Fort Monmouth – Big Changes for January Schedule

Fort Monmouth has been offering pickleball for over 3 years and originally only had a small group of players. 2017 has seen tremendous growth and we now estimate between 400-600 pickleball players in and around Monmouth County. With this growth, the various venues have to change and adjust to a morphing community with shifting needs. Jim Butler has done a great job trying to understand the community needs and implement changes to support those needs at Fort Monmouth while competing for gym time with the other programs that Monmouth County Park System offers.

Starting in January, the Fort’s program will be broken down from “Beginners” and “Experienced” to the traditional, “Beginner”, “Intermediate” and “Advanced” sessions. This will help everyone find the right game for their level.

I have worked with Jim and established levels that best fit our community.

What Level am I?

• Beginner (Self-rated 1.0-2.0)
• Intermediate (Self-rated 2.5-3.0)
• Advanced (Self-rated 3.5-5.0)

Please visit http://ybi.sxl.mybluehost.me/levels to self-assess your level of play.  (Note: I personally prefer the IPTPA ratings as they are much more objective and easier to measure.)

Are you winning most of your games? – Move up a level to challenge yourself.

Are you losing most of your games? – Move down a level to further hone your skills and grow as a pickleball player.

We want to encourage you to move around to find the right level of game to help you improve but not embarrass yourself. For example, if you are a 3.0 player and are winning most of your games, consider going to an advanced session to see if you are ready to move up.

As people try to figure out their levels, I would like to encourage everyone to be patient and show compassion in the event that someone misjudges their level.

To provide a reference for the community, most of the “advanced” players in the area are playing at a 3.5 level (with a handful playing at 4.0 or above).

Since most players in the area quickly graduate from beginners to intermediate, the intermediate group is the largest and the schedule reflects that.

The Basic Schedule

Times on individual dates may vary due to other commitments. Please check the calendar for specific dates and times.

Monday (starting January 8th)

• 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Advanced

Tuesday

• 9:30 am – 11:00 am – Intermediate
• 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Beginner

Thursday

• 9:30 am – 11:00 am – Intermediate
• 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Intermediate

Friday

• 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Beginner & Intermediate

Like all things in a growing community, these changes are designed to keep up with a rapidly changing set of needs. Some things may be great, while others still may need tweaking. Please provide your constructive feedback to Jim Butler at the Fort Monmouth Recreation Center.

I will be updating the calendar to reflect these new times over the next day or so.