Umpqua Valley Pickleball

January Servers' Committee Meeting

2012-01-26T14:49:00.000-08:00


Twice the drinks = half the refills

Enjoying a respite from the winter rains that have finally drenched the Umpqua Valley, 11 folks met at Round Table Pizza to conduct business of the chow and pickleball variety.

Based on the e-mail list, membership is now 41. Ten or so new people have shown up the past few weeks to try pickleball, so we're gaining members faster than we're losing them.

Jeannette reported that the treasury is now flush with $60.25, after flirting with a negative balance because of the purchase of a new USAPA standard and net, and the very generous Mark V gift certificate given to yours truly.

The equipment manager, Dale, stated that everything is in relatively good repair, but that several of the aluminum turnbuckles should be replaced because they're stripped.

The last issue of discussion was the format for our next tournament, which will be sometime in late February. A wrinkle to the blind draw format will be to have two 12 person divisions based on skill levels.

Mission Accomplished

Snowball's Chance Christmas Meltdown

2011-12-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

It’s history. Yesterday’s Christmas Meltdown is now today’s puddle of memory.

Draw partner.

Say what? I have to play on court 6?

What memories though--twenty-four UVP players rotating in rapid fire fashion every 10 minutes to a different court with a different partner for six games.

Setting the field of battle for the training table massacre.

When the running scores were sorted first through twenty-fourth, JD, David, Theresa, and Gary were the top snowballs to fight it out in the championship round. In a two out of three game smackdown, partners JD and Gary emerged as the winter champions.

Chimps, er champs acting like chumps

In the battle of the bottom, Steve M. and Lucy topped Joy and Bobbie to claim the club chumpionship.

Chumps looking like champs

With the feeding frenzy at the festively decorated tournament “training table” before, during, between, and after the action, it’s a wonder anyone could speak with their mouths full, but lots of comments endorsed the tournament format and rated the fun factor a big thumbs up.

Ten Little Smokies on the plate await their date with their fate.

Would you like some cheese with your Little Smokies?

With the 2011 Christmas Meltdown in the record books, we can now look forward to the four seasons of club tournaments in 2012.

UVP donated 37 cans to the canned food drive

and $62 to the Y's Tree of Giving.

15 Seconds of Fame

2011-12-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

OK, the play times are wrong, but at least UVP made the 11:00 news:

November Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-11-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

After skipping a month, we re-convened today, this time at O'Farrell's, aka the Irish Cultural Center. No pictures are available because of the dim lighting, which is probably the most appropriate milieu for conducting our business.

UVP Tournament Results

2011-10-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Men's Doubles

First: David and JD
Second: Charles and Gary
Third: Lance and Todd
Fourth: Good Bill and Bad Bill

Women's Doubles
First: Judy and Kate
Second: Pama and Rey
Third: Jeanette and Kelly

Mixed Doubles

First: Judy and David
Second: Keri and JD

Third: Kate and Todd
Fourth: Rey and Bill
Fifth: Pama and Bruce
Sixth: Jeanette and Steve
Seventh: Kelly and Dale
Forfeit: Susan and Richard

September Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-09-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Chow down champion

Fire, fish, feast, fun

Back at Singleton Park we gathered last week to feast first then discuss all things pickleball parenthetically. It was apparent that something special was cooking when David pulled up in his pickup with a grill in the back. It's hard to beat fresh salmon any day, but especially on a warm and clear early autumn day.

August Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-08-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sustenance as a priority.

Only eight of us went out to Reustle Winery for this month's meeting. Too bad for those folks who couldn't or wouldn't make it to this amazing place with such delicious wines.

Much was discussed but nothing was resolved, which is the way it should be on a perfectly warm August afternoon, sitting and sipping on the patio.

Substance as a priority.

July Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-07-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Only seven of us showed up last Thursday for the July Servers' Committee to discuss pickleball issues and to celebrate Oregon craft beer month. Maybe more of us will show up this week to join the 80,000 revelers at the Oregon Brewers' Festival in Portland.

June Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-06-24T14:39:00.001-07:00

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.

Pickleball Pointers

2011-06-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

Tips To Make A Great Game Even Better

#1: Balls rolling onto another court during play are a safety and courtesy issue.

* If a ball rolls onto your court during play, stop the game so that the ball can be removed, and then replay the point.

* Do not randomly roll or kick or flick the ball out of your way, but throw or hit it back to a player on the court from where it came. (Conversely, if a ball rolls from your court to another one, make eye contact with the person returning it.)

* If a ball rolls under the curtain to the other basketball court, retrieve it as soon as the point is over, especially if the other court is being used for another activity. 

May Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-05-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

With temperatures in the mid 70s and more blue sky than clouds, last Thursday couldn't have been a better pick for the first outdoor luncheon meeting of the year. It wasn't on the agenda, but the highest priority was tasting the shared food and beer.

Now you see it...

Never to worry about technicalities like parliamentary procedure or a quorum, the eight UVP members in attendance approved the Court Rules and Sportsmanship document, which can be read on the Conduct page. The one change was to delete the signature acknowledging agreement.

Our new Y liaison, Mike H. stopped by. He is replacing Audrey, who will be missed by everyone in our group who knows her.

Now you don't!

You've Been Served, Legally

2011-04-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

April Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-04-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Small numbers at play all week made for a small turnout at yesterday's Servers' Committee meeting at Round Table Pizza. Nevertheless, eight of us were the pizza and pickleball powers that be, at least for a couple of hours.

Kelly was out of town, so she couldn't give the treasurer's report. Lil' Lance cracked wise that "she took the money to Mexico." I know for a fact that this couldn't possibly be true because she went to Spain, not Mexico.

Via email Judy aired two concerns. The first, mixed ability levels playing together, has been discussed at great length with no better solution than to "go rogue." It was decided to invoke the King and Queen Court format on crowded days so that players didn't always have to split and sit. Judy's second input, drills practice before play didn't garner much enthusiasm. Considering the trouncing, however, that Ashland put on us at the State of Jefferson Pickleball Tournament, this might be an idea that could help to level the playing field, or more accurately, the court, the next time we challenge the Rogue Valley.

Following up on Judy's practice sessions suggestions, Liz requested that two paddles and balls be kept at the front desk to make it convenient for folks to check them out for practice in a racketball court during non-play time.

Audrey reported that it had been requested that we post our pickleball rules somewhere besides on the blog site. She then came up with the idea to have all players, both current and new, sign an acknowledgment of rules, sportsmanship, and court customs. The purpose of the document will be to assure that all players understand the expectations for fun, fair, and safe pickleball play at the Y. The signed documents will be kept in the 3 ring binder in the blue duffel.

A discussion then followed about the appropriate age for playing pickleball. It was decided that anyone under the age of 15 must have a parent present while playing.

Finally, the pickleball powers that be decided that for new players to be eligible to join us, they would have to sign the acknowledgment of rules, sportsmanship, and customs document and attend a Wednesday orientation with yours truly.

We hope to have the next five meetings, May through September, outdoors, either at Singleton Park or at one of our local Douglas County wineries.

Smashed

2011-04-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, if there was a question whether finesse trumps smash mouth, it was settled today when the Rogue Valley trounced the Umpqua Valley 11-1 at the first State of Jefferson Pickleball Tournament. The traveling trophy left its brief home in Roseburg and found a new one this afternoon in Ashland, but there's always next time...

Shoe Goo

2011-04-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

A little dab o' Shoe Goo and the old pickleball hightops are as good as new.

Shoe Goo--it's not just for shoes anymore. If the outside plastic rim of your paddle is loose, Shoe Goo can be used to reseal it. The easiest way to apply Shoe Goo is with a Q-tip. Just lift the shoe's soul where it's separated or the paddle's plastic rim and dab on the goo. Choose a time when you won't be playing the next day, because it's supposed to dry for 24 hours.

Happy Birthday UVPickleball.net

2011-03-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

UVPickleball.net: Serving Umpqua Valley Pickleball
since March 30, 2010

March Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-03-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Broccoli pizza, hold the broccoli

The March meeting of the Servers’ Committee convened yesterday for the second month in a row at Round Table Pizza, where a record crowd of 17 found it hard to beat the all-you-can-eat lunch special and privacy of the backroom to do our dealings, or were we dealing our doings?

Kelly’s always interesting Pickleball Pig report failed to indicate how much pork we actually have. The best she could account for was “whatever we had in it last time.” Her explanation was that “Audrey has been away and I haven’t seen the pig in a long time.” Oink. Oink.

