In this issue:

Indoor Play Starting	Indoor Play - Key Details
Red Willow Details	Indoor Play Reminders
School Play	How to Reserve Your Spot
Save or Print Your Membership Card	Club Historian: Reta

Indoor Play Starting

Are you hoping to play indoors soon? Then this is the issue for you!  The first thing to know is that reservations for our first sessions, which are at Red Willow, can be made starting at about 4:30 pm Friday Oct 1.  Read on for more information about playing safe and about making reservations.

Indoor Play - Key Details

As we prepare for indoor play we wanted to review the rules. To make it easy, there are four things you MUST have to come to indoor play!

We suggest you also have hand sanitizer for your use between games. 

1.  PROOF OF VACCINATION  can be on your phone or printed out. If you are just going to receive your second vaccination you will not be permitted to play indoors until two weeks after your second shot. The captains will check your proof of vaccination, noting the date of the second shot. The rules regarding proof of vaccination in the Sep 16 newsletter are still applicable.

2.  You will remain MASKED  anytime you are not playing on the courts. The easiest way to do this is keep a mask in your pocket so as you leave the court you can wear it immediately after play.

3.  You MUST  have your MEMBERSHIP CARD with you. We have new members and new captains. On your membership card it states your level of play and as the captains do not know everyone, this is the easiest way to check level of play.  Also confirms proof of ID when checking the vaccination card. It can be printed out or on your phone. Instructions on how to access and download or print your membership card are included at the end of this newsletter.

4.  STICKERS. It is the members responsibility to have stickers to play. If you have not ordered them, do so now. The captains or members WILL NO LONGER be selling stickers. If you are waiting for stickers to arrive, do not register to play until you have received them. The past practice of accommodating requests for stickers has caused problems for captains and members, so we're ending this practice now. Please allow three weeks for the processing and mail delivery of sticker cards.

These rules (and those below) are also posted in a more abbreviated form on the home page of our website. That home page article will continue to be updated as circumstances change -- and we're certainly getting used to change, aren't we?

Red Willow Details

We can not enter Red Willow until 10 minutes prior to our first session.   Most  days begin at 9:00 so do not come earlier than 10 to the hour . In the past we were entering the building earlier and earlier and we have assured Red Willow that this will not happen. For each session following the 9-11:00 session you will not be able to access the gym until approximately five after the hour.  

TWO STICKERS  are needed for session of play at Red Willow!

It has been agreed that members will not be gaining access to the foyer as social distancing cannot be adhered to. Just remain in your vehicles or you can stand outside if this is your wish.

The previous captain will have the session finished at 5 to the hour which gives the next captain time to allow everyone to leave .The captain will then spray the door handles and the washing room taps. When this is done the  captain will allow the next group to enter.

You can leave outdoor shoes in the foyer but bring everything else into the gym where it will be placed on a chair that you choose. The walls have been marked with a taped X so social distancing is observed. We will not be disinfecting the chairs after each session. However if you wish to clean the chair prior to sitting bring your own wipes. Red Willow is leaving a spray bottle but this spray leaves the chair wet and does not have to be wiped off. The captain  at the end of the last session of the day will ask those in attendance to spray their chair and stack them in the back foyer( where we used  to get the chairs prior to covid) not the front entrance.

There are 16 X's placed on the walls as on  the third and fourth Sundays  there is a free session for up to 16 people. This session can include members  of the public as this session of play is free, a gift from Red Willow to give back to the community. This session is not registered so the first 16 will gain entrance to play. All the rules for this free session are as above . When  Red Willow informs their members about this, they will all receive the information about requiring proof of vaccination, ID  and masks. 

When we last used Red Willow there were specific rules about only one person in the washroom. This rule is no longer in place.

Members may choose to spray the ball prior to play.  If so, they will need to bring their own disinfectant as the one provided at Red Willow is a heavy wet spray.

Indoor Play Reminders

These indoor play reminders apply to Red Willow, all school venues and other indoor venues. 

SHOES

Members must bring indoor shoes! You cannot wear outdoor shoes into the gym unless there is a blazing fire in there and children need rescuing, okay? We know what weather we are expecting , so clean dry indoor shoes must be brought to be worn in the gyms.

BEVERAGES

Only water is allowed in the gyms. No juices or other drinks are allowed due to the damage they can cause to the gym floors. Also no food.

CALENDAR

It continues to be important to check the calendar in case any of the venues are closed suddenly. If this happens with short notice it will usually be posted on our Facebook page.

LEVEL AND FREQUENCY OF PLAY 

Some of the play sessions will be identified with a + on the calendar.  At these sessions, and ONLY at these sessions, can members play down. If you and your partner wish to play together but are both rated at different levels, you are able to attend ALL sessions. 

Why are these limitations in effect? Well, we expect the demand for indoor play to significantly exceed venue availability, and this helps balance play opportunities for all members.  In particular:

• Covid may again restrict the number of venues we have.
• Each venue has limited courts. (Red Willow has two, most schools have three and Vital Grandin has four courts. JJ Nearing has only two full courts as climbing equipment restricts full access to the third play court.)  
• Sessions have been allocated to our venues in proportion to the number of members at each level (subject to captain availability). 

Each member can only reserve one play session per day, unless there is a vacancy in a reserved play session within an hour of start time. 

VISITORS

As we have limited courts and want to play as safe as practical, no visitors or spectators (non-players) are permitted.

School Play

The City has cancelled all community use of school bookings up until at least October 11th.  We hope to have more news on the availability of schools within a few days.

Assuming there is play at schools:

• Each school has a different start and end time so ensure you check the calendar before heading out.
• There will not be disinfecting spray at the schools.
• Play at some schools may start in as drop-in, then convert to reserved play for Covid-safety, when attendance begins to regularly exceed about 150% of court capacity.
• Play at schools will cost one sticker.

