Ron is the admin for the North Plains region of Colorado covering the cities of Greeley, Eaton, Evans, Fort Morgan, and Fort Lupton. He's been successful at promoting the site in his region, and always a pleasure to correspond with when we need assistance with local questions. Thanks for being “awesome" to us, Ron!

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

I started playing pickleball about 4 years ago. At that time, the only place to play was at the Greeley Rec Center, in Greeley, Colorado, and that's where I learned to play. The players were awesome to me and we try to be awesome to all the new players we get to play with. 

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

Two years ago PlayTime Scheduler asked for a Regional Administrator in the Northern Colorado Region, so I volunteered to do that. Since that time the region has realigned to where I am in the Greeley/ Northern Plains Region.

How would you describe your local pickleball community?

It is a total joy. Everybody enjoys playing. That's pretty much a given if you ever try pickleball. We have a great group, who help new players get started without feeling overwhelmed. We have a player who frequently sets up drill sessions for all players. We have a couple other players who set up monthly lunches at restaurants. We have 9 to 20 players show up for those. A couple sets up a picnic every summer attended by 40 to 45 players. I set up a lunch every year for the staff at the Greeley Rec Center who are awesome at getting us play time.

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

PlayTime Scheduler is an information website. You need to know where you can play, when, and with whom. Rec Centers in your region will also find it helpful in preparing courts and staffing.  A PlayTime Scheduler Administrator needs to have the time and energy to talk to all players and to get to know new players. 

Frequently talk to the Rec Center Directors in your region. Let them know your growth numbers, how it impacts players and the Rec Centers now and in the future. Always be looking for new venues. We like more play time and the Rec Centers have a need for more usage and fees. 

Use the PlayTime Scheduler Alert Message feature to communicate to players anything that impacts their play, and keep the messages fresh so players don’t start bypassing them (session changes, Silver Sneaker/Renew Active changes, etc). Always let your Rec Center Directors know you will help them communicate with players. They will appreciate that. If you have a city that takes repeated drives to get them active, find a player locally, who plays a lot, can have contact with current players and new players, to be an Admin for that city. They will see much better growth if you can. Have fun with pickleball and PlayTime Scheduler.