You know where to find us, Lance

Because of injuries, Lance #2 is retiring from pickleball and from his ball-the-czar position. He told us, though, that he enjoys our company so much that he will keep attending our social events. He also is donating his Pickleball Drive sign to UVP, but not his paddle, which he would be happy to sell to you for $50, no shipping or handling charges.

I guess if your name is Lance then you are destined to be the ball-the-czar, because by unanimous acclamation Lance #1 was anointed to the position vacated by Lance #2.

A discussion then ensued about the merits of the faster yellow balls, which we have been using ever since pickleball started at the Y, and the slower green ones, preferred by the Ashland club. After Marty came up last week to give a clinic, we started using the green ones exclusively.

Because so many folks showed up to play last week, over 20 last Monday and Wednesday, it was suggested by Kate that we play the King and Queen Court format on busy days. To minimize wait time between courts, the games will be timed rather than played to a specific score.

Our tournament director, Bill H., reported that the qualifying tournament had gotten underway. The two mixed doubles teams representing our club against Ashland on April 11 at our celebration of International Pickleball Week will be JD and Kerri, who won all three of their matches, and Kate and your humble reporter, who won two matches. The other two mixed doubles teams who competed in the qualifier were Bill and Rey and Bruce and Pama.

Late Breaking News Alert: The tournament director just contacted this reporter via cell phone to report Friday’s results in the qualifying tournament: The women’s doubles team of Rey and Kate finished first, followed by Judy and Kelly. In men’s doubles JD and Claude qualified for the #1 position, and Bill H. and Lance #1 are in the #2 position.

Back To the Meeting: Dale, our equipment manager, reported on the status of the net set-up that he built for us. It’s a little more complicated to put up than the other nets, so he will show us all how to do it on Monday.

Pickleball for All

2011-03-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

We’ve all had our pickleball firsts: The first time we ever heard the funny name of the game; the first time we heard laughter on the courts; the first time we held a paddle and hit a ball; the first time we stepped into the kitchen and whoops, hit a volley; the first time we were part of a thwack! thwack!! thwack!!! thwack!!! rally; the first time we surprised ourselves by hitting a winning backhand shot; the first game we lost; the first game we won.

Every time a new person joins us, they too will experience these firsts, but we need to keep in perspective what they haven’t done yet for the first time; they haven’t read all the official rules or learned our local customs; they haven’t attended a clinic or played in a mixer match or tournament; they haven’t joined USAPA; they haven’t gone to one of our monthly Servers’ Committee meetings; they haven’t helped our UVP group, whether ordering balls, maintaining equipment, painting court lines, contributing to the pickleball piggy bank, or just setting up and putting away the nets; they haven’t even felt the difference in the heft between a wooden and composite paddle, but here they are, excited and ready to play the game that we all love.

So, if you see a new face watching us, be friendly, say hello, and ask if they are interested in playing. Rather than inviting them to get into a game right away, which would probably just deter them from ever coming back, make sure that they pick up a "Welcome To Umpqua Valley Pickleball" handout and suggest that they go to the next weekly new player orientation and monthly Servers’ Committee meeting.

We also need to remember that not all players are created equally. Folks who come to the sport with a tennis or racketball background pick up the game faster than those whose only paddle sport has been ping pong, but whether we are novice, intermediate, or advanced players, we all are different ages, and have different athletic abilities and fitness levels.

So, when you have a beginner for your doubles partner, be patient. Besides getting better by playing the game, they depend on you to help them to improve and to learn the rules and court courtesies. You don’t have to coach them between every point, but an occasional clarified rule or suggested strategy would be helpful. Let the game itself be a teacher, allowing them to learn the hard way by making mistakes, just like you did (and still do).

And conversely, novices and intermediates need to respect the competitiveness of advanced players. Regardless of the skill level, we all want to get a good cardio workout and to become better players, which is why those of us who have been playing for a while, or who bring skills from other sports, prefer to play with other higher caliber players. In a game in which players with a wide range of skill levels play together, the competitive intensity tends to lower to the level of the less skilled player. Advanced players are forced to notch down their intensity, which makes for a less competitive, and for them, less satisfying game. So, rather than feeling snubbed and judging advanced players as elitists, recognize their skill and experience, and their motivations, which not insignificantly include wanting to be on the court together with friends with whom they have been playing for months and even years.

There’s a place for all in pickleball. Whether we’ve been playing here at the Douglas County Y since October 2010, or just since yesterday, we all need to recognize what others want to get from the sport.

Net Gain, Again

2011-03-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a long process, but the two replacements for the old cement-bottomed volleyball standards are just about ready to go. Dale, our handy dandy equipment manager, cut out four round pieces of plywood for the bases, painted them white, and then affixed carpet to prevent scratches on the floor. Since the standards are so light, they are held in place by a nylon rope attached to a rubber suction cup.

A twist of a turnbuckle here and a snap of a hook there and the nets will become attched to their new home.

Surprise Package

2011-03-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

The balls stay, the Taster Pack goes home.

Imagine my surprised delight when I discovered a Taster Pack nestled next to the two dozen new balls that Ball-the-Czar brought yesterday to replenish the dwindling supply of our beloved yellow Dura 40s.

How did he know that as a homebrewer I on occasion like to do research and development?

February Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-02-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Deciding whether to go tasty or healthy

The backroom of Round Table Pizza and the Lunch Special of unlimited slices and salad proved to be the perfect warm spot and midday meal for the ten folks who showed up yesterday for this month's meeting on a snowy winter afternoon.

The first agenda item, plans for International Pickleball Week April 11-17, yielded the unanimously supported idea of an ethnic food feast, oh yeah, and a little pickleball playing. Hopefully, our friends from Ashland can join us for another Mixer Match then. It was also suggested to request that the mayor of Roseburg make a declaration of pickleball, whatever that might mean.

Healthy but not tasty

Other upcoming events include a clinic with Marty, tentatively scheduled for March 14, and another UVP tournament, probably sandwiched in between the clinic and International Pickleball Week. Besides having another UVP tournament, scheduling a monthly King and Queen Court format was approved.

Dale updated us on the status of the new standards, which are replacing the dangerously heavy and cumbersome volleyball ones, and Lance, aka Ball-the-Czar, who has been out of action because of injuries, has ordered two dozen Dura Fast 40 seamless balls to replenish our alarmingly low supply.

Kelly, our treasurer, reported that the Pickleball Piggy Bank, which has been M.I.A. from the courts for weeks, if not months, still has about $75. She said that the Piggy is in Audrey's office because we had taken it away from he.

Tasty but not healthy

Much discussion ensued about orienting new players, particularly about the etiquette of play. For example, new players tend to be clueless about walking behind the baseline while a point is in play, and they need to be informed that they are expected to set up or put away the nets. Kelly and yours truly will work up a handout to give to folks who come courtside for the first time, and Big Lance will tinker with making some sort of easel display to inform players and spectators what we're doing on any given day.

Yours truly, our USAPA ambassador for the Umpqua Valley, reported that the email list has grown to 40 names, but there has not been a commensurate increase in the national organization membership. Everyone who has not joined USAPA is encouraged to become a member. Applications are available online at the USAPA Website.

Tasty and healthy!

Because of our growing numbers, we now have more novice and "C" level players. We all agreed that we enjoy playing with a variety of people with different skill levels, but not necessarily for the entire two hour session. According to the schedule, Courts 1-3 from 9-11 on M-F are reserved for open play in which winners split and losers sit. Courts 4-6 on M-Th, however, are available for folks who want to go rogue and play without rotating out.

By the time the meeting was adjourned, the snow had melted and the sun was out. We just don't do storms very well in Roseburg, but we sure enjoy tasty and healthy!

By the Numbers

2011-02-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

The USA Pickleball Association has identified 954 places to play, which include 1,331 indoor courts and 1,450 outdoor courts. Based on an average of 20 players per court, there are now approximately 71,455 pickleball players in the U.S. and Canada.

On any given day we have as few as six or as many as twenty or more Umpqua Valley Pickleball people show up, so usually two or three courts are in action with little wait time.

Identifying UVP players is a moving target, since we don’t pay membership fees and because some folks play occasionally.

Only thirteen Umpqua Valley players are members of USAPA. If you have not yet joined the national organization yet, you should. The fee is nominal, only $20 a year if you’re 50+ and $25 if younger.

Besides the personal benefit of a USAPA t-shirt and window sticker, by joining you are supporting the organization that has been promoting the sport since 1984.