How to Reserve Your Spot

1. Log in to our website.
2. Click on the event in the indoor calendar or in a venue calendar.
3. Next screen - if the registration is open there is a black button on the left side that says “Register”.  Click on “Register”. (If the session is full, you can also sign up to be put on the waitlist.) .
4. Next screen - states the event and the registrant's email - there is a bottom right button that says “Next”. Click on “Next”.
5. Next screen - states the event and the registrants name, email, and phone number. ***Make sure the box is checked to include your name in list of event registrants. This box must be checked as the captains need to know who is registered for the event. There is a bottom right button that says “Next”. Click on “Next”.
6. Next screen - confirms all information. There is a bottom right button that says “Confirm”. Click on “Confirm”.
7. Next screen - thanks you for your successful registration. You will  receive an email confirming your registration.

Do you need to cancel a reservation or have other questions on reservations? See our Reserved Play webpage.

Save or Print Your Membership Card

To print it:

To access it and/or save it using an iPhone:

Similar steps can be used to access your card from an Android smartphone or other device.

Club Historian: Reta

Thanks Reta T for stepping forward and volunteering to be our Club Historian!  Members: if you have (or want to draft) any of the following, please email Reta at herbgirlrt@outlook.com:

Were you on our club's first board? At the club's first tournament or at a recent tournament? Do you recall your first (or most recent) laugh as a club member?  What characters stick in your mind? What milestones do you recall?  Are you possibly the club's youngest or "more advanced" member, or do you know who that is? Do you have our club's first newsletter? Reta can put all your submissions together and you can have a spot as a contributor to the legacy we are all building and want to leave to our successors in this fun, wondrous and crazy world.

Until next time, keep your paddle up!

In this issue:

What a Tournament!	Playing Indoors Safely
Other Indoor Play News	Facility Advocate Opening
Beginner Training	2022 Memberships
Membership Renewals: Use Your Credit	Injured?

What a Tournament!

What records did we break at our September 11 FUN tournament?

• Largest SAPC tournament ever, with 200 matches and 104 players.
• Longest SAPC tournament ever (but we learned how to use Pickleball Brackets so we are primed for even bigger and better in future).
• Record setting number of sponsors and prizes (thanks to the volunteers for their many contacts)
• Every game refereed (thanks to all the referees from Parkland Pickleheads and to our own SAPC volunteer referees!)

Congrats to the medal winners (shown below) and all other participants.

See our club Facebook group for many pictures of members having fun! (We are also planning on putting some of these onto our website soon – stay tuned for that.)

THANKS to the organizers, sponsors, many other volunteers, and particularly to Ken Dentzien, Tournament Director and James Porter, his right hand on the computer.  Other volunteers, a list of sponsors, and other tournament highlights are identified in this tournament report. Hope we didn’t miss anyone!

Playing Indoors Safely

Thank you for all the thoughtful, informed and respectful input members have provided to our board on this topic. Your input matters.

Much of this input was along the lines that our government has now taken.  In case you didn’t hear our Premier and Health Minister speak on cbc.ca at 6 pm September 15, we have summarized the comments below, in so far as indoor pickleball play is concerned.  This information is also available at a government webpage cited below.

Covid hospitalizations and ICU cases have again reached record highs in Alberta. To increase our safety, to control spread, and to further incent immunizations, the Government of Alberta has declared a state of public health emergency and has again brought in temporary measures, some of which basically translate into a vaccine passport system. The bottom line, for pickleball and all other indoor adult sports, is that we are either shutdown completely or we adopt a Restrictions Exemption Program, which is a fancy name for a vaccine passport system. 

So, in order to try to offer any indoor play at all, SAPC has no choice but to adopt a Restrictions Exemption Program. Consequently, at a board meeting the evening of Sep 15, your board passed this resolution: “SAPC hereby adopts the Restrictions Exemption Program for indoor club play, in compliance and in accordance with Government of Alberta requirements streamed online at cbc.ca and as announced and posted at https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-public-health-actions.aspx on Sept 15.  This means that any member coming out to play indoors will bring proof of double vaccination or recent negative covid test and will show this proof whenever asked.”

Now indoor play could start in early October. You have a couple of weeks to gather some form of vaccination evidence for BOTH vaccinations. For the time being, the government and SAPC will accept any of the following:

• vaccination forms provided by the pharmacy or health centre where your vaccinations were done,
• printout or screen shot of an immunization report from your online MyHealth account,
• immunization card (soon printable or downloadable) from your MyHealth account,
• documentation of a medical exemption, or
• proof of a privately-paid negative PCR or rapid test within 72 hours of playing (tests from AHS or Alberta Precision Laboratories not allowed).

Please pack this evidence with your mask and bring it to every indoor play session you attend.

Note that this vaccine passport rule also applies to beginner’s lessons and any other indoor sessions.

Other Indoor Play News

Are the above measures enough to actually get us some indoor play venues?  Well stay tuned. Nothing is assured until it actually happens.

Just prior to the Premier’s announcement, we had made venue arrangements with one church, the Sturgeon Heights school, and several other city schools. We are now in the process of assuring these venues that we are adopting a Restrictions Exemption Program, and hope that is sufficient to avoid a complete shutdown to adult sports by these venues. Basically, our venues must also adopt a Restrictions Exemption program for their gymnasiums or they must shut down indoor adult sports play.

We will pass on more news on this in the next two weeks.  If and when indoor play is confirmed, it will also be posted on our indoor play calendars. Always check the calendars for times and details before heading out to play.

Assuming some indoor play proceeds, here’s some additional news related to that play.

