In this issue:

Red Willow Registration / Sign Up

Due to lack of demand and based upon feedback from Club members, the Club has decided to immediately eliminate sign up/registration restrictions for play at our Red Willow Church venue.  The maximum number of registrants will be 10 players per session for a maximum of 2 byes.  The website, including the Red Willow Calendar, will be updated to reflect this change in the coming days.

League Play

The Club would like to thank all of our 4.0+ members for responding to our recent League play survey and providing their feedback.  The Club would especially like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of Ken Dentzien, Dave Fry and all of the League captains and organizers.  Your hard work in this regard is very much appreciated!

In terms of future League play, based primarily on the scarcity of outdoor courts in St. Albert, it has been decided not to offer League play in 2025.

Obviously, there will be 4.0 and/or 4.0+ play sessions offered at Alpine next spring/summer, but these will not be offered in League format.  Should the Club decided to proceed with a pre-registration format, plenty of notice will be provided to allow for an equal opportunity to register by the published deadline for same.

Etiquette for "All Play" Sessions

The Club would like to reminder players in "All Play" sessions that these are "social play" sessions given the wide variety of skill levels in those attending these sessions.  

As noted under the heading of Play Types on our website:

Social Play is a less competitive style of play.  Advanced players play to extend the rally and do not attempt to win points with shots not returnable by the less skilled players on the court.   

For stronger, more skilled players, please consider soft shots rather than drives which tend to scare beginners and less skilled players on the court - we play this game to have fun and not to get intimidated or injured in the process.

Sticker Access During Canada Post Strike

Just a reminder that members can still order indoor play stickers during the Canada Post strike.  Members ordering stickers will receive detailed instructions including the pick up address in an e-mail once your order is processed.  Make sure you watch the sticker pick up instruction video by clicking here as many members are confused about how to pick them up at the address provided.

Board Change

Please note that effective immediately Douwe Spriensma and Jeanine Au have switched their roles on the SAPC Board as approved at a recent Board meeting.  As such, Jeanine will now be our Club Vice President and Douwe is a Director at Large.  We wish both Jeanine and Douwe success in their new roles and thank them both for volunteering in these capacities.

Raise Athletics

Rotary Club Tournament  

Rotary will hold an indoor tournament called "I Love Pickleball" at Raise Athletics on February 15th (Valentine's weekend).

Come for the competition, stay for the cause! Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the game, this tournament is open to all skill levels, with proceeds benefiting local charities.  There will be great prizes!

Registration is live on Pickleball Brackets; register by clicking here.

Pickleball Canada Renewal/Fee Payment

Please be advised that the Club has been working with Pickleball Canada to reconcile our membership numbers.  An informal audit has been performed and we have found some discrepancies including SAPC members who have not paid their Pickleball Canada fees . 

Please note that this scenario will not be an issue for anyone who follows the membership renewal process as posted on our website and provided in membership renewal e-mails.

All our members should know that renewing your Pickleball Canada membership is very important because of the insurance coverage they provide to individuals with active memberships.

A follow up audit/reconciliation process will take place early in the new year and e-mail warnings will be sent out to inform each member for which there is a discrepancy.  Those e-mails will include specific instructions for how to rectify the discrepancy.  If you get one of these e-mails, we ask that you take the recommended action(s) as soon as possible.  Another review will be done before the end of January to determine which members have not undertaken the requested action(s) to address their membership/fee payment concerns. 

Any members who have not rectified their membership discrepancy will have their SAPC account suspended until further notice.  The consequence of having a suspended membership is that such members will not be able to participate in Club play sessions.  The Venue Manager and all play session captains will be provided with a list of names of all those individuals to enforce this policy.

Club Membership Statistics  

We now have over 1,100 active members!! This sport and our Club are really taking off!  The breakdown of our members at the end of November (with comparative figures for September) are as follows:

                                September      November (Current)   Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                    348                              397                       49

2.5 Rating                      47                                47                        

3.0 Rating                    157                             160                          3 

3.5 Rating                    263                             263

4.0 Rating                    186                             185                        (1)

4.5+ Rating                    54                               56                           2

Total Members       1055                          1108                      53

In this issue:

Conclusion to Outdoor Play / Thank You to Volunteers

From Eileen (as Venue Manager):

Saturday October 19th was the closing of our Alpine outdoor season.  As we close out the season and move to indoor play, I want to thank all of our awesome volunteers!  Special thanks to the following individuals:

• Wally Peltonen who kept our storage areas sorted and kept us up to date with our ball supply 

• Jeanine who kept on top of our first aid supplies

• Our captains for all of the hours you volunteered for our members

• Our DUPR captains as there is so much work behind the scenes completed so that members can just show up and play!  A special shout out to Kim Sabourin and Cathy Anderson! 

• Our League organizers and team captains

• Judy Murray and those who helped with the cleaning of the courts

• Nela for our binder creator  and for all of the sheet which she organizes

• Our tournament director Ken, Ron Yanew for chairing the social committee and all those who volunteered at the tournaments in so many different capacities

• Gary Cheetham our organizer and leader of coaching for Special Olympics and all of the coaches

• Nicole Currie our head trainer who organizes the mentoring and  for the coaches who mentor our members and for the coaches who coach the school students

• Nela, our binder creator, for all of the sheets which she organizes

What a team of volunteers we have!!  We are an awesome Club!!! 

Club Presents to City Council

The outdoor pickleball players of St. Albert have already outgrown the space at our Alpine and Larose courts.   St. Albert's outdoor courts are full and demand for more play continues to grow at more than 20% per year.   More outdoor courts are needed ASAP!

Your club has worked to inform our City and, in particular, our City Council of this need for more courts.

Our latest presentation to City Council, which was on October 15, 2024, may be seen by clicking on this link.  In this video, go to:

• Minute 4:28 to 9:40 to hear our President Eileen's 5-minute presentation
• Minute 9:40 ++ to hear Council's questions to Eileen and our Club's responses
• Minute 32:00 to 44:00 to hear Council's pickleball-related questions to City administration

Club members showed their support for new courts by attending our President's presentation to City Council on October 15.

