Thursday, November 28, 2013

RRAZ-PC Board and General Membership Meeting Minutes

Robson Ranch Pickleball Club 
                Board Minutes 10/2/2014                   


Present:  Ken McManus, Larry Kraus, Dave Lawell, MJ Wong, Paula Steger, Steve Arther
Absent:  Steve Falek

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

First order of business was to set dates for the General Meeting and the date for elections.  General meeting will be Friday, October 24 and elections will be Sunday, November 23.    Important addition this year is that voting can be done by email – bylaws allow it.  MJ will just make sure people understand that their vote will be known to her as she will tally the email vote.  We will continue to utilize a check off list to insure that no one votes twice.  There will be a short meeting prior to the general meeting held on Tuesday 10/21 at 2:00 p.m. in the billiard room as with ALL Board meetings.

It was decided that meetings would be the first Thursday of the month at 2:00 p.m.  The first ten minutes will be open for any Club player to voice concerns/ideas/questions.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Larry Kraus presented the Treasurer’s report.  At this time we have $10,488.92 in the treasury.  Mj moved to accept report, Paula seconded.  Passed unanimously.

Books need to be audited at year end.  Dave Lawell will get 3 members to perform the audit and results will be presented to the Board by the first Board meeting in the new year.

OLD BUSINESS

Rating Process:  Over the summer many people improved dramatically.  Many did not request a rating change until October schedule came along.  There were then a lot of request and the committee members – Steve Larry  and Paula wanted to handle all requests in a consistent manner.  It was said that they’d have a meeting as soon as the last member, Mike Rains returned.  However, when it was pointed out that he wouldn’t be back yet for a month, it was agreed that action would be taken now on the requests.  Several points were addressed:  intercommunity play does not allow you to play at a level and then play tournaments at a lower level; a review process needs to more firmly be in place as moving up at this point, should not be a self evaluation; if a request for change is denied, the committee should provide the member with the reason(s) why and tips for improvement; membership forms should be changed so that only NEW members would self rate for the coming year.  Court captains can help with  the problems of playing at the wrong level during rated play.

Court Captains:  Ideally, there would be at least 3 court captains per day – one per level playing.  It’s really only during rated play that the captain is critical.  Some duties would involve getting to courts early, setting out the sign up sheet, guiding players to the correct level, be the moderator  for court issues..  Captains would be welcome at the Board meeting to talk about issues on the court.  We will be looking for volunteers.  Paula will contact Palm Creek to get background information on utilizing court captains properly.

Social Committee:  Paula reported that the Committee has already sketched out activities for the year.  Starting  out was a request for $50 seed money for the Partner Play that takes place on Sundays.  The Amans have been hosting but should not continue having the burden.  The proposal would be that people take turns being the hosts, a donation jar would be set up and the following week refreshments would be dependent on the weekly donations.  The $50 is a one time request of the Club to get things started.  Ken moved the money be approved, Steve seconded and carried unanimously.

As part of the Social Committee’s plan is to implement a plan for some community service/fundraising.  Paula indicated that we will be doing a 50/50 raffle at each event, the proceeds of which will initially go to purchasing equipment: nets, paddles, balls for the Eloy Fire Department in gratitude for all their support and then to purchase the same for Eloy middle school.  Club members could then go and teach the kids how to play.  Steve inquired as to the possibility of a USAPA grant and Paula will pursue that avenue.  The school will also be contacted to see what their  actual needs/requirements are before we spend any money.  We also are considering a swear jar.

A request was made to allocate $200/party for a total of $1200.  Approval was postponed until the budget portion of the meeting.  As this will be the first full year of social activity, the money was being requested with the understanding that it may be adjusted next year based on actual  expenditures.

OCTOBER  - to be held in conjunction with the  General Meeting on October 24 – meeting to start at 3:00 with social to start after.  Theme will be Octoberfest with the Club purchasing brats and sauerkraut.  Members will have a potato salad competition and a baked bean competition.

NOVEMBER  in conjunction with the election, we will hold a pancake breakfast at 11:00 a.m. with play offered afterward.  We will not charge for food but advance tickets will be required - $1 to play this weekend.  This will allow us to gauge how much food we will need.

DECEMBER – Holiday party – return of the popular white elephant gift exchange and holiday cookies/appetizers

JANUARY – In house tournament celebration.  Club will provide pizzas.

