Monthly Archives: March 2016

”Put Up” Or ”Shut Up” Countdown

  By Doug Baker | March 28, 2016 - 3:00 pm | ,
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Attention outdoor pickleball fans, you only have until Thursday, March 31st to let Saanich planners know which design concept you like for the improvements to Tolmie Park. Pam and I went to the open house on Tuesday, March 22nd and filled out an option form. We choose option 3–which included turning one tennis court into 3 designated pickleball courts. Below is the link to the site where you can fill out the form online: www.saanich.ca/parkrec/parks/projects/planninganddesignconcepts/TolmieParkImprovementProject.html Option 3 (for 3 courts), … Continue reading →

Our Big Fat Extended Pickleball Family

  By Doug Baker | March 25, 2016 - 2:53 pm | , ,
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One of the great things about being a pber, is making friends in different pickleball communities. Many of us paddle-packing Canucks get to know our American pickle pals when we’ve migrated south to those amazing vacation resorts in California and Arizona. In this week’s player interview we will get to know someone from a different part of the US. I think by the time you finish hearing from him, and, seeing his videos, you will feel as I do….that you’ve … Continue reading →

Learning By Living – Part Two

  By Doug Baker | March 20, 2016 - 3:12 pm | , , ,
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I think that why we do things–motivation, needs, wants, and inspiration–are interesting topics. In the last edition of Challenge Court, I learned that Matthew Blom’s life had been changed by people he met along his way. He used his training to become adept at racquet sports. That was part of his story. He was winning medals in major tournaments, but, as we will learn, pickleball was not the only important thing to him. Let’s find out what Matthew has learned … Continue reading →

Learning By Living – Part One

  By Doug Baker | March 15, 2016 - 5:14 pm | , , , ,
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Happy, happy, happy,….well, if one never figures out the deeper meaning of life, a good game of ”I can” usually goes well with the pb frame of mind. Pickleball is an activity that, at its’ best, does not take itself seriously. ”I can do this”, because ”I can” has a lot of ways to play….It is great fun to see a different, and broader, definition of what it means to learn to play a game. Introducing our teacher, student, and … Continue reading →

More PB History and Herstory

  By Doug Baker | March 12, 2016 - 3:19 am | , , ,
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I’m waiting to publish a profile of a gold medal winner from last year’s US Nationals…..There is one piece missing. I hope to have it all together soon… That’s alright–patience is an important quality to have when, like me, you’re trying to learn something new….. It takes time….I already know how to be impatient:-) ——– In the mean time I have stories from two great personalities…First off, I asked some questions to a crucial figure in the modern development of our … Continue reading →