25 Players Attended Our Pot Luck Dinner

About 25 players joined us at our Pot Luck dinner. It was so nice to try new cuisine made by our friends. Michelle made a large Mediterranean pie with spinach, ham, cheese in a puff pastry which looked so fantastic. Pat baked Thai spicy fillings in a wonton wrapper. Gerry made three kinds of cheese baked on a half roll appetizers. Joyce made a tasty spinach salad. Mandy's Caesar salad with her homemade dressing was so good that I got her recipe. I made sausages, meatballs, carrots and pototoes. Mike brought sliced tomatoes and cheese french bread. Other players brought some delicious dishes. There were two desserts: Julie made a lovely homemade rhubarb pie with ice cream, and we also enjoyed Tom's lemon cake. Everyone enjoyed the food and had a great time !!!

I gave a big hug to Julie and Allan because they will be going to Arizona in a couple of weeks and we will miss them for six months. We also will miss other snowbirds including Gerry and Danny who became our new good friends. I forgot to take a photo of the group, then we took some photos after many players had already left.

At night eight courts were open with about 12 players. We were so glad to see Nomi that Mike and I played two games with her and Nathan, she played very well. Matt, Mike K.and Chris played with Mike while Nomi and I chatted about life in general.

Reminder: Pot Luck Dinner Sept 28, 2010

We will be having a pot luck dinner next Tuesday Sept 28 after pickleball. Come join us to celebrate our friendship before the snowbirds go down south. Bring a dish or just come to join us.
Lots of homemade healthy food !!!

Michelle - Mediterranean Pie
Joyce - spinach salad
Shirley - sausages, meatballs, potatoes
Mike - Tomotoes and cheese bread
Gerry - three cheese bread roll
Pat - baked meat wonton appetizer
Mandy - Caesar Salad
Julie - homemade pie and ice cream

We will meet at ARC's senior room at 4:30pm and dinner will be served at 5:00pm.

28 Players Thursday, Welcome 3 New Players

Eight courts were full with about 28 players on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Three new players: two young men rallied very well, one is called Craig, I forgot the other's name. I asked them to come back and I will teach them. Jim is another new player who played very well, he moved very fast and fell (he's ok) and we just laughed about it. He wants to buy a new paddle. He played it many years ago as a school teacher. I played two games with him and he learned how to score very quickly (he still has to learn dings and not to volley in the kitchen). Dave, Mike and I had coffee and chat with Jim, Ken and Al after pickleball. It seems like we have a very friendly group of enthusiastic pickleball players.

At night there were about 10 players. Ken was teaching three kids who played very well for the first time, they could even do vollies. He also taught two young adults. Dave, Mike, Ken and I played many enjoyable games.

35 Players Tuesday, Snack, 17 Players At Night

All eight courts were full with 35 players with a few players waiting to play. Nice to see Martin, and Mel and Jean from Calgary. Two new players were Allan H's wife Lisa and Bill's son Jim. Grant put new grips on Jane's and my paddle. At snack time there were 25 people, I brought a strawberry cake, homemade apple pies and watermelon.

We congratulated Ken, Mandy, Jane, Henry and Carol for winning seven gold and one silver medals at the B.C.Seniors Games. What a fun time they had for $50 that included the tournament, two lunches, a dinner with a live band and Elvis as the entertainer (hotel and ferry cost more). It was good that they taught some new players in a training clinic so that they will teach other new players in Campbell River since pickleball is a new game just started there.

At night there were 17 players on eight courts. One family of five enjoyed rallying and two young women rallied very well because they play tennis and racquet balls. Mike and I enjoyed playing with Jerry and Grant. Other strong younger players include Nathan, Matt, Mike and Chris who enjoyed hitting hard shots at each other, lots of fun !!!

BC Seniors Games & Pickleball report

What an exciting time we had in Campbell River on Vanc.Island at the Senior Games. There were 5 of us (Mandy, Jane, Carol, Henry & Ken) who participated in either competitive or recreational play. We were then divided into age categories of 5yr increments, plus doubles, mixed double or singles. We all came top / gold in our respective categories, so, sweet success and lots of fun games with healthy and keen competition from all competitors. We played 7 games on Thursday and 10 games on Friday. Some of use participated in a 3 hr. training clinic to leave a Pickleball legacy with about 12 Campbell River keener s for on Sat. morning so PB can grow and be a force in future BC Senior games.
About 3500 seniors turned out to take part in all types of sports activities in the Comox, Courtney and Campbell River communities. It was a grand time with amazing Opening Ceremonies, banquets, dances and general all round fun times, even Elvis appeared to wow the ladies with his old favorites.. Pics to follow....

