In this issue:

New Daytime Indoor Venue Secured!	New Process for Red Willow Play
Volunteer Needed	Pickleball Improves Your Health
Membership Breakdown by Rating

New Daytime Indoor Venue Secured 

The Club has been fortunate to have access to another venue in St Albert.  The venue is called “One Possession Academy" and is located in Unit 50, 320 Circle Drive, St. Albert (in Campbell Park).  Way to go Eileen - our members appreciate all of the work you have done to research and negotiate for this space!

There will be several sessions offered for different levels of play at this new venue.  All of the play will be pre-registered as series play.  Very shortly you will be able to check the Reserved Play Calendar for the sessions that will be offered. In addition, please monitor your inbox for the registration opening and registration e-mails; this is likely to happen over the next couple of days. If registered play is successful, we will continue with pre-registered play at this venue for the months of January through March, 2024.

There are 2 beautiful courts, so 8 out of a maximum 10 pre-registered players will play each round - maximizing play time, while assuring at least 8 players are present for each session.  All play sessions will be for two hours and will include round robin play with other players at your level for five sessions.

Additional Details:

• Price $50 for the series ($10/session), plus GST (total $52.50), paid online at time of reservation.
  

• We must fill this series event play.  If the series does not fill, it will be cancelled and payments will be refunded.

• Member cancellations are not allowed after payment, but members may sell or transfer sessions to another qualifying member.  To be clear refunds will be made if the club cancels, but not for a requested member cancellation.

• One of the 10 successful registrants will be asked to captain and can lead the organization of the round robin play.

• If you are registered but unable to attend one session, please find a substitute member at your play level to take your place for that one session. Substitutions are allowed as we must keep the courts filled to ensure continual play for all.

See the Reserved Play page under the Play menu for instructions on making a reservation.

New Process for Reserved Play (Red Willow)

A new limitation is being implemented for Reserved play such that members may book one session time only for the following week; as you may know, registration opens at 12:01 am on Friday mornings.  If there are still open spots after 48 hours (Sundays at 12:01 am), you may book as many additional open spots as you like.  So for clarity, anyone registering between 12:01 Friday and 12:01 on Sunday may only reserve one spot during that time frame.

Please note that the Club will be monitoring adherence to this new procedure and will be in contact with any members who are not in compliance.  This change is being made to afford more opportunity for all eligible members to register for these limited number of reserved play sessions.

Volunteer Opportunity

The Club is offering an exciting new opportunity to any of our near 1,000 Club members to assist Laura Spencer, our esteemed Treasurer, with some of her administrative functions. 

The work that Laura would like to delegate to this volunteer role involves recording the number of stickers found on each sticker sheet (per venue per time slot).  This work is done once monthly once the completed "sticker sheets" are dropped off or e-mailed to the person responsible for this function (this is done by the play session captains within a few days of each month end).  Once all sheets are received, the numbers are entered into an Excel spreadsheet which forms the basis for the accounting of play revenue by venue.   You don't need any clerical nor accounting experience and Laura will train you and answer any questions you may have.

If you have interest in this role as a way of giving back to your Club in a very small way, please contact Laura immediately and directly by clicking here - Laura and the Club would really appreciate it!

Pickleball Contributes to Physical and Mental Health

Art Au suggested an excellent article from Kelly Campbell that speaks to the mental health benefits of playing pickleball.  Please see excerpts below and click on this link to see the full article.

From Kelly Campbell published online by TrackItHub:

As picklers, we all know that pickleball obviously makes us happier and healthier, but whether that’s mostly from our personal love for the game or from the act of playing pickleball itself can be hard to say. While we know that any type of physical exercise is known to improve mental health, there hasn’t been much concrete information about pickleball’s effects on mental health specifically––until now. Need another reason to justify your pickleball obsession to family or friends?  Here it is. 

In October a study came out that detailed pickleball health benefits using data from Apple Watch users. The study confirmed that not only did pickleball players experience better metabolic and cardiovascular health from its impressive workout, but they also reported less depression across the board.  

We agree that the pickleball phenomenon is worth taking a closer look at. It’s safe to say that no sport in recent years has had even close to the same amount of buzz and growth as pickleball. The numbers speak for themselves - according to the SFIA, pickleball participation has grown an average of 158.6% over the last 3 years. Today, about 37 million people play, and it continues to be the fastest-growing sport in the United States.

The Apple Heart and Movement Study (AHMS) compared pickleball and tennis using data from Apple Watch users who elected to be included in the study. The participants reported workouts, done for at least 10 minutes, labeled either pickleball or tennis between January 1st, 2021, and August 31st, 2023. Throughout the study, participant physical fitness was studied and compared. All participants were also invited to complete a quarterly health survey. As the study progressed, so did pickleball growth.  While tennis participants stayed stable year to year and season to season, pickleball growth among users continued to increase, regardless of the season.  By July 2023, the number of pickleball players surpassed tennis.

• Aerobic activity (like pickleball) releases endorphins, which boosts mood and reduces stress.

• Inclusivity - pickleball is safe for all ages and skill levels. This makes it easy to find someone to play with 

• Social connection - pickleball encourages community building and social interaction, which is good for mental health 

• Pickleball provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which is also shown to have positive effects on mental health.  Playing a sport and wanting to get better at it encourages goal-setting and practice. Winning and improving fosters a sense of pride, accomplishment, and positive self-esteem

• Pickleball is also linked to better brain health and cognitive function because it requires players to think quickly and strategically. Pickleball is a mind exercise in addition to a physical exercise because it uses problem-solving. Research suggests that playing pickleball will decrease the likelihood of cognitive decline, boost memory and processing speed, and decrease anxiety 

It’s obvious that we’re not going to stop dinking any time soon either way, but it’s always good to hear that the sport we love so much loves us back. Keep this study handy for your next pickleball elevator pitch at the dinner table. 

Membership Breakdown by Rating Level

Wow is this Club ever growing - we have welcome an additional 52 members in just the last month!  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:

                               October             Nov (Current)       Inc/(Dec)

No Rating                 300                           323                      23

2.5 Rating                    12                             16                        4

3.0 Rating                  136                          151                      15

3.5 Rating                  241                           245                       4

4.0 Rating                  168                           171                       3

4.5+ Rating                  20                             23                        3

Total Members       877                          929                    52          

Please note that Club memberships purchased prior to October 1, 2022 will expire on December 31, 2023, so please renew your membership as soon as possible.  2024 memberships are now on sale and will expire on December 31, 2024.  For instructions on how to renew your membership, please click on this link.  Ensure you are logged in before going past the first screen.

Please note that if a member allows their membership in SAPC to lapse (e.g. doesn't renew until the spring), then the Club and the member will incur extra work to both delete and then re-add members to our other systems (Pickleball Brackets and DUPR).

Until next time keep your paddle up!