In this issue:

September Windup Tournament	Guidance for Social Media
Call for Indoor Captains	Club Statistics
A Message from Alex Martin

September Windup Tournament 

Just a reminder that we will be holding our fall windup tournament on Sept 16/17. This tournament is on Pickleballbrackets.com and registration closes at 8 pm this Sunday.  If you haven't already registered you should consider doing so as these events are always a lot of fun and a great way to meet and socialize with other Club members.

Guidance regarding Social Media Posts

As you may have noticed, some of our social media postings, especially in our WhatsApp groups are getting a little unruly and beyond the scope of Club operations.  As such, the Club has updated its electronic communications policy which can be access by clicking on this link.

While you must read the entire policy for complete guidance, we would like to highlight a couple of key extracts from our policy as follows:

All electronic communications must:

• be timely, appropriate and related to club business; 

• not be used to endorse people, products, services or organizations, unless approved by the board 

These two points are particularly relevant given the many recent ads that have been posted or been requested to be posted to our Facebook group page and our Club WhatsApp group chats.  What is important to note is that no service, entertainment or other event, or product may be advertised or offered for sale on Club Social Media.  The only exception as noted in the policy is the sale of used pickleball equipment by members (for example offering your used paddle for sale).   If pickleball related vendors or suppliers wish to advertise their products or services to Club members on these sites, they must have entered into official, signed sponsorship agreements with the Club as noted in our policy regard same.

After having read the full policy you are still unsure about an item you wish to post, please contact the Communications Manager.

Call for Indoor Captains

It is that time of year folks!

We need Captains for the following indoor venues for our upcoming fall and wither play.

Here is the tentative schedule planned starting this fall:

Monday  7:00 to 9:00 pm at Joseph Demko, Rating - 3.5

Monday  6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating - ALL

Tuesday 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating - 2.5

Thursday 6:30 to 9:30 pm at JJ Nearing, Rating - 2.5

Friday 6:00-9:00 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating - 3.0

Friday 6:15 to 9:30 pm at Lois E Hole, Rating - ALL

Friday 6:00 to 9:00 pm at Holy family, Rating - 3.5+

Saturday  2:15 to 4:45 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating -  ALL

Wednesday 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating 4.0+

Wednesday 6:30 to 9:30 pm at Sister Alphonse, Rating - 3.5

Saturday 9:15 am to 12:00 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating -  4.0+

Saturday  12:00 to 2:15 pm at Bertha Kennedy, Rating - 2.5

Saturday 10:30 am to 1:30 pm at Joseph Demko, Rating - 3.5

There will be a Captains meeting on Tuesday. September 26th from 9:00 to 10:30 am and Tuesday September 26th in the evening from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

If interested in joining the Captains team, please confirm your attendance by responding to the venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca stating which meeting you will be attending. 

Please note that you do not have been a past Captain in order to volunteer - training and all of the information you need to know will be provided to you.  The Club is very appreciative for the volunteer efforts of our past and current Captains and strongly encourages new members to give back to the Club by volunteering in this important role.

Club Statistics

Membership Breakdown

We thought you might be interested in a breakdown of our ever-growing Club membership by Club Rating Level.  If you are, please see that breakdown below:

No Rating - 290 

2.5 Rating - 12 

3.0 Rating - 132

3.5 Rating - 245

4.0 Rating - 160

4.5 Rating - 17

5.0 Rating - 2

Total current Club members = 858

Alpine Courts Play Breakdown

May Data:

2.5                 79 members played 

3.0               179 members played 

3.0+.              72 members played

3.5               519 members played 

3.5W             58 members played 

4.0+             297 members played

ALL  Play    213 members played 

Partner       310 members played 

70+                 71 members played 

Evening play

2.5 RR            47 members played 

3.0+ RR          68 members played 

3.5+ RR          72 members played 

June Data:

2.5                   68 members played 

3.0                 217 members played

3.0+              104 members played

3.5                 549  members played 

3.5W                41  members played 

4.0+               354 members played

ALL Play       138 members played 

Partner         244 members played 

70+                   65 members played 

Evening play

2.5 RR              49 members played 

3.0+ RR            67 members played

3.5+ RR          114 members played 

July Data:

2.5                   141 members played 

3.0                   155 members played 

3.0+                   79 members played

3.5                   480 members played 

3.5W                  40  members played 

4.0+                  233 members played

ALL Play          143 members played 

Partner            136 members played 

70+                      63 members played 

Evening play

2.5 RR                 17 members played 

3.0+ RR             106 members played 

3.5+ RR               79 members played 

(NOTE: More 2.5 sessions were added)

Other Summer Play at Alpine:

League ladies play - Mondays an average of 30 ladies played

DUPR 3.5 sessions - 47 members on average (10 sessions)

League Mixed Play - An average of 70 members played each session 

Total Number of Individual Plays in each month not including DUPR/League:

1985 in May

2051 in June

1655 in July

In Addition:

474 DUPR participants in these three months

360 Ladies League participants in the three months

840 Players participated in 4.0+ Mixed League Play in these three months 

Total members plays at Alpine was 7365 from May through July!  Yup, we're making good use of those courts!!

A Message from Alex Martin

A message to all members of the St. Albert Pickleball Club from Alex Martin:

A year ago I went into cardiac arrest while playing pickleball at the Hub. Fortunately, I was with a group of guys who reacted quickly and performed first aid on me; there was a AED machine there which the guys used to revive me, and they worked on me until the ambulance personnel got to the site to take over.  Because of the actions of these men, including access to the AED machine, as well as the fantastic medical care that I received at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, I’m fortunate to be alive today  and very much enjoying life.  The people in the St. Albert Pickleball Club have been fantastic with all the support, care and friendship that they have shown to me - my family and I will always be grateful to all of you!

Until next time keep your paddle up!   