Thanks to the SAPC Facilities Team for all they are doing to help build our pickleball future in St. Albert!

New Venues

Raise Athletics

Our Venue Manager has negotiated an arrangement with the management of an exciting new indoor venue called Raise Athletics which is located in Riel Business Park at 2A, 9 Richardson Drive in St. Albert.  This brand new massive sports facility is due to open in just a couple of weeks!

Raise Athletics Club play sessions will begin in just a few short weeks and registrations are already open - visit the Raise Athletics Calendar by clicking on this link.

YEG Pickleball

Please stay tuned regarding an opportunity for our members to play at another new facility called YEG Pickleball at 14025 156 St in Edmonton.  These sessions will be advertised soon in our Calendars and eligible members for each level of play will receive an invitation shortly.

Thanks Eileen for all of your hard work to develop these exciting new play opportunities for our members!

September Outdoor Play Statistics

In case you are interested in numbers, please see the Alpine outdoor play statistics for August below:

Rating Level              Attendees

         2.5                              439

         3.0                              334

         3.5                              861

         3.5+                            336

         4.0+                            397

         4.5+                              24

         ALL                             175

          70+                              65

    League Play                  120

    Partner Play                 258

      3.0 DUPR                       76

      3.5 DUPR                    115

Total Attendance      3,009

By comparison, August attendance was 2,440, July saw 2,360 attendees, June had 2003 participants and May attendance was 1,820.

Club Membership Statistics  

We now have over 1,000 active members!! This sport and our Club are really taking off!  The breakdown of our members at the end of September (with comparative figures for August) are as follows:

                                   August       September (Current)   Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                   341                          348                                7   

2.5 Rating                     43                             47                                4

3.0 Rating                   157                          157                                

3.5 Rating                   257                          263                                6        

4.0 Rating                   183                          186                                3          

4.5+ Rating                   54                            54                          

Total Members      1035                      1055                              20  

In this issue:

Dear SAPC Members, please note that it is that time of year where we transition to indoor play.  Such play takes place at various St. Albert Schools, Red Willow Church and the One Possession facility.

As such, it is important to reiterate some recent messaging in order to refresh your memory and to avoid the questions that inevitably arise at this time of year.

Indoor Calendars

Did you know that there are Calendars which show all play sessions that pertain to each level of play?  You will find all of our Calendars on the SAPC website.  For example if you are at the 3.5 level, just click on that Calendar (Rated 3.5 Calendar under the heading "Calendar by Rating and Training"), and you will only see the sessions that you are eligible to play in.  For new members especially, please note that the school venues are drop in sessions requiring 1 sticker and the Red Willow sessions are for pre-registered play requiring 2 stickers.  If you don't have stickers, they can be ordered from the online "Store" on the website by clicking on this link after signing in.  

Please note that these Calendars do change from time to time, so it is best practice to verify the date, time and venue of your session before attending by quickly going to the appropriate website Calendar (click here).

As an example, we do not get every Monday if play is scheduled at a school so you should check and not assume!

Reserved Play at Red Willow

Red Willow events/play sessions will open for registration the Friday before at 12:00:01 am (in case you're wondering, this is just after midnight at the end of Thursday).  You can only register for 1 session.   This is to allow everyone a chance to play at least 1 session at Red Willow.  However after 36 hours (noon Saturday) you can register for as many sessions as you want.  Important : if you register for more than 1 session you will be asked to cancel one.  Also, if you register for extra sessions BEFORE noon Saturday you will have to cancel.  In respect of other members trying to register, please ensure you wait until NOON on Saturday before registering for additional Red Willow sessions.  As you can appreciate, once one person registers early, it then it encourages others to want to follow suit; this is frustrating for those who are patiently waiting and, potentially, see that the last spot available is taken prematurely.  So, to be fair, anyone registering early will have to cancel.

Please note that registration play and attendance is capped at 12 members - 11 members who register and 1 spot for the session captain.  Registered play at Red Willow costs 2 stickers.  Members should not hesitate to go on the waitlist if the session is full; there are often cancellations.  If there is a cancellation, the first person on the waiting list will receive an email - please cancel/advise quickly if you are no longer interested or available so that the open position can be filled.

Please attend the session you have registered for!  If you arrive at Red Willow to attend a session for which you have not registered, you will not be allowed to attend.

Please help out the captains who are starting the first and last sessions of the day.  Kindly, assist in the set up and taking down the nets, putting away the chairs, etc.

You may now enter the Red Willow foyer early and wait for your session to begin.  We highly recommend everyone be there 10 minutes early.   This will give you time to get ready and to be signed in and paid as the captain may bring the sign in sheet outside the gym!   Please stay to the side in the foyer allowing the group that is leaving space to collect their coats/shoes and to easily leave the venue.  The captain will invite players into the gym a couple minutes before the hour so they may be ready to play.   Members should not leave any valuables in the foyer as the Church and Club will not be responsible for loss nor theft.

No one is permitted to enter Red Willow for the first session until 8:45am - this is a strict start time.  As such, we ask that if you are registered for the first session of the day that you please be on time in order to help get the session started on time.  We will plan on each session having cleared the gym a few minutes before the end time of the session; that will allow the gym to be cleared of players before the next group goes in.

One Possession

One Possession Academy is now an indoor venue for pre-registered 6 week session play.   Check the Calendar by clicking here.   Play at this facility is scheduled to begin on September 30th. 

Indoor Play - Things to Note/Remember  

Membership Cards

A reminder to everyone to bring their SAPC membership card to all our sessions and events.  The card can be printed or displayed on a member's smartphone and will indicate the member's date of membership and current rating level.  This is particularly important for new members and members who have recently achieved a new SAPC rating level.  This becomes important for all members come January or February at which time everyone needs to provide proof of their 2025 membership renewal.  As noted in previous Newsletters, don't forget to bring your stickers (see more about stickers below).  You will also need a pair of clean, indoor athletic shoes for your indoor play.  Finally, keep yourself refreshed by bringing a water bottle or two (no other beverages are permitted at our indoor venues).   We encourage safety glasses as well.

