From the HCPA Board of Directors

We all just want to play! 
 
I hope that this request finds everyone healthy and happy.  Our Association is comprised of
many individuals with one common interest: to play Pickleball. 
 
The Association posts times when we have scheduled organized play.  The Session Coordinators
carry nets and balls to the courts. They may do this several times a week. It is a commitment
that we all can appreciate.  
 
On some occasions, and recently more often because the sport is popular, there are small
groups who are playing on one of the courts we are using to play or teach.  We cannot reserve
the courts. The courts are public, and we understand that fact. But many times, the players
using the one court are HCPA members.  The HCPA member sees the class or session coming,
but they do not join the group nor do they yield the court for the larger group.  This impacts
many people.  
 
When Pickleball lines were first painted on tennis courts in Columbia, a crowd of Pickleball
players would come to a court, only to find two tennis players sitting on a court.  It was
infuriating since there were so many other close-by tennis courts and only these few pickleball
courts.  
 
There are many new courts in the area. The Association is limited to the courts we are allowed
to use for open play. As stated, we do not own these courts and folks have a perfectly legal
right to use them.  But we would kindly ask members to please check the schedule online and if
you see a conflict, please use one of the other available courts. Non-association play is allowed
on all Howard County Recreation and Park courts, as well as Gateway and many of the high
schools (see Places to Play on our website). It is easier to move one small group than all the
members in our planned session.  We can only ask that you please be considerate.   
 
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

From Andy Dalal

HCPA Round Robin and MLP Events
As you may have read previously, the sign up for these events are now open. We have had some
questions about these events.
Each round robin event is scheduled for two hours on a Saturday in March at the PutAway from 3-5pm.
We will need 16 players to register to play on the four courts to run the events. We are hoping to
attract different players for each round robin – men or women and different skill levels. The DUPR
rating for the round robins is a recommendation. For round robins, you should be playing with a
different partner each round of play.
The Minor League Pickleball (MLP) event is also a one-day event, also held at the PutAway from 3-5pm
on the last Saturday of March. We will need 16 players to run this event – eight women and eight men.
In this event, there will be teams of four players – two women and two men. The four players on a team
will be competing against other four player teams in women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed
doubles. We will form teams that have approximate equal DUPR Ratings. Therefore, the average DUPR
score per team should be about 14 (3.5 x 4). Ideally, players will already have a DUPR rating. If not, we
will try to use our best judgment.
The sign up is now live on TeamApp for events beginning on March 2, 2024.
Go to the HCPA TeamApp page now and then click on "Events".
If the events do not fill up on or before February 20, 2024 (less than two weeks), HCPA will have to
cancel ALL of the Events planned for March due to a lack of interest and due to our contractual
obligations to the PutAway. The PutAway is a very nice indoor facility and easy drive from Howard
County.
At this time, we only have a very few participants in each event, including our first event scheduled for
March 2 for 3.5 men.
If the Round Robins and MLP are canceled by HCPA due to weather or a lack of interest, players will be
notified on TeamApp and will receive a refund.
Events will not be rescheduled.
Thank you.
HCPA

Sent in by member Jim Firestone

Pickleball Retreat in Bermuda!
Dec. 9-14, 2023

Lift your game! Join acclaimed pickleball pros Lee Whitwell and
Sonny Tannan, and Jaunts By Jim, to learn about this exciting group
trip to a top resort in Bermuda for instruction, with time to explore this
gorgeous island!

Click to join email list

Click to register for Webinar:
Wed., Sept. 27, 2023
7:30-8:15 pm

From Linda O'Neill

HOORAY!  Howard County Recreation and Parks has completed the build of 8 dedicated Pickleball courts!!!  

From Andy Dalal:

Men’s Doubles Round Robin. Sign up as individual on our TeamApp.

Level Intermediate (3.0+). If you regularly play in the intermediate sessions this would be a good fit.

All Ages

Saturday, 8/12
8:30 – 10:30am

The event will be held at Locust Park. Please note there are not any lavatories on site.

Please only sign up if you are in the correct level, thank you!

Please sign up as an individual. For round robins, you will be playing with a different partner each round of play.

If the event is full, please send an email to HCPAroundrobin@gmail.com to get on the waiting list.

ROUND ROBIN CANCELLATION/ARRIVAL POLICY**
All cancellation emails must be sent to: hcparoundrobin@gmail.com.

HCPA Round Robins are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Cancellations
• The cancellation cutoff is 24 hours prior to the event start.
• Any player who cancels after that time will forfeit the right to sign up for or play in the next two HCPA Round Robin events.

No Show or Late Arrivals
• All players must sign in 15 minutes prior to the posted start time.
• Any player who arrives after the posted start time is considered a no show.
• Any late arrival or no show player will forfeit the right to sign up for or play in the next three HCPA Round Robin events.

