How To Get Your Pickleball Courts Built: Show Me The Money

How To Get Courts: Here’s A Great Example

Why don’t more communities have dedicated pickleball courts?
99.99% of the time, the answer is MONEY.  Trust me, if you walk into any town council meeting or parks and rec meeting and announce that you have the total amount of money needed to build some pickleball courts or better yet, a pickleball facility, you will get instant cooperation.  Roadblocks and obstacles will disappear like magic.  And soon your community will be playing pickleball.
So then the question is…where do you find the money?
THE ANSWER?
EVERYWHERE!!!

So what is the formula for getting money from everywhere to build a place to play pickleball?  Here is the perfect example and the perfect blueprint, and it is called PICTONA.

We recently visited Pictona to participate in their very first tournament.  We had the Pickleball Rocks booth there as a vendor and I was lucky enough to find someone to partner with me so I could play men’s double.  Had a great time.

But I got so much more by attending.  I saw first hand what is possible when you get private citizens, organizations, companies and civic leaders all pulling together for the good of a community.

The picture above is a recent photo.  To help you better understand how any community of any size could do this, let me take you on a tour.

In the picture, let’s begin on the left side.  That is three beautiful Bocce courts. Then right above that you see a shade structure sitting right next to a regulation size Croquet court.  Next, though it is hard to see in the picture, sits two Shuffleboard courts. All these are free, fun outdoor activities for seniors. 
Keep that in mind as we take the rest of the tour.

Who do you know that supports senior activities?

Next, look at the lower right hand corner.  That area is the Community Gardens.  It contains raised garden plots that you can rent for a season, as well as a children’s garden where kids learn how to plant and raise flowers and vegetables.  Plus there is a Hydroponic garden that supplies the fresh vegetables for the in-house restaurant and bar that is appropriately named, “The Kitchen”.   More about The Kitchen in a bit.
Who do you know that supports gardening or kids education?

Now let’s move to the center of the picture.  You will see dark green areas.  Those are shade structures scattered throughout 16 beautiful, individually fenced pickleball courts.  Each court has at least 8 feet of space on each side and 10 feet beyond the baselines.  Outdoor pickleball at its best. 
Great fun and great exercise.

Who do you know that supports healthy living and exercise?

Also in almost the exact center of the picture is a small grey shade structure.  Actually it is not small at all.  That is a big covered pavilion area with picnic tables, nice restrooms and storage building.   This is a great area to bring the family for a picnic or bring a group for a relaxing game of cards or a board game. 
Just a fun area.

Who do you know that supports family activities?

Now we’ll move to the crown jewel of Pictona.  This is the big covered area in the upper center of the photograph.

That is the home of 8 more pickleball courts, all under one roof with fences, bleachers and an amazing upstairs 180 foot long observation deck.   Take some food upstairs and enjoy the view and watch the competition.

In the picture you can’t see it because it has a slanted roof, but attached to the back side of the 8 covered court structure is the heartbeat of Pictona.  It runs all the way to the rear parking lot.   It is a building that houses “The Kitchen” in-house restaurant, which serves a variety of smoothies and healthy food items along with a fully stocked bar area. 

In addition, it houses a Table Tennis Room (yes they have a Table Tennis Club) and also hosts some fun Cornhole games, as well as locker rooms, massage room, conference rooms and the Welcome Desk, plus a fully stocked Player Shop with paddles, apparel and accessories.
Who do you know that supports healthy, fun community activities?

So I give you this tour not to tout Pictona, though it is a magnificent facility, but to show what can be done when you get multiple people and entities working together to support the community.

The ground was broken for Pictona in May 2019 with completion in July 2020. The total cost?  $6M. 
How was it raised?

It started with a $3M donation from wonderful community supporters and pickleball player’s Rainer and Julie Martens.
It included private contributions from 560 people who signed up as pickleball club members even before the construction was complete.
It included a $400K ECHO grant. (please don’t write me to find out what that is or how to apply).
It included sponsorships including:
Florida Health Care Plans ($100K for each of the next 5 years) to be the sponsor/supporter of all the Senior related activities.
Advent Health ($20K for each of the next 5 years) to be the sponsor/supporter of the 8 covered courts.