In this issue:

September Windup Tournament	Thanks to Sean McCartan
Passing of John Sandmoen	Westridge Community League Tourney
Drinking / Dehydration

September Windup Tournament 

We will be holding our fall windup tournament on Sept 16/17.  The format will be a blind round robin, with men's and women's doubles on Sep 16th and mixed doubles on Sept 17th.  This tournament will be on Pickleballbrackets.com starting August 23rd for registration. 

Please note that we would like to use this tournament to train some people to learn pickleball brackets and other positions for our sanctioned tournament next season. 

Please email Ken Dentzien at kendentzien@gmail.com if you would like help out with any of the following:

• Pickleballbrackets - entering game scores and sending out new games (not as complicated nor technical as it may sound)
• Registration desk
• Court runners 
• Announcing
• Court maintenance and setup the morning of the tournament

If you are playing, but still want to help out we will coordinate with your play schedule.

Training Paddles

A special thanks to Sean McCartan who regripped all of the Club's training paddles.  Thank you Sean for the generous donation of your time to make this happen - your hard work is truly appreciated!

Passing of John Sandomen

It is with great sadness (and with his family's blessing) that we announce the passing of John Sandmoen on August 12, 2023. 

John loved many sports including pickleball; he was a joy to play with, always encouraging and a great ambassador for the sport!  We will miss him on the courts.  John was 76 years old and is survived by his wife Lynda and 4 children.  Rest in peace John.

A public memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on August 25th, 2023 at the St. Albert Inn Guardian room.

Westridge Community League Tournament

In case you are interested, you may join the Westridge Community Leage for a pub night and doubles pickleball tournament (all levels welcome) on September 8/9th.  The proceeds from these events are in support of resurfacing their courts. For donation and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Gaby Sonego.

Event Details:

Pub Night Event - Friday, September 8, 2023 (7pm -11pm)

PB Event - Saturday, September 9, 2023 (Start Time: 9am)

Event Address: 505 Wolf Willow Road (Westridge Community League)

Entry fee is $40 for PB tournament.  Entry deadline is Friday, September 1, 2023

Format:

Register individually for the tournament

Each player will be guaranteed 5 games in a round robin format

Players will have a new partner each game (either female or male)

Each game score first to 11 points

Payments:

• Payment via E-transfer to: payments@wwwcccl.com

• Please include the following in the message section in your e-transfer: PB fee, player name, age, email, phone #, play level (beginner, intermediate, advanced or open), pub night (yes/no & other guest names)

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Don Mah  at 780.984.3223 or dmah617@gmail.com

Drinking / Dehydration

Please be reminded to drink plenty of liquids, particularly if you are 50 years or older in age. Bring plenty of water when playing pickleball, particularly when playing outdoors on hot summer days - like many we have had this summer.  I have included extracts of an article from a physician, Arnaldo Liechentstein on this topic below (thanks to Scott McDonald for suggesting and providing this information).  While this information applies particularly to those over 50, it is useful advice for everyone.

People over 50 generally stop feeling thirsty and, consequently, stop drinking fluids.  When no one is around to remind them to drink fluids, they quickly dehydrate.  Dehydration is severe and affects the entire body; it may cause abrupt mental confusion, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart palpitations, angina (chest pain), coma and even death.

People over 50 have a lower water reserve.  This is part of the natural aging process.  But there are more complications.  Although they are dehydrated, they don't feel like drinking water, because their internal balance mechanisms don't work very well.  

People over 50 years old dehydrate easily, not only because they have a smaller water supply, but also, because they do not feel the lack of water in the body.   So here are two alerts:

1) *Get into the habit of drinking liquids*.  Liquids include water, juices, teas, coconut water, milk, soups, and water-rich fruits, such as watermelon, melon, peaches and pineapple, orange and tangerine also work. The important thing is that, every two hours, you must drink some liquid. Remember this.  (Note: We recommend that you drink water after every game of pickleball that you play).

2)  Alert for family members: constantly offer fluids to people over age 60.  At the same time, observe them.  If you realize that they are rejecting liquids and, from one day to the next, they are irritable, breathless or display a lack of attention, these are almost certainly recurrent symptoms of dehydration. 

Inspired to drink more water now? 

Here is the link to his blog:

https://www.justwater.co.nz/our-blog/hydration-over-50-vital-for-good-health

Until next time keep your paddle up!  

In this issue:

Court Etiquette	Be on Time - RR/Ladder Play
Be Safe - Consider Eyeware	WhatsApp Etiquette Guidelines
New Rec Center/High Demand for PB

Court Etiquette

Given some recent incidents and behaviours noted in Club Play, we would like our members to read our Member Handbook and our Code of Conduct policy on our website by clicking here.  In addition, we ask that you thoughtfully consider and adopt the following appropriate behaviours:

1.  Follow the instructions of your play Captain and be courteous to the Captain and other players throughout the session 

2.  Be courteous, respectful, and HAVE FUN - for example,

   • Welcome newcomers
   • At the beginning of the game introduce yourself, if not familiar with your partner or players
   • Be patient with and encouraging of less skilled players
   • Compliment other players on the court including opponents
   • Always thank your opponents and your playing partner when the game is over
3.  Call the fault yourself if you or your partner land in the NVZ (kitchen)  on a volley.  Be cautious about calling kitchen or foot faults on your  opponents – let them call their own faults and don't question their line calls 
4.  When a ball is out of bounds, call “OUT” loudly, as well as using a hand signal with your hand/arm pointing up
5.  If playing a stronger opponent playing with a weaker opponent during casual play, hit to the stronger opponent often.  Don’t just play to the weaker opponent.  It will make you a better player plus keep the game interesting for all who are playing.  For the weaker opponent, work on shots that they can return and learn from.  (It’s not always about winning)
6.  Do not intentionally slam balls directly at beginner or intermediate level opponents; if one of your balls accidentally strikes an opponent, apologize immediately and try to better your control your balls returns
7.  Unsolicited coaching on the court is not recommended.  If someone is new or asks for your input, do so briefly being mindful of the flow of the game.  It is best to instruct on a specified court after being invited.

