When storing the net bags in the closet please place them in the back right hand corner. Do not block the door on the left leading upstairs. This stairway is the main access for the maintenance crew to the equipment room, and their only exit incase of a fire. Thank you.
Aiken Pickleball News
The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting that was held Monday, Jan 6th, 2022 at 5:30pm at Odell Weeks, have been posted. Harve Mobley hosted the meeting. Topics that were discussed included player rep vacancies and a request for nominees; the OW New Players Clinics; new hours at Gregg Park; the upcoming Chili Social; our plans for 2022, and much more. Go to Forums or click here to see the full report.
The remaining Drills with Little Mo are now available for sign up. The drills start on Wednesday, January 5th, at Smith-Hazel. Click here to sign up.
As in the past, each week will have a different theme.
Jan 5 - Return of Serve, down the line.
Jan 12 - Dinks with a purpose; hitting your target spots
Jan 19 - Half Volley soft drop; Half Volley drives.
Jan 26 - (No drills - Big Mo not available)
Feb 2 - Overhead smash; Volley snap at the kitchen.
Feb 9 - 3rd Shot drop
Feb 16 - Drive topspin volley
Feb 23 - King/Queen of the court, (Doubles)
Mar 2 - Drop, Chip, Drive.
Mar 9 - Lobs
Mar 16 - Specialty shots (Various Big Mo Shot choices).
The card you use to access Odell Weeks will allow you entry into Smith-Hazel.
Your calendar for next week’s pickleball match shows that 2022 is on the horizon. Another year has passed with many cracked pickleballs. But you’ve finally gotten the 2021 rules solidly under your belt, right?
What you may not know is that the end of the calendar also means the USPA Rules Committee is close to finalizing the 2022 rule changes…YAY!!! …but what are the changes?
To help you prepare for the 2022 rules, Coach Ben Lacy (also our resident Head Referee) has put together a summary of the changes. Along with the summary, Coach Ben also provided a companion video and organized the changes by recreational play and tournament play.
So please follow the links and get updated on the USAP rule changes so you are not caught short in the kitchen.
You can also get your own pdf copy of the DRAFT 2022 rules here:
https://usapickleball.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2022-Draft-Rulebook.pdf
Saturday morning local pickleballers awoke anticipating their team’s win in the first annual City Challenge. Four local pickleball communities Aiken, Augusta, Lake Hartwell and Lexington and their ardent fans filled their travel mugs, grabbed a quick breakfast and drove to Gregg Park Civic Center in Graniteville confident in their team.With just a thirty-minute window before the first bracket... Click here to read full article
I had been walking past the 3 empty Toys for Tots boxes in the hallway at Valmet for a couple of weeks when an idea came to me….. I decided to host a Pickleball Social here in Aiken in hopes that we could fill these 3 boxes. (see flyer I made). I can’t begin to tell you how full my heart was last night to see the incredible outpouring of people that came to support such a wonderful cause. We even had Pickleballers make the trek from Augusta to join our efforts to collect Toys for Tots. These toys will be picked up today at our Valmet Aiken location by the Marine Corp., and I can’t tell you how proud I am to represent Valmet and the Aiken/Augusta Pickleball Community.
I hope this story spreads a bit of joy into your Holiday Season ~ I know it has completely made mine!
Thanks to everyone who came out tonight! Y’all were so generous, my entire Jeep is packed full of toys and my heart is so full of joy! I will share a pic tomorrow morning before the Marine Corp picks up the toys Tanya Hoffman\
We had a medical emergency at the outdoor courts at Eustis Park and discovered no one knew the correct address to give the Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Thanks to the initiative of several people, there are now address signs posted at the outdoor courts at Odell Weeks and Eustis Parks. Consider adding this information into your phone, should there be a need to call 911 from the courts.
Pickleball Courts at Virginia Acres Park (behind Odell Weeks Recreation Center) address is 1635 Two Notch Rd. Signs are posted above the two entrances from Two Notch Rd, but not posted at the court entrances near the playground.
Pickleball Courts at Eustis Park address is 905 Edgefield Ave, NW
REMINDERS FOR CALLING 911
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Let the dispatcher end the call first.
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Send a spare person to the road or parking lot to flag-down EMS
The minutes for the December Leadership Team Meeting that was held at Odell Weeks on Monday, Nov 29th, 2021, have been posted. Go to Forums or click here to see the full report. Brief summary below.
Ben Stephens has accepted the open position on the Leadership Team starting in January 2022, replacing Joyce Noland, who will continue to help with Aiken Pickleball. Many thanks to Joyce for all her hard work the past three years on the Leadership Team. Ben Lacy was introduced as the new Aiken County Pickleball Ambassador. Topics that were discussed included the curtain repair at Gregg Park which fell "short" of expectations; the unanimous decision not to have skill combo round robins at Gregg Park; the City Challenge this Saturday at Gregg Park and the Dink for Toys on Monday outdoors at Odell Weeks, which everyone is encourage to attend; Court 1 designation for beginners starting at 10am during drop-in play, and much more.
The next meeting target date is Monday January 3rd, 2022.
The Aiken teams for the City Challenge have been selected and the schedule of play has been posted. Come out to Gregg Park on Saturday, December 4th to support your local team. Schedule as follows:
Aiken Men’s Teams - Matches from 9-1025am
3.0 - Davion Bellinger & Chuck Harvey
3.5 - Mark Giddings & Lawrence Tam
4.0 - Brian Eberhard & Doug Boessneck
Aiken Mixed Teams - Matches from 1045am-1210pm
3.0 - Peggy Sharp & Kim Herring
3.5 - Christy Pritchard & Michael Howard
4.0 - Christine Chandler & Brandon Hoffman
Aiken Women’s Teams - Matches from 1230-155pm
3.0 - Bebe Murphy & Ann Boessneck
3.5 - Amy Buck & Barbara Dellamora
4.0 - Leslie McCowan & Michele Bullington
All matches are at the Gregg Park Civic Center located at 119 Trolley Lane Road, Graniteville, SC, approximately five miles from downtown Aiken. There is no cost to enter the center to watch, but you must sign in whether you are a member or a guest.
The City of Aiken is gearing up for Christmas in Hopelands and seeking volunteers for December 11-23. Is this an opportunity that the Aiken Pickleballers would like to take advantage of to help serve the community? This opportunity is not limited to the Aiken Pickleballers; we welcome family and friends. If you are interested, please get in touch with Brian Loging at 803.643.2179 or bloging@cityofaikensc.gov.