NEWS
UPDATES
Keep your paddle ready!
Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
for the fun and the friends
for the exercise and excitement
for the love of the game!
INDOOR PICKLEBALL SEASON
INDOOR SEASON TECH
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!​​​
Check your email (or your Spam Folder) for your Unique Door Code!
DECEMBER CLASSIC TOURNAMENT - CLICK HERE!
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TEAM LEAGUE MONDAYS 12PM-2PM starting mid-Jan!
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NEW SCHEDULE STARTING NOVEMBER 1ST
LEVEL SESSION CHANGE: In order to try to curb long wait lists at Tech for certain sessions, our volunteer Executive members have come to the difficult decision to no longer allow Players to play one level below their skill level in scheduled level sessions. The change takes effect Friday. If you can kindly remove your name from future sessions that are not your skill level, that is appreciated. We may revisit this decision in the winter if numbers drop! At this time, we will not be making any changes to the schedule. SKILL LEVEL Executive volunteers are currently developing a form of rating exercise to assess players if they wish to move up a level. With the change to the Level Sessions (above), some Players may wish to change their skill down a level - email soopickleball.communications@gmail.com to do so. Many players may not understand that the most important idea of the self rate guide is CONSISTENCY. It takes time to learn the importance of positioning on the court, and playing WITH your partner to support them, and not leaving your partner to have to defend shots. Remember, the shot you select may be the reason your partner gets nailed on the next one.
UPDATE EMAILED OCT. 22ND: Pickleball Canada will be sending out an automated renewal reminder before December 31, 2024. Please take note, and renew your $25 yearly membership in order to continue playing at Tech (for insurance purposes). Attention Tech Players: Our Executive volunteers met recently to discuss all the feedback we have received so far for the Indoor Season at Tech. Please read through our responses, as it does change how the Schedule looks starting November 1st. T 1. MIXED sessions: Often all 3 courts are not getting booked. FIX: MIXED sessions will be reassigned to BOOK, except Tues 8-10am and Fri 12-2pm will be changed to ADVANCED 2. Novice Players: We currently have less than 10 Novice players registered at Tech. FIX: We have decided to eliminate NOVICE and offer them Recreational skill level so that they can start playing more often with other players (this takes place immediately). 3. Many women in Recreational level curl on Tuesdays and Thursdays. FIX: Monday 8am-10am and Wednesday 12pm-2pm will be RECREATIONAL. 4. Wait Times/Player max: FIX: Maximum number of players will be reduced to 20 during level sessions, and 6 per court during BOOK sessions. Waitlists will be available after these new cutoffs. 5. Team League: Inquiries for a day time Team league: Lorri Hunt has offered to volunteer to run a Team League (Advanced) for the New Year. We will offer registration for this in December, and the Team League will run for 6 weeks starting middle of January. More details to come! Recreational and Intermediate Players: Interested in volunteering to run a Team League? Please contact our Executive to discuss. 7. Drill & Skills for Players to learn: This is not an activity that our volunteers at this time wish to offer. The time commitment to prepare lessons/drills, etc. is extensive. Instead, we encourage players to search youtube and social media for drills to run themselves, or with friends, on BOOKed courts! 8. Ladder play: Soo Pickleball offers Ladder and Round Robin play during the summers, outside, using the 8 courts at Elliott. The 3 courts in Tech are not conducive to running them indoors at this time. 9. Our current Schedule, with 2 hour sessions, starting at 6am, ending at 10pm, has been working well and a lot of the courts are being used. We do not have plans to change the times. (Someone requested starting at 7am and ending at 9pm.) 10. Players are not limited by the number of sessions they play each day or week. If you are having trouble getting into sessions, please remember that they "open" on PlaytimeScheduler 8 DAYS IN ADVANCE, to the hour, of each session (plan ahead). 11. Order of Play: At level sessions, please feel free to use either the 2 basket paddle system (4 on, 4 off), which works best for 18 or more players. Or, use the Bench order Format (2 Winners stay and split, 2 off, play only 2 games before you go to bench). There is no rule to which way to use, so please discuss with the other players at your session which way works best for you all. (talk people) 12. BOOK courts NOTES: The FIRST PLAYER to add their name to a BOOK court is the owner and MUST ADD A NOTE. That NOTE must say either: a) OPEN (and you can add qualifiers like, OPEN for 3.0-4.0 players, etc)., or b) CLOSED (qualifiers like Invite Only, TechHers Group, John, Paul, George Ringo only) with the intention that the player already knows who is going to be adding their name. If you get a msg from the owner asking you to remove your name, please do so ASAP.IF THE FIRST PLAYER ends up removing their name THEY MUST REMOVE THEIR NOTES as well. Use the little "X" to delete the note! The player at the top now controls the court and should add their own note. 13. BALLS: Some people do not like the current balls we are providing. We will not be buying any new balls in the foreseeable future because we have a large inventory of Penn balls. Therefore, you are welcome to bring your own balls. We will consider onyx or gama balls on our next purchase, but that may not be til next year. 14. What are all these "Invite" sessions with "hidden players": These "bubbles" are the level sessions that do not match the Skill Level you registered with. Therefore, you are not able to add your name. We are in the process of changing the settings so you will no longer see sessions that you cannot add your name to. You are never allowed to play in a session without adding your name. 15. What if I want to change my Skill Rating? Please email soopickleball.communications@gmail.com if you want to change your self rated skill level. Please review the Self Rate guide to BE SURE that you meet the requirements before asking for the change. Once we receive your request, we will add you to the scheduled sessions that match your new Skill rating (it is NOT automatic if you change your playtimescheduler rating in your admin settings). 16. Level Reps: We are looking for someone from Recreational, Intermediate, and Advanced to volunteer to be a point of contact for feedback, and general rule questions (the rules are posted at the Tech for all to review please!). Want to Volunteer to represent your group of players? Please let one of the executive know. 17. Floor is sometimes slippery. FIX: Please CHECK YOUR SHOES. Ensure they are indoor court shoes with excellent treads. Our hired cleaner is keeping the floor cleaner than ever before! If you find it to be a bit dusty between cleanings, please use the long mop to sweep the floor. It is located outside the men's changeroom.  Thanks from your Soo Pickleball Executive Volunteers!