In This Issue…
🌼 Spring Leagues pre-registration!
✅ Hudson River Park Update
🏀 Brooklyn Nets Pickleball Night
📆 Programming in Crown Heights and Bedstuy
👀 Coming Soon…

Plan Ahead: The first Spring of 2024 has arrived, and next week we’ll see temperatures holding in the mid-fifties. Unfortunately, the rain coverage will also hover in the mid-fifties throughout the week, so stay flexible with your outdoor pickle plans.

Forward this to your favorite NYC pickleballers to keep them in the loop!

Spring Ladder Leagues Coming Soon!

Spring season of our NYC Pickleball Individual Ladder Leagues will kick off in a few weeks! The schedule is as follows:

• Fridays 6-8 PM, starting March 15th: Advanced Beginner (2.75+)

• Mondays 6-8 PM, starting March 18th: Intermediate I (3.25-3.75)

• Mondays 8-10 PM, starting March 18th: Intermediate II (3.75-4.0)

• Sundays 5-9 PM, starting March 24th: Advanced (4.0+)

Each league runs for 7 weeks, and you can pre-register here. Official registration links will be sent to pre-registered players in different rounds based on qualifications.

If you’ve never participated in our events before, but wish to play in Intermediate II level or higher, you can have your level verified by attending one of our leveled open plays, or the rating/tryout events listed below. These group play sessions are facilitated by a coach, who will provide direct feedback on what league level you qualify for, as well as your strengths and areas of improvement. This can be useful for any player, even if you aren’t able to participate in a league this season.

Intermediate Rating Session / Tryout Sunday, 5-7 PM
Advanced Rating Session / Tryout Sunday, 7-9 PM

If you have any questions about the league registration or verification process, please email [email protected].

Hudson River Park Update

The Interim pickleball courts at Hudson River Park have been an amazing addition to the ecosystem of courts across the city. However, there are a few quirks players should know before venturing out there:

• During inclement weather, the HRPT often opts to close and lock the courts. You must check their alerts and advisories page to see real-time updates on the status of the courts. This is what it says today for example:

  

• The lights on the courts are solar-powered, so if it has been cloudy for the past few days, don’t expect the lights to be very bright or last that long.

• You’ll often find pickleball players there following the typical 4 on, 4 off paddle queue system used in other parks around the city. The official rules however, are more similar to those on tennis courts; groups have a 1-hour limit on court time, and access is first come, first served. This has already led to a few moments of conflict and disagreement on appropriate court usage, especially due to lack of clarity on when the 1 hr timer starts, and how it is enforced.

We are proposing an email campaign to advocate for a more traditional paddle queue and rotation system at HRP to avoid future conflict as the courts become more popular.

Here is a template email that you can send to [email protected]. Feel free to personalize as you see fit. We know several community members have already emailed to share their thoughts. If you receive a response, please let us know!

Brooklyn Nets Pickleball Night

Mark your calendars because on April 3rd, the Brooklyn Nets will face off against the Indiana Pacers. If you go to the game, you will walk away with a limited edition Volair x Nets pickleball paddle!

For tickets and information, check out the link here.

Programming this week

While we are in between league seasons, take advantage of our evening open play options at Major Owens and Stuydome!

All events can be found here!

Coming soon…👀

Here’s a list of things on the horizon that you’ll just need to wait for the future newsletters for more details:

• We’ll be announcing the return of a major tournament that is happening at the end of April. Registration opens next Friday, March 8th! Start looking for a partner now and keep an eye out for the official announcement next week. There will be prize money for the highest level divisions of both gendered and mixed doubles $$$

• Several indoor facilities are slated to open in 2024. We’ll get the inside scoop on them and share all the important details.

• MLP and PPA finally completed the long awaited merger, so it looks like Major League Pickleball events are back on the table this year.

• The APP NYC Open registration will begin March 6th - it will be the third year of the NYC Open but details on the venue and events are yet to be announced.