FEBRUARY – Valentine type theme – we will have a sock hop and utilize a band or a d j

MARCH – Post tournamant thank you party for volunteers  also works as end of season celebration

MJ requested $200 per event for a total of $1200 plus the $50 start up for a total of $1250.  Her rationale was these events are extremely popular with the membership, works out to $1/member per event, we have the money.  Additionally she stated this is the first year of the full slate of events.  Actual cost will then be utilized in determining budget request for next year.  Actual approval was postponed until budget discussion.

Schedule:  Discussion ensued about adjustments to the fall schedule.  We will solicit input from the membership and at the pre-meeting meeting.  Firm up a schedule that will be presented to the membership.  Ladders will return with Larry establishing a cut off date of Sunday to register for Tuesday.  Ladies only Ladder is a thought.  Larry is trying to find the right time to offer instruction – he can be flexible but wants to find a time best for the members.  A 4.0 Rated play slot has never been on the schedule and will tentatively be on Friday with Beginner Lessons being moved to Monday, Weds, Saturday.  That is tentative based on when Steve and Dave and the other instructors will be available to teach..  Paula also mentioned that prior to tournaments it would be nice to offer partner practice times.

In House Tournament :  MJ thanked the Board for its strong support of the tournament last year.  She has spoken with Mike and they believe they are in good shape for this year’s extravaganza.    Dave Lawell offered Board assistance at any time it is needed and Mike and MJ are appreciative and will let the Board know as they need assistance.

MJ indicated that there will be a t shirt design contest for this year’s t shirt with the winner getting free entry into the event.

Additionally, using monies spent last year to purchase lunches, this year lunch will be provided to participants and referees.  She is thinking sloppy joes, chips and a dessert, perhaps a piece of fruit.

Referees– Jerry Steger is working on getting his USAPA Referee Certification.  When he does, we can  conduct our own  training of refs.  Several tournaments now require that players also ref games so for those members interested in being in tournaments, this will be  essential  for them to receive training.  We also need more people to be trained to help with our tournaments.  It would be wonderful to get more people trained who could then assist with the in-house tournament.

2015 BUDGET Needs for next year’s budget were discussed.  Rollers are going to need to be replaced.  WE will look into whose responsibility those are to purchase.  Dave Wong will talk to Betty about supplying some balls for beginner training as balls are a huge expense and will probably top $1800 this year.  $100 needed for first aid supplies.  Ken is going to see if perhaps we can get a sponsor to provide the ice packs.  We would like to budget for a LARGE fan similar to Palm Creek’s -  cost being approximately $500-$600.  The Social Committee’s request will stand at $1200 – see breakdown listed above in Social Committee notes.   Larry suggested we project a 10% increase in membership and so will work up the budget accordingly for presentation at the general meeting along with a dues rate recommendation.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT:  We have no official word on hosting a national tournament so it was felt that no announcement should be made. 

ODDS AND ENDS:

Steve Arthur said he will take orders for club t shirts again this year but is waiting for more people to return.

Need someone to check the first aid box.  MJ will send out an email looking for volunteers.

Court awnings – would like to pursue lower awnings to help block the sun.  Betty Murphy and/ or Jack Sarsam will again be contacted about this.  It was mentioned that perhaps detachable ones would be a good way to go so that there’d be less chance of ripping during a wind storm.

Larry also indicated that we need to request the benches be moved back.  That will also be pursued.

Meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m. after in excess of three , count them – three hours.  Everyone was too mentally exhausted to make a motion to adjourn – we just all left.

Respectfully submitted

MJ Wong

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Guest and Inter-community Play





DATE:   April 15, 2013

TO:       Robson Ranch Pickleball Club

From:    Robson Ranch Management

RE:       Guest and intercommunity play

First, we would like to thank the Robson Ranch Pickleball club for hosting the highly successful tournament in March.  We would like to extend a special thank you to those that volunteered their time and to Al Hager for all his hard work and attention to detail.

As many of you know, Mr. Robson intends to build more courts in Robson Ranch in order to make it a premier Pickleball destination!  With the current number of courts, and even more so with the additional courts, the usage of the courts is, and will be, less than at capacity with the current Pickleball club membership.   With that being said, we would like to encourage the club to continue schedule intercommunity play.  In addition, we would also like the club members to invite guests, friends and family to come and participate, with the homeowner, in scheduled and non-scheduled play times.  Quite honestly, the intention is to sell more houses, but also to bring more neighbors that share your love of the game to Robson Ranch.   In an effort to promote Pickleball we feel this is the best way to bring new people into our community.  It is not, however, our desire to have non-residents using the courts or amenities without a homeowner accompanying them. In the future, if the court usage is such that Robson resident are not able to freely play or participate in scheduled event, we will adjust this policy accordingly.