Arrive on Time

It is important for members to be at the school venues on time as we are not to disturb the school caretakers by ringing the school bell.  Instead, the captain will assign someone to "man the door" at the start of the session.  No one will be allowed to enter the school once ten minutes has passed beyond the scheduled start time for each session.  Doors cannot be propped open at any time.  Play  is considered “drop in” only because you do not have to register - you must be on time!

Play Type

Depending on the numbers of members playing at the school venues, the play type may be paddle play or round robin as determined by the play session captain.

School Venues

Entry to the schools is by the main door.  Members will place outdoor shoes just inside the foyer.  All other belongings are to be brought inside the gym.  There is no leaving the school gyms to wander through the schools at any time.  Washrooms are accessible within all of the gyms except for Holy Family - their washrooms are just outside of the gym.

Visitors

There will be no visitors accepted for indoor play as space is limited and with over 1035 members we need the space for the members.

Nets at Indoor Venues 

Please ensure you know how to put up and take down nets when offering to help captains as doing it incorrectly causes problems. 

Click on the following link for a video by Sean McCartan (thanks Sean!) on putting up and taking down a pickleball net.

PORTABLE PICKLEBALL NET ASSEMBLY

DUPR Rating Clinics

DUPR rating clinics will be held throughout the winter months.  Watch the calendar but also note that those eligible will receive an email invitation.

In this issue:

Volunteers Needed for Student Training

We have some student training coming up pretty quickly for September and we need 12 volunteers for each session. 

We need to know as soon as possible (before September 7th) who can help as  the schedule needs to be in place .  

All sessions take place at the Larose courts.  The dates and times we need volunteers for are as follows: 

1) Friday, September 13th  1:30 - 2:45 (25 students, grade 7 and 8) 

2) Tuesday, September 17th 10:30 am - 12:15 pm (25 students, grade 6)

3) Wednesday Sept 18: 10:30 am - 12:15 pm (35 students, grades 4 & 5) 

4) Wednesday Sept 25: 10:30 am - 12:15 pm (35 students, grades 4 & 5) 

5) Thursday Sept 26:  10:30 am - 12:15 pm (25 students, grade 6)

Please respond with the dates that you can volunteer, as soon as possible - by no later than September 7th.

If you have trained before that is well and good, but there will be some training plans for student groups which will be sent  out later.

This student training means a lot to our club, to the schools, and to the City of St. Albert, and your help is very much appreciated. 

E-mail Nancy Abrahamson by click here if you can help out.

Scheduling updates will be sent out once all information is sorted.

Volunteer Opportunity - Alpine Court Signage

Pauline McCormick, one of our Club members, has recommended that the Club put up signage at the Alpine outdoor pickleball courts.  Furthermore, Pauline has agreed to lead the process of designing this sign for which the Club has received detailed specs related to same.   Thanks Pauline!!

If you or someone you know has graphic design experience, Pauline could use your help.  Just send Pauline an e-mail briefly describing your interest in helping out with this effort and some details regarding your associated skill set.

Call for Captains for Indoor Play 

Captains  are needed for the following sessions (except where indicated otherwise, we only have one captain for each of these sessions and it is obviously very important to have 2 in order to provide backup and share duties): 

Bertha Kennedy ALL sessions Monday 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Red Willow 2.5/unrated Monday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (no captains)

Bertha Kennedy 4.0+ sessions Tuesday 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Red Willow 2.5/unrated sessions Monday 3:00 to 5:00 pm

Bertha Kennedy 2.5/unrated  sessions Wednesday 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm 

Bertha  Kennedy  ALL sessions Saturday 2:30 pm to 4:45 pm

JJ nearing 2.5/unrated sessions Thursday 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Red Willow 2.5/unrated sessions Thursday 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Lois E Hole ALL sessions Friday 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

If anyone can help captain at any of these sessions please contact our venue manager at venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca.

Please Note:  Indoor play at our school venues will begin the week of September 30th.

August Outdoor Play Statistics 

In case you are interested in numbers, please see the Alpine outdoor play statistics for August below:

Rating Level              Attendees

         2.5                              223

         3.0                              248

         3.5                              540

         3.5+                            281

         4.0+                            299

         4.5+                              26

         ALL                             230

          70+                              36

    League Play                  180

    Partner Play                 186

      3.0 DUPR                       76

      3.5 DUPR                    115

Total Attendance      2,440

By Comparison, July attendance was 2,360; June saw 2,003 participants and May attendance was 1,820.

Registration for Play sessions at the One possession venue at 320 Circle drive in St. Albert will open September 8th at midnight.  Play sessions will begin the week of September 30th.  These are six week sessions at a cost of $45.00.  Please read the description on the registration so that you fully understand how a play session works!   You may find these sessions on the One Possession Play Calendar by clicking here.

We now have over 1,000 active members!! This sport and our Club are really taking off!  The breakdown of our members at the end of August (with comparative figures for July) are as follows:

                                      July           August  (Current)        Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                   329                          341                              12   

2.5 Rating                     42                             43                                1

3.0 Rating                   155                          157                                2

3.5 Rating                   254                          257                                3        

4.0 Rating                   181                          183                                2          

4.5+ Rating                   54                            54                              Nil          

Total Members      1015                       1035                             20  

Until next time keep your paddle up!   

In this issue:

Call for Indoor Captains / Indoor Schedules

Please be advised that the Club will be holding Indoor Captains meetings at Red Willow Church on September 4th from 9:00 to 10:30 am and later the same day from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

You should note that the Indoor Calendars have now been posted to the website (yeahhhhh!).  Indoor play will begin on September 30th (or possibly even later dependent on the weather).

Please consider stepping forward to become a captain at the schools or at Red Willow Church.

A team of  two or three members is ideal for each session to share the commitments.

