In this issue:
| Board Nominations Recruiting |
Proof of Membership |
| Level 1 Sports - January Openings |
Level 1 Sports - New Play Offerings |
| Stickers |
Rating Requests |
Board Nominations/Recruiting
As members may or may not be aware, the SAPC Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place in about 3 months on March 8, 2023. Some of what takes place at the AGM is the election of Board members and other key positions. The Board currently consists of the following individuals (incumbents):
President - Eileen McClean
Vice President - James Porter
Secretary - Douwe Spriensma
Treasurer - Ray Keroack
Director at Large, Web Manager - Tamas Virag, Edmonton Resident
Director at Large, Tournaments - Ken Dentzien
Director of Membership and Volunteers - Carol Mah
Director of Communications - Roger Hutlet
A number of the Board positions are up for re-election so interested individuals may apply for these positions as follows:
Treasurer, Secretary and Director at Large (one of the two Director at Large positions) Please Note: The 3 current incumbents have requested that they NOT let their names stand for re-election to these positions.
Non-Board roles that must also be elected at the AGM are:
Ombudsperson Note: this position is currently held by Mike Bowen
Auditor (If the auditor is a certified CPA, only one is needed, otherwise we need two) Note: This position is currently held by Lawrence Taylor
Nominating Committee (3 persons)
If a member is interested in any of these positions, they should first read the Job Descriptions available on the SAPC website which can be accessed from this link.
On the following web page you will find the Ombudsperson job description:
https://www.pickleballstalbert.ca/resources/Documents/Policies-Rules/Operational%20-%20Ombudsperson.pdf
Please note that at our upcoming AGM we also will vote on a motion by Kevin McClean to increase the terms for the Ombudsperson, Auditor and the Nominating Committee to two years and that these terms will be staggered as warranted.
Candidates seeking to put their names forward for one of these positions can contact any member of the nominating committee (see contact details below) with a short bio stating why they would like to be nominated for the position. If more than one candidate applies for a position, a ballot will be held at the AGM.
Nominating Committee members currently include:
Kevin McClean at kmcclean@telus.net
Gerry Gartner at gerrygartner@shaw.ca
Jenna McCully at jmccully23@gmail.com
A Nominating Committee report covering the candidates will be sent out to all members with the notice of the AGM in February, 2023.
Proof of Membership
Yes, it's a new year - HAPPY NEW YEAR pickleballers! You know what that means - half of our members head to warmer weather down south, diets begin, gym memberships get utilized and, yes, you have to renew your SAPC membership!
Please be reminded that as of January 1, 2023 members must now be prepared to present their 2023 membership cards - digital or hard copy at SAPC play sessions. Captains will be asking for this proof of membership prior to play sessions beginning and it is the member's responsibility to have this information available for presentation to the Captain or they will be denied play.
Level 1 Sports Venue - January Openings
Please note that we have two spots left in the 4.0+ series play that starts Tuesday, January 10th for which play is from 10 am to 12 noon. The series is for four play sessions, one per week, every Tuesday up to and including January 31st.
Note: These sessions are booked and paid for in advance. If you are interested, just click on a Series start date in the January page of the "Level 1 Sports Calendar" on our website for more details and to register. If a session is full, we recommend you add your name to the Waitlist.
Level 1 Sports Venue - New Play Offerings
Would you like to "rent a court" for a small group of members, family or friends? Would you like to play at Level 1 Sports, but be able to decide at the last minute without having to pre-register or prepay? If so, read on because we will be offering both starting on February 6th.
Details of these sessions have now 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.
As noted in the December Newsletter, details are as follows:
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we will have "Group Reserved Play" for each of the six courts. How will this work?
Group Reserved Play
- 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.
- The captain will assign specific courts to group leaders in a random fashion.
- Players can be any skill level(s).
- Reservations can be made through the Level 1 Sports Calendar (click here)
- Reservations open at Thursday midnight (12:01 am Friday) the week before the day of play.
- If all six courts are reserved, join the waitlist.
- If your group can't attend, please cancel your registration so those on the waitlist can be automatically registered.
This "Group Reserved" 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. So start thinking about a few people you'd like to play with - set your groups up in advance if you'd like. Use the club website member directory and WhatsApp groups to send messages to other members to help set up and communicate with other members.
On Mondays and Thursdays, we'll have individual "Drop In" play for certain skill (rating) levels. How will that work?
Drop In Play
- Guests sponsored by an attending member are allowed (for now at least) - the cost is three stickers.
- No advanced registration needed (that's what "Drop In" means).
- Thursdays will be for 3.0s and 3.5s only.
- Mondays will be for 3.5s and 4.0s only.
- No limits (at least initially) to the number of attendees - so everybody plays - but (typically) only with members of their skill level.
- The play session Captain may decide to play round robin or paddle play.
How will the courts be allocated between the two skill levels for drop in play? The allocation will generally be based on the proportion of players who are at each of the two levels. For example:
- If 12 to 15 players show up from each of the two skill levels, then each level will be allocated 3 courts
- If 10 players of one skill level show up and 20 from another, the 10 would be allocated two courts and the 20 will be allocated four, but
- If only 4 or 5 players of one level show up, they will be allocated at least one court.
- If 3 or fewer players of one level show up, they will mix and play with those of the other skill level.
Group Reserved Play AND Drop In Play
- All play times are 10 am to 12 noon.
Stickers
To simplify our ongoing accounting and our transition to a new accounting system, there will be a slight change to the way we charge for sticker card purchases. Effective January 1st we have included the delivery charge (which was 90 cents per order) into the base cost for the card itself. For anyone ordering one card at a time, the total including GST will remain at a very affordable $67 for 20 stickers ($3.35/ea).
Once again, please be reminded to put your name and phone number on the back of your sticker sheets...we've had a few instances lately of members misplacing their stickers and your contact info makes it easier for us to get them back to their rightful owner.
Rating Requests
We would like to gather information regarding members' interest in being rated in order that we may plan to make future rating opportunities available. As such, for anyone that wishes to be rated, please send an email to rating@pickleballstalbert.ca - you should include your name, the level you wish to be rated at as well as any constraints to your availability for such rating clinic (eg. only available in evenings, currently out of country until April 1st, etc.).
Until next time, keep your paddle up!