Since I started working full time, getting my internship hours as well as my work hours took some maneuvering. Instead of coming in to the park in the morning, I now come in late afternoons. Not only is everyone a bit lethargic towards the end of the day, but there isn't a lot to do. Soccer has started, I made all 5,000 copies of the flag football flyers for the schools (and who knows how many thousand for cheerleading and golf), and everything is set for youth cross country to start on Tuesday. To make up the hours, I'm working with the high schoolers--the part time staff. The city is losing lots of them to college this year, and Trish needed help reffing soccer.
So I'm a ref for Murray's Real Salt Lake rec soccer league (grades 1-2, specifically). It's not that bad. I was afraid that the parents would be rude, but they're actually really supportive. I was really nervous when I had to ref alone on my second game, but they were very encouraging. I guess it's because it's a rec league (if they were really serious, they would have signed their kid up for a competitive league where the coaches aren't volunteer parents) and the kids are all under the age of like seven. I always ref the girls' field, too, where literally all they do is clump around the ball and try not to kick each other. The boys are surprisingly much more advanced. But they still haven't mastered the drop-kick quite yet.
I had to learn some basic soccer rules for this gig, obviously. Only the basics, though, because the only calls are for out-of-bounds, hands, and fighting. I already knew the gist of the game alright, but when it comes to the different types of kicks, I had no idea when to do which. The best thing was a diagram that is in the coaching packet. If the ball is kicked out by either team on the sidelines, it's a throw-in from where it went out--and the last team that touched the ball is the one that it's counted against, not necessarily the one that kicked the ball. If the offensive team kicks it out the back, it's a goal kick (usually by the goalie). If the defensive team kicks it out, it's a corner kick by the offensive. It feels really simple now that I have it down.
One thing that sort of annoys me is that the coaches can be on the field. I see how it is really helpful to the young'uns, the girls in particular, but they get in the way! It's hard enough to see who touched it last within a clump of little kids, but when you have to keep maneuvering around the coach (who isn't paying any attention to you).... I think that they should push the parents back a foot or two from the sideline and let the coach walk back and forth there. It also helps when one of the parents/assistant coaches is coaching the goalie separately. And, of course, the head coach is so busy getting in my way that another parent has to be sitting with the team and regulating subs (each player must play for half of the game).
Working with teenagers is also not as bad as I though it would be. The one thing is that they talk a lot. And about everything. TMI, children. I just honestly don't care to be talking for every second of every minute. Sometimes you walk with another person and you just don't say anything and it's okay. Also, the first thing they ask is, "Which school do you go to?" I don't go to high school, young ones. I graduated from your school 2.5 years ago. The moment they discover I'm a big-time college kid from Hawaii, it's like the talking never stops. I've settled for half-listening. Sunglasses and a lot of nodding. And they love it when you let them take the reigns and be what I call the "head ref," or the one who starts the game and blows the whistle for goals. Then share your Gatorade with them and they are your loyal friends.
It's been fun seeing some of the kids from track and field playing soccer. It's been alright run-walking up and down a field (I forgot how bad the grass is at elementary schools. They just leave the dead stuff in big stanky piles everywhere. Yes, stanky.). It's also nice to get the Saturday hours in--and have the rest of the day to get things done. I've been feeling very accomplished lately. Accomplished, and very tired. I'll be glad to be done with the internship so that I can have a little more free time at home to do things like do my laundry and wash my car. Maybe watch TV (if I remember how) or hang out with friends (I have those, right?).
The internship doesn't end tomorrow, though. Even though I set all of the rec coordinators as administrators on the Facebook page, they still just expect me to do it. I'm not sure they understood what I meant when I told them I made them admin. I don't think any of them have realized that I probably won't be coming into the office a lot now. I keep getting, "hey, I need some help with this and that for this program in two weeks" and the like. And honestly, I really like it here. I like being in the office, I like working with rec programs. I could definitely do this in the future.