At the meetings the procedures for being an indoor captain will be explained step by step.  For those who have not done this before - don't fear it's a pretty straightforward and simple process - and you get to meet and interact with a lot of nice people!

Please respond to the venue manager by clicking here to let Eileen know what session you plan to attend.

This is a wonderful way to give back to the Club as we cannot have play sessions without our captains. Thank you for considering this opportunity to volunteer.

Thanks to Our Volunteers

We had over 50 folks attend the volunteer thank you on August 10th.  It was a great turnout and the weather cooperated.  Art and Jeanine did a great job organizing the event including signage and photo opportunities, a great lunch and a wonderful welcoming sign.  Thank you so much for all of your hard work Art and Jeanine! 

On behalf of the Board Eileen thanked all of our amazing volunteers!

Eileen's Volunteer Thank You:

V is for very;  we are so very thankful for all of you and your volunteering!

O is for outstanding; by giving so many hours to the Club and taking care of so many tasks we are considered a wonderful club - thanks to you for being outstanding!

L is for lucky and loyal; we are lucky that we have you stepping forward and over the years I have seen so many of the same volunteers step forward year after year - for your loyalty, thank you 

U is for unbeatable and unbelievable; for your hours of commitment especially for the seasoned volunteers; we also welcome the new volunteers for stepping forward.

N is for nourishing as you take newbies under your wings!  Your kind actions bring more people stepping forward and we do need that with 1015 members.

T is for terrific and treasured; you are all terrific for all that you do for the Club; you are so treasured for all of your commitment to the Club.

E is for exceptional; the Club is only as good as its volunteers, thank you for being exceptional!

E is for engaging and enthusiastic; by being engaged in volunteering and carrying out your volunteering with enthusiasm, everything runs so smoothly.

R is for remarkable and respect; last but not least, you are all remarkable and we respect you so much for all of your hard work (sometimes daily for many of you).

So thank you, muchas gratias, danke, gor a maith agat, merci - for all that you do!!!

Three cheers for our incredible volunteers!!!

Available Volunteer Roles

Safety Coordinator:

What are the tasks associated with this role?

• Itemize the first aid kits and document their placement

• Prepare and maintain first aid kits for use in various venues

• Order restock items when required

• Monitor the upkeep of the AED Machine (battery life, etc.)

Training will be provided.

Time commitment - 5 hours/year.

If you are interested please respond to:

venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca 

Rating Coordinators:

Looking for 2 members to join the rating coordination team to assist with the preparation of rating clinics.

Preferred Competencies of Rating Coordinators: 

• Eagerness to learn
• Organizational and interpersonal skills
• Basic knowledge of Excel is required
• Familiar with Pickleball Brackets software
• Assist the leads with other tasks

Training will be provided.

Time commitment - 3 to 5 hours/month.

If you are interested please respond to:

rating1@pickleballstalbert.ca

Facilities Task Team Committee Members:

We are looking for individuals to join our Facilities Task Team to help promote  and advocate for a new 20+ outdoor court facility in St. Albert.

The FT Team has 2 main work streams at this time:

1.  Outdoor Facilities

a.)   Research possible land available for courts.

b.)  Apply for grants, seek sponsors to support and sponsor new outdoor courts; work with COSA in the process of getting courts built. 

This new court initiative will take significant effort over the next 2 years. 

2.  Indoor Facilities

• Work with indoor facility operators to secure additional winter/indoor court times

SAPC members with new ideas and backgrounds suited to either of these mandates would be especially appreciated.   For example, we would love to have folks with the following skills and abilities to volunteer for this role:

• Insights in facilities operating and capital project costs. 
• Experience with Strategic Planning and risk assessment in a business setting 
• Negotiating skills in private and public business setting

If you are interested, please contact Eileen at:

president@pickleballstalbert.ca

July Outdoor Play Statistics 

In case you are interested in numbers, please see the Alpine outdoor play statistics for July below:

Rating Level              Attendees

         2.5                              146

         3.0                              113

         3.5                              610

         3.5+                            182

         4.0+                            312

         4.5+                              29

         ALL                             262

          70+                              52

    League Play                  180

    Partner Play                 236

      3.0 DUPR                       92

      3.5 DUPR                    146

Total Attendance      2,360

By Comparison, June total attendance was 2,003 and May was 1,820.

Get your Stickers for Indoor Play

We now have over 1,000 active members!! This sport and our Club are really taking off!  The breakdown of our members at the end of July (with comparative figures for June) are as follows:

                                    June           July (Current)       Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  317                          329                      12   

2.5 Rating                    39                            42                         3

3.0 Rating                  151                          155                        4

3.5 Rating                  254                          254                        0        

4.0 Rating                  187                          181                       (6)

4.5+ Rating                  46                            54                         8          

Total Members       994                        1015                      21

Until next time keep your paddle up!   

In this issue:

Special Meeting re Pickleball Alberta

There will be a general society meeting of the SAPC  membership to discuss and vote on the matter of the SAPC affiliation with Pickleball Alberta.   Watch for an  email invitation to attend  and register for this general meeting to be held July 30th at Red Willow Church in St. Albert.

Member Integrity

Dear members,

SAPC is particularly protective of the quality of play offered to members -- a quality that depends on the integrity of its rating regime.  We know many members find fair play, with members of similar skills, to be the most enjoyable play around, and we know that protecting that play is vital to the sustainment and growth of our membership levels.  It matters to you, so it matters to your Board and all the volunteers who make our club work.  Recently DUPR has shared with the Board that a case has been found of a DUPR member participating in the use of fake DUPR accounts and the entry or validation of fake games into DUPR.  The fake games elevated this member's DUPR rating. In this regard, the Board wishes to remind our members that, should anyone take such unethical actions, that are counter to SAPC values and damages the Club’s reputation and integrity, they will face severe consequences.

Your SAPC Board

Member Handbook

Special thanks to Dave Klein for updating a document he created for the Club - The Member Handbook.  The updated handbook is on the website and can be viewed by clicking here.

