Leland was the original creator of the Des Moines / Central Iowa region in March of 2020. Despite some setbacks due to it being the early days of the pandemic, the region has rapidly expanded to over 1200 players and 62 court locations, and is now PlayTime Scheduler's eighth largest region! We asked Lee a few questions about his experience.

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

I’ve been playing for 6.5 years and I learned about the sport while visiting my brother-in-law in Memphis. I started playing about a week later here in Des Moines.

When did you first join PlayTime Scheduler as a regional admin?
I first started using PlayTime Scheduler in March of 2020. I was looking for ways that other clubs were organizing play. I looked at the Meetup group that the Quad Cities pickleball club was using and they had a message saying that they were going to start using PlayTime Scheduler so I checked it out. The website said that this area had no representation so I started one.

What do you think is the most rewarding part of being a regional admin?

I think the most rewarding  part of being an administrator is the opportunity to encourage good groups of players to come together. I realized early on in pickleball that the venue where you play is second place behind the quality of the crowd that shows up to play.

What’s the biggest challenge?

I find that the biggest challenge is getting players to understand how to use the website effectively. I have a technical background so I always found the website easy to understand. Many people misunderstand that PlayTime Scheduler is only for communication and not for enforcing court reservations. I even had a parks and rec employee threaten to not allow people to use PlayTime Scheduler to play on their courts because they were so busy. I quickly explained that they also didn’t have the authority to censor player’s text messages or emails.

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

My advice to new administrators would be to stay active in your pickleball community. Know your town and the court locations and conditions. Know the people who play in various locations and talk to them about their play experiences. Encourage people to sign up and use PlayTime Scheduler.