TheInbox Croquet Break: Be Nice, Eh By Sally Mills
I am one of the snowbirds from Canada who are fortunate to be able to spend the winter playing croquet at the beautiful and newly renovated Sarasota County Croquet Club in Venice, Fla. As our busy season is just starting, I thought it might be a good idea to publish some etiquette reminders. I showed my "Etiquette for Croquet" list to our President, John Goldener, and he encouraged me to share the list with USCA’s weekly Croquet Break. Everyone enjoys playing croquet in a pleasant, supportive atmosphere. I hope you find the list helpful. • Help set up courts before play. • Greet your opponents and your own team members before the game, and congratulate or compliment them at the end of play. • Compliment your opponent’s good shots. • Admit a fluke shot with grace. • Stand still and be quiet when someone else is taking their shot. • Do your best to avoid entering or disturbing someone else’s court/game. • Prevent your shadow from covering someone else’s ball or the hoop as they are taking their shot. • Never criticize other players or the facility. • Avoid negative comments or sarcasm. Focus on building camaraderie, encouraging good shots and complimenting opponents on their skills. • Pay attention to the game and know when it is your turn.
• Play with dispatch; do not delay the game with extended discussions about strategy, etc. • For safety purposes, any player about to deliver a strong takeout shot should warn other players. • Learn and abide by the rules of the game. Read your rule book. • The score is to be announced by the person who has just made the wicket. • Declare your own faults immediately. • Politely sharing knowledge encourages a supportive and inclusive environment. • Be a gracious winner and a good loser. Treat others with respect and courtesy. • Repair divots immediately and correctly. If you don’t know how, ask. • Treat club equipment with care and respect, and put the equipment away properly. • Be a pleasant partner and opponent and have fun! Sally Mills opened the Muskoka Lawn Bowling Club in Ontario, Canada, in 2017, and spends her winters in Florida. She joined the Sarasota County Croquet Club in 2019 and enjoyed croquet so much that she started a croquet program at her Ontario bowls club in 2021. Thanks to a small government grant, equipment donations and coaching advice from other croquet players, the program has taken off. Mills does her best to provide a supportive, encouraging and enjoyable atmosphere for all participants.
Weekly CROQUET BREAK "Be Nice, Eh" was originally published in the USCA’s Croquet Break weekly member newsletter. The newsletter is seeking articles on croquet-related subjects by USCA members to be published electronically in the weekly newsletter sent by email to all USCA members. Writers and articles are scheduled according to a rotation that considers croquet games, subjects, USCA regions and writers. Procedure: Submit your piece to Sara Low (hoopsnflies@msn.com ) or Ursula Peck (membership@uscroquet.com) to be added to the weekly Croquet Break calendar. Before publishing, suggested edits (punctuation and spelling) and a final page will be sent to you for your approval. Article Format: Word
Length: Any length
Additional: Short bio (1-4 lines) and photo (.jpg) to appear with article
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