Aiken Pickleball News

by Lisa Barrett-Johnson

My love for this Aiken Pickleball community continues to grow as I get to know all of you. If you don't know me yet, I am making my way around the courts at Odell and Gregg to introduce myself and maybe make you laugh. I have been playing here for about four years and teaching here for four months. I so thoroughly enjoy working with all of you. I would like to talk about something that I consider very important to our community and that is this: Inclusivity.

Let's be more kind, generous, and inclusive when making our social games. Let's be more cohesive and open-minded at drop-in play. Let's be more accepting of each other's faults and mistakes on and off the court.

 As Michael Jackson said, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror." Let it start with me, and if I am doing it wrong, let me know. I live in Augusta, Georgia but my home; my community; and my Pickleball world is in Aiken and Graniteville. Let's make it the best place to play, and make everyone feel a part of it.       

                                                                                                                                                           xo,

                                                                                                                                                          LBJ

In an unusual, but not unprecedented movie, USAP has issued a mid-year revision to the rules governing  Incorrect Server - Incorrect Position.  Following clarification is by

Mark Peifer, a USA Pickleball Certified Referee and Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee 

USA Pickleball just released a mid-year Rulebook revision, eliminating player out of position faults.  Most of what follows relates to non-officiated play since that is what most of us play. There are similar rules for officiated play with guidance for referees, but they are not addressed in the article below.

So, what exactly changed?  It is no longer a fault if:

a. the incorrect server serves

b. the correct server serves from the wrong position/incorrect court

c. the correct receiver returns the serve from the wrong position/incorrect court

d. the incorrect receiver returns the serve 

Before we dig into this a little further, let’s remember that in non-officiated play, players have never been able to enforce a fault on their opponents, even out of position faults. The rule that tells us this is Rule 13.D.1.d. If you are not familiar with that rule, I recommend you take a look at it. Doing so may prevent future on-court disagreements. Nevertheless, herein lies one of the primary advantages of this rule change; whereas before a receiving team had no enforcement remedy if the serving team served out of position (and vice-versa), accidentally or on purpose, now they do. The enforcement remedy? Now the opponent can call a replay if the out of position player is caught before the end of the rally. 

Here is how this works: It is both teams’ responsibility to make sure the correct server and receiver are in the correct position before the serve occurs. This should result in just a simple reminder from one team to another that they are out of position and need to move. But, what if the serve occurs with one or more players out of position? This is where a common-sense approach takes over. As long as the incorrect server or incorrect receiver is realized before the end of the rally, any player can stop play, note the error, and call for a replay. If incorrect, however, it is a fault for stopping play, so be sure you’re right if you stop play! 

What if the rally ends and then a player realizes that either a, b, c, or d above happened? Since every player had an equal chance to identify the error before the serve and during the rally, the rally and any points scored stand. At that point, you just correct the out of position player(s) before the next serve occurs.

Here are some advantages in this rule change:

Players now have an enforcement remedy if the other team either purposely or accidentally lines up incorrectly and the serve occurs. This has never been in the rules until now.

It reinforces that points are scored based on superior strategy and paddle skills on the court.

It eliminates or greatly reduces any impact on players who unfortunately suffer from a form of dyslexia. People dealing with dyslexia can have issues reading maps, following directions, and confuse their left and right.

The player experience is enhanced. I’ve never been a fan of repeated questions from opponents of mine who ask, “Am I good?” And, let’s face it, the spectator experience is enhanced as well.

On a related note, many will find it of interest that out of position faults did not become part of the official rules until 2007, so these faults have only been in place for 16 years. Therefore, to some extent, by taking this action, USA Pickleball is reverting to the original rule that was in place for 42 years, the sport's inception.  

Mark Peifer

USA Pickleball Certified Referee

Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee 

The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting held on August 14th, have been posted. Items discussed were - Aiken Outdoor League - 3.0 Mixed Doubles - Thursday evenings at Virginia Acres Park; the Pickle in the Park Mixed Doubles Round Robin on Saturday, October 21, which also include singles play; Recap of the Palmetto tournament and much more: Go to Forums or Click here to read the full report.

Click here to sign up for the tournament.  Draws are starting to fill.

There will also be a juniors tournament the same day.  Click here to register for the juniors.