GLP court Ambassadors (affectionately referred to as “HB” (Nicole) and her band of “AHBs” — you figure it out) are critical to the smooth (?) running of open pickleball play at GLE and to the development of real “community” there. Lots of responsibilities and absolutely no authority; it’s a thankless job with no perks! Treat them well.
Who are they?
Nicole Bideganeta (HB)
Nicole is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst working as an Educator at Kindering, where she provides early learning support services to young children and their families.
After playing and disliking pickleball in middle school, Nicole’s sister reintroduced it to her during Covid. She and her pickleball partner in crime, Ryley, began haunting the Green Lake East courts during the spring of 2022. She was featured in a New York Times article about pickleball in Seattle that summer … and the rest is history.
In addition to her life off the court — and her duties as Green Lake Pickleball’s HB, Nicole serves as a Board Member and Secretary for the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association (SMPA). Her competitive play now takes her to other venues around the area — and nation, but we still like to think her pickleball heart resides at Green Lake.
Matt Repplier (AHB)
Matt, a software developer and photographer, has been playing pickleball at Green Lake East almost every day since the 2022 spring season when he tagged along with a friend to play for the first time. He comes to Green Lake for the rotating cast of characters, both new people and regulars, and loves the sense of community that emerges from this diverse group. You can find him at GLE in the afternoons, where he usually plays past dark.
You can also check out his photography and blog at https://mrepplier.com or on Instagram @mrepplier.
Tri Hua (AHB)
Life for Tri, before pickleball, is a little hazy. He vaguely remembers having a wife, an 18-month old son, and a passion for outdoor activities – hiking, biking, volleyball, and cooking.
What AHBs shouldn’t have to do:
- Pick up your garbage
- Explain basic court etiquette
- Break up arguments between picklers
- Manage the stacks (other than explaining how it works to new players)
- Calling out “phantom stackers”
What AHBs Do:
Hosting:
- Welcome new players and make them feel welcome. Explain our stacking system and (especially for beginners) help them get into an appropriate first game;
- Answer questions about funding, court reservations, the drop-in system, etc.;
- Manage conflicts with tennis players (rare these days, but it could happen) — explain to picklers that tennis players have equal rights to courts, etc.;
- Decide if a designated “learner court” would be helpful (if many newbies, it helps them get more play time and isn’t as disruptive to peeps wanting to play higher-level games). The default is “no learner court.”
Funding:
- Put out the kitty jar;
- Collect cash from the kitty-jar at the end of the day and Venmo same to Peter;
- Encourage people to donate to the kitty via cash or Venmo.
Court Management:
- Deploy the two portable nets (or direct their deployment) when needed;
- Either personally put nets and other equipment (broom, balls, kitty-jar) back in the lock box at the end of the day or assign that task to someone who will be staying longer than you.
- Encourage people to play on Court #3 (closest to the lake) right away, since that court cannot be reserved and is always equally “first-come-first-served” for pickleball and for tennis.
Housekeeping:
- Put lost “valuables” (mobile phones, wallets, paddles, expensive sunglasses, etc.) in the lockbox.
- Place lost “non-valuables” (water bottles, sweatshirts, hats, etc.) near the kitty jar next to the tennis net where peeps can easily claim them.
- At the end of the day, empty the trash into the large green trash bin just outside the courts and reline the garbage can.
AHB duties (as of June 22, 2022):
Hosting
- As you’re able, welcome people new to the scene. Explain our stacking process and (especially for beginners) help them get into an appropriate game;
- Answer questions about money, court reservations, the drop-in system, etc.;
- Manage conflicts with tennis players (rare these days, but it could happen) — explain to picklers that tennis players have equal rights to courts, etc.;
- Decide if a designated “learner court” would be helpful (if many newbies, it helps them get more play time and isn’t as disruptive to peeps wanting to play higher-level games). The default is “no learner court.”
- Decide if a “challenge court” would be useful (very rare — we can talk about when that might be appropriate; perhaps when it would mean that challenge court players would wind up waiting MUCH longer for a game than the rest of the population. The default is definitely NO “challenge court.”
Funding
- Put out the kitty-jar;
- Collect cash from the kitty-jar at the end of the day and Venmo same to Peter;
- Encourage people to donate to the kitty.
Court Management
- Either personally put nets and other equipment (broom, balls, kitty-jar) back in the lock box at the end of play or assign that task to someone who will be staying longer than you.
- Encourage people to play on Court #1 (farthest from lake) right away, since that court cannot be reserved and is always equally “first-come-first-served” for pickleball and for tennis.
- Decide when it’s time to put up the 6th net (no firm rule, but generally when four or more stacks waiting and it seems it will be that way for a while)
- If not already taped, suggest (and organize) when it’s time to tape the 7th and 8th courts (i.e., ~ when six or more stacks waiting, the courts are dry, AND the forecast is for several days of no rain)
- Organize “de-taping” on Sunday late afternoon/evening, as stacks diminish.
Housekeeping
- Pick up trash and put it in the small garbage can next to the benches;
- At the end of the day, empty the trash into the large green trash bin just outside the courts and reline the garbage can.