Be on Time for Scheduled Club Sessions

We request that all members understand the play parameters set out by the Club and Play Session Captains including, most importantly, showing up early and before the registration cutoff for each session.

Showing up late causes:

1.  Frustration and extra work for the Captain for both round robin and ladder play sessions including last minute/multiple adjustments 

2.  Frustration for those players who showed up on time by virtue of the extra work/delays noted in point #1

3.  Anger on the part of players who showed up late/after the designated cutoff time because they are told they cannot play

Specifically, in light of a recent sign-in issue at a 3.5 DUPR play session, we are hereby informing future participants in these sessions as follows:

If you register to play in 3.5 DUPR Ladder Play on Wednesday evening, it is imperative that you sign in with 1 sticker at the Club table by the Alpine storage area by  NO LATER  THAN 5:40 PM.

Here's why....

Many hours of volunteer time and effort go into DUPR sessions, before, during and after each session.

After sign-in, there's a flurry of activity in the 15 minutes just before the games begin, including assigning courts to all 50 players, preparing baskets, writing all score sheet for each court, and announcements.

Because of these required tasks, if you are late for sign-in, you will NOT be able to play that evening – SORRY.

Note:  Please think of the other players that showed up on time and are eagerly waiting to start play on time as well as your Captain(s) who volunteered their time to coordinate these sessions and don't deserve extra work nor to be verbally abused (see Court Etiquette points in the Article above - no profanity, insults, harassment, etc. will be tolerated and abuses will be documented potentially resulting in sanctions to members involved).

Safety

Just a reminder to play safe and to seriously consider playing with protective eyewear.

As noted in the aforementioned Member Code of Conduct under Safety:

Pickleball is a fast sport played at close range with your opponents.  The Club has had incidents where players have been hit in the eye and injured because they were not wearing protective eyewear.  To avoid retinal injury, we strongly recommend that players wear protective eyewear (eyeglass/frames at the very least) when playing to minimize occurrences of this all to common pickleball injury.

WhatsApp Communication

The Club and most members are very pleased with the WhatsApp groups that the Club has created and maintains to facilitate Club communication within various rating levels.  WhatsApp allows our members to stay in the loop with information tailored to their rating level even when they are out of the country (as it needs wi-fi only and does not lead to data usage under your mobile device plan).

If you would like to join a WhatsApp group that you are eligible for, please click this SAPC website link and scroll down to WHATSAPP to learn how to make your request to join.

While these groups have been very popular, the Club believes and has received feedback that some communication advice may be in order.  As such, the Club has created etiquette guidelines which have been posted to the website under Social Media and the topic "WhatsApp Group Etiquette" (same link as noted earlier in this article).

Please take time to review these points of etiquette and contact SAPC if you have any questions.  The Club will be monitoring communications within the WhatsApp groups and contacting members who "violate" the etiquette guidelines as warranted.

New Rec Centre  / High Demand for PB Courts

Great news!   A majority of St. Albert survey respondents support a tax hike for a new recreation centre as per a St. Albert Gazette story which can by accessed by clicking on the link below:

https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/majority-of-survey-respondents-support-tax-hike-for-new-rec-centre-7050577

You will note that the Gazette article states that outdoor pickle ball courts were in high demand and a top priority amongst respondents based upon the survey recently conducted by the City.

We would like to thank all those members who heeded our suggestion and responded to this survey and expressed a need for more outdoor pickle ball courts - it appears that our voices are being heard!

Until next time keep your paddle up!  

In this issue:

3.5+ Mini Tournament/Barbecue	Members Tournament - June 10 & 11
Mentoring Sessions	Special Olympics
Outdoor Play	DUPR Rating Sessions
WhatsApp Groups	Condolences - Roger Lecuyer

3.5+ Mini Tournament/Barbecue Night - May 26th

We will be having our first "mini" fun tournament and barbecue night on May 26th.   The format will include the random assignment of partners for the evening.  Registration will open on Friday May 19th at 12:01 am which will be on the calendar on our website.  You will register individually as there will be a men's registration and a women's registration.

Space is very limited, but if it is full please sign up on waitlist as we might be able to accommodate more players.  Warm up and sign up will start at 5:30 pm with games starting at 6:00pm.  The cost is $10 per person and will include a barbecue after the games are done. 

Thanks Ken and Cassey and your helpers for organizing this mini tourmanent!

Members Tournament - June 10 & 11

Just a reminder to register for the members tournament being held on June 10/11.   We have lots of room for 2.5 players.  The tournament can be found on pickleballbrackets.com.  If you are unrated and do not know where you should play, please contact Ken Dentzien at kendentzien@gmail.com and he will help guide you.  This is a very fun weekend and a great opportunity to meet other members of our Club.

Mentoring Sessions

Mentoring sessions  will begin on Saturdays starting on June 3rd.  Check the calendar for details of when different levels will be available.  Mentoring will cycle through 2.5 sessions, 3.0 sessions, 3.5 sessions and, finally, 4.0 sessions.

Sign up for these mentoring sessions will begin a week ahead on Friday at 12:01 (so it would open late Thursday/early Friday a full week before the session).  For example, registration for the June 3rd session would open just past midnight on May 25th, June 10th just past midnight on June 1st,  etc.  Thanks to Nicole Currie  and her team of mentors for their work in organizing and/or participating in these valuable mentoring sessions.

Special Olympics

Starting May 23rd and until August 1st, Special Olympics participants will be playing on courts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.  This means that 3.0+ Round Robin will have courts 1, 2, 3 and 4 on those evenings.