There were quite a few things that I did not expect. Namely, the amount of paperwork. You have to update your records of addresses and phone numbers, take registration forms, concussion forms, print thousands and thousands of flyers! And even though it feels like we aren't reaching as many people as we could, the job has a lot of rewards. I've gained a lot of pride for my hometown and the people that live here through interacting with them, seeing them bring their families to the park for the 4th of July, renting pavilions for birthday parties and reunions, and cheering from the sidelines. The family is one of the most important things we have, and parks and recreation is something that really encourages family time. I think that's what I love most about it and about Murray City in general.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The Trouble with Youth Rec Soccer
As a first sport for young kids of both genders, soccer is very popular. All the kids love it--from the pre-k to the 7/9th. As a Jr. Real Salt Lake league, they get vouchers for tickets to see a game as a team and if they wear their jerseys, they get to go onto the field before the game or during halftime for a little parade. We have a couple really great parents that are returning coaches every year, and their teams are full of kids who requested them.
The trouble is the rest of the parents.
Our biggest age groups are the pre-k, kindergarten, and (especially) 1st/2nd grade. Almost all of the parents are really young, and a heavy majority know absolutely nothing about soccer. That doesn't really bother me, because they're usually young parents and this is their first sports experience with their kids. I think that being involved in sports and community programs is incredibly beneficial for them--at this crucial stage of young development, they are learning new motor skills that will help them throughout their life, they're meeting new kids from other elementary schools that they will remember when they join up in junior high and high school, and most importantly they're learning skills like teamwork and dedication. Being on the field teaches you in a way that is unique in its own right--you can always tell whether or not a person has been involved in sports or other community programs (for example, drama).
Something that I find frustrating is the large group doesn't sign up until after the deadline. The registration period runs for about a month, but we have disgruntled and/or chagrined parents signing their kid up until the first game starts. It feels almost like the late-registrations are in the majority. And then comes the biggest problem: coaches. All the coaches are volunteers from the participant's family (mom or dad, almost always). But when we start putting teams together, we have as few as four parents that have checked yes to helping on their kid's form. And that's in one age group!
My job was to call every parent on the teams without a coach until we found someone to coach. It's August, lots of families are on vacation, and a lot of parents are at work. I left more messages than I can count. I have called more people for this soccer program than I have ever called in my entire life. If they did answer, the excuses would pour out and I would sit patiently until they decided it was time to stop rambling. Remember where I said our biggest age groups were the youngest ones? They are also the age groups with the fewest parents volunteering initially. The excuse used most often was "I don't know anything about soccer." I wanted to slap myself in the forehead every time I heard it. At this age, all you have to do is tell them not to use their hands and stay in bounds. The young kids are the easiest kids in the world to coach. On top of that, practices can't last more than 45 minutes because they just don't have the attention span. Come on, parents. Really? He's four. Pre-k teams don't even have goalies. They put colored bandannas on the goal so he'll know which one he's aiming toward--otherwise, it's just a free-for-all (but at that age, isn't it anyway?).
I think I've learned the most about rec programs through helping with soccer these past two weeks. I've been able to see how to register a child using the Class Registration program that Murray City uses. I've used Class a bit to update records with changed addresses, cell phone numbers, and new emails based on all of the 5k paper forms (the online registrations change/add automatically). Now I know how to enroll someone in a program, how to print off rosters or program lists, and how to update accounts so we know who has turned in a concussion form. (They're really cracking down on concussions now! I'm surprised that I'm surprised with the change.)
Calling parents aside, I've done a lot of other things with soccer. I've watched teams become organized, shirts ordered, and learned about Murray's partnership with Real Salt Lake. Scheduling is tough, with no main location but many different fields across the city in use, but I've seen that come together. With our coaches meeting, I learned about how to do background checks and what to put in the coaches packets. Something that I thought was really neat was that Sports Authority (who was a sponsor on the Fourth of July) gave all of the participants a 25% off coupon for any purchase at their stores, taking a little pressure off parents who needed to buy things like new shoes or the mandatory shin guards. Another thing that is included is a packet with the rules for each age group, tips for practices, and a labeled diagram of the field that also includes positions and explanations. I know from a coaching class I took that there are tons of references for coaching soccer alone online, but most of the parents don't.
Something else that I picked up on while working with Trish on her soccer program was Trish herself. She really goes out of her way to make sure the kids can participate and that the parents are comfortable. Instead of turning away late registrations, she fills up all the teams and then makes a wait list that will become a team as soon as there are enough signed up. In the coach's packets, she included her business card so that everyone would have her phone number. In the coach's meeting, I really felt that she put the new parents' minds at ease, assuring them that they were in charge and to make things like practices convenient for themselves, and making sure they know how important they are to the program and to her job. I was really impressed. If Trish were a doctor, her bedside manner would be excellent. I hope I can learn from her example and be half as efficient and likable someday.