It is an excellent handbook (one that we have shared with many clubs across Canada).  When other clubs were checking out our website they asked for permission to use this handbook.

Excerpt from the handbook:

“Whether you are a new or long-time member of the SAPC, this Handbook is important for you to read. It contains information that you will be expected to know when playing pickleball not just in St. Albert, but at one of the many clubs across Alberta, North America, and the world. The purpose of this document is to teach you how to play pickleball safely, smartly, and respectfully as an SAPC member. Pickleball is a fun sport, but only when everyone on the court understands and follows the basic “rules of the road”, which keep everyone safe and help keep the game running smoothly. Please let this Member Handbook guide your behaviour when playing not just at our Club, but at other clubs as well." 

Outdoor Play at Alpine

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

Almost 1,000 members have renewed their memberships for 2024.  The breakdown of those members at the end of June (with comparative figures for May) are as follows:

                                     May              June  (Current)       Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  327                          317                         (10)   

2.5 Rating                    34                            39                             5

3.0 Rating                  141                          151                          10

3.5 Rating                  247                          254                            7        

4.0 Rating                  184                          187                            3

4.5+ Rating                  43                            46                            3          

Total Members       976                         994                         18

Until next time keep your paddle up!  

In this issue:

2024 Tournaments

League Play 4.0+ Update

There has been overwhelming interest in the new League play format this spring. Unfortunately, the creation of this new play format for 4.0+ members has highlighted the fact that we lacked proper processes, documentation and communication for the following:

• the rules governing this mode of play  

• job descriptions for the organizers, the league captains and scheduler

The resulting poor communications, lack of understanding, last minute changes and lack of transparency resulted in a number of concerns and complaints raised by our members. 

The Board apologizes for not being proactive in organizing League play adequately and the distress and frustration this caused for many of our members. 

Please be assured that with help from the volunteers involved, the Board is hard at work in addressing this issue.  Very shortly, a detailed report will go out the 4.0+ Club members with specifics about the nature of the complaints and actions that will be taken by the associated volunteers and the Board to address this issue both for the current season and in the future.

Mentoring Sessions

We have mentoring sessions scheduled for June and July as noted below.

Mentoring sessions are at 11 am to 1 pm on Saturdays at the Alpine outdoor courts.  

In June we will have :

June 22nd - Level 2.5

June 24th - Level 3

In July we have:

July 13th - Level 2.5

July 20th - Level 4

July 27th - Level 3

July 6th - Level 3.5

A week before each session members for the specific Club Rating Level that is being mentored, as noted above, will be made aware that registration is opening soon.  Shortly after you will receive an email advising registration is now open. 

Important Change to Note:

We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity for mentoring so members should only register for one mentoring session this summer.  Only if there is an opening the day before the session can a member register for another session.  Furthermore, if you participated in one of the last few indoor mentoring sessions, please give others a chance to register first for these outdoor sessions.

Cancelled Outdoor Play Sessions

Non-SAPC Tournaments

We have been asked to advertise the following tournaments on behalf of other clubs in our province:

Medicine Hat Pickleball Club

The Medicine Hat Pickleball Club is extending an invitation to all members to come play in the Medicine Hat Pickleball Open Tournament on Friday, July 5th to Sunday July 7th, 2024.  For more information check the following link:

Medicine Hat Pickleball Club Open Tournament

According to MHPC they have a beautiful outdoor 20 court facility with state of the art courts and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Hat in July!!!

St. Albert Rotary Club

The Rotary Club is holding a fund raising tournament on June 15th and June 16th.  This event is a fundraising effort for St Albert community projects.   If you are interested click this link. 

If you have any questions or still want to volunteer, please contact Daniela at ionitescudaniela@gmail.com to see if there are any opportunities available.

We look for forward to seeing you there!!

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

976 members have already renewed their memberships for 2024.  The breakdown of those members at the end of May (with comparative figures for April) are as follows:

                                   April              May  (Current)      Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  264                         327                           

2.5 Rating                    28                           34                             6

3.0 Rating                  135                         141                            6

3.5 Rating                  219                         247                          28        

4.0 Rating                  158                         184                          26

4.5+ Rating                  19                            43                          24          

Total Members        823                        976                        153

Note: The substantial percentage increase in 4.0+ members can at least partially be attributed to the launch of the new 4.0+ League format play in May, 2024.

Until next time keep your paddle up!   

In this issue:

2024 Tournaments

League Play - 4.0+

We are presently working on getting league play organized and will be sending an e-mail very shortly to all 4.0 and higher players with details on how to register.  We hope to start play on May 9th.  If you plan to register for this League play, please make sure that your membership details are in order and that you are an active, paid up member including Pickleball Canada, Alberta and SAPC; any members who register without meeting these criteria will be rejected.

Call for Volunteers

Please note that our Club needs volunteers in many areas in order to operate effectively - that includes having captains for ALL Club play sessions, rating coordinators for DUPR rating play sessions, tournament volunteers, administrative and scheduling functions, etc., etc. 

Thanks to all those who have volunteered in the past, are currently volunteering or have plans to do so later this year.  The Club will be holding a volunteer appreciation day for all of our fall/winter season volunteers on June 1st (if it rains on June 1st the event will be moved to June 2nd).  We will keep you posted with more details as the month of June approaches.

Also, keep an eye out for e-mails from our membership team on the topic of volunteers as the summer season progresses.  Please consider volunteering your skills and time to support our Club and your fellow members as these opportunities arise.

Updated Code of Conduct

Often the volunteer will not report because the offender may well create more unpleasantness for them in the next session. When the board approaches the offending party, they will have checked with a couple of persons present as to what happened, and the name(s) of who sent the report will not be divulged.

This takes courage but it is worth doing.  If we do nothing, then the bullies will win and they will not magically change their ways. Past experience is that a little bit of support and proper enforcement will take care of the problem.

4. Members will treat all people that volunteer to help run the club with courtesy and respect, complying with all reasonable requests in a courteous manner.

