Ian has been a big help in establishing PlayTime Scheduler in Nova Scotia. He was one of our earliest regional admins back in 2019. Despite a slight difference in weather from what I'm used to here in California, Arisaig Pickleball Park remains on my wish list of pickleball destinations due to its picturesque setting and friendly community of players. I asked Ian a few questions about his experience.

How long have you been playing pickleball and where did you learn to play?
I was introduced to pickleball in Florida in 2017 by Coach Moe and started a local pickleball club in Arisaig, Nova Scotia in January 2018. We developed our pickleball skills by bringing in instructors like Mark Renneson, Brooke Siver and Jennifer Lucore.

When did you first join PlayTime Scheduler?
I joined PlayTime Scheduler as a regional admin in 2019.

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

The most rewarding part of being a regional admin is that you can help other clubs and other regions capitalize on the benefits of PlayTime Scheduler for managing court time, especially during COVID-19 times.

What’s the biggest challenge?
Currently, the biggest challenge is developing the appropriate regional areas. We thought too small, with the rapid growth of pickleball in our area we should have planned for smaller regions to cover the geographic areas in our catchment area.

What advice would you give to a new region considering setting up PlayTime Scheduler?
For our courts, three (3) outdoor and one (1) indoor, we established scheduled play times for various skill levels (3.0 and below and 3.5+) and/or recreation or competitive play time, so that it made it easy for our players select an appropriate play time for the their skill level or level of play. For clinics and/or practice time session, PlayTime Scheduler is convenient for booking players into these sessions, and the wait list function provides the added convenience of managing the players to ensure the sessions are populated if players need to drop out. Less work for the planning committee.