current news

Temporary Schedule at Port Townsend High School
 
3:30-5:30 pm
M-W-F - Open Play
Tu-Th - Scheduled Play
9:00 am -1:00 pm
Saturday only - 2 courts for Scheduled Play, 2 courts for Beginner Instruction

No play on Sunday

Hello, Port Townsend Pickleball Players:

The sport of pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the country, has developed its own culture over time. The spirit of friendliness and good sportsmanship are defining characteristics, and most places to play in the country are welcoming and inclusive. The social aspect cannot be discounted, as many players have made new friends on the courts, people they may not have met otherwise.

This culture has been in evidence recently at the new Courthouse Courts. PTPC decided not to sign a lease with the County for dedicated hours, and so the County will maintain Open Play for these courts. In the absence of rules or guidelines, many of our pickleball players have been self-organizing into a rotation system that is used throughout pickleball world, and kudos to them.  We are advising the County on signage which will describe the rotation system and encourage the players to be fair and inclusive.

The Board has been busy as we continue to try to navigate playing pickleball during a pandemic. Temporary schedules have kept us making decisions on the fly about play at the high school and Mountain View. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please continue to check the messaging on Playtime Scheduler and our website for the latest developments.

We have many other irons in the fire. Besides working with the County on the protocol for the new courts at the Courthouse, we have been in regular meetings with these other organizations:

• School District for ongoing discussions about scheduling.
• City of Port Townsend about refurbishing the Mountain View concrete slab for permanent pickleball courts. The good news here is that the Port Townsend Parks, Recreation, Trees Advisory Board approved our initial proposal for improving this space.
• The YMCA for scheduling indoor pickleball in the MV gym. Stay tuned for an announcement soon for this Y program.

We have lots of decision-making to do regarding these places to play pickleball. At our last meeting, the Board agreed that we need to host a gathering of our members (and any other players who want to attend) to listen to their suggestions and get a sense of what is best for the Club. To that end, we have reserved the pavilion at HJ Carroll Park on October 12 from 2:30-4:30 pm for a Special Meeting.  Please plan to attend, especially if you have good ideas about which direction you want the Club to take. I hope to see you there.

And finally, I’d like to give a shout out to the volunteers who have made our Beginner Instruction such a huge success. We’ve had anywhere between 2 and 14 beginners show up for our Saturday sessions. Many thanks go to Jeannie Ramsey, Craig Walls, Jim Dow, Sharlene Shiroma, Kim Anderson, Toni Davison, Patricia Dombrowski, and Stan Jonasson for sharing their passion for pickleball with the beginners.

Happy Pickling,
Lynn

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Drop-In?  Open Play?  Rated Play? 
What’s it all mean?

Some of the messages we get are suggestions or issues about scheduling. One thing we discovered is that we’re not all using the same definitions of the terms. We hope to clarify this and provide more consistency in their use.

Here are some definitions of terms:

Open Play – means there is no prescribed skill level. Anyone can play with anyone, and the idea is to mix it up. We encourage more experienced players to join in with others. We call it paying it forward.

Rated Play – these courts are for a designated skill level. We encourage players at that skill level to play with others who have a similar level. Our Rated Play categories are Beginner/Advanced Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced Intermediate, and Advanced. When and if we resume our schedule at the high school, Rated Play days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Rated Play is essentially the opposite of Open Play.

Drop-In – This means there are no reservations. Anyone can show up and play. All of the sessions at the high school on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are Drop-In. There is one Drop-In, Open Play court on Tuesday and Thursday. Drop-In is the opposite of Reserved Play.

Scheduled Play – This means that players can reserve a court for their group only. Because of the pandemic, we have been using Playtime Scheduler at the high school and Mountain View for that purpose.

Dedicated Hours/Courts – usually refers to courts or playing time for a specific group of players, like a club. PTPC currently has no signed agreements with any of the entities we’re coordinating with; that could change, but as of now, no PTPC members have a right to exclude anyone else from any of the courts we use. We’ve had a verbal agreement with the School District for dedicated hours at the High School, M-Sat, 9:00-1:00, which the Club manages. Nonetheless, the courts are always open to the public.