THE PICKLE POST
PRESCOTT PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER - 8/1/25
UPDATES
SUMMER KIDS CAMPS
Two weeks ago we completed our final Boys & Girls Club Clinics that were held every Monday from 11:00 am to 1pm. For me, it was just a blast as I not only got to coach some great kids, but also see how awesome our PPA members who came out to coach were with the kids. So, what did they (the kids) learn vs what did we (the dinosaurs) learn? For the kids, it was just as much about the game of Pickleball as it was having fun while being respectful, cooperative and trying your best! For the Coaches, including myself, it was also a lesson in having fun while working with a young person as well as being flexible. The old adage that it “takes a village to raise a child” could be applied to teaching Pickleball to a group of kids, many who have never held a Pickleball paddle in their hands before! For the last session, we able to send each kid back to the Boys & Girls Club with their very own paddle.
I want to thank our PPA President, Judi for creating this great opportunity to work with the Boys & Girls Club of both Prescott and Prescott Valley. I sincerely believe that bringing the youth into the game of Pickleball is a great goal for us to continue. I would encourage our PPA membership to take advantage of these volunteer opportunities in the future!
Last, but not least, let’s appreciate our great volunteer Coaches who came out each Monday to give their time and expertise, starting with Robyn and Carll, Beth and David, Mairead, Gretchen, Scott, Elaine, Andrea, Linda, Janyce, Judi and John McAllister (who I “bugged” to be goofier than me to be the lead instructor for the last session). Hopefully, I didn’t leave anyone out!
NEW NEWS
To our amazing captains, please join us August 1 for an important meeting to go over valuable information. Look forward to seeing all the captains from both competitive and non-competitive RR's.
Date: August 1, 2025
Time: 4:00 - 5:30
Place: Grace Sparks Activity Center
Conference Room
824 E. Gurley St.
Prescott, AZ 86301
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
Our next new member orientation will be held on August 2nd at Pioneer Park Pavilion starting at 9:00 am. This is a great time to learn more about PPA, how we work, and all the programs that are open to you. Don't forget to bring your paddle as some Pickleball play will be part of the time spent together. Any questions, please email prescottpickleball@gmail.com.
We have had a good response to our evaluation program. In order to reserve you need to contact PJ Janik at 928-237-0452 and he will set up times for both he and Rick Bothell. Click here for more information. Cost will be $10.00 per person.
EVENTS
PPA Social at Mark's Beer Garden
August 14, 2025
3:00 - 6:00
Come and join us for a great time of getting together with all your Pickleball friends for an evening of food, drink, and fun. Registration is open and guests are invited. To register for this special PPA social event click here. Look forward to seeing you there!
THE SUMMER CLASSIC
Our friends at Espire Sports will be holding their Summer Classic on August 22nd - 24th! This should be a large, well-attended tournament with some high level players. Great time to watch live Pickleball. Click here to register!
Stay tuned! Coming soon to the PPA calendar includes:
Social Saturday Round Robin
3.5 Training Up Clinic
THE COACHES CORNER
How to find a new tournament partner,
by Rick Bothell
I want to start playing tournaments again. I want a partner for men’s doubles. I’ve been looking for a couple months now. I want to invest my time and effort to make a good team that can have fun and can win some matches. I am 73 years old and a 4.0 rated player. If I play with a 50 year old partner then we will play in the 50+ age groups. Way too young for me. If I play with a 3.5 rated partner then he will play in the 4.0s with me. A 3.5 player will not compete well at 4.0. Plus, our opponents will sense the 3.5 player and will hit 90% of the balls to him. My partner and I must be at the same level so we both get treated equally during play. So I’m playing at Espire and a new person plays against me. Bill plays pretty good for an old guy. Next match I request we partner up. We seem to do well together. I ask, how old? What rating? 75 years old, high 3.5 which I somewhat reject because I’ve seen him play higher than 3.5. We talk about forming a team. But he wants to practice and learn together. Sounds great to me. The next day we play 2 hours on a challenge court. I find out he is a national champion at racketball, turned pickleball. He needs to learn pickleball and asks for my help. I suggest mildly, not all hits must be hard. Slow the ball down and let it drop to the opponents feet. For two games we boh work on this. It seems to work and he is happy. Bill jokes during a game. He says “Good shot” to me every now and then. I compliment him and he likes it. He likes my off humor jokes. We are getting along socially also. I like his attitude. We agree to play a tournament together and sign up for an Espire tournament at the end of August. We talk about cross court/ line strategy. He didn’t realize who covers the middle. He learns it and now uses that strategy. Bill suggests that the left side of the back court covers the middle of the back court. I agree. It works. My friend AJ tells Bill “Never speed up a dink rally by hitting crosscourt.” AJ explains why. Bill says it makes sense and didn’t realize speeding up a crosscourt dink loses points. WOW. We are learning together and having fun. I have found a new partner with similar attitudes as me. Close to same level. Same age. Same willingness to learn together. I couldn’t be happier. The next decision is will my wife like his wife eating at Taco Dons next Saturday. I hope so. Happy partner finding.
Rick Bothell
928-308-1861
