Quote:
Originally Posted by CFrance
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.
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First of all, not giving up the court when your game is over, played to 11, and people are waiting, is wrong. We all agree on that.
Beyond that what you describe is nothing more than different people wanting different things during their pickleball play. You and your chums want to mix it up, meet other people etc. The other players you describe want something different. They want to play close competitive PB with similarly skilled players.
Why do you think their games "were so long"? It's because their points are long, and that is a product of not only some reasonable degree of skill, but compatibility of skill level. But if you put one 3.0 player in that group of 4.0 or 4.5 players, that all goes away because every time the ball goes to the 3.0 player with any level of difficulty, more often than not they are either unable to return the ball, or they return a set-up high ball that gets their partner a plastic sandwich. NOT FUN!
Those "7 O'Clockers" got up early just like you did, and they have a right to have an enjoyable time on the courts for which they pay an amenity fee, just as you do.
There may be many reasons why the afternoon reservation time doesn't work for them. For one thing you have to reserve the same time, same number of courts for the exact same time slot, EACH AND EVERY WEEK. That may be great for a group of 20, but for a group of 4, or 6, or 7, who maybe can't make every week, it is an inefficient use of the courts. Many of those courts get reserved and then don't get used.
Also, not everyone who lives in TV is retired. Many of the earlybirds are trying to get a few decent games in before work, or some other obligation, and don't have the afternoon available to do so.
It sounds like you and your like-minded friends found a solution that works for you, and by leaving the "7 O'Oclockers" to their own, you allowed them to do what works for them, so everyone should be happy.
That sounds like a good thing to me.
One other point to make: You don't know that those "7 O'Clockers" don't spend some other hours of the week playing just the way you describe. Many good players who like to play a few hours of close, and highly skilled, PB also have friends and/or spouses who aren't as skilled, and will play a more social "mix and match" game at other times. I am among them, playing with players who aren't as good, softening my game up, trying to hit the ball with some degree of challenge, yet not overwhelming or smacking anybody with the ball. Sometimes I miss a shot trying to ease up, that I wouldn't have missed if I'd been more competitively minded. But in this type of play, I don't mind that.
So when you look at those players keeping to themselves, let them have their fun. You go have your fun, playing with your like-minded players. Just let them have their fun, too.