For reserved indoor play, you can make reservations starting on Friday, for all sessions from Monday to Sunday of the following week. The exact time of reservation opening will vary slightly. Here’s why:

• We were going to have these sessions open automatically (and very consistently) at 12:00:01 am (real early) Saturday morning, but some asked that have the reservations open up while most people are awake.

• So we are going with manual openings. This is more work each week for Carol, our registered play coordinator (and her backups), but we will give it a try.  Doing it manually means that the registration opening time could vary somewhat each week, as it takes time to manually open each of our dozens of events, and sometimes we actually put something else in our life ahead of pickleball (though this is rare, of course!)  Anyway, the target time is to have all reserved play events open by 4:30 pm on Friday, but some weeks it could be a couple minutes after that for a few events, and other weeks it could even be a couple of hours before that!
• In summary, reservations open by approximately 4:30 pm on Friday, for all sessions from Monday to Sunday of the following week (and if we have any complaints about this we can quickly convert back to automated openings at midnight.)

No spectators at any indoor event – only participants.

Please, please also read the Guide to Indoor Play – Fall 2021 article on our home page.  This article supersedes the news in our Sept 4 newsletter. This home page article will also be continually updated as our reserved play protocol and Covid safety rules change.

Facility Advocate Opening

Using a 5 to 10-year perspective, your Facilities Task Force has identified and will soon recommend (to the board and membership) certain priorities for additional pickleball facilities in St. Albert. We are also nearing the stage when we need to plan how to advocate for these additional facilities, building on our great relationship with the City of St. Albert.

• Do you have an interest in planning for more facilities with the City?
• Can you spot opportunities to further develop our connections to the City or to raise pickleball awareness in St. Albert?
• Would you like to be involved in meetings with the City?
• Do you know some city officials or council members?
• Do you have experience in making presentations or in having meaningful discussions with decision-makers?

We’re not looking for someone with ALL these interests. We know a job like this takes a team of individuals, each having something to contribute. If you are interested in joining our task force or if  you’d like to share some advocacy advice with us, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca.

Beginner Training

This training is again underway – thanks to Nicole and her cadre of volunteer trainers.  If you know someone outside our club who may be interested in taking a free beginner lesson, refer them to our Beginner’s Lesson webpage.

Note that anyone attending an indoor beginner's lesson must also adhere to the indoor play provisions described in the newsletter articles above  and any provisions posted to the home page of our website.

2022 Memberships

Starting Oct 1, you can renew your membership for 2022. Non-members can also purchase new memberships on that date that are effective from the date of purchase to Dec 31 2022.

Didn’t we just buy memberships in March or April for 2021? Yes, but recall that was for a short membership year that expires December 31, 2021. Why? Well to comply with the standardized pickleball membership year now in effect for all clubs affiliated with Pickleball Canada.

The SAPC membership fee for 2022 has just been set. It is $40.  The additional proceeds will be used to start building a capital reserve toward future pickleball facilities in St. Albert. This was an action endorsed by our board and members in 2021, but we delayed the fee increase due to the short membership year and Covid play restrictions.

Please also recall that you must join or renew with Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Alberta separately, before joining or renewing with SAPC.  They have a combined charge of $15 for 2022. Further details are here.

Membership Renewals: USE YOUR CREDIT

Do you have a credit with SAPC?  If so, PLEASE use up your credit when you renew your membership!  Only YOU can do that for yourself, and you can save on the membership fee by doing so.  How do you use your credit? It’s a bit tricky.  See the instructions on this page. If you need help, ask Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca before you hit that payment button.

How do you know if you have a credit? It will show up in the Balance in the top right corner of your profile on the SAPC website.

Injured?

If you are injured even slightly during organized play, please report it to the captain so a medical incident report can be completed.  This helps us keep play sessions as safe as possible and it helps us support you should you need to make a claim to use the sport injury insurance you have through your Pickleball Canada membership. It also helps us keep in touch with you regarding your injury – because we care!

Until next time, keep your paddle up!

In this issue:

Great to be Playing!	Larose Courts Re-open
September Play at Alpine	SAPC Fun Tournament Sep 11
Upcoming Indoor Play	Financial Coordinator
Volunteer Appreciation	Volunteer List
Rating Clinics	Train the Trainer

Great to be Playing!

To those of you who have been out playing with us at Alpine this summer -- hasn't it been great?  Whether participating in organized play or just dropping in on a Saturday or Sunday to play spontaneously with friends in the club, it has been a marvelous time. 

Our courts at Alpine have been busy, especially in the evenings with club shootouts and the public filling up the other courts allocated to them. It's great to see everyone having so much fun.

Here's hoping September is going to be even better!  Read on to find out why.

Larose Park Courts Re-Open - Thanks COSA!

Yes, they opened September 1, and they are beautiful.  Thanks to the City of St. Albert (COSA) for a marvelous job and for investing in this sport. Residents of St. Albert will benefit from this for years to come.

September Play at Alpine

The opening of courts for the public at Larose Park means the City can and did allocate more courts and more times to SAPC at Alpine, per our request. Thanks again COSA!

Check the Alpine or outdoor calendar for additional playtimes - including scheduled play on Saturdays and Sundays.  We also have 10 courts for some organized play, up from the 8 courts previously assigned.

Our President and Venue Manager Eileen adds:

"With new changes to the Alpine schedule there have been many queries about why  certain levels have more times assigned than others. Please know that my starting point is to assign sessions in proportion to the number of members at each level, with a healthy allocation for All Play. This means that levels with more members  get a few more spots that levels with fewer members. Then I have to make several requests for captains to step up. It requires a lot of work to keep coming back and making requests and organizing and reorganizing the schedule.