State of the Union

2011-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

What is your Pickleball Policy, Mr. President?

Sure, he has a lot to deal with, but doesn't it seem odd that President Obama didn't address the issue of pickleball in his State of the Union address tonight?

Perhaps he should make a trip on Air Force One to the Umpqua Valley, play on our court, and see for himself just what this game is all about. Then we might see some bold new pickleball initiatives coming out of Washington D.C.

January Servers' Committee Meeting

2011-01-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

Undecided

Decided

Back to Alexander’s last Thursday and their delicious gyros, a.k.a. Greek soft tacos, went the Servers’ Committee for the first meeting of 2011. Must be the winter blahs, but only six of us showed up to enjoy lunch and to discuss UVP business.

Lil’ Lance, equipment committee chair and ball-the-czar extraordinaire, reported that two of the three original nets have had grommet repairs, and that he will take in the third one next month. The only other equipment issue now are the volleyball standards, which are used when fifth and sixth courts are needed. They are heavy and awkward to move, and pieces of cement leak from the bottom. The short term solution would be to weld on a piece of sheet metal to seal the cement, and the long term solution is to replace them with something more wieldy.

Those present thought that we should have another tournament. Bill will take the responsibility to set it up and run it, along with anyone else who is willing to help. We also hope to have another training session with Marty, the USAPA ambassador from Ashland. It would be one hour sessions each for novice and advanced players.

Once we finished inhaling the gyros, a lengthy discussion ensued about our growing membership, court play time, and conflicts in rules interpretation. The idea of a rules committee was rejected because those of us present agreed that our common goal in playing pickleball is to have fun while exercising. If two players have a difference of opinion about a rule, they need to work it out themselves rather than turn over the decision to a governing body. Yours truly said that it’s just a dumb kids’ game that we all enjoy so much and it shouldn’t be taken that seriously. Also discussed was our growing membership with about 20 active and 15 semi-active players. David suggested that as part of the new player orientation on Wednesdays from 9 to 11, newbies should be informed of our rules and courtesies. On busy days when we have more players than court space, the committee endorsed the sit after three consecutive games rule.

By the end of the meeting the sun finally broke through the clouds, making your humble reporter a little guilty about not being home doing winter yard work, and all that was left on the table was the tab to be divided among the six of us and drips of Tzatziki sauce on each of our otherwise empty plates.

Report from Tucson

2011-01-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Stan and Betty emailed today to report on their pickleball paradise down in warm and sunny Arizona:

In Tucson, it is supposed to be 79 degrees tomorrow. We are getting ready for the senior Olympics. Probably a couple of hundred players from all over Arizona. They have age classes and Betty and I are entered for the mixed doubles at 75+ since we will hit that age before the end of the year. We will have the regular 7 courts plus they are going to split a tennis court so that we have 9. I suspect that we may not last long in the competition as there are a lot of good players down here. We are constantly reminded of how much all of you miss by having to play indoors. Playing outdoors on a full sized court with plenty of end room and fences all around so the ball can't get away is neat as is playing in the wind and sunshine. Try hitting a slam when the sun shines directly into your eyeballs just before you begin your swing. We change ends in mid game. Betty is helping with the score keeping and I am scheduled to referee 4 hours per day for 4 out of the 5 days. We wish you could be here to see the enthusiasm and skill of this bunch of people. We have seen you play and you would do really well but there are some really outstanding players here who would challenge you.

Keep up your enthusiasm and work. There is a whole wonderful world of pickleball out there that you have never seen, but are developing the basics to be the stars of tomorrow.
Stan and Betty

A Stitch in Time

2011-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Almost a year and a half of pulling and stretching to set up the nets has taken its toll, so Lil’ Lance took the first of the three original ones to the local shoe repair shop to have a swath of leather sewn over the torn grommet holes.

Horizontal Bar Rule

2011-01-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here's another reason to support our national organization, the USA Pickleball Association-- Dennis Dacey, USAPA rules chair has clarified for us the rule which would apply when a ball goes over the net and hits the horizontal support bar that runs between the net posts. Is the horizontal bar considered to be a permanent object, or is it part of the net? Does the player who hit the ball lose the point because the ball hit the horizontal bar before it bounces on the court?

Here is Dennis's answer and the rule which UVP will use:

The horizontal bar on the portable nets is considered part of the net. If the ball hits the bar from the bar side of the net it is immediately a dead ball and a fault. If the ball hits the bar after going over the net the ball is still alive and can be played accordingly.

You will not find this in the rule book but it is what was adopted at the National Tournament a year ago by the Tournament Director and by the Rules Chairman.

2010-12-31T17:18:00.000-08:00

It's never too late to make New Year's resolutions, especially pickleball ones:

Mixed and Men's Doubles

2010-12-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

It took three games apiece to decide the championships in both the Mixed and Men’s Doubles on Friday.

In the closest finals match, Audrey and Claude lost 11-4 to Susan and Rich in the first game of the Mixed Doubles, but came back in the second 11-7, only to lose in the third 12-10.

Tony and Gary won their first game in the Men’s Doubles 11-5 over Bill H. and David S., dropped the second 11-2, but recovered 11-6 for the victory in the third.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in UVP's first tournament!

Mixed Doubles

2010-12-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

Round robin results from Wednesday’s Mixed Doubles Tournament action:

5-0: Susan/Rich
4-1: Audrey/Claude
3-2: Keri/JD
2-3: Rey/Bill
1-4: Kelly/Gary
0-5: Pama/Bruce

So, on Friday the 5-0 team of Susan and Rich will square off in the Mixed Doubles Championship against Audrey and Claude, who only lost one game to the undefeated duo.

First UVP Champs!

2010-12-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Because of a previous commitment, Lucy could not play in the Women's Double's Championship on Friday, so she and Judy played Audrey and Pama after the round robin games yesterday. Lucy and Judy swept their opponents 11-4 and 11-4, becoming the first Umpqua Valley Pickleball champions. Congratulations ladies!

Results from Tuesday’s Women’s Doubles Round Robin Tournament action:
2-0: Lucy/Judy
1-1: Audrey/Pama
0-2: Bobbie/Kelly

Round robin action concludes today when six teams of mixed doubles face each other. The men’s and mixed doubles championship rounds will be contested on Friday.

Men's Doubles

2010-12-14T07:01:00.001-08:00

Round robin results from Monday’s fast and furious and curiously serious Men’s Doubles Tournament action:

5-0: Tony/Gary
4-1: Bill H./David S.
3-2: Claude/Bill S.
2-3: Steve/Big Dave
1-4: Lil’ Lance/Big Lance
0-5: JD/Bruce

So, on Friday the 5-0 team of Tony and Gary will square off in the Men's Doubles Championship against Bill H. and David S., who only lost one game to the undefeated duo.

After Men’s Doubles play, a spontaneous December Servers’ Committee convened at McMennamins, allowing the gentlemen to either cheer their wins or drown their sorrows.

Not much other business was conducted, probably due to the spontaneous nature of the meeting and to the overwhelming attention given to a bite to eat and brew, or in some cases, brews, to drink, but it was decided by acclamation to use the pickleball piggy bank money to maintain equipment, after a previous motion by Bill H. to use the money for a party was resoundingly rescinded, although the first officer to be added to Umpqua Valley Pickleball, besides yours truly, who, truth be told, ascended to the position of ambassador without either a whisper or a witness, was voted upon, and again, in the spirit of unanimity passed without a dissenting vote--yes, our own Lil’ Lance is now Ball the Czar, an important position for our club, since he will be responsible for maintaining a steady supply of balls for our daily play.

I would love to see an English teacher diagram the previous sentence.

Last Gasp

2010-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

You can’t get your defense ready to play the Oregon Ducks’ blur offense by making 300 pound linemen start running wind sprints in practice the week before the game, and you can’t get ready for the Umpqua Valley Pickleball Doubles Tournament by showing up the Friday before, but over 20 players did just that, trying to get their game in gear on the last play day before the week long event.

So many players were cooling off in the lobby between games waiting to get back on the court that we had to have a sign-up list to keep track of whose turn it was to play next.

Down to hours left to huff and puff our way into shape, the men’s doubles are Monday, women’s doubles are Tuesday, and mixed doubles are on Wednesday. The finals for all three divisions are Friday.