Special thanks to Gary Cheetham and his team of coaches for their role in making these arrangements and teaching pickleball to these Special Olympics participants in St Albert. 

Outdoor Play

Play is well underway at the Alpine outdoor courts and we thank all of our volunteer captains who make these Club scheduled sessions possible for all of our members.  Speaking of captains, we ask all members to remember to thank your captain before leaving the courts after each Club play session.

DUPR Rating Sessions

Special thanks to Jeanine Au and Karen Cabot for all of the hours they have spent arranging, organizing and attending the many DUPR rating sessions that the Club has facilitated.   Remember if you have received an initial rating or a new rating, you will need to have a new membership card available to show play captains your new rating level.   We would like to also thank all those members who have participated in these sessions including our seeded volunteers.  We also appreciate all of the feedback we have received and will continue to incorporate your many good ideas whenever possible into future sessions.

WhatsApp Groups

We have fielded many questions from members regarding how to join the  WhatsApp groups that we have created for each rating level.  If you are interested in joining one of these groups and are eligible, please visit the Social Media page on our website by clicking here and request to join the appropriate group.  Please also note that our Social Media Coordinator, Peter Sha, will be going through all of these groups very shortly to verify that members of these WhatsApp groups are active members of the Club and only belong to the WhatsApp group that aligns with their current Club rating.   Finally, you should note that it is not a requirement to join these groups, but rather a privilege that helps you to communicate with members at your rating level to facilitate casual play arrangements, etc.

Condolences

The Club would like to let members know of the passing of Roger Lecuyer.  He and his wife Charmaine Ferstay were amongst the very early members of our Club and we would like to pass on our condolences on your behalf.

Until next time keep your paddle up!  

In this issue:

Final Call for Captains	Ratings Update
Outdoor Play	Referee Clinic
Upcoming Events / Play Sessions	Charity Tournament

Final Call for Captains

Thank you to those who have already volunteered to be captains.  However, In order to offer play sessions for a variety of levels we need to have even more captains volunteering.   We ask all members to consider stepping up in this role.  You may not be aware, but you don't need to captain every single session for a particular play type or time slot; in fact, especially for larger group sessions, we like to have a couple of co-captains where captaining responsibilities are shared.   Even if you would like to be an occasional or "spare" captain, you should attend one of the captains meetings which are scheduled for next week as follows:

April 18th  6:30 - 8:30 pm - Red Willow Church 

April 19th  9:00 - 11:00 am - Red Willow Church

If you are even considering being a captain this spring/summer, please attend and respond advising which of the two meetings you will be attending.

Ratings Update

As announced recently, the SAPC ratings freeze is over and a new Club ratings framework has been adopted.  In conjunction with these developments, the Club has updated the SAPC website to explain all of these changes.  We recommend that all members read through these webpages at your earliest convenience to familiarize yourself with our new policies and processes.  A couple of points to note based upon inquiries received:

1.  DUPR Sessions are underway and the first one was held successfully on April 9th.  Thanks to Eileen, Karen and Jeanine for organizing, James Porter for creating the round robin sheets for score recording and our seeded player volunteers for agreeing to participate in these sessions.  Eligible members aspiring to achieve 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 Club rating levels will receive e-mails announcing future DUPR Rating Sessions as they open for registration (one to two weeks before each session).

2.  If you are interested in attending a DUPR Rating Session, please do not register for one of these sessions until you have set up a DUPR profile.  Instructions on how to do so are included on the SAPC website under Skills Levels and Ratings and the subheading "SAPC DUPR Play FAQ" (you may access by clicking here). 

3.  With the ratings freeze now over we will accept IPTPA ratings up to the 3.0 level including those from Mike Dingwall at EVP.

Outdoor Play

We are all very excited about outdoor play including Club organized play at the Alpine outdoor courts.  Thanks to the team of volunteers who are cleaning those courts today - your time and effort is very much appreciated!

Club play at the Alpine courts will begin May 1st with the Outdoor Play Calendar to be posted on the SAPC website as early as next week.   

Referee Clinic

We will be hosting a referee clinic on Saturday,  May 13th which will run from 9:00 am to about 2:30 pm.  If you are interested in refereeing or just want to learn the rules, please contact Ken Dentzien for more information.

Upcoming Events

SAPC Fun Tournament June 10/11 - Members Only

Registration will open on Pickleballbrackets.com for this "Summer Kick-Off" tournament on April 20th at 6:00 pm.  Information regarding tournament is now up on pickleballbrackets website; click here if you are interested.  If you have not joined St. Albert Club on pickleballbrackets you must do so before you can register.  This tournament is for SAPC members only and will not affect any of your tournament or club ratings.  

Ladies Ladder League (3.5+)

We are once again having Ladies Ladder League for 3.5 plus ladies players.  These will be held on Monday nights starting at 6:00 pm.  The cost is $10 for the season and registration will open on pickleballbrackets.com on April 19th at 6:00 pm.  Click here if you are interested.

4.0 Plus Team League Play

We are planning on trying something different this season and will be having a 4.0 plus team league. Teams will consist of 10 players each and each week teams will play against other teams in men's, women's and mixed categories. Once we compile a list of all players wanting to join the league, we will have a draft to form the teams.  The cost of this will be $10 per player for the season. These sessions will take place on Thursday evenings.  Please email Ken at kendentzien@gmail.com if you would like to play in the league, be a captain for a team or be a spare for the league.

Charity Tournament

The 1st Annual Feisty Pickles Charity Tourney, in support of Breathing Space, Canada’s 1st home away from home for lung transplant patients and families, will be held from May 5 to 6th, 2023 at the EVP Centre, Edmonton, AB.  This two day charity event will be fun and competitive!

On Friday, May 5th come out and cheer on local Celebrities & Pickleball Pros; there will be music, free food & beverages plus a great auction.  Saturday, May 6th will be a fun & competitive round robin event - there will be swag bags for each participant, medals, auction, food trucks and more.   