"Captains for the 3.5 and 4.0 sessions step up immediately, but we lack captains for all possible sessions at lower levels. So when all of the information is gathered, and I need to match captains to assigned times, spots with no available captains at one level are re-allocated to levels that have more captains available.

"When the schedule for Red Willow is publicized, you will notice that certain levels   in the club will have more assigned time than others. Be assured that the proportion of play time at each level is proportional to the number of members at that level. As long as captains step forward the assignment of times will be based on the percentage of members rated at levels.

"Whenever a call for captains is made,  please consider stepping forward to volunteer. And to those faithful captains who repeatedly step up - THANK YOU AGAIN. You keep us safe and organized, and you make these sessions possible. "

SAPC Fun Tournament Sep 11

Spots are still available. Registration closes at 10pm Sep 7, but this is a multi-step process so if you don't start registering by Sep 6 you will be disappointed -- and we wouldn't want you to miss out on all the joy and laughter. 

• See your Tournament Registration email of August 29 for the steps. 
• Don't forget to input your Pickleball Canada membership number when creating your Pickleball Brackets profile. This software checks to make sure you are a PCO member.
• If you can't find your Aug 29 email, see the registration steps in our Aug 27th newsletter.

Upcoming Indoor Play

We are still waiting to hear about the availability of school gyms in St. Albert, but at least one church has given us the green light.  Some Covid precautions will be put in place, of course, and we know that rising Covid case counts could again further restrict play, but here's what we have so far.

1. All indoor play will be reserved play.
   • Reservations open at 12:00:01 am (that's real early) Saturday morning for all sessions from Monday to Sunday of the following week.
   • Click on a session in the indoor calendar to reserve a spot.
   • You can cancel or reserve right up to the start of the event, but if you must cancel please be courteous and cancel as soon as you know you can't make it.
   • For more info on reserving play, cancelling, getting waitlisted and more, see our Reserved Play page under the Play Menu.
2. Red Willow Community Church
   • Play may start Oct 4. Check the Red Willow Calendar later in September.
   • 11 reservable spots + 1 captain spot = 12 players per session.
   • Cost: 2 stickers payable when you sign in. Still the best deal in town despite increased rental costs.
   • Sessions end 5 minutes before the hour. Subsequent sessions start 5 minutes after the hour.
   • Wait until previous session players have left the gym before entering.
3. All Venues
   • Masks must be worn entering building and gym and while not playing - including when seated between games. (Pack yours now.)
   • As indoor play opportunities are limited, please limit your reservations to sessions rated at your specific level or to “All Play” sessions. To give every member equal opportunity, please do not "play down" a level.
   • Maximum one session per day per member unless a session still has an opening one hour before play starts.

The possibility of limiting play to vaccinated members would certainly be in keeping with rules now being put in place by many employers, businesses and governments in other provinces -- but this would be a very controversial and possibly a divisive measure for our club, wouldn't it? Within SAPC we want to be as inclusive as possible and we want to accommodate all member preferences, yet we know that the health and safety of our members, and of the public, are paramount. It is a tough decision, and it hasn't yet been made. 

Watch for more details in future news.

Financial Coordinator

• Do you have an accounting or bookkeeping background or have you always had an interest in learning some accounting? Do you just like numbers or spreadsheets? Do you want to understand budgeting or our club's finance's in particular? Do you want to influence the club or the board's financial decisions? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then we'd like to chat.
• We have a great opportunity to bring someone else onto our club's financial team. The finance team tasks can be adjusted to suit whatever your interests are and to suit whatever time you have available. 
• The club is interested in developing members who want to take on progressively more challenging jobs or develop additional skill sets. The current finance team of one needs to expand to two! We have the time and interest to work with anyone, at any level, who would like to help in this area. Let's have a coffee or a Zoom meet and explore a fit for you!
• If you are interested, please email Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca 

Volunteer Appreciation

This event has been set for 9 am to noon on September 18 at Alpine. If you have volunteered with SAPC in the last 18 months or so, we'd love to thank you in person at this play and munch event. If rained out on the 18th, this will be held on the 19th. Stay tuned for further details.

Volunteer List

Our list of current volunteers has been updated. It can be found by clicking the
Volunteer list link on this page, It is easier to view if you download the spreadsheet after accessing the Volunteer list link.

This list is not 100% accurate -- we know. It is tough to keep up with all the changes. Please help us out. If you want to be added to a team or volunteer for a vacant position, please email Carol at info@pickleballstalbert.ca and contact the coordinator or manager of that team. If you are on the list but can no longer serve on that team or in a particular position, please also email us.

Rating Clinics

The three August 23 rating clinics were rained out. Replacement sessions have now been scheduled for Sep 13. If you were a paid registrant in the Aug 23 clinics, check your email. There is a deadline for letting us know you can or can't accommodate this date change. After that deadline, your place will be forfeited and those on the waitlist will be automatically given a chance, one at a time, to fill any vacant spots.  Contact rating@pickleballstalbert.ca if you have any questions.

Our rating coordinators Karen and Gerry also see that there is a large waiting list on two of these Sep 13 sessions, as those waiting lists were also ported over from the rained-out Aug 23 clinics. If you are on the waiting list, watch your email carefully -- you will likely be given a one-day advanced notice to register in any new clinics. After than one day, we will announce the new clinics to all members. (The implications here for anyone wanting to be rated are: if you want more clinics to be scheduled, and if you want advanced notice of those clinics, get on a waiting list! This way, you help us to help you.)

Train the Trainer

IPTPA is a non-profit organization helping to develop professional pickleball trainers. See this poster for information on an upcoming IPTPA TEACH THE TEACHER PICKLEBALL WORKSHOP session September 25.  

Keep your paddle up!

Tournament is a Go!

