Chuck, who once described himself as our “unofficial, unpaid, nerdy website monitor" after spotting a few typos on the site, is a regional admin for two different counties in Vermont. Both Addison County and Rutland County are active PlayTime Scheduler regions totaling over 550 users. As fellow nerds, we wanted to get to know Chuck a little better, and decided to interview him for this month's newsletter. It turned out to be one of our favorite interviews yet.

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

I’ve been playing pickleball for about 7 years. At a harvest dinner for our community garden in Sea Ranch, California, a couple encouraged me to join their group. They played on a couple of tennis courts with lowered nets. “I’m pretty busy traveling for work,” I replied, “but I’ll try to drop in sometime.” I haven’t stopped playing since, including other locations east, west and south of the border — always welcomed! And the great recent news from Sea Ranch is that, after 5 years of effort, dedicated courts have finally been installed there!  

I retired 4 years ago, and we moved back to Vermont for the weather.  Since then, I’ve devoted a lot of time helping arrange and set up places to play and introducing people to play, in the Rutland area. The secret of my success is finding other people who are capable: Last summer, when we set out to paint pickleball lines on a derelict tennis court, a retired math/computer teacher in our group brought his laser, and a retired utility lineman performed the meticulous marking after researching to select the best paint and tools. As our group has grown, we’ve donated nets, paddles and balls to community recreation centers, we keep some ready to be used by individual players who don’t have them.

I’m all for recreational play, and not for tournaments. I’m best at helping other people win — especially those on the other side of the net! During the first local pickleball tournament hosted in Rutland by the regional Rotary organization last summer, 48 people showed up for an intro clinic! Now, most of them play better than me! That’s not surprising, since my intro discussion of How to Serve begins, “Let me show you how NOT to serve!” Seriously, I always begin intro clinics by explaining that Rule Number One is: “Have Fun!”

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

I don’t know when I began recommending locations and providing details of locations, but I’m sure it was very soon after I discovered the website. I checked out a few other options: I was looking for a way to show players where they could play, what features the courts had, when courts were available, and how to know when there were enough players, but not too many. PTS offered all these features, and more, including ways to post notes for other players, or to email them, and ways to set up numerous repeating schedules for up to 3 months at a time. Now, whenever I submit a question about how to use the website, I receive an answer quickly.

How would you describe your local pickleball community?

Pickleball is growing in the Rutland area, as it is all across the country. There is a steadily increasing number of regular recreational players, of all levels of skill, and more and more younger players. When COVID shut down so many aspects of life, pickleball at outdoor courts operated by the City’s Recreation Department enabled people who would otherwise have been locked indoors, inactive and alone, to come into the open air, see other people, and get a little exercise.
 

Winning is, for most of our players, not as important as having fun. Most of us don’t mind losing, because we switch partners after every game. We forget the score, not just after the game, but often even during the game! When we get too far ahead in the score, we start rooting for the other team. Two years ago, there was a large inflatable pickle courtside, on which players who lost 11-0 were supposed to mark their names. That pickle has mysteriously disappeared.
 

PTS is used in different ways by different players here: for scheduling by Instructors, and to designate different levels of play, because an option exists to “gray out” individual names for some sessions, or to set differing limits of skill levels, and limits of attendee numbers. This prevents situations with too many people waiting, or not enough people present, as we explain how players can use their individual settings on the website to receive notifications when play times are available. Whether you’re retired and want to play early or midday, or whether you’re working and need an after-hours time slot, PTS helps you find and arrange the best time to play with your friends.

Along with local players, we often hear from people who are visiting the area and looking for a place to play. There are ski season visitors, but also summer arrivals, and leaf peepers. Out-of-towners are welcome to join our play, adding their names to the events. It always improves our play when someone new joins us — whether it’s to learn something new from someone better, or to work on a particular skill during games with a less skilled player. There’s one player here who’s 85 years old with reduced mobility, so when he and I play, we adopt a “No Running Rule” — if the ball is too far away to reach, the heck with it!  When we combine that Rule with his unique method of scorekeeping, we can defeat anyone!

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

• At least one player, and ideally a few, should upgrade their account, so they can schedule multiple days and times efficiently.
• Consider offering local admin support to the website.
• Adjust your personal settings, so you’ll be notified when new play times are scheduled in your geographic area.
• Encourage players to propose new times when they’d like to play (after clearing this, of course, with the location’s proprietor).
• Use the Note and Email features, to share info with other players before you arrive (and to say thanks afterward!).
• Check the descriptions and features of individual locations in your area, and submit any corrections to admin.
• If you know about a location that isn’t on PTS, submit a message to admin, asking if it can be added. It’s a good idea first to discuss it with anyone who’s responsible for the location: they can learn what the advantages of the website are, and can agree to have their name and contact info included, as well as information about the facility; most will quickly see the benefits of the site.