Thanks for showing up!
First off, thanks to everyone who turned out to represent tennis at the Wednesday night Parks and Rec open house. It was informative, and it allowed a lot of us to express our opinions one-on-one to some Parks decision-makers. At least as important, when they asked for a show of hands for how many were there to support each sport, the number of tennis players at least matched – if not exceeded – the number of pickleball supporters. As someone once said, “Ninety percent of the battle is just showing up.”
Now the questionnaire
It became clear at the open house that Parks and Rec – and the consultant firm that will do the research for the Court System Plan – will be relying heavily on the responses to their online questionnaire. So the next step is to get on there and give them the tennis perspective. Note: This survey will only be available through Wednesday, October 18! You can find the link on this page…
Tips for the questionnaire
A few of us on the BTA Board have filled out the questionnaire. It’s not great, but it’s not bad. And since it is not filled with quite as much bureaucratic, incomprehensible jargon as some former City of Boulder surveys, it doesn’t involve as much brain damage. Although of course since they created the questions, they are basically controlling the range and type of feedback they get. Just respond the best you can.
Trick questions, and tricks for dealing with them
Question 15. There is one open-ended opportunity to let them know what you think the issues are. “Please let us know what you like about the current City of Boulder tennis and pickleball courts, as well as any future hopes or concerns.” Feel free to ignore the dubious wording that tries to generate a positive review, and let them know what you think the most important issues are. There’s room for a paragraph or two. Go for it!
Question 12. Another weird question. “To what extent are you satisfied with YOUR EXPERIENCE playing tennis and/or pickleball on City tennis and/or pickleball courts?” I’m sure all of us would have quit playing long ago if we didn’t find a way to be satisfied with our tennis playing experience DESPITE whatever conditions we face on the courts. The real question should be: “To what degree are you satisfied that Boulder public courts maintenance and policy is contributing to a positive experience playing tennis and/or pickleball.” We suggest you answer the question with that criteria in mind.
That’s it for now. See you on the courts!
The BTA Board
