Objectives:

1. Give recreational players (newbies, beginners, intermediates, and intermediate “plus” skilled picklers) a friendly, encouraging, “no-slam” and non-intimidating environment for pickleball play at Green Lake East. 
2. Offer opportunities for beginner and intermediate players to learn and improve skills. (Volunteers will be on hand to offer tips and instruction, as requested.)
3. Give beginner/intermediate level players an opportunity to meet others who might like to schedule friendly play at GLE or other venues around the city.
4. Give “Rec Court” players the confidence to place their paddles in the regular stack queue at GLE or any other pickleball venue.

Court guidelines:

1. Players will stack their paddles on the east side of the court (furthest from the lake), adjacent to Court 1-North;
2. We’ll use only two paddle positions: handle down (away from the lake) to indicate “beginner” and handle to the right (north) to indicate “intermediate / recreational” play;
3. Players may stack on your own (according to “beginner” or  intermediate/recreational” play) or with one, two, or three friends;
4. “Rec Court” intermediate games will be played to 11, win by 2; beginner games (i.e., that typically take longer to complete) play to 9, win by 1. (Game length subject to change, per that particular days’ “Rec Court” volunteer).

FAQs:

Q. Why do we need a separate “Rec” court at GLE? I thought everyone is welcome to stack in the “open-play” queue.
A. All players (all skills, all ages) are welcome to stack in our “open-play” queue. But some players feel intimidated by the system and might prefer a more welcoming and encouraging environment in which to learn and/or play the game.

Q. How many courts will “Rec” players get to use?
A. That will depend upon the number of stacks in the “Rec” courts queue and the number in the regular “Open-play” stack queue. The “Rec” court volunteer will adjust the number of courts used for “Rec” play so that wait-times for both groups are approximately the same. Be generous — achieving that balance is both a
science and art.

Q. What happens if it’s raining?
A. “Rec” court will be cancelled for that day.

Q. Who will be organizing “Rec” court play?
A. Mike Tang has agreed to help me manage “Rec Court” this spring/summer. He’ll help coordinate a group of volunteers (advanced players and/or instructors) to make sure each “Rec Court” session is covered. Many thanks to those who volunteered their time for “Rec Court” last year; we’ll be calling on you to help out again this
season. Please email Peter at [email protected] if you’re interested in helping out.

Q. Does it cost anything to participate?
A. No. But if after you’ve played at the courts a few times and you’d like to contribute to Green Lake Pickleball, we welcome your donation of $1 or $2 for the cause. You’ll find a donation jar and Venmo codes at the courts.

Q. Do I need a paddle and a pickleball to play?
A. If you don’t have a paddle, we’ve got plenty for you to borrow. And we always have pickleballs.

Q. Will GLP reserve courts for Rec play?
A. No, but in the unlikely event that a private party has reserved the particular court we’re playing on, we’ll move to a different one of the eight available courts at GLE. If private reservations become a recurring problem, we’ll begin making reservation for “Rec Court.”

Q. How can I get updated information about GLP’s “Rec Court”?
A. Sign up for updates here: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/glp-rec-court