Player rep meeting 11/1/2016

Minutes of 11/1/16 Player Reps Meeting

In attendance were Paul Leibstein, Tony Quick, Warren Marinaccio, Sally Fuller, Faith Loeb, Beverly Bonet-King, Judy Sparks, Nelson Swartzentruber, Linda Bourbeau, John Cox, Walter Suescum, Jim Kabel, Josh Booth, Joyce Noland, Kathy Reiter, Marian Garcia, and Vicki McNair.

Fall League

Tony opened the meeting and welcomed Mo Garcia and Keith Shaver who presented details about outdoor League Play. The League runs 5 weeks beginning in November. They emphasized that the intent is social (vs. competitive) and that the goal of the League is to blend skills and have a good time. Teams are formed from Odell Weeks, The Reserve, and Woodside and they represent a mix of levels offering a good opportunity to play up and down. Currently approximately 80 people have signed up populating women and mens doubles. There is a $15 fee per person and it is anticipated that there will be a traveling trophy and a social for League players at the end. This Fall League has been developed in cooperation with the city Parks and Rec Department.

In preparation for the League there was a need to rate approximately 40 not-previously-rated people. They used a structure similar to that used at Odell Weeks, however people did not get a “high/low” classification.

Mo will send a League schedule to Warren who will put it on the online calendar.

Salvation Army Kettle Cook Off - November 19 - Newberry Street - 12 - 2 PM

Jordan Goetzman asked for pickleball players who might want to demo pickleball at this event in an effort to further introduce pickleball to the Aiken community. Also welcome would be donations of 2 crockpots of chili. Set up will be around 11:30 AM. Those interested in participating should contact Jordan at 803-644-2055.

Active Players

Tony asked that Player Reps go through their lists and identify those players who are

1.) “ACTIVE” (defined as those who play at least 2X/week) and

2.) whether they play primarily in the daytime or evening hours.

Player Reps should get this information back to Tony. Knowing this information will assist in designating courts so as to maximize play for everyone.

Opening for 3.0 High Player Rep

There is a vacancy for a 3.0 High Player Rep. Sally will follow up on this.

November Calendar

The November calendar is now posted.

Continued Discussion on the Rating System

After good input and much discussion among the group, it was decided to:

1.) Leave the High/Low rating system in place

2.) Get a truer picture of the number of active players (see previous section on “Active Players”

3.) Create a check in sheet for the Odell Weeks site to assist in getting a better idea of the number of players who play each day. (Judy Sparks will create and post the sheet at the Center).

Round Robin with Augusta - November 5 - Odell Weeks - 9 AM - 1PM

Nelson Swartzentruber reported that the Round Robin plans are complete and that the event will consist of 5 - 7 games with 40 players on 6 courts. There will be a Social following play.

November 4 Social

Tony announced (per Nancy) that from 5 - 5:30 PM there will be warm up time followed by an exhibition from 5:30 - 6:15 PM. The group will eat from 6:15 - 7 PM with opportunity to socialize through 9 PM.

Aiken Tech Evening Play

Tony reported that he is pursuing signing a lease with Aiken Tech for the use of their facilities from November through March, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 4 PM, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 - 9 PM. There will be 4 available courts. The system will be pay-to-play with payment up front. More details to follow.

Tournament - August 18 - 20 (with practice court availability on August 17)

Warren again asked for names of those interested in helping head up next year’s tournament. Those with strong project management skills would be an asset. A brochure of duties and responsibilities is available.

In meeting with Parks and Rec, early information is that Parks and Rec will be able to run the actual tournament for us; that there will be a food truck for lunch; and that the evening dinner will be at the Municipal Building.

Getting to Know the Players

We are anxious to get bios of our pickleball players. Kathy Reiter reported that a template has been developed to assist people in providing information about themselves, but it is simply a guideline. It is hoped that people will write a brief narrative about themselves and send it to Kathy or Connie. It was emphasized that, for privacy, only the name and photo will be “public” and to read the bio information one would have to have a Pickledilly account.

New Business

Ron Nelson asked for court time to rate players. Rating days will be four Friday mornings: November 11 and 18 and December 2 and 9 on Court #4.

Next Player Rep Meeting - January