Sent via MailChimp on Oct 16, 2026
Hello Silveridge Pickleballers!
Welcome to our second October edition of The Kitchen Chronicles newsletter.
Player Development Sessions – header
The Player Development Committee (David Ott, Mark Van Tassel, Jack Hall & Donna Stensrud) met at the end of last season and boy were there lots of great ideas floating around the room – some activities we decided to repeat and some were brand new! Mike Savre was a special guest at the meeting and offered some ideas as well. We landed on implementing the following player development sessions for the 2026/2027 season:
- Booking the Ball Machine – continues on Sunday at 9:00 and 10:00 am, and Thursday at 1:00 and 2:00 pm. Sign up on SUG.
- Ball Machine with a Coach (NEW) – coaches will use the ball machine to coach players on specific skills (for example, blocking, dink control and touch, volley reflexes, resets, footwork and range, returns, 3rd drop shots) Wednesdays for Groups 3.5 to 4.0+ at 3:00 pm and Groups 3.0 & 3.25 at 4:00 pm. Sign up on SUG.
- Coached Drills (NEW) – this is Mark Van Tassel’s excellent idea, which we have scheduled on Mondays for Groups 3.5 to 4.0+ at 3:00 pm and Groups 3.0 & 3.25 at 4:00 pm and on Wednesdays Groups 3.0 & 3.25 at 3:00 pm and Groups 3.5 to 4.0+ at 4:00 pm. The idea came about because of the comments on the membership survey from those who stated they couldn’t make their groups workshops due to a very busy schedule. These sessions will give players the option to attend the coached drills if they can’t attend the workshops. Sign up on SUG.
- Combined Round Robin Play – back by popular demand on the first full week of each month.
- Group 2.0 Skill Development (NEW) – hosted by coaches/mentors who will guide new players through an established curriculum focused on skill development and general knowledge and rules of the game. Upon completion of the required sessions and with the coaches approval, the Group 2.0 player graduates to the Group 2.5 level. Scheduled on Tuesday at 9:00 am, Wednesday at 1:00 pm, Thursday at 9:00 am, and Friday at 1:00 pm.
- Group 2.5 Lessons (NEW) – hosted by coaches/mentors who will build on the curriculum presented in the Group 2.0 Skill Development sessions, which may include reinforcing guidelines on player positioning and general rules of the game. The lessons will be during the first 45-60 minutes of round robin sessions on November 20, 27, December 4 and 11.
- Mentor Play (NEW) – this is Mike Savre’s idea, which will come alive and be hosted by high-level players from within our club and will focus primarily on the mental side of pickleball. Participants will receive active and timely feedback during actual game play on positioning, strategy, placement, pace, communication and footwork. The latter part of the session may be recorded to allow the participants to view their playing style. The sessions will be scheduled on specific Mondays from 3:00 to 4:30 pm with players from Groups 3.25 & 3.5 on one court and players from Group 3.75 & 4.0+ on another court. Sign up on SUG. We ask that members only sign up once per season to allow the opportunity for all players to participate.
- New to Pickleball (Bring it Back) – players new to pickleball will receive this “introduction to the game” which will follow a set curriculum designed to allow new players to get a feel for pickleball and introduce basic skills and rules in preparation for their graduation to the 2.0 Skills Development group. These sessions will be on specific Mondays at 11:00 am for non-members who are interested in learning about and trying pickleball.
- Workshops – building on the success of last season’s workshops we will continue to focus on developing our members’ pickleball skills and abilities using a focused curriculum designed to guide all members to improvement, regardless of their playing level. The workshops will be scheduled during the first 45-60 minutes of two round robins in January, February and one in March like we did last year for every group.
Communication – header
This year we are focusing our efforts on the following ways to communicate to our members:
- Website: the best way to get information and find out what’s happening in the club is to visit our website
- Newsletter: “The Kitchen Chronicles” newsletter will be sent out via email and are also posted on the “News” page on our website
- Round Robin Captains: your RRCs will continue to provide important information and updates at the round robins
- Facebook: read posts on the “Official Silveridge Activities” Facebook page. Previously, we posted on the Silveridge Connect Facebook page and will now be using the Activities Office page because it is a better fit (as we are one of their clubs) and they want the clubs to use their page to keep residents and club members informed. These Facebook posts will come from Vicki Drouillard, who has agreed to be our Media Coordinator this coming season. So, stay tuned for her updates and reminders. Thank you, Vicki!
- Bulletin boards at the Courts: to cut back on the amount of volunteer work required, we will only create and hang a minimum number of posters at the courts. We ask you to visit our website for club information.
- Club Activity Page and Calendar: don’t forget to visit the Club Activities page for information about our events. Again this year, we will have printed copies available of the monthly Activity Calendar in the document holder hanging on the court 1 fence beside the gazebo.
SignUpGenius(SUG) Update
In my communications with SUG support this summer, they have made a lot of changes to their app, which is available for both iPhone and Android users. Jack and I have tested it and it seems to be working fine. Good news!
Visit the SignUpGenius page for more information about how to use SUG.
SUG provided a link with helpful tips on how to participate and sign-up using SUG, which can be found at the bottom of the SignUpGenius page on our website.
If you experience problems with your SUG account, please contact them by emailing support@signupgenius.com.
TIP: Have you looked at and used the SUG Silveridge Pickleball Pickle Page for your level? It is like a website that lists just your group’s sign-ups all in one location with no advertisements. Check it out! Links to the pages can be found below, at the bottom of the SignUpGenius page and on the bottom of the Court Schedule page.
Club Budget – header
During the August 25th EC meeting, our treasurer, Julie Nosko presented a projected budget for the coming season, which the EC approved.
Discussions included bigger line items such as the over $1,000 annually being spent to buy pickleballs.
Julie also presented the idea of adopting a Reserve Policy, which includes keeping 25-50% of baseline operating expenses, to be updated annually at the time of the annual budget submission.
This addresses various reasons for keeping a certain amount of funds in reserves, including having the wherewithal to handle unforeseen expenses, a desire to follow the industry standard of best practices, and to better enable the club to adjust to changing membership numbers and thus dues. This coming season it was agreed to keep at least $6,000 in reserves (about 50% of the current planned operating budget).
Our fiscal year ended on September 30, 2026. Our year end financial statement for September 30, 2026 can be found on the “Club Documents” page of our website.
In Closing – header
We are getting closer to Monday, November 2nd when our 2026-27 season and organized play officially begins!
Thank you for taking the time to read our second newsletter in October! The next one will arrive in your inbox on about October 23.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me or any other Executive Committee member.
Safe travels and I’m 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