Update on Club Play

Hi Everyone! I've posted the MPC play sessions for this weekend on playtimescheduler.com. It's looking like we should have good weather so I'm hoping you can make it.

The latest update I have from MPC is that they are planning to start construction in May. So, including this weekend, we can probably get another 4 weekends in before we are no longer able to use the facility. I'm planning to continue MPC play until then to get a better gauge on club play interest. With poor weather and conflicting events such as the tournaments and socials at Chamisal and the Monterey Tennis Center, club play participation has been dwindling. I know many of you are playing in the Love Dinks event this Saturday. Hopefully we will have better weather and fewer conflicts going forward so I get get a better read on club play interest.

If weekend play is something you would like the club to continue to offer going forward, please attend to show your support. Or, send us an email at montereypickleball@outlook.com to express your interest. Please also send us feedback if you like the idea of club play, but, think we should make some changes. Also feel free to comment at the end of this blog post if you'd like to share your thoughts/concerns with everyone.

My understanding is that the MPC courts will be shut down for 6+ months during construction. I'm currently looking into other options for club play during this time. If you have suggestions, feel free to reach out to me.

See you on the courts!

Sign Up Now for Play on Feb 11 & 12

I've created the Playtime Scheduler sessions for the weekend of Feb 11 and Feb 12. Saturday Feb 11th is open to all players. Sunday Feb 12th is open to 4.0-5.0 players. It's important that everyone signup so we know how many people will be playing.

Reminder: We will be playing on the 2nd and 4th weekends of each month

I hope everyone had a fun time last weekend. I received a lot of positive feedback on our first club play session since we suspended play due to Covid-19 on March 17, 2020. We had over 30 people at MPC last Saturday which is a great turn out after nearly 3 years off.

I had an opportunity to speak with several of you about what was working well during our Saturday play session and what was not. Our new play structure is a work in progress so please keep sending me your feedback. In the spirit of continuous improvement, here are some issues that came up last week that we will try to fix this week.

• Where should we stand when not playing? This one was my fault. I told players to queue up at the red dot in the picture below. However, there is not much room there and it interfered with players on our courts as well as other groups. So, going forward, please queue up and at the bleachers -- the green dot below. There is plenty of room here for bags as well as room to sit, stand, and socialize without disturbing players.

• Which courts are we using? Unfortunately, it is unpredictable which courts we will have because it depends on other groups that show up to play. MPC's policy is that courts can be used on a first-come, first-serve basis when school events are not in progress. There is no time limit once someone starts using a court. There is one group that plays regularly on the eastern courts. So, I'm hopeful that we can use the six western courts on most weekends. Blue circles above. This would work well with our green queuing area so we don't disturb groups playing on the eastern courts. If the eastern courts are not in use, we can use those too.

• How do I know which court I should play on? I have created some small signs that I will hang on each of our nets. These signs identify our courts in the event that we don't get the six western courts. Each sign has a play level: Advanced, Intermediate, Novice. Please play on a court matching your level. I will try to setup the courts as indicated by the blue circles above with the western most courts being Intermediate. Last week I found that intermediate courts have the most turnover, so, locating them adjacent to our green queuing area is ideal. Courts permitting, Novice will take the middle courts and Advanced will take the far courts.

• How do I get from the queuing area to my court? If your court is not immediately adjacent to the green queuing area, you will need to walk behind an active court to get to your court. For example, to get to court A1 in the drawing above, you must traverse court I1 and N1. Likewise when exiting the courts. When traversing a court, please walk behind it, not through it. More importantly, please make sure the point has ended on that court and the players have waved you through. Do not traverse a court without the acknowledgement of the players on that court.

• What do I do if my ball rolls onto another court? For MBPC club play, please yell "Ball On" as soon as your ball goes onto, or dangerously near, another court. Do not wait to see if your ball will affect your play. In club play, safety is more important than points. So, please yell "Ball On" immediately, even if the ball is nowhere near the players.

• How long should I expect to wait in the queue? I hope that people are not waiting more that 15 minutes. Hopefully it is much less than that. A 15 minute wait is basically one game out for every two games in. If you are waiting more than 15 minutes, please let me know. We can reassign some courts based on usage ... for example, last week we used 3 intermediate courts. I want to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience and minimizing wait time is important. If I find that wait times are unacceptable, I'll look into other solutions.

If you have any questions or other concerns about play last week, add them in the comment section at the bottom of this page.

See you on the courts.

No club play this weekend

Just a quick reminder to everyone that club play at MPC is the 2nd and 4th weekend of the month. So, no play this weekend. I'll post the playtimescheduler.com sign up for next weekend later today along with some feedback I've received from last weekend's play. It was great fun, hope you all enjoyed it.

See you next weekend.

Mike