Your club has done a wonderful job of making people feel welcome and promoting new ways to keep area communities involved. Please continue these efforts so that Robson Ranch will be known as the friendliest community for Pickleball!

  

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Robson Ranch Pickleball Tournament - Club Member Winners

Congratulations to the following club members who won medals at the 1st Annual Robson Ranch Pickleball Tournament  





Ron Herzog & Jeff Jones won the Silver Medal in the 3.5 Skill Level






Larry Kraus & Paul Gayer won the Bronze Medal in the 4.0 Skill Level






Al Hager & Yoda Friedenberg won the Bronze Medal in the 5.0 Skill Level 



For full result of the pickleball tournament and photos

Saturday, March 23, 2013

2013 Annual Pickleball Tournament - Mixed Doubles Division


Day 3 - Mixed Double Division







Congratulations to the following winners in the 
Mixed Doubles division

Mixed Doubles
BracketGoldSilverBronze
Mixed Skill Doubles 3.5Eldonna Coats-Paul Barksdale Jodie Koerner-Robert Koerner Allyson Stroeder-Joe Hubbell 
Mixed Skill Doubles 4.0Brenda Jmaeff-Dan Jmaeff Terry Lavigne-Donald Bangs Nancy Stern-Jim Vincent 
Mixed Skill Doubles 4.5Caryn McComas-Bill Demory Dalonna Cooper-Dennis Carter Donna L. Robins-Randy Bourne 
Mixed Skill Doubles 5.0Yvonne Hackenberg-Jim Hackenberg Theresa Orcutt-Dave Touchet Betsy Lawson-Scott Lennan 


For full result of the pickleball tournament and photos

Friday, March 22, 2013

2013 Annual Pickleball Tournament - Men's Division

Day 2 - Men's Double Division








Congratulations to the following winners in the 
Men's Double division



Mens Doubles
BracketGoldSilverBronze
Mens Skill Doubles 3.5David Zapatka-Greg Mather Ronald Herzog-Jeff Jones Robert Di Girolamo-Darwin Broek 
Mens Skill Doubles 4.0Dan Jmaeff-Maurice Parobec Robert Koerner-Mark Karwas Larry Kraus-Paul Gayer 
Mens Skill Doubles 4.5Lynn Carlson-Randy Bourne Troy Horton-William Joy Dennis Carter-Mike Crabtree 
Mens Skill Doubles 5.0Chile Chilelli-Pat Kane Jim Hackenberg-Geoffrey Justiss Yoda Friedenberg-Al Hager 


For full result of the pickleball tournament and photos


Thursday, March 21, 2013

2013 Annual Pickleball Tournament - Women's Division

Day 1 - Women's Double Division



Ed Robson and Al Hager






Congratulations to the following winners in the 
Women's Double division

Womens Doubles
BracketGoldSilverBronze
Womens Skill Doubles 3.5Jodie Koerner-Jackie Kline Patty True-Dianne Zimmerman Darlene Williams-Karen Eastman 
Womens Skill Doubles 4.0Dee Rochel-Carolyn Stevens Cindy Moore-Terry Lavigne Barbara Schmidt-Sally Dobson 
Womens Skill Doubles 4.5Caryn McComas-Cookie Drake Theresa Orcutt-Donna L. Robins Sue Liley-Teresa Smith 
Womens Skill Doubles 5.0Yvonne Hackenberg-Betsy Lawson Susan Buerkens-Deb Arnold Roxanne Pierce-Linda Gartlan



For full result of the pickleball tournament and photos



Sunday, February 17, 2013

Pickleball Tournament Committee Chairs


The following are the committee chairs for the Pickleball Tournament,  please contact them if you are interested in helping on a given committee.  

Tournament Director:             Al Hager

Assistant Tournament Director:       Mike Rains

Tournament Table
Tournament Board Postings:                         Jolyn Rains & Barb Hager

Bracket Posting:           Sandy Byrnes

Registration Desk – Check-In:        Greg & Veronica Long

Tournament Match PA System:     Richard & Kristy Shine

USAPA Desk & New Member Sign-up:    Charlie & Helen Forbush

Photographer & Video:            Charlene Rule
                                               
Blog Postings:       Sandy Byrnes
             
Referee Trainer/Coordinator:         Larry & Nancy Kraus
                                                           
Raffle & 50/50 Drawing                  Mary Jo Wong

Tournament Set-Up/ Parking Signs/Maintenance
Tear Down & Clean-Up                            Dard Price

