PPPA BOARD ELECTIONS ARE COMING SOON

PPPA is an all-volunteer organization and an opportunity for members to take on an important volunteer role is coming soon.  Nominations for open Board positions will be accepted during the month of April. There will be a Blast article the first week in April from the Membership Director with more information and where to submit nominations.

In accordance with the Amended Bylaws of the Pikes Peak Pickleball Association and Policy #3 - PPPA Board of Directors Election Cycle, the following Board positions for this election are 

• President
• Treasurer
• Special Projects Directors

The Nomination Committee will contact each nominee and ask for a paragraph on experience and qualifications, along with a picture.  Additionally, each nominee will be asked to answer a few questions to help the membership learn more about each candidate so they can make informed decisions.  The answers will be limited to 100 words and the questions are:

For President Nominees (and Vice President nominees in odd years):

All Nominees [To include President (and Vice President nominees in odd years)]: 

Nominees must be current members of PPPA and in good standing.  You may nominate yourself or another member. If you are nominating another member, please ensure that they are aware and have agreed to be nominated. Now is the time to consider who you would like to have leading PPPA!

Stay tuned for the next Blast article from the Membership Director with more information.

Wendy Venturella, Chair

Nomination Committee

  EDUCATION AND TRAINING UPDATE

We are about to start up the rest of our Education and Training programs.   Our Round Robin program has continued through the winter and is very popular.  Ladder Play has also been running year-round. We will start offering Beginning Lessons, Guided Play, and Skills and Drills soon. We’ve made a few changes though. To see start dates, how to sign up, and what those changes entail, click here.

Please keep in mind that to participate in these programs you must be a PPPA member. The exception is Beginning Lessons which are FREE to everyone!

Dan Lovelace

Director of Education and Training Activities

WELCOME TO PPA'S NEW MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

Hello everyone!  I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Sharon Kumpf, and I'm your new Membership Director.

Along with sincere enthusiasm, I am bringing more than 20 years of technical and member support services to this position.  The reason I'm here is simple:  to make sure that you get the information you need to make the most from your membership, have fun, and remain long-term members of PPPA.

Many of you may already know me from Round Robins, Ladder Plays, Lesson Groups, or as a volunteer during last year's pickleball tournament at Bear Creek Regional Park.  If we haven't met, please introduce yourself to me on the courts.  (I'm the one with silver and purple hair, so somewhat easy to spot...)

I love pickleball, and play 3-4 times a week in Colorado Springs, Monument, and Parker.  I became addicted to the sport after 'retiring' early a few years back, and discovering it while on vacation in Arizona.  Had I known what pickleball was, and how it attracted so many wonderful players of all ages and abilities in my own home town, I would have 'retired' much, much earlier!

I look forward to working closely with the Board to share and transfer knowledge, and intend to extend my full commitment to them and all of you to strengthen PPPA's programs, services, and membership.  

Sincerely,

Sharon Kumpf

PPPA Membership Director

  Results of Annual Internal Audit of 2021 PPPA Financial Statements

PPPA Members,

On Saturday, March 19, 2022, three PPPA members conducted an audit of the PPPA financial statements, as required by PPPA Bylaws.  Thank you to Jeffrey Jensen, Jesse Malkin, and Jim Baker (the "J Team") for volunteering their time and efforts.

I am happy to report that there were no findings and the results of the audit and a statement of PPPA's financial cash position for year ending December 31, 2021 can be found by following these links:

Dink on!

Bruno Mediate

PPPA Treasurer

  BEAR CREEK PICKLEBALL COURTS SNOW PROTOCOL

El Paso County Parks maintains Bear Creek Regional Park and therefore makes the determination on whether to close the Bear Creek pickleball courts due to snow/ice and when to reopen them.  EPCP will lock the gates and allow snow to melt naturally so that the Contractor Construction Warranty is not voided.  Any surface damage like has happened to the Monument Valley pickleball courts due to snow/ice chipping and scraping is explicitly the trigger that will void the Bear Creek court warranty. Therefore, usage of snow clearing tools like shovels is never permitted on the Bear Creek courts!

EPCP will notify Pikes Peak Pickleball Association personnel on the closure and reopening of the Bear Creek courts.  PPPA will broadcast these updates on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoPickleball). There will also be a flag flying at the courts.  If it is green, they are open for play.  If it is red, they are closed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we ensure prolonged enjoyment of this fabulous facility.

Dong Nguyen

PPPA Director of Special Projects & PPPA Liaison to El Paso County Parks