Carol is famous (at least in my world) for running the most fun pickleball events around. I first met her at one of her World Team Pickleball events several years ago. As shown in the above photo, Carol periodically runs other events such as "Mardi Gras Pickleball" – each time you make an unforced error, you add another string of beads! Somehow, despite her busy schedule spreading pickleball joy everywhere she goes, Carol also finds time to run the Northern Nevada region for PlayTime Scheduler, which currently has over 400 players. We asked her a few questions about her experiences.

How long have you been playing pickleball and where did you learn to play?

I have been playing pickleball for twelve years after reading about an old flame's mom's obituary. She was a winter resident at Happy Trails RV Resort in Arizona and loved the game and built a court at her home here in Fallon, NV. My twin sister, who lives in Boise and is the PlayTime Scheduler admin up there, read the obituary, and found an Intro to Pickleball class offered up in Boise. She didn't have to twist my arm to get me excited for the game. I went up to visit her a few months after she took the class, and we played on her driveway. We were hideous, but in love with the game! I ordered a net that beat me home, and then my husband poured extra concrete so we could play rec games at our home. I recruited a few newbie players here in Fallon and we pretty much learned by watching YouTube.
 

When did you first join PlayTime Scheduler as a regional admin?

I joined PlayTime Scheduler in 2019 and started to get it going in Fallon and around the Reno & Carson City area, but then Covid hit. Last summer, our area started playing outside again and we started using PlayTime Scheduler in earnest as our sole organized pickleball play scheduler. It's easy for new players to join and get notified of sessions around our area. From the admin side, it's a piece of cake! We've also had a number of players traveling through our area that found our sessions and come and play. It's fabulous!
 

How would you describe your local pickleball community?

We have a wide variety of players of all ages and skill levels and all are welcome. With more courts opening up at nights and on the weekends, kids and those employed are jumping into the game with gusto. The friendships that come from pickleball are amazing and to see the players grow in skill and confidence on the court is a joy. For a few years, we had a number of foreign exchange high school students come join us and learn the game. One student got his teaching certification and took pickleball back to Milan, Italy.

What advice would you give to a new region considering setting up PlayTime Scheduler?

Have info cards ready to hand out to every player and let them know that your area will be using PTS for all organized pickleball play.  Use the notes feature to add additional information. I often use notes to tell the players what short drills and shots we will be working on each session with links to short videos that I hope they watch before. And remember to tell all your players that ANYONE can set up a session and invite their friends!