Monte Poague is the facilities and maintenance director on the Evergreen Pickleball Club Board. Here’s what he has to say about handling the hordes that are showing up to play at Marshdale.

It’s the height of the pickleball season at Marshdale with tournaments, Ladder, and CROWDS. At certain times in the mornings, it starts to look like Wulf in the winter. Lots of paddles down and more time spent on the sidelines waiting to play.

Hard to believe with eight courts. And with the Evergreen Middle School courts closing on school days in a few weeks, it could get worse. So here are a few suggestions to increase your playing time.
1. Since it seems like Wulf with all the paddles down, let’s do what we do at Wulf and play our games to 9, win by 1 when there are 13 or more paddles stacked. This speeds things up and you play more games.
2. Most of the crowds are early morning to beat the heat, but coming at 9:30 or 10 is not that bad, especially if it”s overcast. There is still plenty of action and more playing time.
3. We’re not locked into certain hours as in the winter at Wulf. The other end of the day, 5 or 6 p.m., can be quite pleasant. You might need to round up some friends or put out a TeamReach text. Friday afternoon play at 4 usually includes a potluck and mucho socialization.

Some people think the Competitive side should have more courts because they have more players. Not going to happen. We have too many wanna-be competitive players. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy: If you’re the one making most of the unforced errors on your side, you just might be a Rec player. If the better players keep stacking so they don’t have to play with you, you just might be a Rec player And if you can’t dink and can’t make the kill shots, you just might be a Rec player. That’s not to say most Recreational players aren’t good. You can get plenty of action on that end and probably play more.

The Competitive side can “borrow” a court from the Rec side if one is not being used and there are no Rec players waiting to go on. If that changes, they have to return to their own side upon finishing their game.

I hope it will eliminate some of the congestion if we spread things out and speed games up. Too soon we will be back in the crowded confines of Wulf wishing for more courts, so enjoy what we have and Pickle On!

Thanks, Monte. EPRD doesn’t seem to have a guide to pickleball play on its website anymore, so you may want to check out the USA Pickleball sportsmanship guide.

Men’s Doubles is up next

OK, guys, show us how it’s done. Registration for the Saturday, Aug. 23, EPC Men’s Doubles Tournament opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. This will be a double-elimination event starting a 8 in the morning, with up to 24 teams hitting the Marshdale courts.

Yeah, it’s scary to ask someone to be your partner, it’s intimidating to play against people who might be better than you are and, really, you just like to play for fun.

That’s not what this is about. This is serious competition for cash prizes (buy the finest craft beer with your winnings, or let’s be realistic, PBR). It’s for the glory reflecting off your brand-new foam core paddle. It’s because Mick Pearce is retiring as tournament director after this season and he needs you to show up.

$35 to register and you and your partner must be EPC members.

They’re chuffed

.Evergreen players Jeff Dickinson and Gig Blitz snagged the Golden Ticket to the USA Pickleball National Championships at a qualifying tournament July 13 At Peak Pickleball in Colorado Springs

”We won’t actually be going to Nationals in San Diego but we are chuffed we have bragging rights,” Gig said. “We played 4.0 mixed, and after an appalling start came back and defeated the two teams in the medal rounds who we had lost to earlier in the day.”

Golden Ticket events provide a path for amateur players to earn priority registration access for the USA Pickleball National Championships.

*Jeff Dickenson and Gig Blitz came from behind to win their Golden Ticket.*

Play pickleball at Mount Vernon for a good cause

The fourth annual BALANCE Fundraiser Aug. 23 at Mount Vernon Canyon Club will feature social play by skill level to raise scholarship funds in honor of Christian Ervick. “This event honors the life and spirit of Christian Ervick, a beloved son, brother and friend who lived with courage, heart and a deep commitment to others,” his brother Travis said. “The BALANCE Scholarship supports students of the Theta Xi Fraternity at CU Boulder who exemplify the well-rounded, compassionate and driven life that Christian lived.”

“This is not a tournament but social play with rotations to allow for players to enjoy their time and support a great cause,” Travis said. Tickets are $55 and registration is open. You need not be a Mount Vernon member to play in the event.

Let’s talk about Marshdale

Two hard-fought finals, nothing but winners