Golden Gate Pickleball December 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to the Golden Gate Pickleball Newsletter. Within its digital pages you will find information about upcoming events, results of past events, and a little bit of entertainment, too.
GGP's mission is to facilitate the growth of pickleball in the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer organized recreational and competitive play for the enjoyment, health, and social engagement of all players in a collegial and sportsman-like environment. We are also working to expand facilities and programs to meet the growing needs of our pickleball community.
We are an all volunteer organization. Ninety-five percent of your donations will go directly to program and community activities.
You may donate here: https://www.goldengatepickleball.org/donate
UPCOMING EVENTS
Win a FREE JOOLA paddle!
Head on over to our Instagram for a chance to win one of the most popular paddles on the market, the JOOLA MOD TA-15. The winner has to pick the paddle up locally from a GGP member so there's a great chance that person could be you! Enter the giveaway HERE
Attention all San Francisco Pickleball Players
The San Francisco Tennis and Pickleball Planning Roundtable (SF-TAPP), a committee established by the San Francisco Parks and Recreation, is at the forefront of determining the future of pickleball in our city. Their primary objective is to identify the demand for courts in San Francisco. They are looking at possibly establishing a pickleball center, or providing more neighborhood courts, or both. The committee is tasked with "identifying underutilized spaces within and outside the city's park system to expand the inventory of dedicated pickleball spaces." The committee's recommendations will be crucial for shaping the future of pickleball in San Francisco.
This committee is committed to transparency and will hold public meetings, put together focus groups, and conduct this initial survey to ensure your voice is heard at every step of the process.
We urge all San Francisco residents to participate in this important process by completing the survey. Your comments and feedback are highly valued and will play a crucial role in shaping the future of pickleball in our city. You have until December 14, 2024 to complete the survey, so please share your thoughts and fill out the form as soon as possible. San Francisco Tennis and Pickleball Planning Community Survey
December 3, 2024: GIVING TUESDAY
Giving Tuesday, which is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is a global generosity movement which aims to unleash "the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world." Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as simply a day to do good. Since then, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, to collaborate, and to celebrate generosity.
We hope you will consider giving to GGP. With your generous donation, we can continue to provide the community with a wide variety of pickleball activities, such as Drill and Play, beginner clinics, and our youth program. Your contribution is a vital part of our mission, and we couldn't do it without you.
We hope to raise $20,000 to help support our various clinics and drill sessions, as well as the youth program in which we send GGP coaches to the local schools with all the equipment and instructional support the kids will need.
Join the movement and give, whether it's some of your time, a donation, an idea, or the power of your voice as an advocate for GGP.
Here’s what some of our members are saying about how the Golden Gate Pickleball Foundation has impacted their lives:
“I picked up pickleball in 2020, at the start of the pandemic. I ended up joining the Golden Gate Pickleball Club and found friends and camaraderie among people across age differences and social backgrounds. And had FUN! The leadership team/organizers were very helpful, and ably organized many pickleball activities mixed with social events/picnics. I strongly recommend anyone to participate and share the fun and joy as I have!” — Harry T.
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“Am truly grateful for discovering Golden Gate pickleball. What a generous and wonderful community. Have taken some free clinics and have seen my game improve tremendously. Have met some Super nice people and hope to be a part of this great pickleball community for years to come.” — Bernard Y.
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“I have been a racquet sport enthusiast my entire life. I played in GGP’s Summer MLP event, my first experience in a pickleball tournament, and I had an amazing and fun time. My matched partners were very supportive and we had a blast playing together as a team. Please consider supporting GGP this Giving Tuesday to keep the sport growing.” — Carol H.
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“First off, I want to thank the GGP for the generosity of the proper equipment. That alone means wonders to me, and especially our students. It provides access for them to learn and play pickleball with equipment the PROS would use! We started a pickleball club this year and we have a consistent 10-15 students showing, and the club is slowly growing. Which means, continually spreading the positivity of the Pickleball community.
The staff have been wonderful too! They have been kind and so willing to help with teaching our students. They elaborate and demonstrate with great precision. Even myself, a Physical Education teacher, picked up a great amount from them! Everyone brings such positive energy when they show up and ready to help where is needed.
Thank you GGP, your organization has been so giving to our student community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!” — Brian P.
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“We have a dedicated group of pickleball players at Burton thanks to the donations of paddles, nets and balls from Golden Gate Pickleball Foundation. Word of mouth is spreading as the group grows and staff have become interested too.”— Mr. Rubin
ON GOING ACTIVITIES
Drill and Play
GGP continues to offer free pickleball instruction at a level you won't find elsewhere. We believe everyone should have the chance to learn pickleball and its rules. By providing these Drill and Play opportunities, we're bringing more joy and Fun to the courts, and we invite you to be a part of it.
Drill and Play sessions are held at Louis Sutter from 7:30 to 9 am, Monday through Thursday. You may sign up at www.playtimescheduler.com. Levels are 3.0 on Mondays, 3.25 on Tuesdays, 3.5 on Wednesdays, and 3.75 on Thursdays.
The drill and play sessions will be suspended from December 13, 2024, to January 12, 2025.
We want to thank everyone who has participated in the program. It has been a huge success!
Women’s Drill and Play
GGP offers a free all-female Drill and Play on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:30. The skill level is 2.75-3.25, and Lisa Shaw leads the sessions.
We had some windy days, but we persevered. Lisa was great at adjusting the drills and games to account for the wind, making it great fun.
Playing pickleball in the wind requires some adjustments to your strategy and technique. Here's a recap to help you master the elements:
Adjust Your Technique
Serves
Against the Wind: Add extra power to your serve to counter resistance.