UVP Tournament FAQ

2010-12-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Tournament Court Schedule

Mon., Dec. 13: Men's Doubles Round Robin (games to 15 points)
Court 1: Big Lance and Lil' Lance v. Steve and Big Dave
Court 2: Bill H. and David S. v. Gary and Tony
Court 3: Bill S. and Claude v. JD and Bruce
After finishing games, record scores and continue round robin play on Courts 1-3.
Courts 4-6: Available for open play

Tues., Dec. 14: Women's Doubles Round Robin (games to 15 points)
Court 1: Lucy and Judy v. Audrey and Pama
After finishing game, record scores.
Court 1: Bobbie and Kelly v. Audrey and Pama
After finishing game, record scores.
Court 1: Bobbie and Kelly v. Lucy and Judy
After finishing game, record scores.
Courts 4-6: Available for open play

Wed., Dec. 15: Mixed Doubles Round Robin (games to 15 points)
Court 1: Pama and Bruce v. Rey and Bill H.
Court 2: Susan and Rich v. Keri and JD
Court 3: Audrey and Claude v. Kelly and Lil' Lance
After finishing games, record scores and continue round robin play on Courts 1-3.
Courts 4-6: Available for open play

Thurs., Dec. 16:
Courts 1-6: Available for open play

Fri., Dec. 17: Men's, Women's, and Mixed Doubles Championships (2 out of 3 games to 11 points)
Court 2: Men's Doubles
Court 2: Women's Doubles
Court 2: Mixed Doubles

Ducks in The Natty

2010-12-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

If you just happen to be going to Glendale, AZ the second week of January to play pickleball, while you’re there you might as well also go watch the Oregon Ducks football team play the Auburn Tigers in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. If you’re not going to Arizona then, you’ll have to settle for a morning of pickleball here in Roseburg before the game, which will be broadcast Mon., Jan. 10, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Go Ducks!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again when the last of the yard signs from the first Tuesday in November election should have been uprooted weeks ago, and when December Christmas displays in stores wanted me to purchase presents, even before I had gotten around to buying candy for October Halloween. Yep, it’s Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year. It’s not just the feast of food and football (What a great time to be a Ducks fan!) with family and friends, but it’s, well, giving thanks, not the least of which is gratitude for being able to play pickleball here in the hundred valleys of the Umpqua.

I am thankful for the folks who got this game going at the Y in Roseburg and for the folks who are UVP. I joined the fun about a year ago and have been having a blast ever since. Tennis, racketball, ping pong, badmitten--no other racket or paddle sport compares to this great game that we can play every week morning of every week of the year.

It’s not just the thrilling action of pickleball, it’s the people who play the game, and the Central Douglas Y folks who support us for which I am thankful. We are not only players of all skill levels, but also problem solvers who work together to make UVP better, and socializers who chat between games, after play sessions, and at our monthly servers’ committee meetings.

Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll see you on the court Friday to work off some of the fat from the feast.

Mixer Match II

2010-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor gloom of early Monday morning could keep the 12 Ashland pickleballers from negotiating treacherous driving conditions for their appointed rounds of three solid hours of pock! pock!! pock!!! play at yesterday's Mixer Match II.

Since this was a mixer match rather than a tournament, we don't know who won, but the style award goes to the "Marty Ball" players from Ashland with their finesse angle shots over the smashmouth Roseburgers.

A Thanksgiving-worthy feast of snacks replenished the energy levels of the 30 southern Oregon pickleballers gathered together for a late November day of fun and friendship. We look forward to Ashland's next visit and to returning the favor on their outdoor courts when the weather warms and dries up.

November Servers' Committee Meeting

2010-11-13T14:18:00.001-08:00

Seventy-six trombones didn't lead the big parade, but what must have been every motorcycle in Douglas County got their motors runnin' before heading out on the highway last Thursday in front of Alexander's Greek Cuisine on the Jackson St. Veterans' Day parade route.

Reluctant to leave the abnormally cloudless November sky and the spectacle of the parade progressing down Jackson St. in downtown Roseburg, hunger got the better of the six UVP members who went inside for food and business. The first order was a round of drinks, of course, then five of six votes were cast for the lunch special, a traditional lamb gyro, which Tony described as a Greek soft taco.

Whether it was the time of year or the sparse attendance, agenda items took less precedence than quenching of thirst and satisfaction of appetites. Come to think of it, even when attendance isn't sparse, food and drink take precendence over everything else at these monthly meetings. Regardless, here's what we managed to discuss while eating and drinking:

* A reminder to encourage new players, who have been showing up randomly, to come on Wednesdays for skills and drills.

* The Mixer Match with Ashland is Mon., Nov. 22. Sign up is through the Y. Cost is $5. Divisions are men's, women's, and doubles. Sign the clipboard in the red duffel to bring food or drink.

* Feed the piggy. (The ceramic one, not the six in attendance at the lunch meeting, thank you, they did a fine job of feeding themselves.) A rather lengthy discussion about purchases that have been made for balls and equipment improvement led to the conclusion that we need to bring out the piggy every play day and feed it.

* Perhaps because the weather was so pleasant, the topic of outdoor courts was discussed. Painting and lining the concrete basketball court just east of the Y building never happened last summer. The easiest solution to getting something going outside for next summer would be to use one of the courts at the tennis facility across the street from the Y. Bill, a.k.a. the skipper, and your humble reporter will talk with Jeremy, the director of the Umpqua Valley Tennis Association, to determine the willingness of the tennis club to have pickleball lines painted on one of their courts.

* It's a sign of the times that it's time for signs. In previous meetings we've discussed creating a banner for UVP, a logo for the blog, and handouts for new players. The blog now has a logo, but except for the U.S.A.P.A. one, we don't have a banner to hang, and due to lack of signage and handouts, new players don't have any idea what we're doing M-F from 9-11.

By the time lunch and business were finished, all that was left of the parade was traffic heading home or back to work.

Hung Up

2010-11-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

The move from the south wall of the storage room to the north wall seems to be working out as a better spot to hang the nets and standards. A couple of weeks ago Dale and Shawn installed two brackets on the opposite wall to make it a little more convenient to get to and to put away the equipment.

The four volleyball standards are stored under the six poles. Little Lance has made PVC net hangers, so we now can use the volleball standards for two extra set-ups when we host a tournament.

The red duffel, extra balls and paddles, the ball hopper, and all other miscellaneous equipment are now stored in the cabinet.

Once the shelves on which the pickleball standards used to be stored are removed, we'll have more space for all the pickleball and gymnastics equipment in the storage room.

Spooktacular Shots

2010-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's pre-Halloween/birthday celebration play day at the Y proved a bit scary, as witnessed by the camera shots of our pickleball players. Neither the dim lighting nor the outfits diminished the competitive spirits.

October Servers' Committe Meeting

2010-10-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

A revisit to Singleton Park, an overlooked gem of an Umpqua Valley picnic place, was the location for yesterday's servers' committe meeting. Compressed air cannons could be heard in the near distance, protecting from marauding birds the wine grapes waiting to be harvested.

The first order of business, as usual, was to share food and drinks. Little Lance's brie cheese spread on rice crackers was a gourmet treat, and Gary's pigs in a blanket earned squeals of approval. As if we didn't have enough food already, Audrey brought out Octoberfest meal leftovers from the previous day's Y Active Adults' lunch. For dessert Tony claimed that his peanut butter cookies went well with this reporter's fresh hop homebrew. I agree. Discussion and digestion ensued, although consumption continued by everyone in attendance.

The first real agenda item, then, was the storage room where nets, standards, and all other pickleball equipment are kept. We all have taken down the standards and put them away and know how hard it is to lift them above the shelves. The plan, which should be accomplished by our next meeting, is to install large hooks on the opposite wall to hang all six net standard halves. The four volleyball standards, which can be used for net set-ups, will be stored under the hanging bar standards, and all our other equipment will be put in the large cabinet. Then, finally, the nets will be much more accessible and our gear will be out of the way of the gymnastics and volleyball equipment.

