October Newsletter

Horseshoe Valley Pickleball

Have your Pickleball withdrawal symptoms already started to surface? Well, not to fear, the temperatures may have plummeted and the sun gone into hiding but there will still be some nice days come our way before the snow flies. Don’t put your paddles and court shoes away yet! The popping sound of a pickleball being hit over the net, the shouts of “good shot”, “nice rally”, “great game”, and the inviting hum of a group of friends chatting about the latest in their lives will continue to dance upon the wind for a little while longer.

Horseshoe Valley Pickleball is a family, a group of people who enjoy each other’s company, have made a common choice to stay active and keep fit by playing the ever growing game of Pickleball, and support each other by sharing time, energy and information.

THE CLUB

On October 1st, 2023, Horseshoe Valley Pickleball launched their 2024 Pickleball season with an “EARLY BIRD SPECIAL” for their membership fees. Thank you to all of those people who have taken advantage of this special and have signed up with Horseshoe Valley Pickleball.

The funds generated from the membership fees will go towards new equipment and supplies for 2024. The energy and enthusiasm from the membership will fuel the development of programs for and within the club and the Membership numbers will provide a voice to support negotiations with the Township. As of this date, Horseshoe Valley Pickleball has 53 members signed up for the 2024 season.

THE “EARLY BIRD SPECIAL” MEMBERSHIP DRAW

As reported in the last Newsletter, included as part of the “EARLY BIRD SPECIAL” is a draw for a free membership. Just a reminder, the window for the early bird special closes on November 30th. The draw for the free membership will be held by December 10th. To ensure randomness and provide full transparency, the names of all of the members who signed up for the 2024 season of Horseshoe Valley Pickleball except the HVPB Board will be entered on the web site https://wheelofnames.com for the draw. The “SPINNING WHEEL DRAW” will be videotaped and made available to the membership when the winner is announced.

THE CLUB’S EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

As you all know, equipment purchased by the Horseshoe Valley Pickleball club has always been stored in the shed by the pickleball courts. The code to access this shed is PICK. This year, the Township also placed a metal bin on the north side of the shed and supplied two nets for public use. The combination to access the metal bin is also PICK. When the weather changes for good this season and the Pickleball courts are turned into an ice rink, the Horseshoe Valley Pickleball equipment will be removed from the shed and put into safe storage for the winter.

Changeover to Ice Rink timeline:

Boards for the Ice Rink will be dropped off the week of October 30th
The boards will be set up by volunteers November 7th
The courts are available for Pickleball until November 12th

Weather permitting, we are hoping to enjoy our last Pickleball games of the season at Memorial Park courts on the morning of Sunday November 12th. So, come on out, bring your paddles (and maybe some hot chocolate), join in a few more good rallies, share a little more laughter and squeeze out a bit more fun before winter descends.

After Pickleball on November 12th, all HVPB equipment will be removed from the shed and put into storage. Help with loading our equipment into a truck would be greatly appreciated.

Should there be some nice days and people are still interested in playing Pickleball after November 12th, the nets provided by the Township will still be available. They are stored in the metal bin. The code for the lock is PICK.

In the spring, the Township will turn the use of the shed over to Horseshoe Valley Pickleball for storage of club equipment only. At that time, the access code to the shed will be changed and that code will only be given out to members of Horseshoe Valley Pickleball. Equipment in the shed will not be available for use by the public.

The code to the shed may be changed on a frequent basis by Horseshoe Valley Pickleball to keep the Club’s equipment secure. The membership will be advised of the new code via email each time it changes. The public will only have the use of the Pickleball equipment that was supplied by the Township or was donated by HVPB for the public and is stored in the metal bin. The combination PICK will still be used to allow access to that equipment.

SHOE TAGS

2024 will also be the first year that members of Horseshoe Valley Pickleball will be able to be identified by means of a shoe tag. These shoe tags have already started being issued to individuals who have taken advantage of the early bird special. If you have signed up with Horseshoe Valley Pickleball and have been issued your shoe tag, please affix your tag to your shoes at your earliest convenience. If you have signed up for Horseshoe Valley Pickleball and have not received your shoe tag, please email the Board at horseshoevalleypb@gmail.com Attention: SHOE TAGS to make arrangements to get your shoe tag ASAP.

THE SCHEDULING OF COURT TIME

While the Board awaits the Township’s decision on allotment of time for HVPB at its multiuse Memorial Park facility, Rick Meyers, Kenny Apple and our the first volunteer from our Membership, Brandon House, have been working on a way of determining how to divvy up our allotted time to satisfy all members: experienced and new, competitive and recreational, frequent participants and occasional players. To this end, they have created a survey which will be sent out to the membership in the new year. The results of the survey will guide the Board in its attempt to make our 2024 season of Pickleball fun, inclusive and entertaining for all.

WILL YOU HELP?

We are all passionate about Pickleball. That is what has brought us all together and has made us a community. Through this community we have had the privilege of meeting many new people, making new friends and having a lot of fun. Playing Pickleball has strengthened the body, sharpened the mind, filled the heart and fed the soul. Let’s give back to our Pickleball community by volunteering some of our time, energy and/or thoughts. You can help make Horseshoe Valley Pickleball an inviting, inclusive, physically engaging, intellectually stimulating and socially satisfying Club that members are proud to call their own.

The programs/committees that Horseshoe Valley Pickleball can offer its members is only limited by our imagination and the amount of work we are willing to put into it. The Board has identified five programs/committees that will significantly enhance the development of HVPB, support the Membership and secure and maintain the required equipment and supplies. At least one Board member will be assigned to each program/committee and will either work directly on that program or act as a liaison between that program and the Board. We are happy to announce that, as of this date, four HVPB members have volunteered to help make 2024 an outstanding year for us all.

Scheduling Team

Board members - Rick Meyers and Kenny Apple

Member volunteer - Brandon House, more volunteers needed

Assist members with self rating
Create/review survey to identify the priorities of the membership
Identify equitable time allocation based on membership numbers

Social Committee

Board members - Wendy Simms and Christine Patterson

Member volunteers - Deb Grant, Peter Kuznik, more volunteers needed

After play barbecues
Morning play with baked goods
Picnics

Competition Committee

Board member - Susie Fassbender

Member volunteers - Nanda Mohamed, more volunteers welcome

Tournaments
Ladder play
Weekday/weekend ladders/competitions

Research Team

Board member - Susie Fassbender

Member volunteers - volunteers needed

Keep club up to date with rule changes
Advise members of current indoor/winter facilities
Advise of training, coaching, refereeing opportunities
Compile any other information relevant to the Membership

Equipment, Supplies and Storage Team

Board member - Dave Viney

Member volunteers - volunteers needed

Make equipment buying recommendations
Maintain/repair equipment
Organize storage of equipment

If you are interested in joining any of these programs/committees/teams or helping any of these Board members, please email horseshoevalleypb@gmail.com Attention:VOLUNTEER

INTRODUCTION TO HVPB MEMBERS

In 2024, The Board would like to introduce members of Horseshoe Valley Pickleball to the other members as part of the Newsletter. This introduction could be a brief description of the member’s interests, businesses, achievements, goals, exploits, dreams, etc. Or, the introduction could be a picture of the members playing pickleball, walking their dog or sipping a cup of coffee…

If you would like to introduce yourself, or would like to impart any information to the Membership through this Newsletter, please email us at horseshoevalleypb@gmail.com Attention: NEWSLETTER