Leaving Early
• Any player who leaves a HCPA Round Robin prior to the posted end time, will forfeit the right to sign up for or play in the next three HCPA Round Robin events.
• This does not apply to any player who is forced to leave early due to an injury sustained during the HCPA Round Robin.

Please remember, Round Robins necessitate an exact number of players. Players who cancel late, or worse, don’t show up or leave early, potentially ruin the event for the other 15 players. Games can’t be played without the required number of players. Please respect your fellow players.

The later the cancellation, the harder the slot is to fill. Additionally, late cancellations are unfair to other players who would love to play, but due to late notice of slots are often no longer available or unable to get to the courts on time or don’t have their equipment with them. Please cancel as soon as you realize you have a conflict, aren’t feeling well, or are injured; other players and our volunteers depend on your timeliness.

If a Round Robin is canceled by HCPA due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, players will be notified by email and will receive a refund. Events will not be rescheduled.

From James Martin:

The Sunday Drill Session has changed from All Skills to Immediate/Advance level. The reason for this change is twofold, the core group of players that show up regularly are an average of a skill rating of a strong 3.5 and nearly every session a beginner or two will arrive, and it makes the experience unproductive for all involved. The 3.5 players do not get the needed repetition of the shot being worked on and the Beginner is uncomfortable with all the errors made due to playing with players that are 1 to 2 levels above theirs. The Sunday and Wednesday Drill sessions are a game-based design to work certain types of shots such as dinks, lobs, ground strokes, and volleys just to name a few. This format is best designed for players with a strong foundation.

I do not want to leave the Beginner – Novice 1 & 2 out of the opportunity to improve their skills by drilling so beginning on 13 August 2023 there will be a 6-week Beginner – Novice 2 Drill session at the Ice Rink from 8:30-10:30. The format will be different from the Sunday and Wednesday Drill session. The session will focus on building a foundation on the fundamentals. Basic mechanics will be covered as well as other topics such as how to properly grip your paddle. The core of the session will be in repetition of shots in order to “Teach your Body” how to respond automatically. The last portion of the session will be open play in order to put into practice what you have drilled. Many times, it is just a small tweak here or there to take your game to the next level but be warned Drills are not a magic pill that instantly improves one skills. It takes time and consistency however drilling is the proven way to improve in any skill the fastest. If there is good player participation during the 6-week trial, we will make it a permanent session. Even 3.5 players can benefit from this session if they want to learn how a new shot such as how to apply topspin or back spin to the ball or even learn a double hand backhand. This environment is a safe zone for mistakes and trust me if you want to really learn a new shot there will be a lot of mistakes due to the different timing of the shot. This session will be RSVP as court space is limited due to the format. The Beginner – Novice 1 & 2 Drill session will be categorized under “All Skills”. The RSVP will go up on the Stack Team app every Sunday at 5:00 pm. The open play All Skills on Sunday morning will be moved to another location. More to follow on the exact location.

From Marc Austin:

From James Martin:

Due to the popularity of the Sunday Drills at the Ice Rink the session will be changing over to the RSVP format. The RSVP will be posted on the Stack Team app every Sunday at 5:00 pm for the next week. As with all RSVP sessions if you sign up but later in the week your plans change, please remove yourself so someone on the Wait List can claim your spot. I would also encourage players to check out the Wednesday Drills session at Vantage Park. That session has seen good numbers but has not yet had all four courts completely filled up. The same drills are used on the Sunday session as for the Wednesday session; we focus on the fundamental shots such as dinks, volley’s, groundstrokes, overheads, lobs, and drops. The plan is simple we believe that Repetition is the Mother of all Skill. Thus, we spend 15-20 minutes on each shot focusing on what works and what does not in a friendly judgement free game-based environment. Currently the Wednesday Drill session is not RSVP.

From Joanne Greisser:

REMINDER!!

From Don and Steve Schmidt:

New Thursday Evening Intermediate Session Added at Thunderhill Elementary School
from 6-8 PM. Please No Advanced Players.
Coordinators Don and Steve Schmidt.

From Joanne Greisser:

save the date: wear orange is june 2-4

Wear Orange to End Gun Violence – June 2-4

The HCPA is joining other Howard County organizations by participate in the national Wear Orange to
End Gun Violence campaign. The color orange honors the more than 120 lives cut short and the
hundreds more wounded by gun violence every day in our country.
It’s simple, wear something orange during your sessions June 3-4, t-shirt, shorts, hat, sweat bands,
socks. HCPA will post signs and serve some healthy snacks at the Saturday and Sunday sessions.
Please join the local, state and national forces to fight for a future free from gun violence.

For more information about this event click the link wearorange.org
or contact Laurie.alderman6@gmail.com #202-549-9555

From Geoff Silberman

HCPA Spring Mixed Doubles Results