have a Nov social on the 21st. Its reserved for 20 so please see ED he has the list.
Also,
The Annual Holiday party is scheduled for December 13!
Get your dancing shoes ready to move to the sounds of the Not 4 Profits and DJ Ed.
$30 per person can be given to Claudia, Sue or Fred.
There will also be a cash bar.
As we get closer to the event, we may have more info for you.
Any questions please let me know.
September 9 2019
Training Sessions:
We are pleased to report that the training sessions scheduled for the next 4 weeks have been totally booked. The sessions will begin this Wednesday and run from 9-10am in Gym A&B. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate walk-ons, so if you haven’t registered recreational play begins at 10am .
Fall Schedule
Summer is over, kids are back in school and we now go back to our fall schedule. As a reminder we had agreed that it would be as follows: [In some instances our schedule for training on Wed and allotted time between advanced and recreational play on Friday is a little different from what is listed in the YMCA schedule}
Sunday: Gym A- 8am-1:00pm- recreational play
Monday-Gym A- 8am-10am- advanced play; 10-2pm-recreational play; Gym B-9am-11am recreational play
Wednesday-Gym A-6-7:30 am-singles; 9am-10am-training sessions; 10-2pm-recreational play Gym B- 9-10am-training sessions; 10-12 noon-recreational play; [The Y schedule shows GYM A from 9-10am available for beginners-we had agreed A&B would be used for training]
Friday- Gym A-9-10am-advanced play; 10-2pm-recreational play; Gym B 9-11am- recreational play. *** We are checking with YMCA staff about Gym A being available from 8-9am as well for advanced play. Currently, the Y schedule on line does not have that listed but we had agreed with Y staff that it would be available at the end of last year. We will keep you informed. If we do not get the 8-9am time for advanced play then the following schedule was agreed to by our community although not reflected in the schedule
Friday-Gym A-9-10am-advanced play; 10-2 pm-recreational play; Gym B- 9-10am-advanced play; 10-11am-recreational play.
August 20 2019
We currently anticipate beginning PB lessons on Sept 11, 2019, which is the first Wednesday after the beginning of school. Lessons, instruction and practice will run from 9-10am. We anticipate using a new format this year based on feedback that you provided to us. To facilitate better planning we are breaking the sessions into 4-week intervals and requesting that players let us know if they are interested in signing up for the 4-week block. We anticipate limiting 8 players to a court and expect that if folks sign up for a block that they are there ready to start at 9:00 am each week. Latecomers will be admitted only at the discretion of the instructor.
Fred will work with brand new players and use an area in the gym other than a PB court for his orientation to the game. Two courts will be used for folks (16 players) who are developing and refining their skill sets and strategies. One court will be for folks in the 1.5 to 2.5 skill level while the second will be for folks from approx. 2.5-3.5 level. More experienced & skilled players will be provided advanced instruction on the remaining 2 courts. We will ask you to self assess your skill level, but the final decision for court placement will be made by the instructors based on the full assessment of the folks who are attending during a block of time. We are endeavoring to recruit as many highly skilled PB folks as possible who have the time to spend an hour with us during the 4-week block to share their techniques and strategies. This has always been a difficult challenge, as the timing during the week, usually does not work well for folks who are interested in assisting. However, we have some leads that may work.
Bill created a form on our site to sign up.
https://egpickleball.weebly.com/polls.html
We will also have more traditional paper sign-up at the courts but we prefer you to use the online form as it will be easier to manage. Additional information will be shared and refined as we get closer to the start date. In the meanwhile please let Ed, Fred, Rick, Peter or Greg know if you are interested in participating.
August 12 2019
Thanks to all of you who donated towards our ball fund. Through your generosity, we collected $ 177. We ordered 3 dozen balls that should arrive tomorrow. The cost was $92. I will give the remaining money to Ed once he returns. Thanks again. -Greg
Also, for those who were wondering, My surgery was a success today. The Mininucus was in much worse shape then it appeared on the MRI. about 50% was removed.
The good news is they replaced it with this new experimental animal-based meniscus that my Dr. said will increase my returns by 30% and my slams by 80%, sadly this will not help my crappy short game. See you all in 6 weeks, Jerry may want to get some body armor by then.
Miss all of you and will visit soon.
August 5 2019
Hey all- as we approach September we need to ensure a good stock of balls as our inventory is low. To accomplish this we are requesting a donation of $5 per person . Please give the money to Greg or Ed. Thanks
June 20, 2019
Folks, if you were unable to attend the meeting on Monday they have created a survey you can fill out. Its anonymous. I think this would be a great opportunity to let the town know we want pickleball courts made!
surveymonkey.com/r/egcompplan
Thanks!