Get ready for the best SAPC event of the year!  No experience needed to play in this tournament -- just a willingness to have fun!  It is our most social organized play event of the year -- catch up with friends before the snow flies.

Registration for our Fun Tournament on Sept 11/21 will be live on https://Pickleballbrackets.com starting 8 am Aug 28th. 

1. Play is round robin format so you will enter as an individual and have a different  partner for each game. 
2. Our plan is to have all players participate in at least 7 games each, then there will be playoffs for the top players in each pool. 
3. We have combined the 2.5 and 3.0 into one pool due to low numbers of 2.5 players. 
4. The cost for the tournament will be $20 per player which must be paid when registering.  
   1. No refunds unless we have something like a gov’t shutdown of outdoor play.  Credit card processing fees and PB software usage fees will be deducted from any refund, as these are not refundable to the club.
   2. A portion of your fee will go to our Facility Reserve account — thanks for helping us all prepare for our future.
      
5. Registration deadline is 4 pm Sept 7,  but don’t wait to the last day, especially if you haven’t used the Pickleball Brackets (PB) software before. I can take a couple of days to have your SAPC membership verified on PB.
6. You must create a profile on Pickleball Brackets (PB) and join St. Albert Pickleball Club on PB to register for the tournament. 
   1. See the Aug 19 club newsletter for steps on setting up your free account on PB, as well as the steps to join SAPC on PB.
   2. PB will ask you to put in your club rating. If you do not have a rating please estimate what you think your rating is or ask one of our experienced players for guidance. To repeat: You do NOT need a club rating to play in this event. Of course, if you have one, you may not enter below that level.
   3. Once you are part of SAPC on PB, find the tournament there and click on it to start the registration process for the tournament and then pay the tournament fee.
   4. If you'd like some help with PB, email Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca or call Ray at 780-901-5342.

Tournament Schedule

• Check in from 8:30 am to 9:15 am
• Opening ceremonies 9:15 am to 9:30 am
• Games start at 9:30 am to approximately 4:30 pm
• Fruit and bars will be available for all players throughout the day in the clubhouse
• Lunch will be provided between 12:00 and 2:00
• There will be draw prizes for all players throughout the day

Referees

We are in need of more referees for the tournament. If you would like to referee please email kendentzien@gmail.com or indicate it on pickleballbrackets site.

Mark Nadeau and Ken Dentzien will be offering a brief referee course on Sept 9th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. for anyone who would like a refresher or would like to referee in tournament. Please contact Ken if you would like to attend.

Volunteering and Used Paddles

• If you would like to volunteer to help with the tournament there is a link on the pickleball brackets site as well.
• We will also be collecting any used paddles that you would like to donate to the club that we will use for training sessions for new players. Please bring to tournament desk if you would like to donate.

Binder Minder - Help Wanted

Are you looking to give back to the club, but looking for a small job needing only a few hours per year?  We have the perfect job for you!  Our Binder Minder position is open. 

Basically, the job here is to keep our captain's binders stocked with forms. There is one binder for each venue, or about 8 binders in total. Once per year, you'd add forms to the binders, and maybe one other time per year you'd respond to a captain's request to re-fill a binder. Complete training and instructions are available.

If interested or if you have any questions, please email Eileen, our venue manager (and president), at venuemanager@pickleballstalbert.ca. 

Dear Member - click the newsletter title to read articles on:

SAPC Fun Tournament Sep 11	Pickleball Brackets Trial
Call for Ratings Info	Upcoming Indoor Play
Membership Counts	Public & SAPC Play Times at Alpine
Communications Director	Volunteer Appreciation
Update on Larose Courts

SAPC Fun Tournament Saturday Sep 11

Hold this date!  A tournament is coming. Come out and meet new members and get re-acquainted with your many friends.

This will be a fun tournament, like our previous ones, where the emphasis is on camaraderie and enjoyment.  Details are still being worked out, but here’s what we know so far. 

Questions can be directed to Ken at kendentzien@gmail.com but please save most questions until the next news posting on this tournament.

Pickleball Brackets Trial

Pickleball Brackets (PB) software is a premier software product for pickleball tournament organization and more.

Organizing tournaments, particularly big ones, is complex work. It includes planning, scheduling venues, determining competition levels, scheduling play, handling registrations, recruiting and guiding volunteers and officials, handling last minute changes, reporting results in real time, managing lunch purchase and distribution, booking accommodations/halls, and communicating frequently with everyone involved.  It is inevitable that as clubs grow, they will need software like PB to organize such events. 

With a vision towards the future, SAPC is embarking on a trial of PB, starting with our relatively small fun tournament.  This is our opportunity to learn the software (including its features, its complexities, and its foibles) and it is our opportunity to train ourselves in how to best use this software.

If you’d like to prepare yourself to use the PB software too, here’s what you can do before we put out a call for our Sep 11 tournament registrations:

After requesting membership, your eligibility will be checked. Within a day or two you will get an email stating your PB membership in SAPC has been granted.

There is no additional cost for this membership in PB.

Call for Ratings Info

We are doing a bit of research to fine tune how we handle and use club ratings and to prepare for even more robust rating management in the future.  If you have an official USAPA rating (or an official Canadian rating or a tournament rating coming out of the recent provincial or national tournament), please let us know. Send an email to president@pickleballstalbert.ca and info@pickleballstalbert.ca stating the type of tournament rating you have (singles, mixed, doubles, etc.), the recognizing body (USAPA, Tournaments.com, Pickleball Brackets, etc.) and the rating. We will use this information both to populate your SAPC membership record and to inform our future decision-making regarding club ratings.

