Hello Silveridge Picklers!
Welcome to our October 9th 2026 edition of The Kitchen Chronicles newsletter.
I hope you had an excellent summer, and this update finds you and your family well.
Work Over the Summer
We have so much exciting news to share with you, which we will do in 3 newsletters during October! So here we go with the first October newsletter.
The Executive Committee (EC) has been working over the summer meeting monthly to prepare for the upcoming season, which will begin on Monday, November 2, 2026.
As always, we used your comments from the March 2026 membership survey and our observations of how last season went to prepare us for establishing our vision for the club and what we wanted to accomplish for next season. In addition, the Task Force Committee* (TFC) provided a written report to the EC on May 24, 2026 with several recommendations, all of which the EC reviewed in great detail during the June 12, 2026 EC meeting.
The TFC Conclusion: “a complete overhaul of Round Robin Play is not needed nor is membership clamoring for one. But allowing members to play at whatever level they choose isn’t a sound policy. We also believe several of our most active groups are too large. We’ve come up with recommendations we believe will address both issues with suggestions for implementation and are offering several additional proposals we think would make our outstanding club even better going forward.”
The June 12, 2026 EC meeting, with the help from the TFC recommendations, resulted in decisions for the upcoming season designed to enhance fun and competitiveness during round robin play, and by better guiding members to play at the skill level best suited to their skill set. The EC appreciates the care and thoroughness of the report and the well thought-out recommendations from the TFC. After lengthy discussions and collaboration, the following is a summary of the TFC recommendations and decisions made by the EC.
- Level Up Player Movement Steps Document:
The TFC recommended reinstating the tracking of games when requesting to move up a group skill level. EC approved the Level Up – Player Movement Steps document.
- Guideline for Changing Group Levels:
The EC approved revisions to the existing Guideline for Changing Group Levels document, as per TFC recommendations.
- Create a 3.75 Group:
The TFC reviewed a written proposal submitted by a club member to create a 3.75 skill level group. The TFC agreed and recommended creating a 3.75 skill level group and divide the number of players in the 3.25 (75 players) and 3.5 (62 players) groups into 3 groups (3.25, 3.5 3.75 – with about 35 to 40 players in each) to help reduce the number of byes during a round robin and to provide the opportunity for players in a group to have better matched skills and games. This recommendation was adopted by the EC – more in “e” below.
- Pickleball Skill levels at a Glance Document (which includes skills for 3.75 players):
EC developed and approved this new Pickleball Skill Levels at-a-Glance document (replaces the existing Club Skill Level Guidelines).
- Returning Members:
The TFC recommended freezing all returning members at their 2025/2026 skill level for the upcoming 2026/2027 season. For both the TFC and EC to analyse the data, we created a list of players who were in the 3.25 and 3.5 groups during the last 2 seasons. This report helped assess how we could facilitate this recommendation for the betterment of the club and get the numbers at a more manageable level. EC is implementing the following for the 2026/2027 season:
1) With the newly created 3.75 group:
- The TFC recommendation: Players who were in the 3.5 group for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 seasons will be given the option to join the newly created 3.75 or remain in the 3.5 group. We have identified this group to be 37 players and hope they will choose the 3.75 level so we can facilitate this recommendation. You can always move down to the 3.5 group if the 3.75 group level doesn’t work for you.
- In order to further shift some of the players from group 3.25 to 3.5, the EC agreed to follow what the TFC recommended above: Players who were in the 3.25 group for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 seasons will be given the option to join the 3.5 group or remain in the 3.25 group. We have identified this group to be about 38 players and hope they will choose the 3.5 level so we can facilitate this change. You can always move down to the 3.25 group if the 3.5 group level doesn’t work for you.
That will leave the 3.25 group (who haven’t been in the 3.25 group for the last 2 seasons) at approximately 41 players, which will be a manageable number for their round robins and player development sessions.
Of course the numbers in each of the groups will fluctuate as people come and go throughout the season.
We hope the people identified in a) and b) above, choose to move into the appropriate group level in order to even out the number of players in groups 3.25, 3.5 and 3.75 as per the TFC recommendation.
Thank you for your cooperation!
2) All other returning players must remain in the group they were in at the end of the 2025/2026 season. Players who wish to move to a different level during the 2026/2027 season, will review the Guideline for Changing Group Levels for clarification and complete the Level Up – Player Movement Steps document.
3) New members to the club will use the Pickleball Skill levels at a Glance document to determine what group level best fits their skills.
4) If necessary, the EC will make needed decisions to help facilitate competitive, safe and fun play.
- Round Robin Scheduling:
The TFC recommended the EC review start times and length of round robin play. The EC made the following decisions:
1) The start time for the first round robin of the week day will be at 9am.
2) Length of time for round robins will remain at 2 hours.
3) The Games with Mentors recommendation was explored in more detail and has become a player development activity.
- Competitive Play Options:
The TFC recommended implementing a more competitive play opportunity during a round robin play session potentially once a week.
More competitive game formats have been explored and considered for the court schedule. The round robin captains (RRCs) can always use the King/Queen format during a round robin as an option. The 4 Pack Pickleball Play was added to Thursday evenings. Visit the 4 Pack Pickleball Play page on our website for more information. Other ideas may be implemented during the season.
- Other Round Robin Play Enhancements:
1) The TFC recommended the possible use of white boards to be used during round robin play. The round robin play sheet could be written/posted on a white board to facilitate play for a quick glance and the Round Robin Captain (RRC) has the option to announce verbally who plays with who and at which court before each game. It also gives the players the opportunity to read the round robin play sheet on their own to confirm where they are playing next. The EC observed this being used at a few other parks and was well received by their players and RRCs. The EC will be implementing this recommendation and more information and instructions will be provided to the RRCs.