Bill
June 20, 2019
Prophets- as another pickleball year enters the summer season it is time to get your thoughts on where we are as a community. To help us in this regard please list one thing that you really like about your experience and one thing that you would like to see changed.
We will tabulate the results and use it to determine our next steps that will be shared with you.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to this request.
Greg
April 27, 2019
Folks we are famous!!! Check out the Channel 10 coverage of us!
April 14, 2019
USAPA SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT PLUS SSIPA:
USAPA Atlantic Regional Tournament
Hanover, Massachusetts
June 28-30, 2019
https://www.pickleballtournaments.com/welcome.pl?tid=2865
*Every match is refereed.
*You'll get an official rating after the tournament.
*Medal matches would have line judges (at least gold medal matches anyways).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 5, 2019
Anyone who has not paid but would like to attend this Saturdays Spring get together at the Lake House Restaurant can call Ed Pieper to attend and pay at the door. We have room for a few more and lots of fun. Ed Pieper 518 859 5594
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PICKLEBALL SUNDAY LEAGUE SESSION 3
SOUTHERN SARATOGA YMCA IN CLIFTON PARK IS OFFERING
2 SUNDAY PICKLEBALL LEAGUES
LAST LEAGUE BEFORE SUMMER BREAK OPEN TO MEMBERS & NON MEMBERS
REGISTRATION IS OPEN- ONLINE-CALL OR REGISTER IN PERSON AT THE FRONT DESK
LAST INTERMEDIATE SESSION FILLED IN 24 HOURS
1 LEAGUE FOR 12 NOVICE PLAYERS
SPRING 2019 Session 3
Openings for only 12 players
7 weeks
DATES: MAY 12 (MOTHERS DAY),
MAY 19
MAY 26 NO PICKLEBALL LEAGUE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
JUNE 2, 9, 16 (FATHERS DAY), 23, 30
TIME: 11:30 to 2:00
COST: $30 for YMCA members
$60 for non members
GYM A 2 COURTS
You will get to play 6 games to 9
We keep a record of your weekly scores
*****************************
2nd LEAGUE FOR 12 INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS
SPRING 2019 Session 3
Openings for only 12 players
7 weeks
DATES: MAY 12 (MOTHERS DAY),
MAY 19
MAY 26 NO PICKLEBALL LEAGUE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
JUNE 2, 9, (16 FATHERS DAY), 23, 30
TIME: 2:00 to 4:30
COST: $30 for YMCA members
$60 for non members
GYM A 2 COURTS
You will get to play 6 games to 9
We keep a record of your weekly scores
*****************************
REGISTRATION IS OPEN - Please specify WHICH LEAGUE you are signing up for.
You can register & pay on line, in person at the front desk, or by Calling the Y.
If you have any questions please call me at
518-664-5829 H 518-466-2111C
Or email me at [email protected]
We are also LOOKING FOR SUBS in both leagues
Please get in touch with me if you would like to be on the SUB list.
If you are already on my sub list I will keep you as a sub unless you wish to be removed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 2, 2019
The PB community was canvassed and the following folks indicated a willingness to be part of the PB committee that you would like to start. We have more than the 7 you requested but we wanted to ensure a good cross section of folks with various levels of skill and tenure. Also, on any given meeting date some folks will not be able to attend. Please contact me if you have any questions, Greg.
Claudia Suppa [email protected]
Dick Klee [email protected]
Jerry Wall [email protected]
John Salamida [email protected]
Leigh Zwanka-D’Lezeld [email protected]
Diana Locker [email protected]
Mary Semon [email protected]
Tim Kovarik [email protected]
Ed Pieper [email protected]
Neal Lane [email protected]
Greg Bayduss [email protected]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 15, 2019
Prophets- I had a recent conversation with one of our community members who is also responsible for creating a similar PB community in Vermont. As such he is well aware of the problems, issues, strategies and structures of various sites. During our conversation he expressed a concern that he was confronting that is common to many other sites and was looking for suggestions as what could be done to address the presenting concern in a positive manner. During our conversation, he stated a fact that resonated with me. The statement was that we have a process at EG that makes us “special” in his eyes and that is the Wednesday training that we provide. I reflected on this comment and agree with him 100 percent. It is special in the sense that it helps recruit new players and then helps them learn to play the game in a way that will assist them to become better players in the long run. We see the evidence of this as the overall quality of play, from the most advanced to the newest players, has improved considerably since we have introduced this concept. All of these positive results with a minimum investment and/or sacrifice made by the community at large. One hour of time and the time of folks to help provide the orientation and training to folks. The return on investment (ROI) is remarkable.