Medical Team:     Caroline & Dave Anderson                           

Publicity Team – Contact Newspapers for advertising & coverage. Local Restaurants for discounts, Motels for discounts.
Sandy Byrnes

Morning Coffee & Snack Table
Hydration/fruit Table  Ray & Sheila Corey

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

ROBSON RANCH 1ST ANNUAL SKILL LEVEL PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT


ROBSON RANCH 1ST ANNUAL SKILL LEVEL PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
(SKILL LEVELS 3.5 THRU 5.0)
MARCH 21, 22, 23, 2013
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION MARCH 1, 2013


Thursday, March 21st 2013
Women’s Doubles (3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0)        

Friday, March 22nd 2013
Men’s Doubles (3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0)

Saturday, March 23rd 2013
Mixed Doubles (3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0)

**Rain Date Sunday, March 24th if needed**


*$5.00 lunch with be served daily courtside for players and spectator.
* Full menu and daily specials will be available each day in the Robson Bar/Grill for lunch and dinner.

Many vendors will be set up courtside with a variety of pickleball items; such as paddles, clothing and jewelry. A 50/50 drawing will be held daily along with a special raffle to be held at the model homes area.

A USAPA booth will be set up to allow sign-up for the pickleball membership or to renew existing memberships.

For more detailed information to enter our tournament go to usapa.org, or go directly to pickleballtournaments.com to register online or print off a registration form.

We want to welcome everyone to come and view our Robson Ranch community and our state of the art pickleball courts. We encourage all Robson communities to come and join us for a weekend of fun, competition and comradery. We promise to have some of the best pickleball play in all of Arizona!

If you have any problems registering or any questions concerning the tournament please contact:

Al Hager, Tournament Director
(419)-619-1122 or email hager1371@aol.com.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Mission Royale Tournament Winners


Congratulations to the following club members who won medals at the Mission Royale Tournament which was held Jan. 30 - Feb 2.     Full results can be found here . 

Congratulations to Dave Wong and Dave Lawell who took a silver in the Men's Doubles 3.0. 




Congratulations to Caroline Anderson (3rd from right) and her partner Dee Rochel for taking a gold medal in the Women's Doubles 3.5






























Congratulations to Barb Hager and Terri Yates for taking a silver medal in the Women's Doubles 3.5 




Congratulations to Al Hager and his partner Cookie Drake for taking a silver medal in the Mixed Doubles 55-59. 


Congratulations to Al Hager and his partner Patrick Kane for taking a silver medal in the Men's Doubles 5.0. 



Note:  Photos courtesy of Bill Kvistad

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Robson Ranch Pickleball T-Shirts


With our tournament just around the corner, t-shirts are ready to be ordered.  Several  styles/options will be available.  This year’s color will be gold(yellow).  Order your’s today and show support for Pickleball, Robson Ranch, and tournament players/volunteers.

There is some concern to previous shirts not fitting correctly.  I will supply links to the shirt specifications.  Each specification gives the measurement and how the measurement is taken.  You can measure a shirt that correctly fits and match the size exactly.  Each individual is responsible for ordering their correct size.

I will supply an order form.  Payment is required prior to shirt being ordered.  Once order is submitted, a 2-3 week turnaround is expected.

The Robson Ranch Logo from our RR Pickleball blog will be used.  Any change in the color of the logo requires an additional $15.  Cost of the shirt will be comparative to last year $14(S-XL), $16(2X), $18(3X).  Price may vary if a more expensive shirt is requested.  Price includes shirt, print, and tax.

The link to the shirt site is: www.sanmar.com.  Last year’s shirt style was ST700 and LST700.  Click on specs for sizes.

Deadline for orders will be 14 Feb(Valentine’s Day).

Point of Contact will be Steve Arthur (540)355-8065 or gitpicker42@aol.com.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

We've got LIGHTS!!!!!



Note: that the lights must be shut off by the last group leaving the court and MUST be turned off by 9PM in consideration of Comanche Dr. Residents.



Saturday, January 5, 2013

2ND ANNUAL MISSION ROYALE PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT


DATES: Wednesday, January 30th thru Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Just a reminder for all you Pickleball enthusiast, last day of registration for the Mission Royale tournament is January 10th. Please get your registrations in to help support Mission Royale’s tournament.  Even if you are not playing please take time to attend a day at their tournament just to see how the tournament is ran. They have great food at a reasonable price so you could enjoy lunch one day with friends. Pickleball vendors will be there with items to sell as well as raffles to take a chance at winning items!

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR INTERCOMMUNITY FRIENDS WHO WILL IN TURN SUPPORT OUR TOURNAMENT!