Brown & Brown Insurance ($10K each of the next 5 years) to be the sponsor/supporter of all the Youth related activities.
S.R. Perrott ($5K for each of the next 5 years) to be the sponsor/supporter of the covered recreational pavilion and “The Kitchen”.

Yes, this was a huge project and is now a wonderful community centered facility for Holly Hill Florida.

But what it really is, is the template for how to build pickleball courts or a a pickleball facility of any size in any community.

Pictona was built by people, organizations, small businesses and corporations who love to help support good worthwhile causes. That is the key.  Find those who support worthy causes and bring them together for a great community project.

Those supporters are out there in every community. It is just a matter of finding them and letting they know that building pickleball courts are a key activity that can help improve any community large or small.

So we would encourage you to change the way you think about getting pickleball courts.  Even indoor courts.

Don’t try to convince the city or town leaders, or parks departments to build courts.  We know how that goes…most of the time.

Instead, find those financial supporters first.  Sponsor and donors, private and corporate, they are your key.

Money talks and money wins the pickleball courts….every time!

Good luck and keep those new courts coming.

Rocket

Having Trouble Finding The New Technology Gearbox Paddles?

We have them all…Buy One Today.

Click A Paddle To Buy

Donnie and Patty Gallegos Join The Pickleball Rocks Team

We are so pleased to announce our first ever Pickleball Rocks brand sponsored players.

We have been searching for a couple who embodies what Pickleball Rocks is all about, and we feel we have found the perfect match for us.

Whether it’s playing in a tournament, teaching a clinic or just horsing around on the courts, Donnie and Patty Gallegos certainly embody our motto of “Helping Pickleball Grow” as they travel from community to community, having fun and spreading the good word about pickleball.

We are truly excited and proud to have them wearing and promoting the Pickleball Rocks apparel brand.

And equally excited for them as this sponsorship also provides them with an exclusive paddle sponsorship from our branding partners at Gearbox Sports. Watch for Donny and Patty as they use the new technology GX5 and GX6 paddles.  Hit them up for a demo.  I’m sure they will be happy to help.

So please help us welcome Donnie and Patty to the Pickleball Rocks team

Welcome To The Pickleball Rocks Team
Donnie and Patty Gallegos

#In This Together Pickleball

Healing The World Through Pickleball

In trying times, the sport of pickleball just has a way of bringing people back together again.  The #inthistogether hashtag has become synonymous with healing during the COVID19 pandemic.  But beyond that, we believe we are all in this world and need to work together for the greater good of everyone.  This shirt is just our tiny part to help. 

How To Stay Positive During a Coronavirus Quarantine

Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, but sometimes it feels like it’s been months since we’ve been able to hang with our friends or play pickleball.

Actually it’s only been a little over a month since I flew home from the USAPA Mid South Regional as president Trump was issuing his initial “15 Day Plan To Slow The Spread” and pickleball tournaments worldwide began to shut down.

I know pickleball is terribly important to us all, and it really is tough to not focus on that loss.  But it is troubling to read some of the online posts about people actually going into mental depression already.  I know some of it is real and some people are truly struggling with the isolation.   But I also believe that a major portion of the “stay inside” gloom and doom could be prevented with the proper attitude and a little bit of positive action.

I don’t know what you are doing with all this new stay at home time, but I have found that the more active I keep myself, the faster the days go by.  And each day brings us a little closer to the eventual end of the isolation.  And trust me, the end is coming.  There are many amazing minds working on new testing techniques and medical technologies and medicines and cures and vaccines.  As they always have in the past, they will come up with the things needed to successfully battle this virus the next time it comes around. 

So what am I doing in the meantime to stay up and positive through it all?

Well, I have had to change the way I approach each day a bit. 
I am now doing three things each and every day to help me personally stay positive.