Congratulations to B.C.Seniors Games Winners

Congratulations to Carol Haworth, Jane Squires, Ken and Mandy Witt, Henry Meerkerk on winning seven gold and one silver medals in 2010 B.C.Seniors Games:

Ehlers/Haworth Gold Women 65 - 69 Competitive Doubles
Haworth/Mezei Gold Men and Women 65 - 69 Competitive Mixed Doubles
Witt/Sayer Gold Men 60 - 64 Recreational Doubles
Juliusson/Witt Gold Women 60 - 64 Recreational Doubles
Witt/Witt Gold Men and Women 60 - 64 Recreational Mixed Doubles
Yeo/Squires Gold Men and Women 65 - 69 Recreational Mixed Doubles
Hubbick/Squires Gold Women 65 - 69 Recreational Doubles
Meerkerk/Touchet Silver Men 55 - 59 Competitive Doubles

20 Players Thursday Afternoon, 10 Players At Night

Only 20 regular players came to play pickleball on a rainy afternoon. Mel is back from Calgary. I played some games with Annette, Gerry, Henrietta, Michelle, Frank, Dave, Matt and Joel. Other players: Barry, Al, Danny, Pat, Bill, Rod, Terry, Mike, Allan and Julie.

On a rainy night, there were about 10 players, mostly younger players rallying with each other. Mike and I played doubles with Annette and Chris. Annette and I also had an enjoyable game of singles.

Some of our players are competing in the B.C.Seniors Games in Campbell River, B.C. The 2010 BC Seniors Games is hosted by Comox Valley and Campbell River from September 15 to 18. About 1,200 seniors are participating in B.C.Seniors Games that includes pickleball, badminton, table tennis, bridge, square dancing, swimming, lawn bowling, darts etc. Read more: http://www.bcseniorsgames.org/bcsgs/

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Only about 20 regular players showed up on a beautiful sunny day. Some players are already on their way to play in the B.C. Seniors Games in Campbell River, Vancouver Island. They will be competing on Thursday and Friday.

Joel explained to a couple of new players how to play this game. I enjoyed some close games with Annette, Jane and Pat. We thanked Pat for bringing the cookies and fruit which we all enjoyed. At snack time, we talked about health, diet, hobbies, sports and the world's news. Some good suggestions about good diet and exercises can help to prevent cancer and diabetes, and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally http://commonsensehealth.com/Health-Conditions/How_to_Lower_Cholesterol_Naturally_in_7_Steps.shtml

These are the 7 steps you can take to lower cholesterol naturally. And if you follow all of them, you can count on a very high success ratio.

1.Eat a healthy cholesterol lowering diet. Some fats help lower cholesterol, while others can raise it. So get your fats right. Reduce overall fat intake, avoid trans fats, limit saturated fats and replace "bad" fats with "good" fats, such as olive oil and those found in whole grains and omega 3 fish. High fiber foods also help lower cholesterol naturally. They decrease "bad" LDL and increase "good" HDL cholesterol.

2.Do regular healthy physical activity. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to decrease total cholesterol and improve "good" HDL cholesterol levels,

3.Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can decrease "good" HDL levels and increase "bad" LDL and total cholesterol levels.

4.Eliminate sweets and refined foods. Few realize that eating sweets and other high glycemic foods increase triglycerides and cholesterol production.

5.Cut out caffeine and alcohol – drink water. Both caffeine and alcohol have been shown to elevate cholesterol.

6.Don't smoke or use tobacco in any form.

7.Practice good healthy stress management.

The new Tuesday night time 8:00 - 9:30 has started. Eight courts were open with about 15 players playing. Mike and I were very glad to see Nathan and Matt and we played four close games with them. They won the bronze medals at our tournament last June. They are excellent net players, hitting a lot of fast vollies, they can hit very hard, move very fast, definitely strong A players.

Wishes Good Luck to B.C. Seniors Games Players

Another beautiful sunny Thursday afternoon, about 25 regular players showed up to play pickleball with eight courts open. One new player Andre from Chilliwack joined us today. Matt and Pat are back from Calgary. Denny and Gerry are also back from their trip to Florida. Nice to see Cathy, Dorothy and Carol. Everyone enjoyed many games and had a great time. Our wishes of good luck to those players who will be competing in the B.C. Seniors Games in Campbell River next week !!!

Results of 16 Players Round Robin Tournament

16 players played 7 games in a Round Robin Tournament in 2 hours: Allan T, Bill, Mike, Frank, Herb, Terry, Rita, Elaine, Joan, Ken, Mandy, Annette, Barry, Catherine, Allan H, Henrietta. Barry scored 11 in every game, his total score was 77. Congratulations to Barry on winning the first prize - a jar of pickles marked "Pickleball Champion".
The scores of the top 8 players:
#1 Barry - 77
#2 Frank - 68
#3 Herb - 66
#4 Mike - 59
#5 Annette - 58
#6 Allan T - 57
#7 Terry - 56
#8 Elaine - 54

Everyone enjoyed the competition and had a great time !!!
I was the scorekeeper, Bill added most of the scores very quickly for me to determine the winner. We all enjoyed it so much that we will do another round robin tournament again soon !!! There were six players who did not play in the tournament but they were able to enjoy many games on the other courts. We thanked Terry for bringing the delicious muffins and red grapes which we all enjoyed !!!

