Fortunately, Spring Break at Wulf Lasts Only a Week
The Spring Break schedule is out and starts this Friday, March 17. As you know, when Jeffco schools are not in session, the youngest kids burst squealing through the gym doors in the early morning for EPRD Camp. Which means we have just two courts from 8 to 10 am.
We’ll bet that if you’re an Advanced player trying to figure out the schedule early next Monday morning, it’ll make you want to stay in bed. Here’s how EPRD presents it:
7:00-9:00am (East)
7:00-8:00am (West)
Got it? It took us awhile, but we think it’s saying:
7:00-8:00am (Both)
8:00-9:00am (East)
Either way, bring your ear plugs and your patience. With just two courts between 8 and 10 am, the wait time between games is going to be ridiculous. Then again, yeah, just stay in bed.
It’s Official: Games to 9 When 13+ Paddles are Down
EPRD has revised its Guidelines for Pickleball Play, now saying that when the 13th paddle goes down scoring drops from “play to 11, win by two” to “play to 9, win by one.”
And, apropos next week’s Spring Break schedule, when only two courts are open, games go to 9 when 9+ paddles are down.
Other suggestions to alleviating the wait are to go to rally scoring, play to 7, or build another facility for more indoor courts. That, we can get behind.
Only Four Paddles Left for EHS Donation
About a week after putting out the call for your $35 donation for an EPC Club Paddle to EHS PE program, we’re up to 21 paddles. We need just four more to reach our goal of 25. Plus, you get to add your 2-3 word message to the face of the paddle.
Make your donation now.
For Third Straight Year, Pickleball is Fastest Growing Sport
Pickleball is named America's fastest-growing sport by the 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report again this year.
According to the report, “pickleball participation almost doubled in 2022, increasing by 85.7% and by an astonishing 158.6% over three years.”
The total count of players is now 8.9 million, up from 4.8 million in the 2022 report. SFIA defines a “player” as having played more than eight times in the year.
We’ve seen the same pattern of growth here in Evergreen over the pandemic years 2000-2022. And like everywhere else around the country we don’t have enough courts to accommodate the surge of new players.