The trouble is the rest of the parents.
Our biggest age groups are the pre-k, kindergarten, and (especially) 1st/2nd grade. Almost all of the parents are really young, and a heavy majority know absolutely nothing about soccer. That doesn't really bother me, because they're usually young parents and this is their first sports experience with their kids. I think that being involved in sports and community programs is incredibly beneficial for them--at this crucial stage of young development, they are learning new motor skills that will help them throughout their life, they're meeting new kids from other elementary schools that they will remember when they join up in junior high and high school, and most importantly they're learning skills like teamwork and dedication. Being on the field teaches you in a way that is unique in its own right--you can always tell whether or not a person has been involved in sports or other community programs (for example, drama).
Something that I find frustrating is the large group doesn't sign up until after the deadline. The registration period runs for about a month, but we have disgruntled and/or chagrined parents signing their kid up until the first game starts. It feels almost like the late-registrations are in the majority. And then comes the biggest problem: coaches. All the coaches are volunteers from the participant's family (mom or dad, almost always). But when we start putting teams together, we have as few as four parents that have checked yes to helping on their kid's form. And that's in one age group!
My job was to call every parent on the teams without a coach until we found someone to coach. It's August, lots of families are on vacation, and a lot of parents are at work. I left more messages than I can count. I have called more people for this soccer program than I have ever called in my entire life. If they did answer, the excuses would pour out and I would sit patiently until they decided it was time to stop rambling. Remember where I said our biggest age groups were the youngest ones? They are also the age groups with the fewest parents volunteering initially. The excuse used most often was "I don't know anything about soccer." I wanted to slap myself in the forehead every time I heard it. At this age, all you have to do is tell them not to use their hands and stay in bounds. The young kids are the easiest kids in the world to coach. On top of that, practices can't last more than 45 minutes because they just don't have the attention span. Come on, parents. Really? He's four. Pre-k teams don't even have goalies. They put colored bandannas on the goal so he'll know which one he's aiming toward--otherwise, it's just a free-for-all (but at that age, isn't it anyway?).
I think I've learned the most about rec programs through helping with soccer these past two weeks. I've been able to see how to register a child using the Class Registration program that Murray City uses. I've used Class a bit to update records with changed addresses, cell phone numbers, and new emails based on all of the 5k paper forms (the online registrations change/add automatically). Now I know how to enroll someone in a program, how to print off rosters or program lists, and how to update accounts so we know who has turned in a concussion form. (They're really cracking down on concussions now! I'm surprised that I'm surprised with the change.)
Calling parents aside, I've done a lot of other things with soccer. I've watched teams become organized, shirts ordered, and learned about Murray's partnership with Real Salt Lake. Scheduling is tough, with no main location but many different fields across the city in use, but I've seen that come together. With our coaches meeting, I learned about how to do background checks and what to put in the coaches packets. Something that I thought was really neat was that Sports Authority (who was a sponsor on the Fourth of July) gave all of the participants a 25% off coupon for any purchase at their stores, taking a little pressure off parents who needed to buy things like new shoes or the mandatory shin guards. Another thing that is included is a packet with the rules for each age group, tips for practices, and a labeled diagram of the field that also includes positions and explanations. I know from a coaching class I took that there are tons of references for coaching soccer alone online, but most of the parents don't.
Something else that I picked up on while working with Trish on her soccer program was Trish herself. She really goes out of her way to make sure the kids can participate and that the parents are comfortable. Instead of turning away late registrations, she fills up all the teams and then makes a wait list that will become a team as soon as there are enough signed up. In the coach's packets, she included her business card so that everyone would have her phone number. In the coach's meeting, I really felt that she put the new parents' minds at ease, assuring them that they were in charge and to make things like practices convenient for themselves, and making sure they know how important they are to the program and to her job. I was really impressed. If Trish were a doctor, her bedside manner would be excellent. I hope I can learn from her example and be half as efficient and likable someday.