2) Discontinue Using Round Robin Play Apps – TFC recommendation: Instead of using apps, it was decided that RRCs should continue to use the round robin play sheets because they mix up partners effectively. It is acknowledged that it is a hassle for RRCs when players leave round robins early and thus some groups prefer using the paddles up system.
- DUPR and Other Rating Systems:
The TFC recommended the EC not adopt or create a rating system for our members. The EC agrees with the TFC.
*Task Force Committee members: Barry Halpenny, Mike Savre, Mark Van Tassel
Court Schedule
Jim Eschliman did a great job with the new court schedule. It’s never an easy job putting the puzzle together, especially with the additional group 3.75 added to the mix. The EC looked at what didn’t work well last year, the comments on the March membership survey, and came up with some new ideas, while following our established criteria:
1) round robins will be played between 9 am and 3 pm,
2) each week have a group play twice on courts 1-4 and twice on courts 5-8,
3) each group has as a variety of time slots,
4) combined group play will continue once a month, and
5) add in times for player development sessions.
We tried our darndest to follow this criteria but sometimes it didn’t always work out perfectly.
New court schedule ideas we are trying are as follows:
- Added a second time slot for the ladies 3.25 – 4.0+ to play on Friday at 3:00 pm
- Added a second time slot for the men 3.25 – 4.0+ to play on Thursday at 3:00 pm
- Implemented the 4 Pack Pickleball Play on Thursdays starting at 6:00 pm
The new court schedule is on our website for your perusal: Court Schedule.
Printed copies of the court schedule will again be available in the document holder hanging on the court 1 fence beside the gazebo.
Call for Volunteers
As we move into our new season, we have volunteer and Executive Committee opportunities for members who would like to serve. We are looking for assistance with many of our volunteer opportunities:
- Ball Machine Coordinators
- Ball Machine Coaches
- Ball Machine Schedulers
- Communications Officer on the Executive Committee – vacant position
- Court Maintenance Volunteers
- EC Officer positions available March 2027: President, 2nd VP, and Secretary (current incumbents may stand for re-election) serve a two year term
- Group 2.0 Skills Development & New to Pickleball Coaches
- Merchandise Sales Volunteers
- Round Robin Captains for each group
- SignUpGenius Coordinator*
- Social Committee – need 2 more volunteers to join a committee of 6
- Social Event Volunteers
- Social Media Coordinator*
- Tournament Volunteers
- Web Coordinator*
- Workshop Coaches
Volunteers are the lifeline of many of our successful initiatives, existing and new. More information about these volunteer opportunities can be found on our website. If you are enthusiastic, have time to assist, and are eager to “give back” to our pickleball community please consider volunteering when you complete your membership form or send an email to silveridgepickleball@gmail.com providing your specific areas of interest in helping our dedicated team of volunteers deliver our events & initiatives for this season. A few of our volunteer opportunities have sign-ups on SUG while others don’t, which means someone will be in touch with you when you volunteer. Hopefully you can help out with something that fits your busy schedule. THANK YOU in advance for your generosity!
*To further explain the 3 new volunteer coordinator positions mentioned above, they were created this past summer to help divide and conquer the many tasks the Communications Officer (CO) completes.
Speaking of volunteers and the CO position. In August our CO, Carol Koch, made the decision to resign due to personal issues. The Executive Committee would like to thank Carol for her time and dedication while on the EC. Hope to see you on the pickleball courts this winter, Carol!
Therefore, we are looking to fill the vacant CO position on the EC as soon as possible.
So what does the Communication Officer (CO) do?
This key position gathers information and ensures it is added on the website, Facebook or in newsletters with the assistance of the Social Media Coordinator, SignUpGenius (SUG) Coordinator, and Web Coordinator. The CO will monitor the club email, add new members to SUG and send them the welcome to the club email. If you have good computer skills and a willingness to learn, consider trying this position. Estimated time commitment is about 30 – 60 minutes each day during the winter season and also attends the EC monthly meetings, which can last 1-2 hours. Training and support will be provided. More information about this position or the EC can be found on the “Club Volunteers” page of our website.
If you have questions or you’re interested in trying this position, catch me at the courts or send an email to Donna Stensrud or silveridgepickleball@gmail.com or approach any member of the EC.
Membership
We are now accepting memberships for the 2026/2027 season. Click here to access the link to our online membership form.
Short Term Membership: $15 if less than 30 consecutive days beginning on the first day of play.
Regular Membership: $25 for more than 30 days, including repeat visits (repeat visits example: visiting for 1 week in November and returns for another visit in February and plays pickleball both times).
You can pay for your membership with debit card, credit card, cash or check. The membership form has the required steps you need to take to pay for your membership.
As always, once your membership form is submitted and payment is received, a “Welcome to the Club” email will be sent to you with further instructions and information. Then the fun begins!
In Closing
Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends on Monday, October 12th!
During October, the EC and our Court & Equipment Maintenance Coordinator, Tom Carli will be working through the pre-season checklist to ensure everything is ready to go on the courts before Monday, November 2nd when our 2026-27 season and organized play officially begins!
This October 9th Newsletter contains plenty of news. Thank you for taking the time to read it! The next newsletter will be arriving in your email inbox on about October 16th with more important updates. My goal is to keep you informed and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me or any other EC member.
If you haven’t travelled to our fabulous park yet, safe travels. I’m counting the days before Tim and I arrive on October 20!
Looking forward to seeing you on the courts!
Donna
Your Executive Committee:
Donna Stensrud, President
Jack Hall, 1st VP
Jim Eschliman, 2nd VP
Suzan Ott, Secretary
Julie Nosko, Treasurer
Vacant, Communications Officer