14. Members are expected to help create an environment that supports the dignity of, and equity for all members and which is free of discrimination, bullying, harassment or rudeness.

15. To maintain a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, members will report to the board any incidents that diminished the enjoyment of club activities for themselves, other members or volunteers. The Board will then decide on appropriate follow up.

Alpine Outdoor Play (from Eileen)

Alpine sessions are opening Monday 22nd.  Please note that all members should have their current, valid membership cards ready to show to captains at ALL times.  Members must sign in with full name and write legibly.  Captains will only accept active membership cards as evidence of a member's rating level.  Captains will not review nor accept "evidence" of a rating that has not been approved by the rating coordinators (for example your DUPR or Tournament rating).  If you have requested a change in your rating level, please note that our captains cannot accept your new, higher rating level until that rating has been approved by our rating coordinators and updated on the SAPC website; once that occurs, the member can access and/or print their membership card reflecting their new rating level.  

Please watch the Outdoor Play Calendar, Facebook updates and WhatsApp group chat for possible changes due to weather and cancellations.  Any such cancellations will come through social media due to time constraints.

If you haven’t joined these groups please consider doing so.  The  WhatsApp groups that are set up for each rating level are a great for  organizing social play with other members as well as other pickleball related communication.  Go to the SAPC website and under the members tab you will find links to join these social media groups.

Please note that during May and June many St. Albert schools will have  times assigned to them on the Alpine courts; it is impossible to note all of these changes in the Outdoor Play Calendars because of the variety of times.  A communication explaining all of this will be sent out during the last week of April.

All sessions are drop in except for the following sessions which require pre-registration:

• Partner play (see more details below)

• DUPR play sessions - the 3.0 on Monday evening and 3.5 on Wednesday evening 

• League play on Thursday evenings for 4.0+ (see the article above for further details)

Please Note:

• Be ON TIME for Round Robin sessions (we recommend 10 to 15 minutes before the official start time)

• Before Club play has started members are expected to use their own pickleballs.

• Members must never go into the Captain's bag 

• If members hit a ball outside of the court they are expected to retrieve it after the game, not at the end of the session

• Only water is allowed on the courts (many members do like to socialize outside the courts at the nearby picnic table)

• The City will have a port-a-potty in place starting May 1st

Partner Play

Members need to register for Partner Play sessions.  The sessions open on the Friday at 12:01 am.  Only ONE member of the team only needs to register.

It is so important that if you register for partner play and you cannot attend, please cancel as there are always people on the waitlist.

If you are a no show for Partner Play this will be noted and if this happens a second time, you will not be allowed to register in the future as this causes so much extra work for the captains and there are always too many members on the waiting list.   

Have fun and enjoy another wonderful outdoor pickleball season!

Thanks,

Eileen McClean

Special Olympics update from Gary C.

Do you love pickleball and find it personally rewarding to help out others? Have we got an opportunity for you!

The 2023 inaugural year of Special Olympics pickleball was such a success that we just had to do it again this year.   We are so lucky to have almost all of last year's volunteer coaches returning, but there is a need for another 6 to 8 coaches. 

The plan is to run the program Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 7:45 pm at Alpine from June 4 to July 23 inclusive. We play on courts 7 through12 with 2 to 4 coaches per court depending on the need.

Gary Cheetham is the program lead, providing support and direction to make the experience enjoyable for everyone.

Here are the requirements:

• Patience and a desire to share your love of the game with an enthusiastic group of new players with an intellectual disability
  

• The ability to pass a vulnerable sector check (VSC). There is no cost and the form is provided for you to take to your local police detachment (you do not have to be a resident of St Albert)
  

• Complete a 1.5 hour Sport Alberta online module that helps prepare you to be a successful coach of Special Olympic athletes

Please call or text Gary at (780)901-0005 by April 30th if you are interested in getting involved.

Non-SAPC Tournaments

We have been asked to advertise the following tournaments on behalf of other clubs in our province:

Medicine Hat Pickleball Club

The Medicine Hat Pickleball Club is extending an invitation to all members to come play in the Medicine Hat Pickleball Open Tournament on Friday, July 5th to Sunday July 7th, 2024.  For more information check the following link:

Medicine Hat Pickleball Club Open Tournament

According to MHPC they have a beautiful outdoor 20 court facility with state of the art courts and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Hat in July!!!

St. Albert Rotary Club

The Rotary Club is holding a fund raising tournament on June 15th and June 16th.  This event is a fundraising effort for St Albert community projects. 

Registrations opened on April 15, 2024 just click this link.

They will need referees for the medal games and volunteers for other roles as well. If you are interested, please contact Daniela at ionitescudaniela@gmail.com .

We look for forward to seeing you there!!

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

823 members have already renewed their memberships for 2024.  As is typically the case, many of our members - particularly snowbirds - do not renew their Club membership until spring or early summer.  To that point, we currently have well over a hundred members with a "renewal overdue status".  If the majority of those members were to renew later this year, as we expect, we will have over 1,000 active members!

In terms of those members who have already renewed for 2024, the breakdown of those members as of mid-April (with comparative figures for March) are as follows:

                                  March          April  (Current)      Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  237                      264                           27

2.5 Rating                    28                        28                             0

3.0 Rating                  124                     135                            11

3.5 Rating                  213                     219                              6        

4.0 Rating                  153                     158                              5

4.5+ Rating                  18                       19                               1          

Total Members       773                    823                            50

Until next time keep your paddle up!   

In this issue:

AGM Elections

Treasurer - Laura Spencer 

Director of Communications - Roger Hutlet

Director of Information and Membership - Art Au

Directors at Large - Ken Dentzien and Jeanine Au

Wrapping up 2023

We had another great year in 2023! 

Our members enjoyed thousands of hours of play last year, our programs expanded, and our club grew even larger. This all means that even more connections were made, friendships were expanded and lives were enriched.  Thanks for being one of our friends! 