Monday, July 8, 2013
The People Behind the Parade
The Fourth of July is the biggest and busiest holiday for the city, and especially for the park. From 6:30am - midnight, the park is full of people and activities. The 5k is organized just like the rest of the park's programs, with registration flyers or online. But what about everything else? Who does the booths in the park? Who sets up the entertainment? How does a parade come together? You don't really think about it when you're sitting on the curb catching candy or waving from a float, but the local parks department is the wizard behind the curtain.
There are lots of requests that need to be filed with other government departments on top of rentals and purchases from local companies. To close State Street for the race and the parade, permission has to be given from UDOT (Utah Department of Traffic). To get jets to fly over at the parade start, a flyover request form has to be submitted to the DOD (Department of Defense). Local police stations are sent requests as well for the police motorcycles that lead the parade, but they also have a parade slot as well. Speakers for the 5k and the announcers during the parade are rented from a local radio station. We also have to pick up coupons, buy prizes, and buy things like banners with sponsor for the parade and magnetic signs for the cars of city officials in the parade.
The first activity on the Fourth is the 5k. Flyers are put out with the other programs, and we get a lot of returning racers and their families every year. Unlike the youth sport programs, the 5k is enormous! Every year it gains 100 runners and each runner gets a race bag and an entry into a raffle. The Parks Office gets in touch with local businesses, like Chik-fil-A, Eddie Bauer, Salt Lake Running Co, and Papa Murphy's. They supply coupons and flyers that I put in the 800+ race bags, along with the race shirt. Because of complaints that sizes ran out when doing a t-shirt table that was first-come-first-serve, we put a label on each race bag with the name and shirt size. When the shirts arrive, the conference room becomes an assembly line and everyone bands together to stuff the last of the race bags with coupons as well as put each label on a bag and the corresponding shirt size inside as well.
The day starts between 5-6am on the Fourth for set up of the racecourse--and if you can believe it, the Murray Park Avenue is already lined almost completely with the chairs of families that want to reserve spots for the parade. At the start line, timing equipment and speakers are set up. At the finish is the rest of the timing equipment, the lanes to keep people in finishing order, and all the booths/tables. There are tables for signing in, picking up fruit or bagels, pools of water bottles on ice, prizes, and the tents of alphabetized boxes for the race bags. We also had Home Depot and Sports Authority there doing activities and giving away coupons and prizes. One thing that is very important to remember to strategically place is garbage cans. If they aren't conveniently located in peoples' line of vision, Constitution Circle (the finish line) will be full of trash.
Usually, after the awards have been given to the top finishers in each category, there is a prize drawing. Like a raffle, everyone who entered has a chance to win. Because it was pouring rain all night before the race and drizzling while we were setting up, we instead told people that we would draw the names later and call the winners to come into our office to pick up the prizes at a later day. It was a good idea in that most people want to leave and see the parade which starts shortly after the race ends, but a bad idea in that those who do not retrieve their prizes leave our office filled with things like a giant stuffed dog and assorted Tupperware and t-shirts. I guess that they will be used for other events now.
By this time, the parade has started. Some of the entries write a request on their entry form on where they want to be in the parade. For example, city floats with royalty have to be at several different parades in the valley, and have to be placed accordingly so that they can try to make all of them on time. Another example would be a senior care center that had a float requested to be at the front so that they could finish early and get their seniors out of the sun. Other than those requests, parade order is decided by my supervisor. Bands and dance groups have to be spaced out, and the car clubs like Salt Lake County Raceways and Teraflex shouldn't be at the front, because they tend to hold up the parade. Each band involved is given $150--partly because people love bands in the parade and partly because bands don't get many chances to earn money. There is a committee of citizens (I don't remember how they're formed, but I believe they're local business owners) that have a packet of papers where they rate each float in categories. Winners are given an award and photos about a week or two after the parade.
When the parade ends, the games and entertainment begin. Each Recreation Coordinator has their own game booth for the kids, and the community also has an opportunity to sign up to have a booth. We had "fishing," a money finding game with coins in wood chips (like the kind you put in your hamster cage), and a balloon toss. I personally filled almost 400 water balloons, one by one, at a semi-functioning hose in the ground. It took at least four people: One to hold the hose, one to fill the balloons, one to hand over empty balloons to the person at the hose, and someone to tie the balloons. It was best when we had 2-3 guys tying balloons. It took us several hours, and all of those balloons were gone in a fraction of the time.
