Friends and Affiliates
Hi everyone,
As we get closer to the end of 2018, it also means that we're in the thick of the Holiday Season. I hope that none of you are getting too bogged down nor too busy for a little pickleball.
That said, my apologies for getting this newsletter out to you a little later than usual. I work as a consultant for Santa and I only just got back from way up north.
I regret to inform you that I didn't see any of your names on Santa's list. Something about you all being very naughty! But who knows, maybe I misunderstood him ....
Here's your Monthly Newsletter for December 2018. Best wishes in advance to all of you for a Happy Holidays!
Christmas Shopping
If you're looking to get something for that pickleball addict in your life, don't forget that Progress Members always get 10% off all items at PickleballDepot.ca.
For those of you that don't know, Pickleball Depot is our supplier for balls and equipment.
In order to get the 10% discount at PickleballDepot.ca, you'll need to enter your Member Discount Code when checking out.
In a separate email, I'll send all Progress Members the Discount Code. Forgive me if you've already received this email in the past. Given that we've had a number of new member registrations since I last sent out that email, I just want to ensure all our members are on the same page.
Our Club Ball
As mentioned in this website post, Progress is using the Jugs Indoor Lime Green Ball as our new club ball.
You may recall that last month Mike tried using the Onix Fuse Indoor Ball (yellow) as our new ball standard. But unfortunately, he discovered that these balls were not durable enough and that the club was going through about 2 balls per day.
Therefore, the switch was made to the Jugs Indoor Lime Green Ball to help keep costs down.
In my opinion, I find the Jugs Indoor ball is much softer and much lighter than the Onix Fuse Indoor ball. But, the Jugs Indoor Ball feels only slightly softer and slightly lighter than the discontinued Onix Pure 2 Indoor ball. Some others have suggested that both the Jugs and the Pure 2 are near identical in playability.
In case you're wondering why I'm mentioning all of this, the Onix Pure 2 Indoor ball was the ball the club was using up until June before Onix stopped making them.
Hopefully the Jugs balls will show themselves to be durable enough so that we don't have to switch again!
Consider Joining the PAO
As per this website post, please consider joining the Pickleball Association of Ontario (PAO) if you're not already a member.
It costs $15 per membership and supports the growth of pickleball programs and activities in Ontario. The $15 amount also includes a membership with Pickleball Canada.
As an FYI, most pickleball tournaments in Ontario require you to be a PAO member in order to participate. Some of the bigger, sanctioned tournaments also require a Pickleball Canada membership.
So for those of you that are considering playing in your first pickleball tournament, perhaps sometime next year, there's no better time to become a member of both organizations!
"Return of the Advanced Lessons"
The Pickleball Yoda himself, Mohammed Mall, is back to offer advanced pickleball lessons: "Improve your game, might you want."
As per this website post, Mohammed is interested in helping players who want to take their game to a higher level.
For those of you who may not be aware, Mohammed is a consistent gold medal winner at the 4.0+ level in tournaments throughout Ontario.
His experience and coaching has helped many different players. If you're interested in having him help you, please follow the instructions in this website post.
Pickleball Magazine
The latest issue of Pickleball Magazine is available for reading online.
It includes some interesting articles such as:
and more.
Click here to read the latest issue online.
Our Website
As always, we encourage you to visit the Progress Pickleball website regularly as it will be the first place where we will post club news or announcements.