In this issue:
| Call for Captains |
Lifting of the Ratings Freeze |
| DUPR Rating Sessions |
Recruiting - Membership Director |
| Referee Clinic |
Upcoming Tournaments |
Call for Captains
In response to our call for captains for outdoor play at Alpine we have the following so far:
Type of Play Number of Captains
2.5 Level 4
3.0 Level 3
3.5 Level 12
4.0 Level 5
All Play 4
Partner Play 1
Thank you to those who have already volunteered. However, In order to offer play sessions for a variety of levels we need to have more captains volunteering. We ask all members to consider stepping up in this role. You may not be aware, but you don't need to captain every single session for a particular play type or time slot; in fact, especially for larger group sessions, we like to have a couple of co-captains where captaining responsibilities are shared. Even if you would like to be an occasional or "spare" captain, you should attend one of the upcoming captains meetings which are scheduled as follows:
April 18th 6:30 - 8:30 pm - Red Willow Church
April 19th 9:00 - 11:00 am - Red Willow Church
If you are even considering being a captain this spring/summer, please attend and respond advising which of the two meetings you will be attending.
Please also note that to date requests have been made for the following types of play sessions (in addition to the "traditional" play sessions the Club offers):
- sessions for playing up and down , example (2.5-3.0) (3.0-3.5) (3.5-4.0)
Lifting of the Ratings Freeze
As announced in a recent e-mail, the SAPC ratings freeze is over and a new Club ratings framework has been adopted. In conjunction with these developments, the Club has updated the SAPC website to explain all of these changes. We recommend that all members read through these webpages at your earliest convenience to familiarize yourself with our new policies and processes.
That being said, I will once again reference some key points and provide links to the aforementioned pages below.
Now that the freeze is over, how do I get a Club rating change?
Members will ask for a Club rating adjustment by emailing "rating@pickleballstalbert.ca" on or immediately before (within two days) each of the following dates: January 15, March 15, April 15, May 15, June 15, July 15, September 15 and November 15. In your e-mail, specify whether you would like a Club rating adjustment based upon your CTPR, your IPTPA rating or your DUPR rating. The requirements for achieving the rating levels of 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 vary and are specified on the Club's Skills Levels and Ratings webpage.
The Club will review each request as follows:
1. By the 20th day of the month, the Club will look up the member's CTPR or DUPR rating and games played or evaluate the IPTPA certification (in the case of IPTPA, submit your evaluation paperwork with your request).
2. By the 26th, the Club will adjust the member's consolidated Club rating in their member profile if warranted.
Please note that some rating types are dynamic and can change even if a member is not playing. In the case of CTPR and DUPR, your rating must be above the threshold of the desired Club level (eg. 3.500 DUPR for a 3.5 Club level) on the day/time we look it up.
It is important to note that SAPC members with current Club ratings will not have those ratings affected by this new framework, and that our adoption of the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) will not affect those members in any way. We are simply changing our policies and processes related to those members who want a Club rating or desire to achieve a higher Club rating.
DUPR Rating Sessions
As noted on the Club's website, a Club rating is required to play in SAPC organized play at and above the 3.0 level. One way of getting or advancing your Club rating is to play in sessions that will be recorded by the Club in DUPR; such sessions will provide you with some of the games needed to get a qualifying DUPR rating (20 games in total are required as noted above).
Each play session is open to SAPC members wanting to attain a DUPR rating at the level specified and possessing the skills likely to achieve that level. The Club will send out event invitations to selected groups of members who qualify to attend each particular event, based on members' current Club rating or lack thereof (ie not to the entire membership).
We have no preset time when each session will be open for registration as we want to avoid the dreaded, automated "midnight" openings. Rather, all eligible members will be notified at the same time, via e-mail, one to two weeks before each session - so, if you are interested, keep on top of your Club e-mails! Registration will take place on a first come, first served basis.
What will these DUPR play sessions run by the Club look like?
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Play will be round robin format, play to 11, or until time is called, whichever comes first.
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The fee will be 1, 2 or 3 stickers depending on the venue, payable at the event. Stickers must be purchased in advance. (link to Store).
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Before registering for this event, you must have a DUPR profile (account) and you must join SAPC on DUPR. See the SAPC DUPR Play FAQ for more info.
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If you cannot attend after registering please cancel your registration at least two days in advance using the process specified at Reserved Play. If canceling within two days, email rating@pickleballstalbert.ca.
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Players are asked to arrive 10 minutes before the start time to sign in, pay with stickers and warm up.
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We recommend that registrants read all SAPC webpages at and under the menu page Skill Levels and Ratings. Questions not already answered on those pages may be directed to rating@pickleballstalbert.ca.
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A session leader will oversee the recording of all game scores, and the Club will enter all game scores into DUPR within a week of play. DUPR will adjust players' DUPR ratings within a week of score entry.
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There is no sticker charge for the volunteer, seeded players assigned by the Club to participate in these sessions; these players already have a DUPR rating, have a pre-reserved spot and do not need to register online (once again, the Club is so grateful to these members for volunteering in this capacity!).
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Please be patient as this is new to all of us; we will take learnings from each step and play session and modify our processes as required going forward - your feedback is welcome.
Vacancy - Membership & Volunteer Director
Please be advised that Carol Mah, our Membership & Volunteer Director recently resigned from her position. The Board would like to acknowledge the many contributions Carol has made in this role over these past several years.
We are now recruiting for an individual to take over this role and Carol has graciously offered to assist in this transition.
The job description for a Club Director and the role of the Membership & Volunteer Director can be accessed by this link.
If any member has interest in this role, please send an e-mail to our President, Eileen, by clicking here and she will get back to you to discuss.
Referee Clinic
We will be hosting a referee clinic on Saturday, May 13th which will run from 9:00 am to about 2:30 pm. If you are interested in refereeing or just want to learn the rules, please contact Ken Dentzien for more information.
Upcoming Tournaments - Save the Date!
Please note the following dates for our 2023 Tournaments. Please put these dates into your calendar and start to make your plans to attend as a participant or volunteer:
June 10 to 11 - Members Only, Fun Tournament
July 14 to 16 - Sanctioned Tournament
September 16 - Members Only, Fun Tournament
If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor for one or all of these upcoming tournaments, please let Roger or Ken know. You can find the opportunities available by clicking here.
Until next time keep your paddle up!