For entertainment, local music groups perform, a magician, and then a band at the end of the night before the fireworks. Because it was one of Murray City Power's big anniversaries, they chipped in money to help out with the fireworks. The fire department sometimes has to come in the day before and the day of to spray down the hillside because in the July heat, that dry grass is very flammable. Every grassy space in the park is filled for the fireworks--along the river, on the soccer field, on the softball field, the rugby field, the parking lot, and Ken Price baseball field. That's just in the park, though--the grass across the street at the junior high, library, high school, and the parking lot at Costco all fill up with people.
All in all, it was a very enlightening experience to be on the preparations side of the Fourth. I had no idea just how much went into making the park a wonderful place to spend time with your family. It makes me really proud of our city to see how much employees from all departments strive to make this city such a fun and safe place to live.
There are lots of requests that need to be filed with other government departments on top of rentals and purchases from local companies. To close State Street for the race and the parade, permission has to be given from UDOT (Utah Department of Traffic). To get jets to fly over at the parade start, a flyover request form has to be submitted to the DOD (Department of Defense). Local police stations are sent requests as well for the police motorcycles that lead the parade, but they also have a parade slot as well. Speakers for the 5k and the announcers during the parade are rented from a local radio station. We also have to pick up coupons, buy prizes, and buy things like banners with sponsor for the parade and magnetic signs for the cars of city officials in the parade.
The first activity on the Fourth is the 5k. Flyers are put out with the other programs, and we get a lot of returning racers and their families every year. Unlike the youth sport programs, the 5k is enormous! Every year it gains 100 runners and each runner gets a race bag and an entry into a raffle. The Parks Office gets in touch with local businesses, like Chik-fil-A, Eddie Bauer, Salt Lake Running Co, and Papa Murphy's. They supply coupons and flyers that I put in the 800+ race bags, along with the race shirt. Because of complaints that sizes ran out when doing a t-shirt table that was first-come-first-serve, we put a label on each race bag with the name and shirt size. When the shirts arrive, the conference room becomes an assembly line and everyone bands together to stuff the last of the race bags with coupons as well as put each label on a bag and the corresponding shirt size inside as well.
The day starts between 5-6am on the Fourth for set up of the racecourse--and if you can believe it, the Murray Park Avenue is already lined almost completely with the chairs of families that want to reserve spots for the parade. At the start line, timing equipment and speakers are set up. At the finish is the rest of the timing equipment, the lanes to keep people in finishing order, and all the booths/tables. There are tables for signing in, picking up fruit or bagels, pools of water bottles on ice, prizes, and the tents of alphabetized boxes for the race bags. We also had Home Depot and Sports Authority there doing activities and giving away coupons and prizes. One thing that is very important to remember to strategically place is garbage cans. If they aren't conveniently located in peoples' line of vision, Constitution Circle (the finish line) will be full of trash.
Usually, after the awards have been given to the top finishers in each category, there is a prize drawing. Like a raffle, everyone who entered has a chance to win. Because it was pouring rain all night before the race and drizzling while we were setting up, we instead told people that we would draw the names later and call the winners to come into our office to pick up the prizes at a later day. It was a good idea in that most people want to leave and see the parade which starts shortly after the race ends, but a bad idea in that those who do not retrieve their prizes leave our office filled with things like a giant stuffed dog and assorted Tupperware and t-shirts. I guess that they will be used for other events now.
By this time, the parade has started. Some of the entries write a request on their entry form on where they want to be in the parade. For example, city floats with royalty have to be at several different parades in the valley, and have to be placed accordingly so that they can try to make all of them on time. Another example would be a senior care center that had a float requested to be at the front so that they could finish early and get their seniors out of the sun. Other than those requests, parade order is decided by my supervisor. Bands and dance groups have to be spaced out, and the car clubs like Salt Lake County Raceways and Teraflex shouldn't be at the front, because they tend to hold up the parade. Each band involved is given $150--partly because people love bands in the parade and partly because bands don't get many chances to earn money. There is a committee of citizens (I don't remember how they're formed, but I believe they're local business owners) that have a packet of papers where they rate each float in categories. Winners are given an award and photos about a week or two after the parade.
