Connie Cline participating in Pickleball Club’s recent Shootout event held March 13. Looking good, Connie!
Mary Ann Bane
We may have lost one hour of sleep during the spring time change, but look at all the daylight we gained for pickleball in the evenings! (Not that we didn’t appreciate playing on winter evenings under our awesome lights, now on all 16 courts!) With spring, comes the beginning of the next Pickleball Club year with our newly elected board and committee chairs—congrats to all, and a big thank you to outgoing board and committee chairs and committee members. Speaking of new, I am new at writing for Pioneer Press. On behalf of all members, I want to give a big thank you to Dave Parker for all his fun and informative article submissions! Wish me luck as I venture to fill his big shoes!
Spring also brought club events, such as our all-level club shootout on March 13, as well as our annual Spring Tournament on March 27 and 28. Brackets for the Spring Tournament included beginner, intermediate, and advanced players. Each bracket consisted of a men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and a mixed doubles event, as well as a 70+ bracket for each level. That’s a lot of players! But there would be no tournament without the folks who organize the teams, work the sign in table, line judges, scorekeepers, and more. We have so many members giving of their time and talents. It takes everyone working together to make these events run smoothly, and result in an atmosphere of competitive fun!
Our next big event is the Quad States Senior Open to be held May 1 and 2, right here at the Ranch! Likewise, there will be men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles. This is a regional event. Many players are Robson Ranch residents/club members, but many players also come from other states to participate in this spirited competition. Our club is proud to host this event and give these regional visitors a chance to see our great Robson community. Players are capped at 300 this year. That may seem like a lot, but in the spirit of being COVID safe it’s half the size from 2019! So, whether you are a member who is not signed up to play in this event, or you are thinking of playing some day, or just enjoy watching live sports without having to travel outside your own community, grab your mask and come on out! Weather permitting, the action starts as early as 8 a.m. (Note: at time of writing masks are required for spectating, but this could change as the date draws nearer.)
I hope you can feel my enthusiasm for the game and for our club. Have you been thinking about joining? We’d love to have you! You don’t need to be an athlete or have experience. The club provides a beginner’s Academy free with your membership! What a deal! Hope to see you soon!