Click here if you are interested.

Until next time keep your paddle up!    

In this issue:

Call for Captains	Lifting of the Ratings Freeze
DUPR Rating Sessions	Recruiting - Membership Director
Referee Clinic	Upcoming Tournaments

Call for Captains

In response to our call for captains for outdoor play at Alpine we have the following so far:

Type of Play          Number of Captains

    2.5 Level                              4

    3.0 Level                              3

    3.5 Level                            12

    4.0 Level                              5

      All Play                               4

  Partner Play                          1

Thank you to those who have already volunteered.  However, In order to offer play sessions for a variety of levels we need to have more captains volunteering.   We ask all members to consider stepping up in this role.  You may not be aware, but you don't need to captain every single session for a particular play type or time slot; in fact, especially for larger group sessions, we like to have a couple of co-captains where captaining responsibilities are shared.   Even if you would like to be an occasional or "spare" captain, you should attend one of the upcoming captains meetings which are scheduled as follows:

April 18th  6:30 - 8:30 pm - Red Willow Church 

April 19th  9:00 - 11:00 am - Red Willow Church

If you are even considering being a captain this spring/summer, please attend and respond advising which of the two meetings you will be attending.

Please also note that to date requests have been made for the following types of play sessions (in addition to the "traditional" play sessions the Club offers):

• paddle play. 

• round robin play, 

• sessions for 60+,

• sessions for 70+,

• sessions for playing up and down , example (2.5-3.0) (3.0-3.5) (3.5-4.0)

Lifting of the Ratings Freeze

As announced in a recent e-mail, the SAPC ratings freeze is over and a new Club ratings framework has been adopted.  In conjunction with these developments, the Club has updated the SAPC website to explain all of these changes.  We recommend that all members read through these webpages at your earliest convenience to familiarize yourself with our new policies and processes.

That being said, I will once again reference some key points and provide links to the aforementioned pages below.

Now that the freeze is over, how do I get a Club rating change?

Members will ask for a Club rating adjustment by emailing "rating@pickleballstalbert.ca" on or immediately before (within two days) each of the following dates: January 15, March 15, April 15, May 15, June 15, July 15, September 15 and November 15.  In your e-mail, specify whether you would like a Club rating adjustment based upon your CTPR, your IPTPA rating or your DUPR rating.  The requirements for achieving the rating levels of 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 vary and are specified on the Club's Skills Levels and Ratings webpage.  

The Club will review each request as follows:

1.  By the 20th day of the month, the Club will look up the member's CTPR or DUPR rating and games played or evaluate the IPTPA certification (in the case of IPTPA, submit your evaluation paperwork with your request).

2.  By the 26th, the Club will adjust the member's consolidated Club rating in their member profile if warranted.

Please note that some rating types are dynamic and can change even if a member is not playing.  In the case of CTPR and DUPR, your rating must be above the threshold of the desired Club level (eg. 3.500 DUPR for a 3.5 Club level) on the day/time we look it up.

It is important to note that SAPC members with current Club ratings will not have those ratings affected by this new framework, and that our adoption of the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) will not affect those members in any way.  We are simply changing our policies and processes related to those members who want a Club rating or desire to achieve a higher Club rating.

DUPR Rating Sessions

As noted on the Club's website, a Club rating is required to play in SAPC organized play at and above the 3.0 level. One way of getting or advancing your Club rating is to play in sessions that will be recorded by the Club in DUPR; such sessions will provide you with some of the games needed to get a qualifying DUPR rating (20 games in total are required as noted above).

Each play session is open to SAPC members wanting to attain a DUPR rating at the level specified and possessing the skills likely to achieve that level. The Club will send out event invitations to selected groups of members who qualify to attend each particular event, based on members' current Club rating or lack thereof (ie not to the entire membership). 

We have no preset time when each session will be open for registration as we want to avoid the dreaded, automated "midnight" openings.  Rather, all eligible members will be notified at the same time, via e-mail, one to two weeks before each session -  so, if you are interested, keep on top of your Club e-mails!  Registration will take place on a first come, first served basis.

What will these DUPR play sessions run by the Club look like?

• Play will be round robin format, play to 11, or until time is called, whichever comes first.

• The fee will be 1, 2 or 3 stickers depending on the venue, payable at the event.   Stickers must be purchased in advance. (link to Store).

• Before registering for this event, you must have a DUPR profile (account) and you must join SAPC on DUPR. See the SAPC DUPR Play FAQ for more info.

• If you cannot attend after registering please cancel your registration at least two days in advance using the process specified at Reserved Play. If canceling within two days, email rating@pickleballstalbert.ca.  

• Players are asked to arrive 10 minutes before the start time to sign in, pay with stickers and warm up.

• We recommend that registrants read all SAPC webpages at and under the menu page Skill Levels and Ratings. Questions not already answered on those pages may be directed to rating@pickleballstalbert.ca.

• A session leader will oversee the recording of all game scores, and the Club will enter all game scores into DUPR within a week of play. DUPR will adjust players' DUPR ratings within a week of score entry. 

• There is no sticker charge for the volunteer, seeded players assigned by the Club to participate in these sessions; these players already have a DUPR rating, have a pre-reserved spot and do not need to register online (once again, the Club is so grateful to these members for volunteering in this capacity!).

• Please be patient as this is new to all of us; we will take learnings from each step and play session and modify our processes as required going forward - your feedback is welcome.

Vacancy - Membership & Volunteer Director

Please be advised that Carol Mah, our Membership & Volunteer Director recently resigned from her position.  The Board would like to acknowledge the many contributions Carol has made in this role over these past several years.

We are now recruiting for an individual to take over this role and Carol has graciously offered to assist in this transition.

The job description for a Club Director and the role of the Membership & Volunteer Director can be accessed by this link.