The other agenda item of discussion, accommodating all skill levels of players, lasted so long that we risked running out of food and drinks. (Just kidding, I just like to bring up my favorite part of our monthly meetings as often as possible), but everyone in attendance had an opinion about how to allow advanced, less skilled, and novice players to all enjoy the game. The "winners split and losers sit" method of court rotation has worked well for us, but integrating a new player into a game with little knowledge of the rules and fewer skills than the other three players is intimidating. The discussion broadened to address the issue of mixed abilities having to play with each other. No magic bullet solution will fix the problem, but if we implement the following suggestions from the meeting, we will at least begin addressing it:

1) Set up a fourth net on the far basketball court every day (except Friday when it is reserved for a kiddy class). This fourth court could be used for new players to learn how to hit the ball and serve, and for regular players to practice while waiting to get into a game.
2) Beginners' skills class. This has already been placed on the Y schedule, Wednesdays from 9-10:30.
3) Womens' pickleball league. Audrey will consider designating a specific time for them to play. (Also, please keep in mind that if four people--men only/women only/mixed--wish to play together, they are welcome to set up their own net on the far basketball court any time it is available.)
4) Kings Court. In this system partners stay together and move up a court if they win and down a court if they lose. Rather than replacing our popular "split and sit" system, it was decided to give Kings Court a trial from 10-11 on Wednesdays.
5) Signs to welcome new players. Audrey will work on this. (By the way, I haven't forgotten about our UVP banner--the UVP logo is in the hands of a University of Oregon graphic arts student.)
6) This is happening already, but any of our regulars needs to talk with any newbie who is standing on Pickleball Drive watching us play. Tell them about our sport and try to put a paddle in their hands. As we all know, they'll never be the same if they do.

And finally, by acclamation it was decided to allow Little Lance to raid the piggy bank to buy a net for our sixth standard set-up and a dozen balls for our Mixer Match with Ashland later this month.

Kneed to Play

2010-10-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I could barely walk. Today, I will pick up a pickleball paddle for the first time in a month and play.

A month ago I hyperextended my chronically sore right knee while playing our beloved sport, and have been under a doctor-imposed order not to play for four weeks. Then, to compound my misery, a couple of weeks ago in the middle of the healing process, I tweaked my lower back. The pain was so bad that I struggled to get up from a sitting position and could only walk like a doubled over old man.

I'm not good at being injured and being forced to take it easy. If I can't do what I want to do because something hurts, it puts me in a funk. Fortunately though, my back muscles have healed and my knee doesn't hurt when I walk, and four weeks to the day, I am ready to play.

The reason that I am sharing my tale of injury misery is not for sympathy, but to encourage pickleball players to play smart. I don't think I'll ever be able to play pickleball without having to ice sore knees afterwards, but during my recovery period I decided that I had to change my workout routine to minimize the risk of injury.

Playing smart for me will be three-fold:
1) Cardio warmup and stretching/strengthening of quadriceps and hamstrings before playing
2) Shortening of pickleball play time to an hour or less
3) Stretching and cooling down afterwards

I have no choice. If I want to continue playing the game of pickleball, this is what I have to do.

2010-10-01T07:01:00.001-07:00

Three specific suggestions about setting up and putting away the portable nets have been made by Susan and Rich:

The first four people who set up the nets should be the first four players on the center court to play. If you arrive early to set up the equipment, you should be the first to play the game - center court - so that you are not interrupted by other players arriving to play.

If the four players on the court are the last four players for the day, someone in that group should disassemble the net and put it away in the storage closet. If the young children are playing on the court nearest the storage closet, the Y does not want us to move the equipment for safety reasons, but at least disassemble the net and make it ready to be moved to the storage closet.

The procedure for signing the key out and then doing it again to bring down the nets could be improved. If one person obtains the closet key, opens the closet and the skating control booth, and then returns the key, that person is no longer responsible for the key. The curtain key is always kept in the pocket of the red bag. For set up and tear down, it is much easier to do - you no longer need to go to the front desk.

I'm Not Your Mother

2010-09-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

One of the many similarities between pickleball and tennis is etiquette. Both sports have an expectation of courtesy among players, which smooth the competitive edges. Because of the net set-up at the Y, however, Umpqua Valley Pickleball players have a courtesy that is also a responsibility, so that everyone can enjoy our chosen sport.

Unlike the permanent Umpqua Valley tennis courts across the street from the Y, our net standards are portable and must be set up and put away each day that we play. This doesn't happen by magic. There are no net fairies who magically perform this task for us. In order for play to begin at the scheduled time of 9 a.m., someone has to show up by 8:45 to check out a key from the front desk, open the storage closet, haul out the six standard poles, carry the red equipment bag, open the skating control booth to lower the curtains and raise the basketball backboards out of the way, and finally attach the poles and measure the height of the nets. The Y staff is not responsible for setting up pickleball for us. We are.

When play is over for the morning, the whole process must happen again in reverse. Our mothers are not here to put our toys away for us. When you play pickleball, please help to get the equipment out and set it up, or if you arrive later, to put it away. You're not expected to do both every time you play, but you are expected to do something. Make your mother proud of you.

Out of Line

2010-09-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Although it can escalate to a competitive level, Umpqua Valley pickleball play is friendly. Pickleball should be played fast and continuously without interruptions. Balls rolling onto another court or forgetting the score slow the game down, but the most troubling disruption is when an argument erupts over whether a ball is in or out of bounds. Based on the official USAPA rulebook, here's a bulleted summary for making line calls:

* Players call lines on their side of the court.
* The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls made. (Unless there is space between the line and the ball, the ball is in.)
* Spectators should not be consulted on any line calls (nor should they offer to make line calls).
* No player should question an opponent's call unless asked. An opponent's opinion, if requested, should be accepted.
* Any ball that cannot be called out is presumed to be in. A player cannot claim a replay because the ball was not seen.
* In doubles play, if one player calls the ball out and the partner call it in, then doubt exists, and the ball must be declared in.
* Line calls should promptly be signaled by hand or voice.

So, the way I understand the rules, players are responsible for ethically calling the lines on their side of the court. If doubt exists between two doubles partners, the ball is considered to be in. Points are not replayed because there is doubt whether a ball is in or out--If the team whose responsibility it is to make the call has doubt, and then asks their opponents to judge whether a ball is in or out, they must accept the call.

We've Upped Our Standards

2010-08-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

We're up to four available standards and nets for our six lined courts.

The fourth net and standard, courtesy of USAPA, came a couple of weeks ago. It's a little more labor-intensive to set up than the original three, but it is conveniently stored in a bag, awaiting use at home or away.

A fifth standard is under construction by our get-er-done guy, Little Lance. Using two old volleyball standards as bases, he cut two pieces of PVC and inserted hooks to hang the net. A couple of pieces of metal pipe need to be cut to tip the heavy standards back on their wheels to roll them into place.

August Servers' Committee Meeting

2010-08-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer were toasted yesterday at Singleton Park at the confluence of the North and South Umpqua Rivers during this month's meeting of the servers' committee. Craft and homebrew were served instead of pickleballs, and on a postcard picture perfect day the most serious items on the agenda were sampling the picnic food and malted beverage offerings, and watching osprey dive for their lunch in the river below.

Even though we now have six beautifully lined and permanent indoor courts at the Y, it was decided to go ahead and paint lines on the concrete pad just east of the building. The city of Roseburg has approved the project, which will begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday of next week, and has even provided the paint. We need to provide the labor, so all hands on deck.

The committee discussed inviting Ashland back for a Mixer Match, as well as going down south on a Y excursion and playing our pickleball pals in the Rogue Valley. Only three courts are available in Ashland, but if we took 12 Roseburgers, we could rotate two groups of six. Stay tuned for details about home and away matches.

Besides tasting about every brew on the long picnic table, Big Dave also must have been drinking from the Kool Aid of UVP service by volunteering twice: He will get us going on choosing and designing an Umpqua Valley Pickleball logo, which has been high-centered since our last meeting, and he picked up all the empty bottles from the day's festivities.

Your humble ambassador will be busier than ever helping to plan the Umpqua Brew Fest in September, so it was decided to skip the servers' committee meeting next month. Don't whine though, because it was unanimously voted to put wine at the top of the agenda in October.

Rise and Shine

2010-08-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

Overhead lights reflected off the newly refinished floor when 14 UVP members showed up this morning to once again play their beloved game.

Shoes squeaked, balls ricocheted off paddles, and smiles and laughter returned once again to the Y pickleball courts.

The Unvarnished Truth

2010-08-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

The tape was removed this morning, leaving the newly painted pickleball lines, which are darker arnd easier to see than all the basketball, volleyball, and skating lines on the court.

Once varnish is applied, the lines will be permanent on the six pickleball courts.

Play resumes Monday morning!

Mission Accomplished

2010-08-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Nine volunteers taped and painted 1,128 feet of baselines, sidelines, centerlines, and non-volley zones for six pickleball courts in five hours this morning at the YMCA.