Key Stats for 2023

• 976  members  at peak (24% growth over 2022)

• 11,263 member plays at organized outdoor sessions

• 8,000 estimated member plays at organized indoor sessions

• 160 school kids trained in 8 beginner lessons

• 348 participants in 59 adult beginner training sessions

• 291 participants in 19 mentoring sessions

• 637 participants in 3 tournaments

• 16 certified referees

• 15 newsletters

• $47.25 adult membership fee

• $136,700 total income

• $65,700 surplus (= contribution to capital reserve for future facilities)

• $173,100 net assets

• Untold amounts of laughter and squeals of joy

All thanks to our many teams of volunteers:

• Play captains

• Venue coordinators and binder administration

• Tournaments (organization, officiating, sponsorship and prizes, etc.)

• Skill rating coordination and development

• Training and mentoring

• Reserved play coordination and play calendar management

• Equipment and facility maintenance

• Facility task force

• Membership and volunteer management

• Communications and social media

• Health

• Social

• Finance and play sticker sales

• Technology

• Nominating, auditing, ombudsperson

• Board 

Further details and facts can be found in the club's Annual Report. 

Call for Captains

Preparations are under way for  the Alpine outdoor season.  

Captains for all levels are needed. 

Captains meetings will take place at Red Willow Church on April 16th from 9:00 to 10:30am in the morning and from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the evening.  If you have not captained before, you should come to one of these two meetings and find out what it involves. 

Anyone interested in volunteering to be a captain should send an email to venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca stating what session(s) you would like to captain and which meeting you plan to attend.

Please respond even if you are already one of our many faithful captains.  We thank all members who volunteer in advance, as we anticipate an overwhelming response - remember, we cannot have organized play without captains.  We appreciate all those members who generously donate their time in this capacity!!

Training and Mentoring

We are always looking for people wanting to help train and mentor our members and guests.

We have again been asked to help train students usually grades 5:00 to 8:00 pm - that starts in May (read more on this below).So that is a lot of training/coaching. If you are interested in joining the training team please message Nicole Currie (nicolecurrie@live.com) and let her know and she will add you to the list.

Every two months an email goes out asking the trainers to sign up for days they are able to help with.  So we try to have a schedule made for two months at a time. 

Student Training

When it comes to the student training, please consider volunteering even if it is just for the students. Usually there are about 29 students so it takes up the courts and it is great if we have 2 trainers per court, as most students are beginners.  The locations and dates for student training are:

Alpine:

Monday, May 13th:   1:00 to 2:30 pm

Tuesday, May 14th:   9:30 to 11:00 am

Friday, May 24th:   1:00 to 2:30 pm 

Friday, May 31st:   1:00 to 2:30 pm

Larose:

Thursday, May 23th:   1:30 to 3:00 pm

Thursday, May 30th:   1:30 to 3:00 pm

Any time you can give would be most appreciated.  Again, if you do have interest, please message Nicole Currie by clicking here. 

Are you interested in taking some member mentoring sessions?   

If so, you should watch the "Introductory Lessons and Training Calendar" for training events coming this outdoor season.  Open any particular training event to read details on the registration opening times.  If the event details say the registration opens at noon, please adhere to that time. Don't sign up even a minute early, even if the system allows this.  We need to be considerate and respect fellow members.  Thanks for making it fair to all (and for allowing us to manually get around the dreaded "midnight opening" for these particular event registrations.)

DUPR Play and Ratings Sessions

We are itching to get outdoors and play in St. Albert -- are you? 

SAPC is pleased to offer even more this season than last.  In particular: 

• The 3.0's have asked for some DUPR play this season and captains have stepped forward to lead this -- so it is a GO!

• We will continue to have 3.5 DUPR play this season too -- and thanks to the captains, new and old, who have stepped forward to lead this too!

• There will again be league play for 4.0's and above.

• There will be some "Aspiring to 3.0" DUPR rating sessions, organized by our busy rating coordinators, for those who do not yet have a club rating (these will be at Bertha Kennedy when most other indoor play moves outdoors).

• All the rest of our organized play will continue.

• We will again put on some special olympics play (watch for an article on this in the next newsletter).

• Our tournament scheduling is also underway and we will keep you posted with details as they are confirmed.

Our play is still limited by court availability and allocations by the City of St. Albert, but we are grateful for what we have!

We don't have a date for the start of outdoor play yet.  That depends on when the City puts up the nets, as usual. And that depends, in turn, on the anticipated weather.  We are, however, now looking for our sunscreen and outdoor runners! 

Questions about DUPR? 

• If you don't yet know about our DUPR play - the best place to start learning is our three web pages at "Skill Levels and Ratings".  See especially the SAPC DUPR Play FAQ page.

• The 3.0 DUPR play dates and times are already posted on the Monday evenings of the Alpine Calendar.  The Thursday before each of these play times (at random times on the Thursday), an invitation will go to all 3.0 club rated players inviting them to register.

• The 3.5 DUPR play will again take place on Wednesday evenings.  These sessions will soon be posted to the Alpine calendar. Invitations for these sessions will also be sent out to all 3.5 rated members on the preceding Thursday.

• Spots are limited in these sessions -- so register early.

• Registered players are placed on a court based on their specific rating. You play 3 or 4 games with the other similarly rated players on that court. After this initial round, the top scoring player on each court moves up a court, the lowest scoring player moves down a court, and you play another round of 4 games.

• Scores are tracked, verified by all players on the court, and entered into DUPR by the lead captains.

• See the event invitations and descriptions for more details.

• To prepare, if you haven't already done so: (i) set up a DUPR account, and (ii) join SAPC on DUPR. There is no cost for this. The specific steps to do this are described on the SAPC DUPR Play FAQ web page.

• By the way -- if you know of any past SAPC members who have not renewed -- tell them to do so right away -- especially if they want to play in any DUPR play or rating session. Those who have joined SAPC on DUPR last year, but have not renewed their SAPC membership, will soon be deleted from SAPC on DUPR. This means they will then have to re-apply via DUPR to join SAPC on DUPR.

