Ladder Captain Lou Drinovsky and Master Novice Trainer Art House talk about the various paddles that are now available to players.
Paula Handrup (left) and Sandy Crabtree keep the Ladies’ Ladder running smoothly.
Alex Potapoff and Karen Bush, 2014-2015 Ladder Champions, will return to defend their titles during the 2015-2016 season.
Pancho Epstein
With most of the snowbirds comfortably landing in October, the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club’s winter agenda is off and running at warp speed.
The biggest ongoing pickleball events are the weekly Ladies’ (Thursdays) and Gentlemen’s (Fridays) Ladders.
Participating players are placed in groups of four according to rank. Each group plays three games to 15 points. You play one game with each of the three other players as your partner. A perfect score would be 45 points. Players finish first, second, third or fourth based on their point total. The highest scoring player moves up one group, the lowest, down one group.
The ladder season runs for approximately seven months and, although players are encouraged to sign up and play weekly, they don’t have to.
Last year’s Ladies’ Ladder champion Karen Bush said, “It’s great competition and most of all we have fun. It’s a challenging and fun way to improve your game and I’ve met some of my best friends in PebbleCreek playing ladder.”
Alex Potapoff, the Gentlemen’s Ladder champion added, “You can meet new players and it’s especially good for newer members. You end up playing competitive games with people of your same skill level, which makes it a way of finding players of your own skill level to play with at other times.”
Each ladder is controlled by a captain and assistant. Ladies’ Captain Sandy Crabtree commented, “Ladder offers a good way to add the element of competition to your play without the pressure of a bigger tournament.” Assistant Captain Paula Handrup said, “You get to meet new people and improve your own game by playing with a variety of players.”
Gentlemen’s Captain Louis Drinovsky followed up with, “It allows you to eventually play at a level higher if you improve by winning your group. Then you get tested with better players and you will either climb higher or drop lower. You test yourself regularly.”
Added assistant Captain Ken Lunde, “You play hard against new and old friends. It’s your chance to see how good or bad you really are.”
Many of today’s ladder players learned to play pickleball from Master Novice trainer Art House and his cadre of teachers. Art continues to give free Friday lessons from 12:45 to 3:00 p.m. Art’s group teaches the skills, rules and basic strategy of our game. “Before you complete your first lesson you’ll be smiling, laughing and really enjoying yourself,” Art said. “And you’ll be getting exercise without knowing you are exercising.”
For more information on these novice classes contact Art at 623-328-7854, [email protected].
Also on the pickleball club schedule are socials, clinics and training for all skill levels.
To join our club contact Jules Cardinale at 623-696-7021, [email protected]. Yearly dues are only $27 which includes an attractive name tag.
Be a player.