More chiefs than Indians showed up, but somehow the blue tape managed to be put down straight, more or less, and the paint was applied consistently between the lines for the most part. This ambassador's attempts to apply quality control proved futile with the often repeated rebuff of "It's only pickleball." No, pickleball is life, the rest is just details. The shoe tread marks imprinted on the floor by the culprit who traipsed through the wet paint could not be conclusively identified.

Because of their knee numbing and back breaking efforts, the volunteers voted to grant to themselves pickleball playing priority in perpetuity.

Fans will blow the lines dry, the tape will be pulled up tomorrow morning, the courts will be varnished and cure through the weekend, and pickleball in the Umpqua Valley will resume at 9 a.m. Monday morning.

All Hands on Deck

2010-07-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

The moving target date for taping and painting pickleball lines has moved once again, hopefully for the last time. Here's what I know about what will happen and what we need to do:

* The basketball court floors will be stripped on Mon., Aug. 2.
* On Tues., Aug. 3 at 7:30 a.m. we need to put down tape for the lines for six pickleball courts. We also are responsible for painting the lines.
* On Wed., Aug. 4 the basketball court floors will be sealed.
* From Wed., Aug. 4, after the floors are sealed, until Sun., Aug. 8 the new seal on the floors will cure.
* On Mon., Aug. 9 six pickleball courts will have been painted, sealed, and cured, and ready to be used.

Painting between the stripping and sealing of the floor will make our pickleball court lines permanent, just like the basketball, volleyball, and skate lines.

About 10 people have volunteered to help on Tuesday. We need all hands on deck to do the taping and painting. The more people we have, the quicker we can get it finished. Big Lance has sketched the existing court lines, which will disappear when the floor is stripped, so that we can figure out where to place the tape for the new lines to be painted, and he has figured out a taping system that should speed up the process and allow us to lay out straight and even lines.

Besides as much help as possible, we also need plumb lines, tape measures (30 to 50 feet in length) and one and a half inch wide painters' tape--the blue or green kind, not tan masking tape. Go ahead, laugh, but you might consider wearing your garden knee pads, especially if your knees are sore like mine.

Pickleball Pioneers

2010-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Probably more out of desperation to just play, since we had been locked out of the indoor courts for a week, than a desire to play outside, seven pickleball pioneers showed up Monday morning at the concrete pad just east of the Y building. A net and standard were brought out and a few quick measurements and X spots with tape later and we were back in business playing pickleball.

Most everyone in our UVP club would prefer to play inside, where it's completely climate controlled, but it would be a worthwhile change of pace and place to go outside. The challenges of wind and the sun in your eyes add a new dimension to the game. The concrete pad outside the Y is large enough to accomodate two courts, but the surface is rough--a tumble would leave skin on the ground. The courts would have to have a coat of epoxy paint to smooth the surface to make the game safer for players.

Serving Committee July Meeting

2010-07-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

On a gloriously warm and sunny July afternoon the Serving Committee met at Reustle Winery for its monthly meeting. (It's a thankless job, but somebody has to do it.) Besides healthful snacks (Hey Rey, what's the recipe for that flatbread spread you made?) and a little wine tasting, we actually managed to conduct an agenda of official UVP business:

* Of utmost importance to our group is line painting. The date has been a moving target, but the latest bullseye is the evening of Tues., Aug. 3. This is a critical date because the basketball court floors are going to be stripped and all lines painted before the floors are refinished. This will be an opportunity for UVP to have permanent lines for not just three pickleball courts, but six. (So when Ashland or another club visits, we'll have lines ready without having to tape.) Big Bill is in charge of the taping operation and Audrey, Rey and your humble ambassador have volunteered to help. It was also suggested that while we're at it on Aug. 3 that we tape and paint lines for two outdoor courts on the concrete pad at the east end of the Y building.

* Homework for this meeting was to bring a logo design for the UVP Web site and for a banner. (Larry has contacted a company which will make our banner at a nominal cost.) Big Dave's pickleball monster was a bit scary, but between his other designs and Little and Big Lance's, we should be able to come up with something to graphically represent our organization.

* Audrey will contact Loren about adjusting the west curtain, which is a tad too high to stop pickleballs from rolling underneath it.

* Since our last meeting, Little Lance installed turnbuckles on the three net standards, making it a lot easier to set up and take down the equipment. The storage spot issue has still not been resolved, but hopefully Dale will be able to install brackets on the wall so that the standards don't have to be put on top of shelves.

* Court space permitting, skills and drills for novices and for all others who want to practice their game are ongoing Wednesdays from 9 to 10. A tennis ball hopper has been ordered to make it easier to round up the balls. Audrey thought that funds would be available to make a fourth standard like the three we now to use during the practice sessions.

* A plan for building dedicated outdoor courts is still in the future, but outdoor play will be tested on Monday on the concrete pad at the east end of the Y building. Since the indoor space is being used next week for the Y Partner's Camp, a net will be set up outside next week to see what it's like playing outside. Big Bill will also contact Jeremy at the Umpqua Valley Tennis Association about our taping one of the end courts to play pickleball.

* Gail wrote a mission statement and goals for our group. The edited version is on the Goals page of the blog.

* Kelly reported via email that the ceramic piggy bank has about $57. Those present at the meeting thought that it would be better to keep collecting money in the piggy rather than having local dues. (If you haven't joined USA Pickleball Association, our national organization, please do so.) The money will probably go towards the cost of an Umpuqa Valley Pickleball banner.

* The Serving Committee enjoyed meeting outdoors while tasting Reustle wines so much that it was decided to have our August meeting on the sunny side also. Join the brew crew by bringing your favorite craft beer, tentatively scheduled at Singleton Park on Thurs., Aug. 12.

Ugh!

2010-07-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ugh, no pickleball this week. And no pickleball next week. Double ugh.

On Hiatus

2010-07-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

It would be a good time to cross train or to go on vacation because pickleball as we know it will be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks due to the Y Partner Sports Camp. The schedule for the camp is Mon.-Thurs. July 12-22 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Any pickleball played during the next two weeks will have to be outside of the camp schedule.
Another interruption in our regular play time will be the resurfacing of the basketball courts. We need to help paint lines on the morning of Wed., Aug. 4. More details will follow when they become available.

Our serving committee meeting at Reustle Winery is next week on Thurs., July 15. We will be sharing snacks and enjoying wine on a sunny summer day, and maybe even conducting a little Umpqua Valley Pickelball business. If you have not signed the snack list in the notebook, send an email to let me know that you are going and what you are bringing to share. Since we aren't playing on the day of the meeting, let's gather in the main lobby of the Y at 11:30 to carpool out to Reustle.

Cast your vote in the latest Pickle Poll: What is your favorite sound while playing pickleball?

Hustle to Reustle

2010-06-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

* The next serving committee meeting will be on Thurs., July 15 at Reustle Winery. Bottles of wine will be available for purchase to complement our picnic lunch. A sign-up sheet for snacks is in the notebook in the red duffle bag.
Besides a snack please bring a design idea for an Umpqua Valley Pickleball logo. (If you’re artistically challenged, google “pickleball logo” and print your favorite ones.)

* The yellow balls have it in the poll: yellow 62%, white 25%, and either 12%. We can do better than just 8 votes for the next poll. Any suggestions for topics?

* Even though we haven’t had consistently good weather here in the Umpqua Valley, summer is taking its toll on our numbers. Last Wed. only four of us showed up and only eight played today.
We officially have the courts reserved M-TH from 9 to 11, but Y members may set up the nets any other time the courts are not reserved. This would include Friday morning, evenings, or the weekend.
And don’t forget, every Wed. from 9 to 10 I will be doing skills drills with anyone who wants to practice and new player lessons.

Pickleball Pugilists

2010-06-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Pickleball is like boxing.

The sports to which it most often is compared are tennis, racketball, and ping pong, but when all four players get up to the kitchen line and exchange a flurry of volley punches, it's like prizefighters going toe to toe and duking it out. In boxing one of the pugilists usually gets knocked out, but pickleball points, fortunately, usually end with laughter when someone scores the winning shot.

Blah Blah Blog

2010-06-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Yikes, it's been 11 days since my last entry. Rather than post a blah blah blog I've been mum. While wasting time at despair.com I found a quote that I hope never applies here: "Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few."

So if there's nothing to say, it's best to say nothing, so thank goodness I have a few tidbits to pass along:

* Kelly reminded me that we not only have M-Th for open play and Wed. evening, but we also have Fridays reserved, so folks should start showing up then. (Otherwise, we could lose it if we don't use it.)