If any member has interest in this role, please send an e-mail to our President, Eileen, by clicking here and she will get back to you to discuss.

Referee Clinic

We will be hosting a referee clinic on Saturday,  May 13th which will run from 9:00 am to about 2:30 pm.  If you are interested in refereeing or just want to learn the rules, please contact Ken Dentzien for more information.

Upcoming Tournaments - Save the Date!

Please note the following dates for our 2023 Tournaments.  Please put these dates into your calendar and start to make your plans to attend as a participant or volunteer:

June 10 to 11 - Members Only, Fun Tournament

July 14 to 16 - Sanctioned Tournament

September 16 - Members Only, Fun Tournament

If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor for one or all of these upcoming tournaments, please let Roger or Ken know.  You can find the opportunities available by clicking here.

Until next time keep your paddle up!    

In this issue:

New Board Members / Volunteers	Referee Training
New Equipment Coordinator	DUPR Player Volunteers Needed
Termination of Level 1 Sports

New Board Members / Volunteers

As you are aware, we held our Annual General Meeting last night.  We would like to thank all members who joined the Zoom meeting and contributed their time, questions and comments.

During our meeting a number of Board member changes and appointments to key volunteer positions were approved.   

First of all the new (current) Board of Directors is as follows:

President - Eileen McClean (incumbent)

Vice President - James Porter (incumbent)

Treasurer - Laura Spencer (formerly Ray Keroack)

Secretary - Jenna McCully (formerly Douwe Spriensma)

Communications Director - Roger Hutlet (incumbent)

Director of Membership and Volunteers - Carol Mah (incumbent)

Director at Large - Ken Dentzien (incumbent)

Director at Large - Douwe Spriensma (formerly Tamas Virag)

The Club would like to thank all the new incumbents for their willingness to stand for election and to volunteer their time and skills to the Club in these capacities.  As well, words cannot properly describe the gratitude of the Board for the contributions of Ray and Tamas in their Board of Director roles over the past many years.  Finally, we thank Ray for taking on the role of technology lead going forward, to Tamas for staying on the technology team and to Douwe for staying on as a Director at Large.

Other Key Positions Elections

Ombudsperson - Mike Bowen

Auditor - Lawrence Taylor

Nominating Committee Chair - Kevin McClean

Nominating Committee Members - Brenda Regehr, Cassey Campbell

The Board would like to thank Gerry Gartner and Jenna McCully for their past service and contributions to the Nominating Committee.

Referee Training

The Club would like members to be aware of the following referee training opportunities:

1.  Learning to Mark the Scoresheet

For those members who would like to learn how to mark a Pickleball scorecard properly, please attend the zoom meeting below (please note it is 5:00 pm Arizona time which is 6:00 pm our time).

The National Leader of Officiating is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting as follows:

Topic:  Referee Training Session 1 -  Marking the Scoresheet
Time:  Mar 13, 2023 5:00 PM (Arizona time)
Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7728339865
Meeting ID:  772 833 9865

2.   Referee Clinic

We will be hosting a referee clinic on May 13th.  If  you would like to become a referee or want to learn more about the rules, please email Ken Dentzien at kendentzien@gmail.com (as well as to register and get more information).  There is no cost to take the clinic.

New Equipment Coordinator

Mark Nadeau expressed interest in leaving the Equipment Coordinator role that he has held and performed admirably in for several years.   As such, the Club recruited Wally Peltonen to take on this role.  We would like to thank Wally for volunteering to take on this position and Mark for doing a great job in this capacity during his tenure (together with his may helpers).

DUPR Player Volunteers

In terms of the logistics for the upcoming DUPR Rating Clinics described in a recent e-mail to members, it makes sense to run the first clinic for those members who would like to achieve a 3.5 Club Rating (for clarity this would include unrated players and those who currently have 2.5 or 3.0 Club Ratings).  As noted in the DUPR implementation plan, this requires at least one and possibly two player volunteers who have a current DUPR (Non-Provisional) Rating between 3.25 and 3.75.  The Club is aware that several of our members fall into this category and would ask that they step forward and participate in some of the early DUPR Rating Clinics which are likely to take place indoors in early April.  If you meet the criteria and are willing to volunteer in this way, please e-mail our Rating Coordinator team (unless you have done so already).  

Level 1 Sports Termination

In case you have not heard, our contract with the Level 1 Sports venue has not been extended.  Unfortunately, our members did not sufficiently support this venue and without that support we can no longer offer this venue despite a variety of play options at this site.

Thanks to those who did attend the sessions at Level one and kept it open for over three months.

Until next time, keep your paddle up!    

New Ratings Framework - Recommendations

As noted in our last two Newsletters, the Club is making changes to the way member players are rated.  Specifically, the Club will be adopting a performance-based ratings system called the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR for short) to establish a Club rating for new members who want to be rated and existing members who wish to be re-rated.

As also noted previously, a Rating Committee was formed to learn more about DUPR and determine whether it may be a good fit for the Club.

Having conducted this research, the Rating Committee members unanimously recommended the adoption of the DUPR system in some form by virtue of the following resolution:

“The Rating Committee recommends that SAPC adopt a performance-based rating system called DUPR subject to the development of a suitable implementation plan and SAPC member feedback”

This resolution was approved by the SAPC Board on February 6^th.

The Board then tasked the Rating Committee with the development of a detailed implementation plan for a new ratings process regime.

First of all, we would like to provide some background and context based upon the research conducted by the Club and, more recently, the Rating Committee over the last few months:

Background

During our research the Rating Committee has learned the following with respect to DUPR:

1.      DUPR is a modified Elo algorithm that uses a player’s last 60 (doubles) eligible matches. While DUPR considers a player’s last 60 games (should they even have that many in the system), it takes considerably fewer matches for a DUPR Rating to be considered accurate and statistically meaningful.

