Aiken Pickleball News

Groovy Tuesdays - A Celebration of National Pickleball Month

April is National Pickleball Month, and Aiken Pickleball, Inc. will celebrate with Groovy Tuesdays on the indoor courts at Odell Weeks Activities Center. Each evening will start with free clinics from 5:00 – 6:00pm with Mo Garcia and Harve Mobley. Mixed level play will be 4:00 – 5:00 PM, and all courts will have court designation play 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Evenings will include drawings for gift certificates for lessons with Mo, and complimentary pizza and drinks, and each week there will be a raffle for a new Paddle.

Canned food items for Golden Harvest Food Bank will also be collected during "Groovy Tuesdays". Bring in 5 canned items and receive an additional ticket for a chance of winning a "Pickleball With A Purpose" T-shirt. A shirt will be given away at each Tuesday drawing.

Come join the fun - no sign-up required.

May Clinics with Harve - Saturday May 18th

Harve Mobley, our newest certified instructor, will conduct the following clinics on Saturday, May 18th.

12 noon - 1:20 - Court Position, Shot Selection, and Game Strategy (Beginners - Must have completed a New Players Clinic)

1:30 - 2:50 - Court Position, Shot Selection, and Game Strategy (Intermediate)

3:00 - 4:30 - Three (or four) players and a pro. Sign up as a group of three or four.

Clinics are limited to four players. Cost is $15 per session. Sign up and pay at the front desk - bring your receipt to the clinic.

Next New Players Clinic at Odell - Saturday May 11th

The next New Players Clinic at Odell Weeks will be on Saturday, May 11th. The clinic is for people new to the game of pickleball. Sign up at the front desk to reserve a spot. Max 8 players - these clinics fill up fast so don’t delay. Schedule as follows:

1015am - Check-in

1030am - 12pm - Instruction & Practice Play

Clinic will include proper court position, how to keep score, how to make the transition from tennis and other racquet sports to pickleball and much more. Players should wear tennis shoes and bring something to drink. Clinic will be held indoors in Gym 2, at Odell Weeks. Balls and paddles provided. Maximum 8 players.

Cost is $15 per person which includes the daily access fee. Sign up and pay at the Odell Weeks front desk to reserve your slot in advance. . Bring your receipt to the clinic. Participants will also be invited to attend a free two hour Practice Play Session the following Saturday, May 18th.

What's Happening -

In April

Drills with "Little Mo" every Saturday at Odell until the first week of June. Maximum 6 players. Sign up at front desk. Click here for more information.

Groovy Tuesdays at Odell - Free clinics, pizza and drinks, door prize, and raffles for new paddle every Tuesday the entire month of April. No sign up required. Click here for more info.

In May

Saturday, May 11th, New Players Clinic at Odell. Sign up at front desk.

Saturday, May 18th, Clinics with Harve. Sign up at front desk.

On the Horizon

10th Annual Palmetto Doubles Invitational Tournament - July 31 - August 4, 2024, Prize $ for Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles Opens - SAVE THE DATE! Registration is open . Discount for early sign up.

Help Desk

If you need help with anything, send an email to info@aikenpickleball.com and someone will get back with you.

We can help you with making and editing court reservations or adding your name to the "Looking for games" list, among other things. What we cannot tell you is the access code. That is for our use only. After 8 pm Wednesday evening, the Sign-up Genius is locked down, requiring an access cod,e while the new time slots for the following week are being added. The signupgenius is then unlocked after 8 am Thursday morning and an access code is no longer required. But if you need help with anything else send an email to info@aikenpickleball.com and one of us will get back to you.

Another Great Turnout for Groovy Tuesday

Over forty people showed for the second groovy Tuesday, to take part in a free clinic, pizza, cookies and drinks. There were four courts in play for the clinic.. Two teenagers won the free lessons with Mo, Beverly Shaver won the paddle and Harve won the the T-Shirt. Thanks to all that help make the evening a success.

Minutes for the April 1st, Leadership Team Meeting

The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting held on April 1st have been posted. Topics discussed were - April being National Pickleball Month and our celebration with Groovy Tuesdays - with free clinics and drawings for door prizes; Court Time Allocation - results being everyone wanted something different and the majority saying leave it as us; Unused Courts - players not showing up and not canceling their court reservation; Invalid Court Reservations - people still having trouble entering the first initial and last name of two players; October 12 - date of proposed outdoor tournament for juniors; and much more. Click here to read the full report.

First Groovy Tuesday - Huge Success!

Over fifty players came out for the first Groovy Tuesday to celebrate National Pickleball Month. Thirty-five players took over three courts for a free clinic by Mo from 5-6pm. This was followed by free pizza, brownies and drinks - followed by more pickleball! The donation box for Golden Harvest was also overflowing. Thanks to everyone for making the evening a success.

Check out our Facebook page for additional photos.

What is really happening!

Every Thursday evening from 4-6pm, “Youth Pickleball' Clinics are offered for ages 10-18 at the outdoor pickleball courts located at Virginia Acres Park - Free! If you would like to assist, just show up.

Each summer, the City of Aiken offers youth Summer Camp Programs (ages 5-9) - pickleball is one of the activities offered. In this regard, volunteers are needed to assist. Select 'Read More' below to see photos of the most recent junior pickleball clinic held in Gym 1.

April has been declared as is National Pickleball Month by USPA and the City of Aiken since March 2018. As part of National Pickleball Month Celebration, free Clinics are being offered every Tuesday from 5-6pm as part of "Groovy Tuesdays" for the month of April. Just show up to assist and help yourself to complimentary pizza and drinks.

Aiken Pickleball Inc in collaboration with the City of Aiken and USPA-District Ambassador Mo Garcia are working with the Special Olympics Program (for Pickleball) every Thursday afternoon, from 4-5pm. Volunteers are needed to assist.

Starting in May, there will be free pickleball clinics for the USC Aiken Pacer Life Program. If you would like to help, contact Kathy Reiter for details - jandkreiter@yahoo.com

All of these programs are conducted by Mo Garcia, the USPA District Ambassador for Western SC and head teaching professional and API - pro bono - in support of Aiken Pickleball. If you would like to volunteer to support any of these activities please click here.

Good news - Indoor Court Time to be Increased at Odell

in April and May the hours for pickleball on most weekdays at Odell Weeks will be from 845am-830pm Tuesday through Friday. Mondays play stops at 2pm. Saturday hours will be from 915am-430pm. Sunday pickleball will have three courts from 115-430pm.

Tuesday through Friday, the hours for drop-in play will be from 845-10 am mixed level and 10am-12pm court designation. Court reservations will be 12-2, 2-4, and 4-6pm. Evenings from 6-830pm will be drop-in play courts 123 and court reservations on 456.

This will be the norm. Check the calendar for actual times.

Note - if Drop-in play continues to use only half of the courts, consideration will be given to converting two courts to early morning court reservations rather than having them sit empty.