Outdoor Play
OUTDOOR SEASON IS FINISHED FOR 2024
REVISED OUTDOOR PLAY SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST TO OCTOBER 2024.
Below is a revised schedule for outdoor club play for the remainder of mid-August to roughly the end of October 2024. Ladder play has completed and Monday play has been changed to match play. Like ladder play, it is imperative that you arrive in advance to the play start time and warm up. Late arrivals will have to wait until the second round of matches begin to get inserted into the line up.
The Taylor courts may be booked using the Hold My Court system accessible here:
https://holdmycourt.xyz/reserv...
Expected Skill Levels for Scheduled Play:
Intermediate/Advanced - Players should be at a 3.5 level or higher meaning you have considerable playing experience if joining the Intermediate/Advanced play days. You have a variety of shots (drives, drops, serves, volleys, dinks) that you execute with a reasonable level of consistency, you are comfortable at the NVZ and can maintain an extended rally. You are not perfect but your unforced errors are not necessarily deciding the outcome of all your games. If you are loosing a high percentage of your games, loosing by a large margin and causing to your partners to loose games, you are likely trying to play at a level higher than your capabilities and should consider playing during the Tuesday and Wednesday Beginner/Rec/Novice and Sunday Open play opportunities.
Beginner/Novice/Recreational - As the name suggests this would apply to new and inexperienced players that have just started playing. You are still learning the rules of the game and how to play it. You struggle with unforced errors, you hesitate to advance to the NVZ and may feel intimidated by aggressive play of experienced players. Players at this level will be most comfortable playing during the Tuesday and Wednesday Beginner/Novice/Recreational play days. They are also welcome to play during Sunday Open play where they will be exposed to a variety of skill levels and be challenged by more advanced players. If you find that you are winning the majority of your games in this setting then you are likely ready to advance to the Intermediate/Advanced play.
Outdoor Play Descriptions:
Open play - players rotate on and off the courts using the paddle rack system with winners and non-winners placing their paddles in the upper and lower paddle racks, respectively as they complete their games. Depending on attendance, courts may be split between beginner and intermediate skill levels.
Match Play - also referred to as ladder play. Players are matched by skill level and play a set number of rally scored games to 15 or 21. The lowest scoring player (or players) from each group is bumped down to the next level while the highest scoring players from the lower tiers advance to the next tier or matched group. Player are asked to commit to playing a minimum of 1.5 hours on match play days.
Round Robin - Players are assigned a court, partner and opponents using the MatchUp or PBPlay apps or similar system. Players are asked to arrive early to warm up and so the player list can be completed by the desired start time.
Skills & Drills - Skills and Drills are an important addition to your development as a pickleball player if you want to improve. The importance of practicing and learning skills such as third shot drops, block volleys, punch volleys, dinking, etc cannot be overstated if you want to improve. Skills & drills sessions will be semi-informal meaning that there may not always be "instructors" available to guide the session. Come with your own list of skills that you want to work on. YouTube is a great resource for preliminary research/learning on techniques and drilling ideas before hitting the courts. Aside from scheduled club Skills & Drills, in the summer the outdoor courts at Kin Park or Taylor are available for your use if you wish to do skills and drills on your own. You may also try reaching out using the Facebook group page or messenger chat group to find someone to work with you. At home you can use a solid wall for rebounding the ball back to you while you practice dinking or volleying to improve your hand speed and hand-eye coordination.
Taylor Tennis and Pickleball Courts
Located beside the Lone Wolf Golf Course parking lot, these outdoor courts are considered the home of the Peace Country Pickleball Association. The facility consists of a total of 6 courts. Courts 1 to 4 have painted lines and have painted playing surfaces. Courts 1 to 4 have permanent nets and are separated from adjacent courts by a net screen and tennis net. Courts 5 and 6 have painted lines but the playing surfaces are unpainted and share space with a tennis court. Portable nets are stored at the complex for use when needed. The entire compounded is surrounded by a chain link fence. The west and north sides of the compound have wind screens that are rolled up and down as needed. A permanent wind screen has been attached to some of the south side of the compound.
The facility is property of the District of Taylor and is maintained, under agreement, by the Peace Country Pickleball Association. It is a public facility and open to use by the general public however club members have priority use of the courts. Non-members are welcome to use any of the courts when vacant but when members arrive, they have pick of the courts. Once their current game is finished, non-members must move to another court if requested to do so.
Outdoor play generally occurs from late April to late October as weather conditions permit. During the outdoor season, the club uses the online "Hold My Court" reservation system to book individual courts and time in 1/2 hour increments. Throughout the week periods of court time are also reserved for club play and special events such as tournaments. Outside of club reserved times, members also organize play times using the club Facebook group page and the Messenger group.
Kin Park Courts, Fort St. John
Located in the boarded play surface on the west side of Kin Park, this facility offers 4 courts. The courts are acrylic painted surfaces on a concrete pad. There are presently no wind barriers and no ball dividers between courts. The courts are also oriented on an east to west axis so early morning and late evening play is hampered by a low sun on the horizon directly behind one end of the court depending on time of day. On the upside, these courts are lit with bright LED lighting that allows play to be extended well into the evenings, after the daytime winds have subsided and when we would otherwise have to quit playing. The lights turn on automatically at 6 am and off at midnight. The courts are available to the public at no cost with the exclusion of the posted times above.
The Peace Country Pickleball Association is negotiating a user agreement with the City of Fort St. John that will grant the club exclusive use of the courts on Saturdays 1-4 pm in exchange for minor court maintenance (garbage pick-up, debris clearing) and hosting free public drop-in sessions to introduce members of the public to the game of pickleball.
Follow the Peace Country Pickleball Association Facebook group page for schedule changes. Players can also request to be included in the Messenger chat group to get updates.
