The Grapevine- message from the President
THE GRAPEVINE
I hope that all of our members and their families are in good health and are enjoying the changing of seasons. Even with all the global challenges, 2022 managed to offer some amazing things for our community.
Grimsby Pickleball Association, a non-profit organization, was formed by a passionate group of pickleball players wanting to bring this sport to our town. Your board members are;
Shelley Trocki, President
Monika Schemeck, VP
Paul Demere, Treasurer
Stacey Kraftcheck, Secretary
David Goodhue, Director
We have been fortunate to partner with the Town of Grimsby to bring the introduction of pickleball to our community. When COVID came, long delays, along with several start date changes became an unfortunate reality. Finally, on July 15, 2022 the Ribbon Cutting for the new pickleball courts at Mayfair Park became a reality. It was an honour to be a part of the opening and play the first game on the beautiful and professionally-built pickleball courts.
Within the first month, we had exceeded our membership expectations… 80 members joined GPA.
As curiosity grew for pickleball and with the town’s support we shifted into high gear and offered Introduction to Pickleball clinics. The GPA offered many introduction clinics and put through over 174 residents. The town assisted us by providing a paddle & ball loan program and use of the public courts to assist with the demand. The response required the board to create dedicated apps to handle the overwhelming interest.
National Pickleball Day was celebrated on August 13th with a day filled with both players and spectators. There was plenty of sunshine, laughter and friendship development at this event. The season continued with dedicated level play, reserved court times and ongoing clinics.
As we look back, I am grateful for the countless hours that the board members have spent to navigate through our first year by building a community for all players to feel welcome, safe and most-of-all, to have fun! The partnership between the Town of Grimsby and GPA have provided the support and guidance that made this possible. It takes a community to make this happen and we will look to you, our members, to get involved to continue to make this vision come true. Thank you for the support and patience as we reflect on our first year.
To the many people that stepped-up and volunteered their time and energy to introduce and build pickleball this summer; like Ed, John, David, Alana, the board members and their spouses who continue to encourage and lift us up - THANK YOU
As we close out the summer season and head into fall, we are already planning for the winter and summer of 2023. We need volunteers for both the winter and summer season, if interested please email us at grimsbypickleball@gmail.com
Our winter registration will be open soon, space is limited so please check your email and our social media for more details to come in the next couple of weeks.
Thank you for a great beginning of learning, having fun and growing friendships.
Shelley Trocki
President, Grimsby Pickleball Association
grimsbypickleball@gmail.com
www.grimsbypickleball.com