USAPA Rating Guidelines and Descriptions

Rating Guidelines

You may look at the currently proposed descriptions for the different rating groups to help determine your rating. You may also use the following statements in helping to select your self-rating.

•The top senior players between 50 & 64 should normally be rated 4.5 with only a very few rated as 5.0.
•The top senior players 65 & over will have some 4.5 players and more 4.0 players at the top.
•Senior Players 70 years of age or older will not be rated higher than 4.0 except on rare occasions. If you are 70 or over and rated higher than 4.0, send us an email with your birth date!
•The best younger adult players are currently rated as 5.0 or not rated and play strictly in Open tournaments where ratings are not required.

Rating Descriptions
1.0
These players need to work most on developing their hand/eye coordination. They frequently miss the ball entirely, but can hit some of the slower balls with their forehand. They have a hard time playing games because they can't keep a rally going.

1.5
These players keep some short rallies going with their forehand, but still fail to return easy balls frequently and occasionally still miss the ball entirely. They have played a few games and know the basic rules of the game.

2.0
These players are learning to judge where the ball is going, but can sustain a short rally with players of equal ability. They have obvious weaknesses in most of their strokes.

2.5
These players are able to keep quite a few balls going with their forehands, make most easy volleys, and are beginning to make some backhands but need to work more on developing their strokes. They are thinking more about coming up to the non-volley zone to hit volleys and are making an effort to be more aggressive.

3.0
These players are fairly consistent when hitting medium-paced shots, but are not comfortable with all strokes and lack control when trying for direction, depth, or power on their shots. They are beginning to attempt lobs and dinks but don't fully understand when and why they should use them and don't have a lot of success with them.

3.5
These players have achieved improved stroke dependability with directional control on most medium speed balls and some harder hit balls. They still need to develop more depth and variety with their shots, but are exhibiting more aggressive net play, are anticipating their opponent's shots better, and are developing teamwork in doubles.

4.0
These players have dependable strokes, including directional control and depth on both forehand and backhand sides with most shots. They can use lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys with some success and occasionally force errors when serving. Rallies may be lost due to impatience. Teamwork in doubles is evident. They know the rules of the game and can play by them.

4.5
These players have developed their use of power and spin, can successfully execute all shots, can control the depth of their shots, and can handle pace. They have sound footwork and they move well enough to get to the non-volley zone whenever required. They understand strategy and can adjust their style of play according to their opponent's strengths and weaknesses and their position on the court.They can hit serves with power and accuracy and can also vary the speed and spin of the serve if desired.

5.0
These players have all the skills of the 4.5 players, but have either developed these same skills to a higher level or are simply quicker and/or stronger than the 4.5 group of players.

Round Robin Tournament Tues. Sept 7, 2010

On a beautiful sunny Thursday afternoon, four courts were full of players with about ten players waiting to play (26 players), so Joel opened up four more courts. Ken introduced two new players Vern and Linda to me. Vern and Linda came from Langley and they learned to play pickleball in Florida a year ago. Dave and Mandy played some games with them and they really enjoyed it. Annette, Rita, Catherine and I played three close games in ladies doubles which was a lot of fun. Everyone had as many games as they wanted and enjoyed the competition:)

A round robin tournament is set on next Tuesday Sept 7 with a maximum of 16 players (please arrive at 1:20pm to sign up). This tournament will use four courts and the other four courts are available for the other players. For those who are not able to play in this tournament due to a maximum of 16 players, there will be another one soon !!!

No Voting for a Committee on Sept 7

There will not be any voting for a committee on Tues Sept 7. Ken received an email from Sara Wood, Community Recreation Programmer, City of Abbotsford, ARC:

"In regards to your email and in follow up to our previous conversation. I have spoken with my leadership team and at this time the selection of a committee for pickle ball does not fit within the structure of our drop-in programs. I would still be very interested in meeting with your group to share what I have learned after my research into other successful pickle ball programs and it would give program participants may have the opportunity to voice how we can improve and develop our program. We welcome and appreciate your assistance in this process and propose that we meet at a "yet to be determined" date so that we have time to do our own research and to ensure that the meeting is set at a time that I am scheduled to be in the office. I would estimate that this meeting will take place within a 2 week period and I will follow up with you as soon as a date has been set."