By Lisa Bockman, Council Bluffs Area Pickleball in Iowa
 

For many, New Year's Eve is a time to go out and party like it's 1999 to kick off the new year. We usually turn on the TV and tune into the national celebrations to watch "The Ball" drop. We just joined the sport of pickleball last January and have become friends with a whole new group of extraordinary people who attend our club. As hosts, we thought, why not bring in the new year with our favorite obsession… so we called it "Dink in the New Year."

Council Bluffs Area Pickleball, located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has a total of 6 indoor courts. The facility uses PlayTime Scheduler, so we posted a round-robin session on PTS from 9:00pm to 1:00am for 26 players. It filled in less than 30 minutes. Some asked to just come to the facility to hang out and spend time amongst friends since the session was full. We then decided to increase the number to 48 and have two groups where we could alternate every 15 minutes between groups 1 and 2. That also filled up immediately, so then it was game time!

It was a very diverse group in an age where we heard stories from many that hadn't gone out on NYE for a long time, some decades. Others felt pickleball was the best way to bring in the new year. It was such a fantastic night of fun and festivities; we had a 3rd shot drop contest at 11:30, where everyone participated, ending with one winner on their first try. Then, all counted down together at midnight with a champagne toast (or water for some). We left it open until 1:30 for open play until everyone was beat and ready to go home.

It was an experience we'll never forget, and there's already talk of another celebration next year. Thank you, PlayTime Scheduler, for keeping clubs organized and ready for games. #pickleballislife

We're always on the lookout for fun and interesting pickleball stories to highlight in our newsletter. We'd love to hear what your local players are up to – email us at admin@playtimescheduler.com to tell us all about it!