* What if they had a kids' pickleball camp and nobody showed up? Last time I checked, there were no sign-ups for Camp Pickleball, which starts on Monday. Looks like we'll need one or fewer courts, so the other two will be open.

* I am no Marty, but I will start working with whoever wants to practice their pickleball skills on Wednesdays from 9-10. This will be an opportunity to develop your half volley shots or backhand or whatever is weak in your game. (Don't worry, if all three courts are being used, we can go over to the next basketball court.)

* Speaking of Marty, I missed his visit to Roseburg last Mon. but I did play with him and two other Ashlanders down in the Rogue Valley on Sun. It didn't take long in the sun and cool morning air to convince me that we really need to push for outdoor courts here in Roseburg.

* The next Serving Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thurs., July 8. Email me agenda items and restaurant suggestions (or should we picnic, if we ever get any decent weather?).

Pickleball @ State Games of Oregon

2010-06-08T07:13:00.001-07:00

If you want to kick up the competition a notch, then paddle your way to the State Games of Oregon July 10-11.

Divisions are by age group, singles and doubles, and gender.

You can register online at the State Games of Oregon Web site.

*** State Games of Oregon article @ Oregonlive

*** Here's more information in an email from Melissa Buisan, Summer Event Coordinator for the Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation:

Hello from Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation!

I work for a non-profit sports organization that hosts an annual Olympic Style sporting competition each summer known as the State Games of Oregon. This summer the Pickleball
competition will be the weekend of July 10-11 at the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Athletic Center. We would like to invite all Oregon Pickleball players to be a part of this event.

This is a great opportunity for your local pickleball community to compete against fellow Oregonians. We are trying to gather athletes of all ages from all around Oregon to make these tournaments fun, competitive, and rewarding for all who participate. I hope you will push
your athletes to compete in order to assist in making the 24th annual State Games of Oregon even bigger than those before it.

We offer events for seniors, adults and kids alike. The entry fee is $25 for adults and $15 for juniors under age 18. Athletes have a registration deadline of July 2nd, 2010; however, they may register later for an additional fee of $5. Also, if participants wish to compete in more
than one pickleball event there is an additional event fee of $5. Athletes can register online at
www.stategamesoforegon.org, however, if they would like a registration form mailed to them please contact the Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation at 503-520-1319.

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon!

Melissa Buisan, Summer Event Coordinator
Oregon Amateur Sports Foundation

Serving Committee June Meeting

2010-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

It seems like we keep cussing and discussing the same action items, some quick fixes, others long term projects, without figuring out who will do what when. Those in attendance at yesterday’s June Serving Committee lunch meeting at Round Table Pizza stepped up to take care of all but one of the following agenda items:

--Finish Painting Lines on Court #3
Audrey and Little Lance will make this happen.

--Re-Painting Lines
Audrey suggested that Stan should oversee this, since he is the most familiar with taping the lines. Several people need to help with this project before the basketball courts are refinished in August.

--Net Quick Releases
Little Lance will buy four turnbuckles, which should make it easier to set up and take down the nets.

--Net Standards Storage
Besides the hassle of attaching and unattaching the nets, it’s a pain to get the pole standards down and to put them away. Brackets need to be mounted on the wall in the storage room so that the nets don’t have to be stored on a tall shelf. I will contact Dale about installing the brackets.

--Equipment Storage
The extra balls and wooden paddles are stored in a plastic crate. For safekeeping they need to be moved to a cabinet in Audrey’s office or a locker in the YMCA employee break room. I will take care of this.

--Design UVP Logo
Larry, Big Lance, and I have discussed this and have come up with some initial ideas and designs, but none of us has seen it through. Big Lance suggested that everyone in our club either design a logo, or if artistically challenged, download one from another club and bring it to the July meeting. Folks, you’ve go homework.

--Plan Ashland Trip
We can decide on a date, preferably this summer so we can play outdoors, during Marty’s visit on Mon., June 14. Audrey will check on a van, which can hold 10 people.

--Weekly Beginner’s and Skills Clinic
This has been discussed often. We’re a club, not a clique, so novices should always be welcome to join us without being intimidated by the difference in playing ability. In order to do this, we need a fourth court available on a regular schedule. We can buy another net set-up or continue to wait for the free one to be sent by USAPA. In the meantime, I will make myself available on Wednesdays from 9 to 9:30 to initiate new players and to work on skills with anyone of us waiting to get into a game. I will also make a flyer about UVP--who we are and what we are doing so that those who wander over to the courts won’t be left wondering.

--Outdoor Courts
The consensus is that the first outdoor courts should be near the YMCA. The concrete pad just north of the building is a perfect spot. Approval is needed from the city of Roseburg to use the space for picklevall, to install a fence and permanent nets, and to fund the project. When he visits June 14, Marty can describe how Ashland operates their outdoor courts. This action item is a major task, which is probably why no one has volunteered yet to undertake it.

--UVP Mission Statement
Gail and I will write a draft version.

Finally, before everyone bussed their barley pop glasses and plates of pizza crust and salad bacon bits, I requested help with the Camp Pickleball for Kids, Mon., June 21 through Thurs., June 24. Dr. Bill and Gail volunteered, but if 12 kids sign up and all three courts are needed, I could use three volunteers per day.

International Pickleball Week

2010-06-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

June 1-7 is International Pickleball Week! According to our last poll, two out of three voters chose any day as the best day to play pickleball, so be sure to play at least one day this week to celebrate.

Mixer Match Animoto Mojo

2010-05-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Big Lance, thanks for the pictures!

Team Ashland v. Team Roseburg

2010-05-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Team Ashland

Team Ashland rolled up I-5 this morning for the first Mixer Match between our two clubs. No official match counts were recorded in the men's, women's, and mixed doubles, but I believe we of the Umpqua Valley held our own against our counterparts from the Rogue Valley.

Players visited the snack table before, after, and occasionally during their games. My favorite treats were the snickerdoodles made by Tony's wife. (Hey, when you play for three hours, you have to maintain your energy level. )

Snackers snacking and socializing and snacking. And snacking some more.

Oh OK, we played a little pickleball too.

We plan on paying our new friends a visit down in their hometown sometime soon. A trip to Ashland this summer would allow us to play on their outdoor courts and to stay overnight and get in a little sight-seeing.

Hijacked

2010-05-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Your ambassador's computer has been compromised. My Yahoo email account was hijacked and used to send out spam emails to everyone in my Sent folder. If you clicked on the link in the email, you were redirected to a Canadian pharmaceutical Web site that sells Viagra at an incredibly low price. Hopefully you didn't make a purchase.

I have no idea how it happened, but I do know that Yahoo and Hotmail accounts were used to send the spam. If something like this happens to you, change your email password immediately. Be suspicious of emails that look funny, even ones from people you know. The spam email sent by my account had No Subject and the only content in the body of the email was a Web address link. Also, the To: field showed all the names of people to whom the spam was sent. If I am emailing a UVP email, I always BC (blind copy) everyone so that the email addresses are not displayed.

Sorry about the inconvenience and any embarrassment this might have caused.

Serving Committee May Meeting

2010-05-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

The May meeting of the UVP serving committe convened yesterday at Sandy's restaurant, where the main order of business for all 12 present seemed to be consuming lunch, although other agenda items also received a bit of attention.

The treasurer's report was given by Kelly, not because she is the treasurer necessarily, but because she is in possession of the piggy bank. The amount of money in the piggy bank could not be determined exactly because, according to Kelly, the pig's plug got stuck. Fortunately, she did not go into explicit detail about what she meant by a stuck pig plug because we were, after all, eating lunch. A more specific treasurer's report was promised for next month's meeting.

The Mixer Match with Ashland on May 17 was the next agenda item discussed. Seventeen UVP members have signed up so far to play. Rey and Kelly volunteered to oversee the snack sign-up and table set-up, Big Lance will bring name tags, Stan will spearhead the court taping and net set-up, and Bill will assign matches to play against the Ashland men's, women's, and mixed doubles.

The last item discussed was how to accomodate the growing number of players. With three courts only 12 people can play at one time, but we peaked at 20 last Monday, and on most days have more players than courts.

The short term solution agreed upon was a sign-up board for those waiting to play. Players would then rotate in the following way:

--Losing pair come off the court.

--Winning pair stay on the court but split up. (This would assure that players would mingle rather than playing with the same partner the whole morning.)