That being said, and recognizing that the only way we could have introduced the training time was with the support of the community at large who were willing to sacrifice an hour of play time, I am asking your assistance to determine if you have any ideas that we could implement that would provide a similar ROI. It seems to me that the more that we can make our site unique and special , the more likely it is that our community will continue to prosper and grow. Recently, for example, we staged our first ever king/queen of the hill event. This event was received favorably by the 32 players who elected to participate. As a result I’m sure that we will have similar events in the near future. Please share any ideas that you have. We have created a form you can fill out here
https://egpickleball.weebly.com/polls.html
Once they are received, we will canvass the community-at-large to determine which if any of the ideas will gain traction and be further vetted to determine the best way to implement the idea to ensure community support. Thanks, Greg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 13, 2019
Pickleball will only be able to utilize 1 side of the Gym (Gym A) for Pickleball on Monday, January 21 due to it being MLK Day and children being off from school. Also, with that being said, an association wide clinic is also being held in our gymnasium beginning at 1pm that day.
I wanted to make you aware as Pickleball will also have to wrap up by 12:15ish that day so we can gear up for the association clinic.
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Jan 8, 2019
Prophets- Since we have changed the PB schedule, most of our procedures seem to be going pretty well. However, a problem seems to exist on Monday caused by the segregation of advanced vs. non-advanced players. We have agreed that Gym A is reserved for advanced level play from 8-10am. This means that gym B, which is available beginning at 9am, has been established with a priority for play given to non-advanced (recreational) players. It seems that on many occasions fewer than 8 non-advanced (recreational) players are arriving at the gym between 9-9:30 am. If there are 4 or fewer non-advanced players then it makes sense, that if an excess number of advanced players are in attendance, they can use the empty court in gym B until enough non-advanced folks arrive. Once enough non-advanced (recreational) players arrive then the advanced players should limit their play to gym A until 10 am. During the period from 9-10am advanced players should stack their paddles in gym A while non-advanced (recreational) players should stack their paddles in gym B. At 10am both courts are open for recreational play until 11am. Beginning at 10am all paddles should be stacked as usual in Gym A. To be fair to the players in gym B when combining the paddles at 10am, it is suggested that the first 4 paddles from gym B be placed after the first 4 paddles from gym A and then rotate successive 4 paddle placements between A&B until all paddles are placed. So at the time of placement it would result in an A,B,A,B,A,B etc. configuration.
If only 3 non-advanced recreational players are in gym B, they should have access to a court to warm-up and practice shots. It would be kind if an advanced player from gym A who is waiting for a game volunteer to join them to create a 4 some and play a game. They should be able to do this without sacrificing their spot in the Gym A line up. Once they are called to play in gym A another advanced player could join the 3 some in gym B to finish the game or the 3 players could resume practicing or playing 1 against 2 .
-Greg
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Dec 10/2018
Prophets- The will of the community has been established regarding the placement of paddles on Wednesday. The consensus is that Option 2 prevails by a pretty wide margin. 28 folks voted and 16 favored option 2. Option 1 received 6 votes and I don’t care received 6 votes. Option 2- excludes folks who are practicing from entering the queue until they finish their practice session and hence allows individuals who are not practicing to have first right to game conditions once it becomes 10:00 am. The argument being that players who are practicing are already playing and should not be able to hold a spot on the queue while they are playing. Folks should be reminded that previously you have voted to provide instructors during this 9-10am period first option to play a game. This will continue.
Also, this would be a good time to remind folks of other procedures to determine who plays next.
1. Winners of a game should be able to place their paddles before the losers of a game. Otherwise an advantage would be provided to players who are closest to the paddle placement area.
2. If 2 people are waiting to play, the winners of the game can stay on the court. The losers will sit.
3. If 3 people are coming on to the court, 1of the 2 winning players will remain. This decision will be made by the two winning players using whatever means they judge to be fair.
4. If 1 person is coming on to the court, the winning 2 players will remain and one of the two losers will continue, using whatever means the 2 losing players judge to be fair.
I hope this helps ensure a smooth and orderly process to the movement of players.
Also- I have contacted both Emma Willard and Kingston YMCA pickle ball sites to determine if either or both would be interested in participating in a showdown against us. The showdown takes players from our site (Prophets team) and pits us against comparably skilled players from another site. Matches are played (we try to ensure at least 3 matches per person} and the team with the greatest number of wins is considered the winner of the showdown. We did this on 2 occasions in 2017 against the Saratoga Y and it seemed to be a fun time for all. Last year we could not find an opponent willing to play. I have heard from the Kingston site and they seemed to be interested in arranging this competition. We are looking at sometime in January for the match to take place. They have 3 courts available on Monday and Friday so we will probably play on one of these days. I am awaiting word on the beginning time for the event and the specific day that works best. Will keep you informed. Meanwhile, please let me know if you would be interested in traveling to Kingston to play and the day(s) in January that works best for you. Thanks, greg