General Discussion

Thanks for your comments Ron “Woody” Wood in your first response to my first post!  Lots of food for thought.  I would respectfully like to respond to your comments as part of a healthy discussion.

Your first point: I was not aware that membership in PB BC or Canada allowed us access to any club hosted play. We were reminded by the our Executive that we had to renew our CRPA membership in order to sign up for CRPA sessions. So that makes me wonder about the players from the Comox Valley. I remember last summer there were concerns with liability etc. during CRPA sessions at the outdoor courts when people from Kelowna etc. arrived and wanted to play.

Your second point: the idea that there is an obligatory “pecking order” and that it is our responsibility to try to move up. In my opinion that idea is contrary to the culture of Pickleball. It is a different kind of sport. My research shows that “the sport is known for being accessible to all age groups and skill levels, making it a popular choice for community centres, schools, and seniors”. Furthermore, “the culture of Pickleball is often centred around social interaction and camaraderie, with many clubs focusing on fun and friendly competition.” So it is up to our club to establish our own culture. As I said, I don’t believe that the original intention of the group that started our association was to create an elitist club. Many members feel that it is unfortunate that we have moved in that direction. It is not too late to improve the culture of our club!

Your third point: You are correct that there are some people who want to win all the time. It may be a part of Human Nature, but that doesn’t mean that any means to that end are acceptable. If someone treats others in an inappropriate or unkind way, they should be called on it. Our society has learned a lot through the focus and study of bullying in our culture. I am NOT saying that wanting to win at all costs is bullying. But we have learned that it is imperative to identify unacceptable behaviour and that behaviour can be changed if we do not accept it.

Your fourth point: “Booking of courts in just fine as every member has the same chance as another member does to book a court.” As Felipe pointed out “Court rentals offer fewer sign up spots and make it more difficult to track who is playing.” An individual is far more likely to snag a spot in a session if they sign up as individuals. If there are 4 courts available, only 4 people have a chance to get one and they handpick the other players. So it is not a system that allows fair and equal access to playing time for all members of the CRPA. If the Court Rentals are going to continue at the Baptist Church, then at least we can eliminate them from the community facilities.

Your final point: Dividing the court space according to 25% Advanced,  25% Advanced Intermediate , 25% Intermediate and 25% Novice / Beginner”. Many members have reported that there is not a real division between Advanced and Advanced Intermediate - people will play in both of those categories when it suits them. So what you are suggesting means that they would get 50% of the available court space. There is a constant influx of Novice players as Introductory courses continue to be offered, with no additional playing opportunities provided. Many of these beginners move up fairly quickly to the Intermediate group, so the category of Intermediate is by far the largest group. It would be unfair to allot 50% to the top levels. If we have to designate court space like this, then it could be divided between the 3 groups - Advanced/Upper intermediate, Intermediate, and Novice/“Lower Intermediate” or maybe a better term for Lower Intermediate is  “Developing”.

Thank you for your final comment about remembering to have FUN!

Your second post to me was in response to my reply to SpidyChad about the nasty practice of targeting the weakest player when playing a friendly match. You mentioned YouTube videos: "ever single one when talking about game strategy tell you to target the weaker player”. I used to watch some of those videos for information on technique and strategy. All the videos are produced by competitive high level players. I felt that the technique videos were very helpful. The videos on strategy often try to teach viewers how to win at any cost.

As individuals in a small town club during non-tournament play, each of us always has a choice when playing. We can focus on winning no matter what, as quickly as possible. Or we can strive to have a good friendly match, encouraging each other while still trying to score points, but involving all players on the court to make it fun for everyone. We can determine what kind of culture we want our local club to have.

You had a lovely final comment: “Good thing I just play for Fun ( as everyone knows I don't even keep track of the score LOL ) , Exercise and Socialize while just trying to play the game as best as I can.”  That is exactly how I play (although I do attempt to keep track of the score - haha). If that attitude is encouraged and if people are conscientious about sharing court time fairly, we can make our Pickleball community function more enjoyably for everyone.

Thanks again for your valuable feedback Ron!