A big thank you to everyone who made our Villages Pickleball Rating Clinic on Saturday, February 15 a fantastic day on the courts! The event wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible efforts of:
Karen Ruth for organizing the clinic with such detail and care, laying the groundwork for a successful event!
Anahid Gregg for running the show and keeping everything on schedule.
Huge thanks to our awesome raters—David Wong, Stan Evert, Steve Simler, and Donna Quartaro—for stepping up to learn the ropes and help provide player ratings for future matchups!
Kim Silverman for suiting up and being ready to jump in as a stand-in if needed—always a team player!
The clinic, held from 1:30 to 5 p.m., served up perfect weather with sunny skies and no wind—just what we ordered! A total of 24 players rotated through in six groups of four, warming up on Court 3 for 30 minutes before heading to Court 2 for their official ratings. With USAPA Pickleball Ambassador Sreekumar Vadakeppat (Sree) leading the charge, players were rated over two games each, giving their all under the watchful eyes of not one, but five raters!
A special shoutout to our four club volunteers—David, Stan, Steve, and Donna—who trained as raters during the event. Their dedication means we’ll be able to rate more players in the future and help our club compete at the level we know we can.
Why did we host this clinic? After a tough showing in our last tournament against Silver Creek Golf & Country Club, we realized proper ratings were the key to more balanced pairings and stronger performances. And from what we saw today—our club is already on the rise!
Many players arrived a little nervous, but they quickly found their rhythm and played their hearts out!
For those who played on Saturday, you should have received your final ratings on Monday. If you did not receive them, please contact Anahid. For other club members, more information is coming soon on how you, too, can get rated by our newly trained club volunteers.
Our visiting Pickleball Ambassador, Sree, had this to say about our club: “The Villages Pickleball Club is an awesome community of players who embody the spirit of pickleball to the fullest extent. I loved the energy, camaraderie, and socially upbeat players’ temperament who are the testimony of why Pickleball has become the fastest growing sports. I enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the rating clinic and wish all players the best of luck in their pickleball journey to continuously improve their skills while keep up their health and spirits.”
We’re proud of everyone who participated and can’t wait to see how these ratings help us build stronger teams for future tournaments!