Number 1) I do at least one thing for our Pickleball Rocks business every day. That may be writing a pickleball article or blog post. I may be creating a Pickleball Rocks Training Academy training video or I might work on a new t-shirt design. So if you have a business that is down, spend a little specific time doing something for it. It may be just working on some creative marketing ideas for when things open back up.
If you are staying home from your job, try to find some small thing you can do that will help you with your job when you go back or find something, just one small thing each day, to do around the house.  Maybe it’s cleaning a floor or rearranging a closet or drawers.  Just actively do one thing each day that you can view as an accomplishment.  A sense of accomplishment is important for all of us.

 

THE SECOND THING that I’m doing a bit different from my normal days?  I pick up the phone and call and talk live to two people a day. I may have a specific reason for the call.  But many times I just reach out to see how someone is doing. It might be a relative. It might be a pickleball player in my contact list.  But I call at least two human beings a day.  It really does help to have a live conversation with a friend. Having that connection is priceless.

 

Then number 3) This one is actually easier when I’m not traveling so much. During this stay at home time, I make absolutely sure I get at least 20 minutes of exercise each and every day.  I know you’ve heard it, but there is just something magical happens right after you exercise.  The adrenaline flows and you just feel great. I’m thankful that Tim Kuss and Scott Moore introduced me to blood flow restriction training last year.  It has allowed me to pack a full workout into a nice compact 20 minutes a day.  Very simple, very easy, but great results. And what a difference it makes in your attitude when you know you’ve accomplished something so meaningful for your own good.

So I do encourage you to get some exercise every day.  Whether it’s something as simple as taking a walk or doing some stretches on the floor, or spending an hour lifting weights, DO SOMETHING TO BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. 

For me personally it is a 20 minute light weight workout with the B3 Blood Flow Resistance bands.  Can anyone do it?  I truly believe that just like pickleball, anyone from 9 to 90 can do blood flow resistance training.  If you have any questions about blood flow resistance training, check out this video.
Using light weights or therapy bands, BFR training is simply the best way to exercise I’ve found.  Thanks again Scott and Tim.

Of course, these three things don’t completely fill my day, but they do nicely break it up.
And most importantly they give me something to look forward to each and every day. 
It really is just a little different approach to my days at home.  It works for me and I hope it can work for you too.

I look forward to seeing you all on the courts again soon, but until then Pickleball Nation,
stay active, stay positive and stay safe.

Rocket

For Tournament Directors: Postpone or Cancel Your Pickleball Tournament?

Deciding Whether To Cancel Or To Postpone Your Tournament:
That is a tough question, with many things to consider.

Dear Tournament Directors, we don’t envy you at all during these very uncertain times. Actually, we never envy you because we have been tournament directors and we know the work that goes into pulling off a top notch pickleball tournament.

So the new COVID-19 virus has ground every pickleball playing event to an abrupt halt, and you had a tournament scheduled.

You had people registered, you had sponsors lined up with money committed, and you had vendors, ready willing and able to give your players a first class tournament experience.

We are sorry to see you in this predicament, but the reality is, you have to make a decision.  Will you cancel your tournament and deal with everything that goes with it?  Or will you postpone your tournament til a later date?

As you make this very important decision, there are a number of things to take into consideration.

From our personal experience from working and supporting hundreds of tournaments across the country, we have some observations that might help you.

We know that every tournament needs players, sponsors and vendors.  These are a given.Throughout the year, there are anywhere from 15 – 20 good tournaments already on the PickleballTournaments.com or PickleballBrackets.com websites every single weekend.

If a tournament must be cancelled altogether, it is a reasonable expectation that, when you hold it next year on the same basic dates, you can get the same basic number of players back for it, along with the same basic sponsors and vendors.

If however you decide to postpone your tournament and move it from this spring or early summer to late summer or fall, then things will change drastically.

Since there were already 15 – 20 good tournaments already scheduled each weekend for late summer and fall, you will now be competing for players who were likely already registered or committed to one of those tournaments.  So make sure you are counting on a lower number of registered players for your tournament.