When the parade ends, the games and entertainment begin. Each Recreation Coordinator has their own game booth for the kids, and the community also has an opportunity to sign up to have a booth. We had "fishing," a money finding game with coins in wood chips (like the kind you put in your hamster cage), and a balloon toss. I personally filled almost 400 water balloons, one by one, at a semi-functioning hose in the ground. It took at least four people: One to hold the hose, one to fill the balloons, one to hand over empty balloons to the person at the hose, and someone to tie the balloons. It was best when we had 2-3 guys tying balloons. It took us several hours, and all of those balloons were gone in a fraction of the time.
For entertainment, local music groups perform, a magician, and then a band at the end of the night before the fireworks. Because it was one of Murray City Power's big anniversaries, they chipped in money to help out with the fireworks. The fire department sometimes has to come in the day before and the day of to spray down the hillside because in the July heat, that dry grass is very flammable. Every grassy space in the park is filled for the fireworks--along the river, on the soccer field, on the softball field, the rugby field, the parking lot, and Ken Price baseball field. That's just in the park, though--the grass across the street at the junior high, library, high school, and the parking lot at Costco all fill up with people.
All in all, it was a very enlightening experience to be on the preparations side of the Fourth. I had no idea just how much went into making the park a wonderful place to spend time with your family. It makes me really proud of our city to see how much employees from all departments strive to make this city such a fun and safe place to live.
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Rules of Pickle Ball
"Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America!"
And the Murray City Parks and Recreation office is trying to get it started here in Murray. I've done my fair share of research about pickleball for my supervisor, Wayne, and I'll tell you all about it.
My first exposure to pickleball was in junior high, when we played it in the back gym for a week or two during PE. But I don't really remember that. My first exposure as an adult and intern was when Wayne sent me over to the Park Center (Murray's recreation center) to talk to some of the leaders in the pickleball group. The main objective was to learn how to set up and take down the nets so that I could pick them up and have them up and ready at Germania park the following week during a volleyball tournament that rendered the gym unavailable. I spent an hour and a half learning to play the game with the resident pickleball fans.
Pickleball is widely popular amongst seniors--look online at RV camps and resorts, they all advertise having courts and senior leagues!--and Murray's following is a group of maybe 20 seniors. Don't let their age fool you, however, some of those old guys can put a wicked spin on the ball! It was interesting to play with them because my mom is the director of the Heritage Center, the local senior center where pretty much all of them go for lunch a few times a week, participate in classes, volunteer, and, especially, participate in the golf tournaments that the center organizes. They all knew my mom and I was able to get the inside scoop on their thoughts about the Heritage Center.
The rules of pickleball are very simple. It's like table tennis supersized. Most people describe it as a cross between tennis and badminton, because the rules and methods are very similar. As a lover of recreational badminton, I took to it very quickly.
The court is 44'x20' as pictured, with a net in the center. The net itself is 36" high and resembles a really short badminton net. For convenience, if you want both a badminton and pickleball net, there are those available for purchase that can be used as both (just add or subtract the extra poles for the desired height during setup). The "non-volley zone" is called "the kitchen," and your feet have to stay out of it. During a serve, the ball has to cross over the net to the opposing player and land in the square diagonally across. If it's in the square directly across or in the kitchen, it's out-of-bounds. While serving, the player stands behind the back line and the receiver stands back as well. If playing doubles, the receiver's partner moves up closer to the kitchen for the serve. Each game is played until one team gets 11 points--but!--winning must be by more than one point, so some games will have a winner with more than 11 points. A point can only be earned for each side if they are serving. I found serving to be a bit odd, because in doubles each partner serves before the opposing team gets the ball.
The ball itself is a whiffle ball--and the size of the holes differ depending on whether it's an indoor ball or an outdoor ball. Outdoors on the concrete is much more difficult than inside on the wood floor of a gym! Some of the specialized courts have flooring that is similar to that of a tennis court, however. The paddles differ widely. The cheapest are made of wood and not very good. The others are made of plastic and are much more efficient. Some of the guys that play here in Murray have really nice paddles. I distinctly remember a conversation taking place where one man was very impressed with a paddle he had borrowed, and the other talking about how his grandson had found it online somewhere. The paddle makes a big difference with power and accuracy in ball placement, I can tell you, because I've had to use all different types.