Upcoming Indoor Play

Our venue manager (Eileen) and her team of venue coordinators are busy preparing for upcoming indoor play.  Initial contact with all our previous indoor venues has been promising, and it is looking like we will have as much venue time, in each of our locations, as we did pre-Covid. 

Stay tuned for more on this. Meanwhile, you can try to find those stickers you purchased a year and a half ago!

Membership Counts
As of Aug 16, our club has 431 members. Our breakdown by skill levels (club rating) are as follows. We use this information to schedule play, plan tournaments, and more.

Level         Members

4.5                     1
4.0                   50
3.5                140
3.0                111
2.5                  18
none             111

Public and SAPC Play Times at Alpine

You’re not getting enough play time, are you?  Neither are we. But we are maximizing all the outdoor court times we have. We do hope to get more in September, when Larose Courts re-open.

In the meantime, if you are looking to play at Alpine during public play times, here are some reminders:

Communications Director

Thanks to Gary Spencer for his service as your Communications Director.  Gary has taken on new work endeavours and now only has just enough spare time to play a game of pickleball or two, so has regrettably resigned. He will be missed.

Meanwhile, our Nominations Team is busy scouting for a replacement. If you are interested, please email the team:  Scott Henderson (shenderson2@shaw.ca), Kevin McClean (kmcclean@telus.net), and Gerry Gartner (gerrygartner@shaw.ca), or phone one of them. Members can lookup phone numbers in the Member Directory.

If you'd like to see what the job entails, see page 6 of this document. For examples of what the Communications Director typically produces, see our recent news postings. 

You'd also be joining our Board of Directors, a friendly team of folks who meet monthly to guide our club into the future.

Volunteer Appreciation

Our club cherishes all the volunteers who make it possible for us to play together.  We are pleased to bring back our Volunteer Appreciation event. Thanks to Carol, our Membership and Volunteers Director, for heading up the organization of this event. Stay tuned for further details.

Update on Larose Courts

Re-construction is progressing well. Here’s what the courts looked like a few days ago.

Until the next time, "Keep your paddle up!"

Volunteer Appreciation

What a great summer month so far! There are many that are either headlong into their vacation travels or about to embark..and there has always been a daily club core of players since re-opening. It’s wonderful to enjoy the planned sessions, the clean, outfitted courts and privileges of local play. We salute all the club volunteers for their hours and positive contributions. 

As a club, we don’t solicit for help often (and we gratefully refrain from the highly debatable yet effective wartime measure of conscription), so- we rely on and benefit from all the giving and able members that have been willing to join in the work of Captaining, Equipment, Committees and the functional roles required to run a club!

Here’s a look at our organizational chart. Yes, that’s 30+ functions!.. and some functions have multiple folks (and good hearted spouses that assist for hours counting club balls etc..thank you Mark & Arlene!)

Perhaps you’re reading this as a “pitch” to join in the work, or, it’s a collective call for appreciation to our volunteers. Yes to all. Here’s where you imagine the playful Irish lilt of our President saying  “many hands make light work.” 

Tournament Director: Ken D-man!

We are very pleased to have Ken Dentzien step into the Tournament Director role, and with his proven directorial magic, we are able to consider the grand possibility of a member tournament (in early September).  Thanks Ken!..this can now take shape thanks to you! Many that are participating in the upcoming Mixed Couples Tournament (thanks again Ken!), will no doubt want another chance to make the podium, errr..that broad cement patch near the equipment room where we hoot and clap for the event winners.

Please come forward to help Ken with a supporting cast of Social, Set-Up, Refereeing and Score Running helper bees! Email your interest to Gary Marcellus (SAPC VP).

If there was a poll on “how much you enjoy tournaments”, it’s true there’d be the spectrum of enthusiasm ranging from “please nO!”..to, ardent medal seeking A- Types. For many, PB tournaments are necessary pathway to rating points and a rite of passage for stress testing their gameplay. For others, it’s an unwelcome tension, and yet- for some emotionally gifted folks it’s somehow still a manageable fun!.. (even despite the formality of the score being declared by someone other than their oft-addled 4some..and, that winning/losing may be forever digitally etched on your player profile!). 

However, when it’s a “club” tournament, people laugh, try hard and laugh some more. They’re fun! So, please keep tuned for details and your opportunity to participate, especially even if it’s a first time experience!

Origins and Glory Stories: Club Historian

A volunteer position of “club historian” would be a fun thing for someone to do! Together with a band of friends even…to gather photos, origin stories and glory moments ongoing. The club is seeking someone to help gather and organize this precious memorabilia. It’s your call as to however you might have to parse the truth from any lengthy (and possibly aggrandizing) recollections of yore from our pioneering players or weekly tall tales from the courts.

Please contact us at info@pickleballstalbert.ca with your questions, contributions or interest in this club PB scrapbooking!

DANGER DANGER: Metal Ties

Details of harmful cuts from contact with broken metal ties on the acoustic panels have been documented, forwarded and exclaimed to the City with urgency and concern for a solution. It’s an alarming situation. Any incidents of harm to anyone are concerning and highly unfortunate. These metal ties are certainly unforeseen hazards that have developed.

As with any situation or circumstances regarding your choice to play on the courts, please assess your comfort with the risks, even this new gleaming risk, and avoid play if this is concerning to you. There are perhaps also many whose “soaring-eagle- jump-lunge” often puts you into intimate proximity with these ties, so..as with anyone..let’s limit our supreme digs waay away from a chance contact with this green curtain of potential calamity.

More Rating Clinics: July 23^rd

For those who are willing, excited and available-there are going to be:

• Two 3.5 clinics
• Two 4.0 clinics

Watch the Rating Calendar for times and registration info.