A corollary rule is that when others are waiting, no one stays on the court for more than two consecutive games. This would minimize the wait time and prevent players from monopolizing court time.

The long term solution is to have access to more courts, both indoor and outdoor. Future plan possibilities are to build two courts on the existing concrete pad just east of the YMCA building, and to paint lines on the east basketball court, which would expand the indoor ones from three to six. UVP will need to work with the administration of the city of Roseburg, Parkway Skating, and the YMCA in order to realize these long term solutions.

Finally, while Sheila and Carl split a huge piece of Sandy's cherry pie for dessert, Stan brought up a concern about orienting beginner players. Lots of folks wander into the court lobby or look down from the second floor viewing windows to see what all the fun is about, but they are reluctant to join in because they have never played before, let alone even heard of pickleball. They see games going on that look like a lot of fun, but even though we invite them to pick up a paddle and play, they are reluctant. Stan thought a specific designated time slot for beginners to learn the game and play would encourage more folks to try the game. Yours truly will be conducting a kids' clinic in June, which will introduce Y youth to pickleball, but we'll need to coordinate with Audrey a regular time slot when novices can be on the court to learn the fundamentals of the game.

The meeting then adjourned because everyone had finished their lunch and it was a too sunny of a day not to be outside.

By the Numbers

2010-05-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Our numbers keep growing. A record 20 people showed up today to play. Putting a positive spin on having only three courts that can accommodate only 12 players at once, there's more of a chance to rest longer and socialize more between games.

Thirty-one people are now on the UVP e-mail list and 12 of us are members of USAPA.

Banner Day

2010-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

One of the goals of Umpqua Valley Pickleball is to design a local logo to display on our Web site and on a banner. We will hang the UVP banner alongside the wonderful one we recently received from the USAPA.

Betty and Stan

Animoto

2010-04-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Back in my previous incarnation as a middle school librarian and technology teacher, and B.P., Before Pickleball, I discovered Animoto, a really cool Web site where you can make videos. It's easy to use, it's fun, and it makes you look like you're really good with computers. All you have to do is upload some pictures, add music, and then just let Animoto perform its digital magic. Play the UVP video and see for yourself:

Server Not Found Update: Server Now Found

2010-04-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, what do you know--I just returned from a morning session of pickleball and the server at State Games of Oregon can not only be found, but it is now accessible. Results are available back to '04, so pickleball has been a state game for six years. Last year's games were held July 11-12 in Beaverton. When information about the 2010 games are available, it will be posted in the calendar.

Server Not Found

2010-04-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

The computer server, that is, not the pickleball one:

Encouraged by an email from the USAPA to determine if pickleball is part of our state's games, I googled "State Games of Oregon" and clicked on the first result. Here's what came up:

Server not found
Firefox can't find the server at www.stategamesoforegon.org.

Clicking on other results, mainly online newspapers such as Oregonlive, I did determine that pickleball is a sport in our state games, which also include golf, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, water polo, track and field, fencing, volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, lacrosse, gymnastics, archery, bowling, biathlon, and dude, even skateboarding. From what I could piece together from the search results the games are contested in July in the Portland area. What I could not determine, though, was why the official Web site is not accessible.

So, the drive to mainstream pickleball is apparently alive in Oregon, but it's a mystery as to what has happened to the state's official games Web site. Hopefully, it's a temporary computer glitch rather than a funding one.

The computer server might not be found, but this morning @ the YMCA the pickleball server can be.

Measure Twice, Paint Once

2010-04-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Oh all right, we missed taping the service dividing lines, but five intrepid UVP members showed up last night to tape court #3 so that the lines could be painted. And who cares that it took five of us an hour and a half to do the job that only took a half hour, allegedly, for two unnamed guys to do the first court way back when. Anyway, all three courts are now all lined, almost, and we don't have to waste much time taping any more.

Back in the Burg

2010-04-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Youngs, who got pickleball going here in the Umpqua Valley last fall, are back home in Roseburg after wintering in Arizona. I only heard about them and all that they had done because I didn't start playing until December, a month after they left. It was good to finally meet them today. On their first day back they were able to see how much the sport has grown in such a short time--today a record 15 folks filled the three courts or waited their turn to play.

The Youngs discovered pickleball during one of their winter trips to Arizona and wanted to share the joy of the sport with others here in their hometown of Roseburg. They bought paddles and balls and nets and made the net posts. Then they stationed themselves at the Y for three months and taught the game to anyone drawn into the gym by the laughter heard coming from the curtained-off basketball court. Who knows how we used to occupy our mornings b.p., before pickleball, but we're sure having fun because of this game the Youngs that got going.

This Little Piggy

2010-04-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kelly this little pickleball piggy bank showed up at yesterday's session of a record 15 players. The first contributors fed the piggy with the folding instead of the clinking kind of money, so it won't be long before enough cash is collected to buy another dozen balls.

Redirection

2010-04-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this, that means that you have been redirected to UVP's new URL:
http://www.uvpickleball.net/
We're still using Google Blogger, but we now have our own domain, uvpickleball.net, which is a little easier to remember than uvpickleball.blogspot.com.
Your browser should redirect you automatically to our new domain, but if you're fussy about cleaning up your bookmarks, delete the uvpickleball.blogspot one, go to http://www.uvpickleball.net/ and save it as a Favorite.
If this geek speak sounds as silly as the name of our game, don't worry, you're at our home on the Web and we're moving in the right direction, even though it sometimes takes a little redirection to get there.

Holding Service

2010-04-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

The UVP Serving Committee convened for the first time yesterday, April 1. The fact that All Fools’ Day was chosen as the inaugural lunch meeting date was purely by coincidence.

At McMennamin’s between bites of burgers and turkey wraps and buffalo wings and fish and chips the committee somehow had enough mouth space left to discuss the UVP goals agenda. Here’s what was endorsed:

* Paint the lines on third court at the YMCA. This is scheduled to happen with your help on April 13.

* Write an Umpqua Valley Pickleball charter, which would include the group’s mission and history, brief as it is.

* Setup weekly skills session on the third court so that those waiting to play or novice players could practice while waiting to get into a game on the other two courts. It was emphasized that the skills session would be bumped if the court was needed for play.

* Put on a Kids Pickleball Camp to be held Mon., June 21-Thurs., June 24. UVP members are encouraged to help your humble reporter with the camp.

* Apply for a USAPA grant. A mini-grant of $200 is available for expenses for the Pickleball Camp.

* Host a local tournament. The sentiment of the committee was to keep a tournament low key and local, just with our players or with another nearby group, such as from Ashland. After much discussion about setting up a ladder ranking of UVP picklebllers and how to rank individual players because everyone prefers to play doubles rather than singles, the sentiment of the committee was to keep pickleball play at the fun level rather than the competitive level, so no one supported hosting a full-fledged USAPA sanctioned tournament.

* Buy a UVP banner, which would be hung during Mon.-Thurs. playing hours to identify what is going on, specifically, why folks are laughing and having so much fun between the curtains on the middle basketball court at the YMCA. The suggestion that the local Big 5 pick up the tab for the banner was enthusiastically endorsed by the committee. (The enthusiasm was undoubtedly heightened by the fact that the UVP member who is the manager of Big 5 was not present.)

* Build outdoor courts. It would be expensive and a lot of red tape would have to be cut, but the sentiment of the committee was that it would be a worthwhile long term project. The best idea for a location was where the horseshoe pits are located across the street from the Y parking lot next to the tennis courts. (No one from the local horseshoe group was present to object to their spot being usurped by a bunch of renegade pickleballers.)

* Other ideas contributed during the meeting included using a jar to collect change to buy balls; designing a graphic symbol for UVP to use on the banner and Web site; rotating players in when more people show up than available court space allows; paying dues to join the national USAPA organization, but not charging dues for UVP; meeting once a month for serving and lunching.

Forehand Groundstroke

2010-04-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sure, we all would like to smash an overhead volley from the kitchen line, or sneak a backhand winner down our opponent's alley, but first make sure you have mastered the basics of a forehand groundstroke. Watch this video from PickleballCoach.com to learn how:

UVP Makes Its Web Presence Felt

2010-03-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

From the local newspaper to a presence on the World Wide Web, Umpqua Valley Pickleball is now known everywhere laughter and the pop of paddles hitting plastic balls can be heard. Featured on the front page of our local News Review, and In the News on the USA Pickleball Association Web site, UVP is making its mark locally in Roseburg, Oregon and out to the whole world. Keep up-to-date right here at Umpua Valley Pickleball.