June Servers' Committee Meeting

Big Lance (happy one with glass) and
Little Lance (unhappy one without glass)
in Abacela's new Vine & Wine Center.

Food, wine, and friends, and not a pickleball in sight. 
The other five UVP members in attendance must 
have been detained in the tasting room.

The weatherman lied. It was supposed to be sunny and in the 70s, but that didn’t deter 13 UVP members from journeying to Abacela Winery in Winston for this month’s servers’ committee meeting yesterday. Most chose to taste in the new Vine & Wine Center, and based on their predilections, picked up a bottle to nourish themselves, along with the feast of shared food, including Ruth’s delicious curry chicken and corn salads, during the picnic lunch meeting held at the gazebo overlooking the vineyard.

When asked how much was in the treasury, Kelly reported, “Same as last month.” When pressed to account for an exact amount, she said, “Around $62.” When pressured to disclose the location of the treasury, she confessed, “In my car.” To her credit, though, Kelly more than doubled the treasury by collecting $90 to go towards the purchase of a net and standard to be used outdoors on the tennis courts.

Bill’s official tournament director’s report was brief because he said he had “Nothing to report.” In spite of that, a lengthy discussion did ensue about having a UVP tournament late next month, and the possibility of playing clubs from Eugene, Bend, and our Rogue Valley nemesis, Ashland.

Bill did report that a tournament in Sunriver will be July 19-22. An entry form for “Pickleball Mania” can be downloaded at the following URL:
http://www.usapa.org/schedule/calendar/index.php?display=event&id=535&date=2011-Jul-19&returnto=month

From the discussion of tournaments, Stan and Betty encouraged us to get USAPA ratings. By rating UVP members, we can more easily seed our local tournaments and match up our players against other clubs.

Continuing his non-report, Bill also reported that we can tape lines on two of the outdoor courts at the Umpqua Valley tennis facility across the street from the Y. This is when Kelly collected $90 from nine of the 13 members at the meeting to purchase a portable net for outdoor play.

At this point in the meeting it became obvious that the grape fermented refreshments were beginning to loosen both the tongues of the speakers and the focus on the official proceedings. What a perfect time for Big Lance to unleash his rant. He vented most vehemently against members who don’t take care in putting away the nets. If the net isn’t secured to the standard, it can more easily get caught and rip. Stan reported that he had worked on the nets on Wednesday so that the turnbuckle now hooks onto a knot in the rope backbone rather than into the grommet.


By the time the meeting adjourned, the gray sky had broken up, the wind had died down, an early summer afternoon became sunny and warmer, and the weatherman became less of a liar.