2.      DUPR game scores are weighted differently based upon the nature of the game play that generated those scores.  Without getting too technical or detailed the game scores recorded are given progressively higher weight as follows:

a.      Casual, player-organized games (lowest)

b.      Club scheduled play sessions

c.       Tournaments/Competitive play (highest)

3.      If a player’s rating is not considered reliable (not enough match results) an asterisk will appear after the player’s score in DUPR and the Rating is considered “provisional”.

4.      For game scores to be meaningful, at least one of the players involved in a DUPR game must already have an established DUPR Rating (this creates a benchmark).

The Rating Committee is now prepared to make the following recommendations in terms of the implementation plan and seeks your feedback before ratification by the Board:

1.      Once the current freeze on ratings is lifted, the Club will modify its rating policy to accept the DUPR Rating of new members who have an established DUPR Rating that is based upon at least 20 matches of DUPR play.  Please see the DUPR ranges in point #4 below to understand how DUPR Ratings will translate to Club Ratings.

2.      Once the current freeze on ratings is lifted, the Club will modify its policy to accept the rating of new members who achieved a rating as evaluated by an IPTPA Certified Rating Specialist up to the 3.0 Rating Level (within the last 6 months).  Note: The Club will continue to accept Canadian Tournament Player Ratings (CTPR) provided the member has played at least 10 sanctioned games.

3.      The Club will offer DUPR Rating Clinics starting this spring to accommodate existing Club members who are unrated who want to be rated and members who want to be re-rated.  These clinics will involve round robin play for approximately two hours with all game scores being recorded after game completion (games will be timed to end after an established number of minutes).  Note: As long as one team has at least 6 points when the time period ends, the game score is considered valid for DUPR entry.

4.      Members will need to (a) download the DUPR application to their smart phone to create their profile and then, (b) register for these Rating Clinic sessions (same process as before), which will be monitored by Club volunteers; each play session must have at least one player volunteer with an established DUPR Rating that is within .25 of the rating participants are trying to achieve in the clinic.

For example, for a 3.0 DUPR Rating Clinic for unrated and 2.5 rated players, there would need to be at least one volunteer player participant with a non-provisional DUPR Rating between 2.75 and 3.25.

It is important to note that whatever DUPR Rating level is achieved by virtue of this process, that will become that member’s Club Rating Level (provided their profile shows a non-provisional rating based upon a minimum of 20 matches).  For further clarity, if by the end of a Rating Clinic (all results posted in DUPR) a member achieves a DUPR Rating

·       lower than 2.5 - their Club Rating will be 2.0

·       between 2.50 and 2.99 - their Club Rating will be 2.5

·       between 3.00 and 3.49 - their Club Rating will be 3.0

·       between 3.50 and 3.99 - their Club Rating will be 3.5

·       between 4.0 and 4.49 - their Club Rating will be 4.0

·       higher than 4.5 - their Club Rating will be 4.5+

5.     Depending upon member demand and court availability, it is likely that the first DUPR Rating Clinic will be for unrated and 2.5 players who wish to be rated/re-rated respectively (essentially a 3.0 Clinic).  It will likely take as many as 3 clinics for these players to establish a reliable DUPR Rating assuming they don’t already have DUPR recorded matches in their profile. 

6.     Another round of DUPR Rating Clinics will be for those members who wish to be re-rated to at least a 3.5 rating level and, finally, we will run Rating Clinics for those who wish to be re-rated to a 4.0 or 4.5+ level.

7.      In addition to achieving Club ratings by virtue of this process, on a      quarterly basis (dates to be established and published at a later date), the Club will move up members’ Club Rating Level under the following circumstances:

a.       The member requests that their Club Rating be increased based upon their current DUPR Rating (which is not “provisional”).

b.      The member has at least 20 matches recorded in their DUPR profile.

c.       The Club has or is provided with evidence that the member’s current DUPR Rating  is at least .50 higher than their current Club Rating.  For example, a member with a current Club Rating of 3.0 has a current DUPR Rating of 3.62 during one of the pre-established, quarterly review periods; in that scenario, the Club would raise the member’s Club Rating to 3.5 (if so requested by that member).

8.     If a member does not want to wait until one of the 4 quarterly time periods to be re-rated, they will need to participate in one of the aforementioned Club-scheduled DUPR Rating Clinics that is appropriate for the Rating Level they desire to achieve – their Club Rating will then depend on their DUPR Rating at the completion of that Clinic as noted above.

9.      Please note that for the foreseeable future, the Club will not unilaterally lower the Club Rating Level of a member under any circumstances.  Members may ask, however, that their Club Rating Level be lowered if they so desire for medical or other personal reasons. 

We do not anticipate that in 2023 there will be a lot of DUPR play sessions beyond the DUPR Rating Clinics that the Club will be offering as noted above.  That being said, if there is demand for additional DUPR sessions the Club may consider offering, for example, DUPR ladder sessions; as well, members may participate in tournaments which, eventually, will likely have their results reflected in DUPR (DUPR is currently working with Pickleball Brackets and developing their own tournament software capabilities to facilitate this process).

The Club appreciates your patience as we work through this process of integrating DUPR into our member ratings regime.  We would appreciate your feedback recognizing that circumstances may change over time, and we may learn things that cause us to alter the rating framework laid out in this correspondence.  Please send any questions, comments or concerns via e-mail to the Communications Director by February 28^th.  The feedback will be summarized, consolidated and put before the Rating Committee for consideration and potential changes before seeking approval for the implementation plan by the SAPC Board.

Until Next Time Keep Your Paddle up!    

In this issue:

Rating Process Changes	Annual General Meeting
Level 1 Sports - Play Options	Club Tournaments - Save the Dates
Lung Association Tournament

Changes to Player Rating Processes

As noted in our January 30^th Newsletter, the Club is considering changes to the way member players are rated.  Specifically, the Club is considering adopting a performance-based ratings system called the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR for short) to establish a Club rating for new members who want to be rated and existing members who wish to be re-rated.

