In this issue:
| Mentoring |
School Venues |
| Vaccinations |
Indoor Play |
| Facility Strategy - Feedback |
More Thank Yous |
Mentoring
Mentoring is happening once a month on Friday evenings at Bertha Kennedy School. Members can request a place at mentoring by sending an email to training@pickleballstalbert.ca to make their request; when doing so, the Member should state the level that they wish to attend (for example, if you have a 3.0 rating you may state that you want to be mentored for a 3.5 level). The evening will be divided into two sessions and the levels being mentored at each session will depend upon those who are registered (based upon "demand"). The cost for such mentoring is one sticker. There are a few spaces left for the November 19th session. Registration for mentoring each month will start at the beginning of that month. The mentoring coaches cannot do any booking as this is all organized through the training coordinator (Nicki); she will contact each member registered stating the time that they can attend and any other information they need to know.
School Venues
Be on time!
Members are asked to be on time for the venues. We give a window of 15 minutes, however if this is a new venue for you to attend, it is imperative that you be on time to verify your identity, vaccination status, etc. If you arrive early at any venue wait outside until you see the captain access the building.
Joseph Demko
Most venues are accessed through the front door, but Joseph Demko is accessed through the gym door at the back. If you park in the parking lot you will see the basketball court and the double gym door is visible from there. DO NOT go banging on other doors of the school as this has created an incident at the Joseph Demko school. The way to the gym door is very dark with minimal lighting, especially now with the time change so please be careful!
Important: We cannot access Joseph Demko 3.5+ until 6:50. Please do not arrive earlier than this. The access is through the gym door so the captain will watch for the caretaker to open the door.
Sister Alphonse
Sister Alphonse 3.5+ has a new time; future sessions will take place from 6:15 - 9:00 pm on Wednesday evenings.
Be Respectful
We are so lucky to have the venues and by treating the venue and staff respectfully, we have been able to have a great relationship with the schools. Any abusive behaviour or disrespect to the staff will not be accepted and could lead to the member not being granted future access to that venue (or all venues depending on the severity/nature of the incident or encounter).
Vaccinations
We will be changing our process for checking members' vaccination records. As are many other organizations, we will be following the new provincial rules. We believe that this will be a more secure and standardized process for everyone involved. The QR code is effective November 15th provincially; therefore, starting on November 16th, members should bring be prepared to display their Alberta Vaccination QR codes at all SAPC venues. Thank you for your help and cooperation as we make the transition to the new process.
Indoor Play - Other
Playing up
This is a reminder that there is no “playing up “ at this time. In the summer when members had registered for a rating clinic we accommodated them “playing up” as we had 10 courts. However with indoor venues having only 2 to 4 courts we cannot accommodate players playing up.
Red Willow - Captains
With snowbirds travelling south we need captains for Red Willow for 3.0. Please email nicolecurrie@live.com if you are interested and available to captain these sessions.
Facility Strategy - Input Strongly Desired
As noted in our last Newsletter, we have now posted a draft of our new Facilities Strategy - our 5 to 10 year vision for more pickleball facilities in St. Albert. Please note that this document is a work in progress - some blanks need to be filled in and member input is needed to make this strategy even stronger.
Please read the draft strategy, which is now posted on our Plans and Policies web page, or jump straight to the report here.
Have a look and ask yourself - do you share this vision? Is this how we should go about pursuing these new facilities?
After reviewing the draft Facility Strategy document, if you are so inclined, you are strongly encouraged to send an email to the Facilities Task Force c/o Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca with the subject line: Facilities Strategy - Member Comment. In your email, please identify one or more of the following questions by number and provide a response to each question you have identified:
- Do you agree there is or will be a need for more pickleball facilities in St. Albert in the years to come?
- Do you agree with the three priority objectives laid out?
- How would you strengthen or alter the rationale for one of the priorities?
- What else needs to be added to the plan for one of the priorities?
- Do you have some information on other pickleball facilities that can fill in the blanks in an appendix or add to the strength of the research we have provided?
- Do you have suggestions regarding an advocacy approach with the City of St. Albert?
- Would you like to join our Facilities Task Force and add some more muscle to help us realize a future as glorious as these golden days of pickleball in St. Albert? This is the legacy we will leave to our children and grandchildren. We'd love to have you join our team!
We look forward to receiving all of your feedback whether it be general or detailed, positive or negative. The best plans are generally made by considering all view points and ideas, including many that we may not have even thought of - remember this is YOUR Club!
More Thank Yous
In addition to the many thank yous in our last Newsletter, the Club would also like to extend its thanks to Nicole Currie who manages Red Willow and organizes the lessons and mentoring sessions. She gives readily of her time again and again - thank you Nicki!
Thanks also goes out to the entire training team which currently consists of the following dedicated and talented members:
Ken Dentzien
Dan Stoker
John Sandmoen
Bill Moyes
Jeanine Au
Art Au
Annette Campbell
Casey Campbell
Brad Hurshowy
James Porter
Shelley Porter
Rick Storfield
Blair Bashaw
Nicole Currie
In response to our request for additional personal thank yous from members, a special thank you also goes out to an "unsung hero" - Judy Murray. According to a number of members, Judy deserves a thumbs up "For all the work she does before most members even set foot on the court. She’s always there early making sure the courts are cleaned up before play (Alpine this summer). Plus she is a true ambassador for the club anytime she sees a new face, not to mention the time and patience she spends assisting new players. Judy does all this behind the scenes and most members don’t even know everything she does for the club."
Until next time, keep your paddle up!