Round Robins at 6pm: Come EARLY

We are demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity with this follow-up REMINDER to ALL who; a) didn’t read the first memo, b) didn’t understand the memo, c) read, but didn’t remember, d) read, but didn’t take seriously e) had unforeseen, extenuating circumstances..and, for all others with a dog ate my homework ‘reason” for not coming ON TIME.

Please, actually come EARLY (if you can spare the minutes), or at least- ON TIME, promptly at 6pm.

The Captains have been generous and patient in organizing up to 32 possible spaces, but late-arriving bodies troddling in, make for confusion, delays and frustration for the many that are awaiting to begin a lovely RR evening. In the future, you may be left out, and relegated to the public courts to play with that Dad and his pint-sized son (have you seen him?- he's awesome eh!)

Paddle Boxes: Please Leave Alone

These are mysteriously moving around, probably to accommodate off-time groups. Please leave the boxes where they are originally located, sparing the captains a lot of heft n’ hoist prior to session play.

Session Play According to Rating

Reminder for all to print your cards (or have a pic) of your club rating.

Please also attend only the sessions you are rated for.

Note: no rating is required for 2.5, or ALL play session.

Do You Have A Club Credit?

1.      If you have a club credit, PLEASE use it the next time you make any type of club purchase. These can be used for renewing your next membership, buying a set of balls, buying a sticker card for indoor play, or paying for your spot in a tournament or rating clinic.

2.      How do you use a credit? See the answer in our Finance and Technology FAQ. This is posted under the members menu. Note that the credit won't be automatically applied to your next purchase unless you take the action described in our Finance and Technology FAQ.

3.      How can you tell if you have a club credit?  Well.... Go your profile, press the "Invoices and payments" tab, and look for the green "Balance $0.00"  in the top right corner. A balance of $0.00 means you are all paid up. Any other amount means you have an outstanding amount due or you have a credit.

Pickleball Albert Youth Session: July 12th

See the poster for details of an upcoming instructional session on July 12th at the Pickleball Hub. Contact Brad Hurshowy of Pickleball Alberta for more details, by texting or calling: 780.707.8067

Alpine Hours

Please remember to relax a while upon awakening and holding back from attending at the courts too early.  Court hours are from 8:00am - 9:30 pm . It’s important that members adhere to these times. 

Print or Save a Membership Card

Please have your card available to show the Captain at play sessions. Our society has now advanced to the level of being able to produce wonderfully convenient digital snaps, or printed ( and eventually wrinkly) verification of your membership and rated level. Here’s how:We’re not checkin’ your glam photo.

Printing a membership card or Saving to a smartphone:

1. Log into www.pickleballstalberta.ca with your email and password (click "forgot password" if you forgot it.)

2. Click the icon of the head and shoulder (or arrow) in the top right corner and pick View profile.

3. Under the displayed membership card, click either "Printable PDF" or "Image optimized for smartphone" and follow the prompts to print or save the image.

Note: This is optional. If a user wants their picture printed or displayed on their membership card, before step 3 they would have to edit their profile and add an avatar (picture). We’re not rating your glam shots, just your name and rating level.

Scheduled Sessions

The schedule of play is posted on the calendar. Covid restrictions are now removed.

Members can enter and exit through the main gate, fun as that round- the-loop rodeo was.

Masks do not need to be worn but members can choose to wear masks.

Also, members can continue to sanitize the pickleballs if you wish, and since you may have buckets of stock to use up (darn Costco). 

Transition between Sessions

• First session is 9:00-10:55.

At 10:55 the captain will ring a bell. Yes, that distinctively wondrous Cov..Cow..Captain’s signal bell.

The arriving players can sign in and get ready, while the previous folks assess their energy reserves for more play, or a prudent break.

• Second session is 11:05-1:00
• Third session 1:10-3:30 (Wednesdays and Fridays only)

Bags are no longer allowed to be hung on the fence.

All  PB bags must be placed on the ground (or, because your bag is ornately logo’d and adorned with cross-border tourney regalia, possibly you’ll affix it on an inventive tripod, that doesn’t trip or poke people).  The city is looking for a way to help solve this issue but until they do (with a sustainably engineered, minimal budget solution), members are not allowed to hang bags on the fence. You will be publicly shamed if you try.

Gates: Push, don’t Pull, unless..hmm you’re inside already

Remember, the gates are to be opened by pushing inwards , not, swinging them outwards into the pathway! Yes, they will do your bidding if you try to pull them in a rush to join a game, so-perhaps practice a few times while saying “In, not out..In, not out.”

Round Robin

For those who wish to play Round Robin, play starts at 6:00. You need to be on time (Defined as: a few minutes EARLY).

Players receive a number and they move through different games according to a timed schedule.

Levels of Play

Members can play down during the ALL levels sessions. 

The ALL sessions are great for partners who have different ratings and you want to play together.

Partners with different ratings may also possibly take advantage  of some sessions with a “+”, where multi-levels above can join.

Bicycles

Bicycles are not allowed in the walkway, nor in/on the courts. Even if it's an heirloom.

Yes, the current bike rack is now “hidden” behind the space-age acoustic dampening curtains. We’ve asked the city to move the bicycle rack to a different area where bikes can be visible.

Please bring a secure bicycle lock to ensure the safety of your bicycle.

Portapotty

The city has put one port-a- potty just outside the courts.  It’s a blue one.  Apparently there’s different colours out there. We're not picky, and are just happy to have one this year!

 

Outdoor Play At Alpine Begins July 5^th

Our long awaited official and organized return to the courts is most assuredly happening on Monday (next week!) July 5^th, as best as we can presume, without delays of which we are aware, and as confirmed from the municipal powers that be! We shall soon stride onto the newly improved, acoustically dampened and thusly transformed, harmoniously -situated, residentially non-confrontational playing space we fondly call “Alpine.” The latest “drive-by” reports from this morning say they look ready now, so- we have a high confidence club play will in fact be the norm next Monday!

