Submitted by admin on Fri, 03/08/2019 - 19:18
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Submitted by Stephanie Wolfe
The leadership team meeting was held on Monday, March 4, 2019, in Room 4 at Odell Weeks Center.
The meeting was called to order by Joyce Noland at 5:30 pm.
Those in attendance were Joyce Noland, Nancy Vermilye, Ron Nelson, Mike Beckner, Mo Garcia, Chuck Buchanan, Daniel Davis, Faith Loeb, Linda Blake, Beverly Edwards, Nancy Racki, Stephanie Wolfe, DickDiemar, Diane Voss, Grace Vance, Jeff Beckner, and Michele Bullington.
Palmetto Doubles Invitational Pickleball Tournament
- Jeff Beckner, tournament director, provided an update on plans for this year's tournament, which will be held September 5-8. Registration will open in May, and they are planning for about 200 participants. Chuck Buchanan will be covering for Jeff on the three days of the tournament. Nelson Spitnale will head up the computer operations team once again. The volunteer coordinator position has yet to be filled, and Jeff is working on that. He reported that about 40-45 volunteers will be needed. To encourage more 3.0 players to register for the tournament, consideration is being given to using a round robin format for the 3.0 division rather than brackets. Discussion followed, and 3.0 player reps were asked to get input from their players regarding this.
- Michele Bullington, who is in charge of marketing for the tournament, detailed her efforts and the numerous contacts she has been making to ensure increased media coverage of the tournament this year, which includes arranging for the photographer(s) for the three-day event.
First Presbyterian Church Play
- Joyce reported that a total of $122 was collected/given to the church for the month of February.
- Due to additional hours of court time now available at Odell, it was determined that play at First Presbyterian would not continue in the upcoming months. Joyce said that the contact person for the church has been most accommodating and is willing to work with the leadership team to schedule play on a seasonal basis.
Court Reservation Times
- Joyce reported that requests have been received for court reservation time to be made available for those who work during the daytime hours. Discussion followed, and it was decided that 2 of the 6 courts available at Odell during evening hours would be for court reservation play. The remaining four courts will be for modified court designation play.
Round Robins
- USC-Aiken will be holding a pickleball round robin, in conjunction with a Senior Expo, on Saturday, April 27. It will be mixed doubles only, and the divisions are 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0. Participants will need to register as a team.
- The round robin originally scheduled at Odell Weeks for April will now be held at Gregg Park at a later date. May 18 or June 1 were mentioned as possibilities, but a definite date was not set.
Player Meeting and Social
- A Player Meeting and Social will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Room 3 at Odell Weeks. This will be an opportunity for all players to gather together and share concerns with or ask any questions they may have of the leadership team. The player meeting will be from 5:00-6:00 pm, and the social will begin at 6:00 pm. Open play on all six courts in Gym 2 will follow.
- Chuck Buchanan suggested that at the meeting we invite players to become involved in the organization.
Player Etiquette
- In response to some issues that have been reported to the leadership team, Mike Beckner has prepared a statement regarding pickleball player etiquette that will be posted on our website.
Gregg Park Play
- Gregg Park will be adding two more pickleball courts for a total of six. Mo Garcia will be striping those courts soon.
National Pickleball Month
- Mike Beckner reported that April is National Pickleball Month. The City of Aiken will be issuing a proclamation of such at their council meeting on March 25. The meeting will be held at the Aiken Municipal Building on Park Avenue, and Mike encouraged those that are interested in attending to do so.
Eustis Park Pickleball Clinic
- In conjunction with the opening of the new senior/youth center at Eustis Park, the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Toruism Department will be hosting free pickleball clinics on the Eustis Park's courts Saturday, April 6, 2019. George Buggs has been instrumental in the plans for this event. Paddles and outdoor balls will be given to all 40 registered participants, which will include youth from Helping Hands. Grace Vance will be conducting two clinics that day, assisted by volunteers. Aiken Pickledillys will provide water and fruit.
- Gym 1 at Odell Weeks has been reserved, in case of inclement weather.
Aiken Area Social Spring League
- Mo Garcia reported that Spring League starts March 10 and ends June 10. To date, there are two teams participating in the league. One will be captained by Nancy Vermilye, and the other team will be captained by Mirabelle (Mike) Dickhart. Matches will be scheduled on Friday evenings. If any additional teams would decide to participate in the league, then some matches could possibly be scheduled on Sunday afternoons.
Other items
- Nancy Vermilye announced that Marcia Gable has resigned as secretary for the leadership team, so the board is looking for someone to fill that position.
- Grace Vance reported that there has been some confusion as to who can participate in the free clinics offered at Gregg Park. The free clinics were set up for "new-to-pickleball" Gregg Park members.
- Mo Garcia asked if there had been any feedback on the "Playing with the Pro" sessions that were offered this past month. It was suggested that we survey members.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:56 pm.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 1, 2019, at 5:30 pm in Room 4 at Odell Weeks.