Annual Member Meeting, Social 3.0 Tournament, Ascarate Update ...

August 26, 2024

First Membership Meeting

PEPA 's "New to Pickleball / Recreational / 3.0 Tournament"

Never played in a tournament before, or looking for an easy recreational event? This is for you, level 3.0 players! Email the club or ask Patty Morrow, Dina Chen, Kelly Groves, Jamie Fisher ... any Board member for the member discount code. Registration link. Thank you Patty Morrow and crew for organizing this event!

Ascarate Roll-out Nets Coming

Thank you Kelly Groves for working on this project. The County has purchased nets that can be rolled out onto the multi-use courts at Ascarate. They are working on securing the nets (they will be chained to the fencing). We do not have a date yet for when they will be available, but this should help with the crowding at Ascarate.

With Success Comes Challenges

As our facilities grow, decisions will need to be made as to how to use them. These final decisions are up to the City and County as they own the facilities. PEPA has participated in the process in the past.

People play pickleball for one of two reasons:

1. To socialize, have fun, recreate

2. To have challenging matches for all four players on the court and improve one's game

Open play is a great way to meet people and be able to play without having to bring your own foursome. BUT! When you do not know whose paddle that is in the rack, you take a chance on getting a good match. Both types of players deserve respect.

So how can players find others at their skill level?

Rules of Play at Tustin in California

This was a recent discussion from Facebook about a 10-court facility named Tustin, in California. This is the sign they now have to direct levels. I am guessing courts 9 and 10 are either for advanced players or are challenge courts.

This was my comment on Facebook:

Tustin has 10 courts and is in California. They used to mark the courts with skill levels so people knew where to find their "tribe." Some players, however, would continually over-rate their skills, or want to "play up" and would put themselves on a court, get beat 11-2, or 11-4. Regularly. That was not a good match for their opponent, so this is their current approach.

The City of Las Cruces asked the Organ Mountains PB Club to poll the community on how court usage should be directed. The category that won is "All courts should be open play no matter what skill level."

Las Cruces Survey Of Rules Of Play

This is a flaming hot topic. But! The more courts we get, the less pressure there will be, so I hope you will support our fundraising campaign when we launch it (more to come). We also have private facilities due to open soon, giving our players more options.

Our goal is for everybody to have fun and not get hurt.

The El Paso Pickleball community will have to address this issue like everyone else. Not all of us will agree 🤣 That is the Holy Grail and a vision more than a destination. But let's cooperate and share the courts.

What Happened at City Council Workshop (to get more courts)

A big shout out to the 22 pickleball souls who showed up for a City Council Workshop, on August 12; the mayor always comments on how our community turns out and speaks up. A month earlier at the July 2 regular meeting, Council charged their staff with developing a pickleball facilities roadmap within 120 days, in time for the 2025 budget. We were thrilled to see Pablo Caballero, Director of Parks and Recreation, present a preliminary plan, with 16 parks identified as potential locations for outdoor courts.

Rep Rivera (left) has offered to donate discretionary funds toward pb courts in his district. Pablo Caballero Parks and Rec Director (right). City Council PB Facility Workshop

I thanked (newly appointed) City Manager Dionne Mack for letting us see the preliminary report before the meeting, enabling us to provide feedback. I stated, "We have members who have played all over the US and Mexico. They have seen brilliant venues and those that did not succeed. Please let us contribute what we have learned to this planning process."

PEPA's goal is to get dedicated courts in each of the four points of the city. With eight courts coming to The Beast in the east, and Ascarate in south-central, we are turning our efforts toward northeast and the west side.

So much of the future depends on funding. We are working with Paso Del Norte to set up a fundraising campaign for courts.

A heartfelt Thank You! to Representatives Rivera and Molinar for offering to donate money from their discretionary funds toward new courts!

Play happy,

Jamie Fisher

President, Pickleball El Paso Association