Pickleball Points

by Teri Bartelt, Editor/Publisher/Contributor for the Greater Waukesha Area Pickleball eNewsletter.

Greetings Greater Waukesha Area Pickleball Readers,

November has been a beautiful month here in Wisconsin. We sure have been blessed with warm weather and sunshiny days. I love seeing all the pickleballers enjoying the outdoor courts in November – in t-shirts!!

Besides the beautiful weather, what has November brought to you? The November calendar reminds me of my SERVE.

Of course, being the pickleball fanatic that you are, you are thinking of your serve in the game or maybe you are still thinking about the possibility of the spin serve being banned, but that’s not the SERVE I was referring to.

In November, we hear the word “SERVE” throughout the month. During Thanksgiving, we SERVE food to our loved ones to show appreciation and gratitude. Veterans Day is a time to thank SERVICE men/women for their SERVICE to our country. Christians attend a SERVICE or mass on All Saints Day in memory of those loved ones in heaven. Movember SERVES the purpose to bring awareness to men’s health issues including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Giving-Tuesday (after Thanksgiving) is a day about SERVING your local community and doing something good for others, such as volunteering, donating to charity, and lifting each other’s spirits during a time of year that is more difficult for some.

This month, beyond serving your friends and family a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and beyond perfecting that perfect, deep serve in your next pickleball game, considering SERVING your community through your love of pickleball:

• Reach out to your local Park & Rec Department Coordinators/Directors to volunteer as a Pickleball Ambassador (watch for a future eNewsletter to learn more about the Volunteer Ambassador programs at various Park & Recs in our area).
• Reach out to your club to inquire about volunteer pickleball opportunities.
• Donate your used paddles to a nonprofit organization for use by the people they serve. Some ideas include: local or inner city YMCAs, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, local community centers.
• Donate used, old, or cracked balls to your local Humane Society.
• Contact a local nursing home or assisted living facility to see if you can provide a simple, safe, pickleball activity for the residents (use paddles and a foam ball).
• Volunteer at a local pickleball tournament.

Just a one-time service activity, such as any of the ones above, is all that is needed to make a difference to others.

My family sponsors families with children every Christmas through the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha. This year, we are sending an extra gift to the families beyond the items on their wish list: We are adding pickleball paddles and balls! Our hope is that these extra items help bring the family together for a shared activity.

Be safe, be well, and consider a way to SERVE others this month that is off the court. I’m honored to be serving you, the readers, this newsletter each month!

I’ll see you on the courts!

-Teri