Thanks to those that have volunteered as Captains so far. There are many play sessions already organized on our Outdoor Calendar, so- enjoy seeing your eligible rated session play opportunities, and planning your UV exposure accordingly!

The Larose courts are now closed for that resurfacing project. We’re all looking forward to the new, premium experience at those once, challenging dimpled concrete ball-skip n’ spin games. Many of us have shown we’re apparently willing and able to play anywhere (think garages, parking lots, cul-de-sacs, nearby country towns), so, we’re very appreciative of this civic investment that will expand our available, local outdoor play space to the stretches of the north heights!

We also welcome out of town, vacationing visitors to our play sessions. If you have some friends or relatives that are wondering if you can bring them to the courts with you, yes! Afterall, if they took care to pack their PB gear as a necessary element of their stay-cation, they’re very much like a lot of us that prefer not to let days go by without a visit to the courts!

We are also restarting our beginners lessons. So for those who have been enthusiastic in sharing of your luv for this game, to neighbors, friends, flyer delivery folks, shopkeepers and people in traffic with their windows down…there will be opportunities to learn and get started on some basics!

 Upcoming Rating Clinics: Starting July 9th

We are underway with planning some July dates for rating clinics. We’ll be sending out information emails to members when we have finalized when they’re happening, which levels are being offered and how to register. Stay tuned.

 Youth Development

Our club has always been inclusive of discussing plans for developing junior players. Up to this point the focus has been on providing venues, sessions and mentoring for our adult membership. Now however, the momentum of interest from civic leaders, from PB Alberta and from our own membership, has now culminated in a framework for registering and inviting youth alongside adults in selected play sessions.

Don’t fret though, we’re mindful of aging “energy equalities” and the expressed trials of keeping up with even just those dastardly agile 50-somethings, so we want to be organizing sessions where members can welcome the occasional youth player into their 4-some. We’ll be easing into this integration of youth, and you’ll soon be able to see those particular “adults & youth sessions” marked on the Outdoor Calendar.

For all the info and to help answer some of your questions about our program development for youth and the process for registering youth, check out the club website Youth Membership page here, or find it from our SAPC homepage under "Explore Joining."

 Pickleball Canada Membership FAQ Website Page

This website page contains all the useful answers to how this recent, grand, uniting systems project changed the way we register and pay our annual dues. Most pickleball clubs in Canada have adopted and integrated this Pickleball Canada (PCO) system into their own club process for joining & renewing.  See the FAQ page here, or click from our SAPC homepage.

AGM Report

This was conducted in early June, with attending members and your club Board. Our year’s business, finances, elections and bylaws were reported and affirmed. See the AGM Meeting Minutes .

 

Membership Registration: new process

As previously mentioned, the Pickleball Canada National System (PCNS) will be implemented for most Alberta clubs May 31 to June 7.

Here’s 2 things that will affect the way you register /renew for SAPC club membership.

1. If you are trying to renew your membership for the period during May 30 to June 6th, you can’t.  Please simply wait. (There’s a blackout on new & renewals during this system conversion time.)
2. After June 7, you’ll have to perform two steps to join or renew your SAPC membership. (We’ve also put these steps on our SAPC website)

 STEP ONE:

• JOIN-RENEW with Pickleball Canada (PCO) & Pickleball Alberta (PA) all at once at this special website
• At this site, you’re going to click the “JOIN-RENEW” button.
• If you’re newly joining (first timer)..select “I AM NEW ...” option at the top of the registration form,  and after paying you’re going to get a Pickleball Canada membership #...write that down, you’ll need it for STEP TWO.
• If you’re simply renewing…select “I am RENEWING ..." option at the top of the form.
• NOTE: see the date you’re renewed until? It’s changed now to a calendar year (ending Dec 31st) That’s why your club fees are going to be different from the familiar $30-something bucks.

https://secure.pickleballcanada.org/club/st-albert-pickleball-club/1005/

 

STEP TWO:

• Go to the club website.
• Either:

     - Renew (by logging into your profile and selecting “Renew to 2022-0101”)

     - Or, click the JOIN button (for new members), and enter your new Pickleball Canada membership #.

SAPC Website

This new process is a condition of our affiliation with PCO and as a prerequisite for the insurance provided by them.

We all must keep our PCO and PA membership current (paid up) for the entire period that you’re SAPC members. To avoid a PCO membership lapse, SAPC members must always renew their PCO memberships before renewing their SAPC memberships.

 

JUNE 9th AGM: Must Register In Advance

Please consider joining the AGM on Zoom on June 9th 7pm.  You’ll need to register.

Check your inbox for the May 19th "Event Announcement" email that was sent with the registration link.

EVENT DETAILS:

Registrations for this event close at 6:50 pm on June 7 to enable attendance planning and reporting.

Our Annual General Meeting is your chance to ask questions about the club's accomplishments, plans, past spending, and proposed budget, and it is your opportunity to elect members to the Board, the Nominating Committee and more.

This AGM will be a video-conference, so you can attend by sitting in front of your computer.

After registering, read the Registration confirmation email you get. It will tell you when to expect the confidential Zoom link you will need for the meeting.

If you haven't used Zoom on your computer before, see the Guide for Online Participation on the Meetings page under the Club Mgmt menu on the SAPC website. Follow the Guide's instructions for pre-installing Zoom, the video-conferencing software.  

Active Communities Outdoor Recreation Facility Project

We’re also excited as a club to have been collaborating with Active Communities and the project for an Outdoor Recreation Facility. There’s been some good progress recently and we look forward to sharing more as things become official