How are we getting pickleball started here in Murray? For starters, we have an open gym for pickleball on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in the morning and the evening where anyone can drop in and play with nets, paddles, and balls provided--plus the seniors will lend you their nicer paddles so you don't have to use the Park Center's wooden ones. I listed the Park Center online as one of the "places to play!" in Utah on two different pickleball websites (the USAPA and one other). There aren't very many places listed in the Salt Lake area, so hopefully that will get us some participants. Also, Select Health here in Murray is looking for an event to sponsor, and they've chosen a family pickleball night. We're looking into setups for introductory classes and workshops, spreading the word via the Facebook page I set up, and hanging flyers around the city. Word of mouth is the biggest helper here. It's rare to get a person who just up and decides they want to try. Most of the new participants are friends of the regulars or people that happened to be hanging around the gym when there was a person that needed a partner for doubles. We're also thinking about building pickleball courts in a couple different areas, but the budget is tight and we'll need more participants before we can make a good pitch. We've just barely started the ball rolling, so we'll see how it goes!
And the Murray City Parks and Recreation office is trying to get it started here in Murray. I've done my fair share of research about pickleball for my supervisor, Wayne, and I'll tell you all about it.
My first exposure to pickleball was in junior high, when we played it in the back gym for a week or two during PE. But I don't really remember that. My first exposure as an adult and intern was when Wayne sent me over to the Park Center (Murray's recreation center) to talk to some of the leaders in the pickleball group. The main objective was to learn how to set up and take down the nets so that I could pick them up and have them up and ready at Germania park the following week during a volleyball tournament that rendered the gym unavailable. I spent an hour and a half learning to play the game with the resident pickleball fans.
Pickleball is widely popular amongst seniors--look online at RV camps and resorts, they all advertise having courts and senior leagues!--and Murray's following is a group of maybe 20 seniors. Don't let their age fool you, however, some of those old guys can put a wicked spin on the ball! It was interesting to play with them because my mom is the director of the Heritage Center, the local senior center where pretty much all of them go for lunch a few times a week, participate in classes, volunteer, and, especially, participate in the golf tournaments that the center organizes. They all knew my mom and I was able to get the inside scoop on their thoughts about the Heritage Center.
The rules of pickleball are very simple. It's like table tennis supersized. Most people describe it as a cross between tennis and badminton, because the rules and methods are very similar. As a lover of recreational badminton, I took to it very quickly.
The ball itself is a whiffle ball--and the size of the holes differ depending on whether it's an indoor ball or an outdoor ball. Outdoors on the concrete is much more difficult than inside on the wood floor of a gym! Some of the specialized courts have flooring that is similar to that of a tennis court, however. The paddles differ widely. The cheapest are made of wood and not very good. The others are made of plastic and are much more efficient. Some of the guys that play here in Murray have really nice paddles. I distinctly remember a conversation taking place where one man was very impressed with a paddle he had borrowed, and the other talking about how his grandson had found it online somewhere. The paddle makes a big difference with power and accuracy in ball placement, I can tell you, because I've had to use all different types.
How are we getting pickleball started here in Murray? For starters, we have an open gym for pickleball on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in the morning and the evening where anyone can drop in and play with nets, paddles, and balls provided--plus the seniors will lend you their nicer paddles so you don't have to use the Park Center's wooden ones. I listed the Park Center online as one of the "places to play!" in Utah on two different pickleball websites (the USAPA and one other). There aren't very many places listed in the Salt Lake area, so hopefully that will get us some participants. Also, Select Health here in Murray is looking for an event to sponsor, and they've chosen a family pickleball night. We're looking into setups for introductory classes and workshops, spreading the word via the Facebook page I set up, and hanging flyers around the city. Word of mouth is the biggest helper here. It's rare to get a person who just up and decides they want to try. Most of the new participants are friends of the regulars or people that happened to be hanging around the gym when there was a person that needed a partner for doubles. We're also thinking about building pickleball courts in a couple different areas, but the budget is tight and we'll need more participants before we can make a good pitch. We've just barely started the ball rolling, so we'll see how it goes!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
First day of track and first assignment!
10 June 2013, Monday:
My first Monday as a returning resident on the mainland! It was hot and "windy" (these people don't know what "windy" is until they've lived with the brunt of the Trade Winds hitting Windward Oahu) but otherwise a very beautiful day. I spent most of it asleep, waking up at 9:30am Hawaiian Standard Time. I took a bath. Oh, glorious, bug-free bathtubs. And I hardly had to wait for the hot water, too. Clean bathrooms, how I've missed you.