With the Wind: Focus on accuracy and spin to avoid hitting out of bounds.
Groundstrokes
Keep your strokes low and controlled.
Use topspin to stabilize the ball's trajectory.
Dinking
Be precise with dinks; the wind may push the ball more than expected.
Stay ready for unpredictable bounces.
Lobs
Avoid high lobs in gusty winds unless you're confident about placement.
Adjust Your Strategy
Wind Awareness
Always know which way the wind is blowing and how strong it is.
Teamwork
Communicate with your partner about how the wind is affecting play.
Patience
Play a more controlled game, emphasizing consistency over risk-taking.
Practical Tips
Focus on footwork; stay balanced to handle sudden changes in ball movement.
Make it Fun. Treat the wind as part of the challenge.
Challenge Court
The Challenge Court continues at Louis Sutter on Saturday mornings at 8:00 am. GGP provides donuts, coffee, and other snacks.
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Youth Program
Golden Gate Pickleball was out in force at the Chinese American International School (CAIS), where pickleball was demonstrated and taught on November 8. There were three sessions, and all sessions were full with a waiting list to boot.
We saw so much enthusiasm among the kids. Some were already superstars, as many of their parents were members and supporters of GGP. But you could also see the kids who had never played before slowly getting the hang of it. It was fun all around.
We still have one more Joola package to give to a school in December. The package includes 16 paddles, two nets, and 100 balls.
With the Joola equipment, we are now able to send out one of our teaching pros to help the PE department of a local school introduce its students to pickleball. This instruction and equipment will foster the development of the next generation of pickleball players.
GGP's ultimate goal is to make pickleball a varsity sport at Bay Area high schools -- following in the footsteps of Montgomery Public School in Maryland. See: Pickleball Joins the Varsity Roster in Montgomery County Public School - JOOLA USA.
If you know a school that is interested in adding pickleball to its PE classes, please contact:
Tanya Slesnick at ggp.tanyaslesnick@gmail.com
Or Jonas Satuito at ggp.jonassatuito@gmail.com
Paddle Tales
Do You Really Need More Pickleball Stuff?
by Twila Slesnick
I hope you haven't told anyone you play pickleball. If you have, prepare for the onslaught of pickleball gifts from your well-meaning family and friends. If you've been playing for a while, you know exactly what I'm talking about. After a few Christmases, Hanukkahs and birthdays, you are probably well stocked with some or all of the following:
Pickleball starter kit, complete with wooden paddle, 2 non-regulation indoor balls and 2 non-regulation outdoor balls, plus a carry bag. Don't complain. It presents an excellent re-gifting opportunity. You have grandchildren, don't you? Nieces? Nephews?
Pickleball key chain. Definitely cute, but the constant banging of the ball against the steering column might bring about the end of your sanity.
Mug ("Dink responsibly"), hat ("Pickleball hair...I don't care), water bottle ("Tears of My Pickleball Opponents"). I don't know about you, but the days I allocated three full cupboards in my kitchen to mugs are over. I might still have room for a couple of hats and a non-BPA water bottle or two, but it's getting tight.
Ball retriever that goes on the end of your paddle. Great idea, but you probably don't need to add to the half dozen or so already sitting at the bottom of your pickleball bag.
Pickleball earrings. No dangle earrings on the pickleball court!
Pickleball blanket. Set this lovely item in the pile along with your chihuahua (your favorite dog) blanket, and the blanket showing the evolution of the bicycle (from when you were still cycling), and the blanket with decks of cards commemorating your addiction to bridge.
Don't get me wrong, one of each of the above gifts might be terrific. Maybe even two of each. But chances are you are running out of closet/cupboard space -- or soon will be.
It is almost certainly the case that nothing is taking up more room than all of those T-shirts that keep coming your way. You might even believe you have acquired virtually every humorous pickleball T-shirt on the planet.
I am about to come to your rescue with a re-gifting plan for at least some of those shirts.
Here are my suggestions.
The shirt: "It Was In" (with graphic of a pickleball)
Gift it to: The opponent of yours who has the most difficulty saying those words.
The shirt: "Shut Up and Dink"
Gift it to: The Chatty Cathy or Mouthy Michael who maintains a running commentary throughout every rally.
The shirt: "Okay, One More Game"
Gift it to: You know, give it to the person whose hips never hurt, whose knee joints are full of cartilage, and whose oxygen saturation level is always 100%.
The shirt: "Get Ready To Be Pickled"
Gift it to: Your drinking buddy.
The shirt: "If You're Looking for a Soft Serve, Go Get Ice Cream"
Gift it to: The opponent who complains your serve is illegal because he/she can't return it.
The shirt: "I'm Married to a 4.0"
Gift it to: Well…you should keep this one and put it on the day your hubby announces he is a 5.0.
The shirt: "Hit It To My Partner"
Gift it to: Hmmm. I hope you have two of these, because you'll want to give one to your favorite novice partner and one to your favorite advanced partner. Both will assume it's a compliment and it will confuse the heck out of your opponents.
The shirt: "I Might Have a Dinking Problem"
Gift it to: Any inveterate banger of your acquaintance. You probably need more than one of these, too.
The shirt: "The Lobfather"
Gift it to: I think you know who gets this one.
The shirt: "World's Okayest Pickleball Player"
Gift it to: Me! If this were in my closet, I'd keep it. (Hint to friends and relatives: It's not in my closet!)
Happy holidays!
If you like what GGP is doing for pickleball and community, you may donate here: https://www.goldengatepickleball.org/donate
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