NBPA Newsletter – September 2020
New Venues
Whilst the virus interrupted play for a few months earlier this year, your committee has been working behind the scenes to establish new venues for play on the Northern Beaches. We would like to thank the Northern Beaches Council for its tremendous support in welcoming and supporting pickleball on the Northern Beaches.
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill Memorial Hall (BHMH) at 35 Willandra Road, Beacon Hill NSW 2100 (Near Warringah Road & McDonalds) opens on Thursday 24 September 7 pm. Three courts are marked out for pickleball with the No Volley Zone line at 2.13m (7 feet).
The courts are a little close together on the long sides (a compromise we can live with) and is not likely to hinder social games. However, it will make the venue unsuitable for any tournament games.
We intend to play at Beacon Hill every Thursday night for the forseeable future.
The best thing about this new venue is that it is air conditioned …. great for warm summer nights!
Avalon Outdoor
Northern Beaches Council has agreed to mark up either 6 or 8 outdoor floodlit pickleball courts at the new netball complex in Avalon. Outdoor play requires slightly different balls to take account of weather conditions. We are hoping that this venue will be available before year’s end.
Player Numbers
PCYC Dee Why remains our main venue with play on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, 9-11 am. Tuesday numbers are increasing, but we are still limited to 4 courts. Wednesday numbers can be up to 30 players with 6 courts available. Sunday again we are limited to 4 courts. The Avalon Recreation Centre has only 3 courts with player numbers restricted to 18. As this venue is rapidly gaining in popularity, we have decided to trial weekly Saturday morning sessions. We are seeing many players play 2-3 times a week. Currently there are 141 members in our Meetup Group which we use as the registration and attendance tool. Typically, we have 17 courts available per week with around 80 players per week in attendance.
As each game may be up to 15 minutes with 4 players on each court and others resting between games, our players are getting about 6 games per session.
In total over 100 doubles games are played each week!
The upcoming NSW School Holidays are likely to disrupt play at PCYC with our regular days and times unavailable. However, a temporary alternative time might be accommodated.
Coaching Prior to Play
I once read, “Pickleball, an easy game to play, a hard game to master.” The more I play the more I agree with this statement. Even after you get to the stage when you think you know which shot to play, pulling it out just at that moment is very difficult. Practising the shot through repetition and in a non-competitive situation gives you more chance of being able to play the right shot at the right time. This is why, we, as a committee decided to spend the first 10 to 15 minutes on training. So far we’ve looked at “serve and return”, “dinking” and “the drop shot”.
It’s great to hear people cheer when they achieve one of the shots they’ve been working on. There is also a realisation that pickleball is not just ground strokes from the baseline. Thanks everybody for approaching these sessions with the right attitude. Anybody that can get to the venue a little early to set up would be greatly appreciated.
Keep on pickling!
Leigh Thatcher
PS Hydration is very important! DINK lots of water!
Beginner or not, the above guide is packed with useful information for all pickleballers. Click on the image to open the guide (PDF version: Click here)
Skills Assessment
We are asking everyone to review their grading. If you believe you have improved since you last completed the skills assessment form, please complete a new one. For those members who have not submitted a skills assessment form, please do so ASAP and you will be given a club grading.
Improve by Watching Videos
What to do on a rainy day? Get a headstart on your pickleball skills by watching Youtube videos. Some are on our website here. We recommend that you start by watching “Top 10 beginner pickleball mistakes”.
An Obscure Pickleball Rule
The following is one of many rather obscure pickleball rules:
Did you know? If the ball goes over the net and hits the center base or any part of the horizontal bar, or the ball gets caught between the net and the horizontal bar before touching the court, it is a let and will be replayed. However, if this happens on the serve, it is a fault.
COVID-19 Status
We have been very fortunate to have the support of Northern Beaches PCYC during the pandemic, being able to maintain our time slots without too much interruption.
We would like to remind you to make sure you comply with all safety requirements relating to the COVID-19 virus. Remember, if you don’t feel well for any reason, please don’t come to play at our venues.
All our venues have COVID-19 protocols in place with the availability of hand sanitiser and surface sanitiser to wipe over balls, paddles, chairs and any other surfaces which are touched during the pickleball session. We advise the use of hand sanitiser after each game.
A bit of fun! Our trusty pickleball equipment supplier, Tony Morgan, put together this Australian Isolation Pickleball Parody.
Join our Northern Beaches Pickleball Facebook page for more pickleball fun, tips and tricks. For the PDF version of this newsletter, click here to view the video.
Annual General Meeting
The Club’s inaugural AGM will be held in early December. We will let you know the date and venue shortly. We hope as many members as possible will be able to attend.
Affiliation with Pickleball Association of NSW (PANSW)
We are in negotiations with PANSW to be formally recognised as an affiliated club. This involves a lump sum payment of $1400. The Club has the funds to pay this amount, but such a payment would be at the expense of buying nets, paddles and balls to support our new outdoor venue at Avalon. Having said that, we are hopeful of coming to a sensible agreement with PANSW.
World Pickleball Day (WPD) – 10 October 2020
WPD is nominated as 10.10.20 which is the last Saturday of the NSW school holidays. This is a World Pickleball Federation (WPF) initiative. PAA and PANSW are expected to generate PR which is likely to include TV and press exposure and probably a politician or two.
At NBPA we are looking at what initiatives we can explore to help promote the sport on the Northern Beaches including ‘Seniors come and try’ and ‘Juniors come and try’.
Club Shirts
Get into the Club spirit! If you would like to purchase one of our colourful Club shirts at cost price, please let Rona know ASAP. We will be ordering another batch shortly. Selection and order details can be found here: Mens, Ladies, Unisex.
Paddles
Contact Tony Morgan for all your pickleball needs. PB Sports is a NSW based business that provides pickleball paddles, nets, balls and exclusive bundle deals. They offer on-line ordering with shipping or they can personally deliver to clubs in NSW to save you money.
NBPA members qualify for a 5% discount.
Contact Tony on 0424 055 570.
Player News
Interstate and overseas visitors are always welcome to play with us. After trying out twice, they may apply to become a temporary member for up to 3 months.
One such pickleballer, John Dinkel from USA, played with us for close to 6 months due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but he did not overstay his welcome! We look forward to when he is able to return to visit his family in Manly.
Feedback
Please send any feedback or suggestions for the NBPA newsletter to mail@northernbeachespickleball.org.au.
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