At 3pm I had a meeting with Wayne and Cory over at the Parks Department Office. We talked about the track programs and some of the other programs that I may be getting involved with. Now that they have an idea for how many hours I need and what I'm interested in, they're looking for places that I can pitch in. I went to the Credit Union and changed my address, with a little tear :'( and got my payroll set up for coaching.
Rebecca picked me up at 5:20 and we went out to the Taylorsville track for practice. I helped Rebecca out until Miranda needed to work with the relay teams, at which point I took over the sprinters. They love running bleachers, but after running lots of them in the heat, they were dead! Miranda and Rebecca had previously talked about how hard it is to communicate with them, as they just stare blankly at you when given instructions, so I decided I wouldn't put up with that. I made sure they yelled "yeah!" loud and enthusiastically when I asked if they were ready and had them yell "Aloooohaa" to get their attention. It worked. I've never worked with sprinters before, but I think I did alright for that last bit of practice. Something else I think we should work on is making sure everyone knows the boundaries before we start playing a game (only half remember out of the ones that were actually listening), which we can do by questioning them, I think. Also, when stretching, we're supposed to clap after "Spartans touch your toes" and not everyone is following. I think it's important that we keep them doing that so that they stay on task with stretching and pay attention. Something I really like that we do is during the butterfly stretch, ask what the kids are reading on their feet. I like that we encourage them to read, especially now that school is out. One last good thing--the sprinkler that the football team uses. The drinking fountain at the bathroom doesn't really work and not everyone remembers water bottles. Plus, they can get their heads wet or whatever to cool down.
11 June 2013, Tuesday:
I got my first assignment from Wayne today! Because the summer camps and a volleyball tournament have started, the pickle ball players are going to be playing outside next week. I'm going in to the Rec Center on Thursday morning to see how the courts are set up and learn a little about the game so that next week I can pick up the nets and set them up at Germania Park. I'm pretty stoked.
My first Monday as a returning resident on the mainland! It was hot and "windy" (these people don't know what "windy" is until they've lived with the brunt of the Trade Winds hitting Windward Oahu) but otherwise a very beautiful day. I spent most of it asleep, waking up at 9:30am Hawaiian Standard Time. I took a bath. Oh, glorious, bug-free bathtubs. And I hardly had to wait for the hot water, too. Clean bathrooms, how I've missed you.
At 3pm I had a meeting with Wayne and Cory over at the Parks Department Office. We talked about the track programs and some of the other programs that I may be getting involved with. Now that they have an idea for how many hours I need and what I'm interested in, they're looking for places that I can pitch in. I went to the Credit Union and changed my address, with a little tear :'( and got my payroll set up for coaching.
Rebecca picked me up at 5:20 and we went out to the Taylorsville track for practice. I helped Rebecca out until Miranda needed to work with the relay teams, at which point I took over the sprinters. They love running bleachers, but after running lots of them in the heat, they were dead! Miranda and Rebecca had previously talked about how hard it is to communicate with them, as they just stare blankly at you when given instructions, so I decided I wouldn't put up with that. I made sure they yelled "yeah!" loud and enthusiastically when I asked if they were ready and had them yell "Aloooohaa" to get their attention. It worked. I've never worked with sprinters before, but I think I did alright for that last bit of practice. Something else I think we should work on is making sure everyone knows the boundaries before we start playing a game (only half remember out of the ones that were actually listening), which we can do by questioning them, I think. Also, when stretching, we're supposed to clap after "Spartans touch your toes" and not everyone is following. I think it's important that we keep them doing that so that they stay on task with stretching and pay attention. Something I really like that we do is during the butterfly stretch, ask what the kids are reading on their feet. I like that we encourage them to read, especially now that school is out. One last good thing--the sprinkler that the football team uses. The drinking fountain at the bathroom doesn't really work and not everyone remembers water bottles. Plus, they can get their heads wet or whatever to cool down.
11 June 2013, Tuesday:
I got my first assignment from Wayne today! Because the summer camps and a volleyball tournament have started, the pickle ball players are going to be playing outside next week. I'm going in to the Rec Center on Thursday morning to see how the courts are set up and learn a little about the game so that next week I can pick up the nets and set them up at Germania Park. I'm pretty stoked.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)