As also noted in that Newsletter, a Rating Committee was formed to learn more about DUPR and determine whether it may be a good fit for the Club.

The Club has reached out to DUPR representatives, created a Club DUPR account and become familiar with how this software works.  In addition, the Club did a trial run using DUPR for 4.0 players playing at the Level 1 Sports venue earlier this winter.

Here are some of the findings based upon this research:

Advantages of DUPR and Performance-Based Ratings

• Performance based rating systems like DUPR determine a player’s score by assessing the actual, validated game scores entered by (or on behalf of) each player.  The accuracy of the score is enhanced as more games are entered, but the score is more objective than the scoring used by human performance evaluators.

• As it is more objective, a performance-based rating system is likely to result in fewer claims that the result is “unfair” or inappropriate.

• It can be more economical to run a performance-based rating system than a human-evaluated rating clinic. 

• The rating process may be less stressful given that you don’t have the feeling that “someone is watching you” – you simply need to play pickleball and the rating result flows from your play.

Disadvantages

• Members must register with another IT system and learn how to use it (it should be noted, however, that registration is easy and takes only minutes).

• The Club must manage and maintain another IT system.

• In a performance-based rating, players won’t get an assessment of    each of their skills, so they won’t receive specific guidance regarding  the skills they need to work on in order to achieve a higher rating.

• Players may alter their play during DUPR recorded sessions potentially resulting in less fun for those on court. 

Having conducted this research, the Rating Committee members unanimously  recommended the adoption of the DUPR system in some form, given the obvious benefits to the Club (which outweigh the disadvantages in their opinion), by virtue of the following resolution:

“The Rating Committee recommends that SAPC adopt a performance-based rating system called DUPR subject to the development of a suitable implementation plan and SAPC member feedback”

The SAPC Board accepted this Rating Committee recommendation at their regular monthly meeting on February 6^th.

The Board has now tasked the Rating Committee with the development of a detailed implementation plan for a new ratings process regime. Once completed, elements of this implementation plan outlining key changes to the current ratings process regime will be shared with SAPC members for their feedback before ratification by the Board (which, time permitting, is tentatively scheduled for March 6^th).

Annual General Meeting

As members may or may not be aware, the SAPC Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place next month on March  8, 2023.  Some of what takes place at the AGM is the election of Board members and other key positions.  You will be receiving notifications of how to register for and participate in this very important meeting.  Stay tuned!

Level 1 Sports Venue - More Play Options

Would you like to "rent a court" for a small group of members, family or friends?  

Details of these sessions have been added to the Level 1 Sports Calendar on the SAPC Website.  Please note that event details may evolve as we adapt to our members' take up of these great play opportunities.

You can book your court for next week starting this morning (Friday).  Talk to your friends and book your court now - it's a great price and you play on a surface that is easy on your body!

As noted in previous Newsletters, details are as follows:

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we have "Group Reserved Play" for each of the six courts.  

GROUP RESERVED PLAY - How does it work?

• A group may be four or more people.

• Only one person reserves the court.  The reserver must be a member.  Other group members may be non-members.

• A member may book up to 2 courts each day.

• A separate reservation must be made for each court.

• Fee is 10 stickers per court, payable upon arrival (that works out to $33.50/court)

• Stickers must be purchased in advance.  The club does not sell stickers at the facility.

• Reservations can be made through the Level 1 Sports Calendar (click here)

This "Group Reserved Play" or "Book-a-court" play is perfect for many classes or types of players - casual players, recreational players, "70-plus" players or unrated players who wish to play amongst themselves.  Of course, it is also suited to groups wanting competitive play, tournament prep, or court drills.  

Drop-In Play

Tournaments for 2023 - Save the Date!

Please note the following dates for our 2023 Tournaments.  Please put these dates into your calendar and start to make your plans to attend as a participant or volunteer:

June 10 to 11 - Members Only, Fun Tournament

July 14 to 16 - Sanctioned Tournament

September 16 - Members Only, Fun Tournament

If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor for one or all of these upcoming tournaments, please let Roger or Ken know.  You can find the opportunities available by clicking here.

Lung Association Tournament

Speaking of tournaments, the Lung Association is holding a charitable pickleball tournament in support of Breathing Space, Canada’s 1^st home away from home for lung transplant patients and families.  Families in remote communities must travel to Edmonton, AB for a life saving transplant and this home will significantly ease the financial burden for the out of pocket expenses they must incur.   

Tournament Details are as follows:

Location:  EVP Centre, 9455 45 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Friday MAY 5, 2023 | 6-10 PM

• Cheer on local celebrities and pickle ball pros
• There will be music, food live and silent auctions

Saturday, MAY 6, 2023 - ALL DAY

• Price: $70 Per Player (Includes Snacks, Beverages, Medals and lots of fun!)
• Round Robin Format
• Levels 2.5 - 4.0+
• Find more info at Info@ablung.ca or call 1-888-774-5864

Until next time, keep your paddle up!    

Player Rating Freeze

The St. Albert Pickleball Club hereby announces an immediate freeze on the acceptance of ratings from any raters or any club pending the ratings process review that is currently underway and the receipt of the recommendations of the Rating Committee created for this purpose.

There is a growing risk, if we accept a multitude of other evaluations, each with different thresholds and different evaluators, that the value and stability of our past and recent ratings will be diluted, diminished and devalued.  While we know our rating system must change, we hope to guide this change in a way that sees us moving to another system that gives consistent, stable results and, ideally, is even more objective and verifiable than our former system.  Accepting ratings from a variety of different evaluators is not likely to provide this stable, verifiable ratings regime.  We ask our members for continued patience while we examine our options in this regard.

The SAPC Board

Until next time, keep your paddle up!