Thanks again to our rating coordinators and 2024 DUPR lead captains: Karen C, Jeanine A, Roger B, Kim S, Gord T, Carol A and Daniela I.  And thanks as always to our lead play scheduler and venue manager Eileen M!

The St. Albert Rotary Club

The Rotary Club is holding a fund raising tournament on June 22nd and June 23rd.  This event is a fundraising effort for St Albert community projects. 

Registrations open April 15, 2024 - more details will follow via e-mail and other sources of communication.

They will need referees for the medal games and volunteers for other roles as well. If you are interested, please contact Daniela at ionitescudaniela@gmail.com .

The Rotary Club will arrange for a meeting to organize the volunteers and to assign work that needs to be done.  Again, we will forward details once these are available.

We look for forward to seeing you there!

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

773 members have already renewed their memberships for 2024.  As is typically the case, many of our members - particularly snowbirds - do not renew their Club membership until spring or early summer.  To that point, we currently have hundreds of members with a "renewal overdue status".  If all of those members were to renew later this year, we would have over 1,000 active members!

In terms of those members who have already renewed for 2024, the breakdown of those members as of February (with comparative figures for January) are as follows:

                                February          Mar (Current)       Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  220                     237                         17

2.5 Rating                    20                       28                            8

3.0 Rating                  123                    124                            1

3.5 Rating                  208                    213                            5        

4.0 Rating                  145                    153                            8

4.5+ Rating                  18                      18                            0          

Total Members       734                   773                         39

All members should note that memberships purchased prior to October 1, 2022 expired on December 31, 2023, so we request that if you haven't done so already, you should consider renewing your membership as soon as possible.  For instructions on how to renew your membership, please click on this link (Note: Ensure you are logged in before going past the first screen).

Until next time keep your paddle up!     

In this issue:

Upcoming Board Meeting / Nominations

Treasurer - Laura Spencer 

Director at Large - Douwe Spriesma

A number of the Board positions are up for re-election so members were able to apply for these positions which are as follows:

President - Eileen McClean, will stand

Vice President - currently held by James Porter, will not stand for re-election)

Director at Large (Tournaments) - Ken Dentzien, will stand 

Director of Information and Membership - Art Au, will stand

Director of Communications - Roger Hutlet, will stand 

A Nominating Committee report covering candidates who are interested in the positions will be sent out to all members with the notice of the AGM in the next few days - on or before February 28, 2024.

Indoor Play

Red Willow Play Registration

In respect of other members trying to register, please ensure you wait until NOON on Saturday before registering for additional Red Willow sessions.  Nicole and the Club are very impressed with how many members do watch the time and don’t register early, but we just need to see that everyone honors this time frame. As you can appreciate, once one person registers early, it then it encourages others to want to follow suit; this is frustrating for those who are patiently waiting and, potentially, see that the last spot available is taken prematurely. 

Thanks to Ken Anderson

Thank you Ken for fixing the net at Bertha Kennedy.  We really appreciate the efforts of all indoor players who assist our captains in properly setting up and taking down the nets at our indoor venues - not doing so correctly can be costly and time consuming.

Preparations for Outdoor Season at Alpine

Preparations are under way for  the Alpine outdoor season.  Anyone interested in volunteering to be a captain should send an email to venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca .

Captains meetings will take place at Red Willow Church on April 16th from 9:00 to 10:30am in the morning and from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the evening.

Please respond even if you are already one of our many faithful captains.  We thank all members who volunteer in advance, as we anticipate an overwhelming response - remember, we cannot have the outdoor sessions without captains.  We appreciate all those members who generously donate their time in this capacity!!

Changes to DUPR

As our members will know, for approximately a year now, our Club has adopted DUPR as our predominant player rating system.   Details about DUPR can be accessed from our website by clicking here.  

You should be aware that DUPR is making changes as outlined by their communication to registrants as inserted below:

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January 30, 2024

Dear Player,

Today, we released significant updates to our rating, which will ensure more accuracy, connectivity, consistency, and reliability — and an even better pickleball experience for you.  

Your rating will now take into account: 

1. Points Matter.  Was this a tight match or a blowout? DUPR now evaluates the closeness of the match, so a score of 11-0 will have a bigger impact on your rating than a close match of 11-9 against that same opponent.
2. Recency Matters.  A match you played today will impact your rating more than a match you played six months ago.
   
3. Total Match Count Matters.  If you've played in a lot of matches, your rating will fluctuate less compared to a player with a lower match count.
   
4. Every Match Matters (even against unrated players).  Every match counts towards your rating, even if you are playing against someone who is unrated or new to DUPR.

These updates will be applied across all your match results in our platform, as well as to all future results you submit. Due to this, your rating has gone up!  For a deeper look into the new rating updates, check out our new blog written by DUPR’s Head of Analytics, Scott Mendelssohn.

We are thrilled to bring these improvements to DUPR to support you with a more accurate and more reliable rating. We can’t wait to hear what you think.

DUPR thanks you for your continued support! 

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

734 members have already renewed their memberships for 2024.  As is typically the case, many of our members - particularly snowbirds - do not renew their Club membership until spring or early summer.  To that point, we currently have hundreds of members with a "renewal overdue status".  If all of those members were to renew later this year, we would have over 1,000 active members!

In terms of those members who have already renewed for 2024, the breakdown of those members as of February (with comparative figures for January) are as follows:

                                January          Feb (Current)       Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                  190                     220                     30

2.5 Rating                    16                       20                        4

3.0 Rating                  115                    123                        8

3.5 Rating                  195                    208                      13       

4.0 Rating                  129                    145                      16   

4.5+ Rating                  13                      18                         5            

Total Members        658                   734                      76

All members should note that memberships purchased prior to October 1, 2022 expired on December 31, 2023, so we request that if you haven't done so already, you should consider renewing your membership as soon as possible.  For instructions on how to renew your membership, please click on this link (Note: Ensure you are logged in before going past the first screen).

Until next time keep your paddle up!