The same basic premise for your sponsors.  Business, whether pickleball related or not, are going through a really tough time right now, so expect that when things open back up for pickleball, their marketing budgets will be greatly reduced, especially if they had already committed funds or resources to the already scheduled late summer and fall tournaments.  

As for vendors, they make a wonderful addition for the players at any tournament.  Unfortunately, some of your smaller vendors may not survive the crisis.  But for those who do survive, we can assure you they are not going to be able to pay the exorbitant vendor fees that have been so commonplace in the last couple of years.  Our hope is that vendors will support those tournaments who support them.  Make it easy for them to come back to your tournament.

So if you do decide to postpone and reschedule your tournament for the late summer or early fall, make sure you understand the obstacles and the consequences for everyone involved.

Pickleball will rise again, stronger than ever, but if everyone tries to operate tournaments and bootcamps and clinics all at the same time, it will only dilute the efforts of everybody.

So, don’t take your tournament planning decision lightly.  There are a lot of moving parts.   Plan your tournament carefully and we will all be better off for it.

We are extremely thankful for those who have reached out and continued to support Pickleball Rocks during the pandemic.

We will not forget it.

Pickleball Rocks because of all of you.

Rodney “Rocket” Grubbs
CEO: The Pickleball Rocks Clothing & Equipment Company
www.PickleballRocks.com

 

When the dust has cleared, WE WILL SURVIVE

So, have you seen it?  Have you seen Morgan Evans’ amazing video of hope, perseverance and victory?
It’s all over Facebook and Youtube.  It’s “When The Dust Has Cleared”,

And it was the impactful last words of the video that really hit home with our team.  “WE WILL SURVIVE”.
It struck a positive chord with us and we knew it was touching many others as well.

The moment we watched it, we contacted Morgan to see if the power of that video could be used for even further good.  And his immediate response was, “I’m in mate. Sounds like a great idea.”

So in collaboration with Coach ME Pickleball, Selkirk Sports, and Morgan’s great video of perseverance and victory, we have created this very special shirt to help raise awareness and funds for those who need COVID-19 assistance now.

All profits will be donated to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, specifically the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund.

A little about the fund:

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has launched the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund to support preparedness, containment, response and recovery activities for those affected and for the responders.

The Fund and the Needs
The CDP COVID-19 Response Fund will focus on supporting nonprofit organizations working directly to respond to the pandemic among the most vulnerable populations in order to help build their capacity for response. These will include social service organizations focused on supporting hourly wage earners, workers in the gig economy, immigrant/New American populations, older adults, people with disabilities and other communities vulnerable to the physical health, mental health and economic impacts of the pandemic.

CDP is working closely with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to follow what the likely needs will be:

  • Supporting healthcare workers: Many public health, low income and other clinics will not have the ability to make significant capital purchases of masks, gowns, gloves and other essential personal protective equipment. These items help prevent the infection of essential medical staff who are at increased risk because of their close contact with people who may be infected.
  • Supporting quarantined and especially vulnerable individuals: The use of quarantines is crucial in helping control the spread of any infectious disease, including COVID-19. However, this means individuals are unable to go to work, go shopping for necessities, attend social functions or even see their families in some cases.
  • Supporting hygiene promotion activities:  Water, sanitation and hygiene are key to limiting the spread of any infection, especially those that are spread by close contact. Increasing access to WASH resources will help limit the spread of coronavirus and other infections. Supporting areas with poor access to medical healthcare by supporting healthy populations. This will help limit the spread of all viruses and other infections.With these factors in mind, CDP will use contributions to the Fund to address any one of these issues, which will allow CDP to be adaptive in our support.
  • Thank you to the following donors for their generous support of the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund:
    • The Coca-Cola Foundation
    • Google Play
    • The Hershey Company
    • New York Life
    • UPS Foundation
    • Verizon

The shirt is available in men’s crewneck and women’s vneck fits.  Available in White, Lime and Light Blue.
Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.