Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce3055
Michael, Usually your comments are well liked and you have a loyal following, me included.
However this time, I think you were wrong on many fronts.
First pickleball is a great game where you can play anywhere by just showing up. You don’t need to bring a group with you and you meet a lot of nice folks playing with different players. And with the Villages – it’s the world’s most friendly place.
If you want to have an exclusive 4some from 7am to 8:30am at open court time you are in the wrong place. What if there were 6 exclusive 4somes? It would tend to destroy what makes the game great for other players that just show up to play.
It sounds like you don’t even break your group up when one other person shows up to play. Do you continue as a group or let others join you?
But if you insist upon only playing with your 4some, it would be a great idea to be able to divide the line by 4, so nobody realizes what you are doing to the integrity of the game where folks can just show up and meet great people (except your exclusive 4 some).
And then you said, you are an un-rated advanced beginner. I think the beginner pickleball classes recommend you play at beginner or advanced beginner times.
But even if you play at open court time, and hopefully not where 4.0 and above tend to play, you are still wrong if you are unwilling to play with others that may challenge your game or you challenge their game.
Folks all the time, create situations where they can play one game together. Ladies do it. Men do it. Couples do it. And that is perfectly fine. But I don’t believe they are as exclusive as your described group that wants to play all morning as an exclusive group.
And folks preparing for a tournament play continuously as a 2some to prepare for the tournament. And everyone appreciates that exclusivity. (But not an exclusive 4some).
Many players are friendly enough that they will play at least one game with anyone before they start counting to 4 to not play every game with somebody out of their league – either the other person is too good a player or not.
Now as far as the infuriated man. He was wrong – he should not yell at you. And you were right not to escalate the encounter. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had somebody watching over us like at recess when we were kids. None of this would have ever happened.
And finally, you asked if what you are doing to the game by having an exclusive 4som all morning is permissible. Technically yes, but I hope it doesn’t catch on and ruin the game for most of us who just like to play and meet new friends.
I hope, in the future, you allow others to play with you at open court times.
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I totally agree with you, Bruce, and with the way you presented your opinion. Since 2011, when Pickleball 101, 102, and 103 was offered, that was the idea. You went to open play, lined up, and played with whoever when it was your turn. If we wanted to play exclusively with a certain group of people, we formed a club and got a court reservation. These are only available from noon on in the winter months, and from ten on in the summer.
Back then, there used to be more designated levels in the morning hours. Different courts had different levels, and you went to the level you felt suited to. Meeting other people by playing with them often led to forming groups to play at reserved times.
I miss the way it used to be. Nobody back then stayed in their own little group during open play. You took the court when it was your turn, with whomever was next in line.
We stopped playing in open play because the 7 o'clockers frequently wouldn't give up the court to us lesser players and would change around in line so as to only play with each other. Frequently their games were so long that we lesser beings were standing in line for too long. Not worth it.But we were able to find enough like players to form a group and get a court reservation.