Aiken Pickleball News

Little Mo is back!

Starting on Monday, January 27th, the Little Mo supervised drill sessions will return.  These sessions will be held from 9:00 – 10:00 AM in gym 1 at Odell Weeks.  The cost is $10.00 per person per session, and you must sign up to participate.  The sign-ups will be available under the “Sign-ups” tab on this website.  Payment should be made at the front desk at Odell Weeks.  Sessions require a minimum of three players and can accommodate a maximum of eight. 

Each week will have a different theme;  Those for the first ten sessions will be:

January 27 - Return of Serve, down the line (Forehand and Backhands).

February 3 - Dinks with a purpose; hitting your target spots (Forehand and Backhands).

February 10 - Half Volley soft drop; Half Volley drives.

February 17 - Overhead smash; Volley snap at the kitchen.

February 24 - 3rd Shot drop (Forehand and Backhand)

March 2 - Drive top spin Volley

March 9 - King/Queen of the court, (Doubles)

March 16 - Drop, Chip, Drive.

March 23 - Lobs

March 30 - Specialty shots (Various Big Mo Shot choices).

Sign ups for March drills will become available later in February.

 

 

 

Paul

It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you that Paul Leibstein has passed away. 

Paul had fought cancer from the time that most of us first had the pleasure of getting to know him.  He was unfailingly optimistic and never let the disease interfere with his love of pickleball and of life in general.

Our thoughts are with Nancy, his wife and best friend, and with the rest of his family. 

https://georgefuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/2803/Paul-Leibstein/obituary.html#tribute-start

 

 

Ask the Pickleball Ref by David Hoel

As we get closer to our Super Senior Round Robin next Saturday January 18th,  here are a few more situations with the correct ruling that you might find helpful.  

SITUATION: A player’s diamond earring falls off onto the court after she serves.  

QUESTION: Can she legally stop play to retrieve her heirloom earrings or should the rally continue?

ANSWER:  Play should continue; stopping the rally would be a fault (Rule 11.G and H).

 

SITUATION: During a rally, Team A’s ball strikes the center net spine and goes over the net. Team B claims the ball was dead upon striking the spine because it is "other support construction" as mentioned Rule 11.K –“The Net Posts. The net posts (including connected wheels, arms, or other support construction) are positioned out of bounds. If a ball or player contacts the net post, it is a fault and a dead ball is declared.”

QUESTION: Is Team B’s claim valid?

ANSWER: No.  The center net spine is not part of the net posts – it is part of the net. A ball contacting the net, the net cable, or rope between the net posts remains in play (Rule 11.K.1).

 

SITUATION: During a non-refereed tournament match, the players on Team A complained that a player on Team B was using an illegal serve.  The Team B player denied it.

QUESTION: Can Team A request a referee?

ANSWER: Yes. Any player may request a referee or tournament director, if the player reasonably believes that a rule is being consistently and intentionally violated by his or her opponent. (Rule 13.K.1). Accordingly, Team A requested that a referee observe play and provide an opinion on the legality of the Team B player’s serve.  Upon arrival of a referee, the Team B player apparently modified her serve as no illegal serves were observed for the remainder of the match.

 

SITUATION: In a non-refereed match, a player on Team A called a Non-Volley Zone foot-fault on a Team B player.  Team B disputed the call by asserting only they may call faults on their side of the court.

QUESTION: Can Team A call a Non-Volley Zone foot-fault on Team B?

ANSWER: Yes. Players will call the lines (in or out) on their side of the court (Rule 6.D.1).  However, Non-Volley-Zone faults may be called by any player on either team. Benefit of the doubt goes to the player who makes such a call (Rule 9.I).

 

 

 

 

2020 Drive, Drop and Dink Pickleball Tournament

The "Y" in August will be hosting their 2020 Drive, Drop and Dink Pickleball Tournament March 26-29, 2020.  Registration closes on March 19.  

Image may contain: 1 person, shoes

 

Ask the Pickleball Ref by David Hoel

More unusual situations that occur while playing pickleball and how they should be handled.

SITUATION: Neither player on Team A clearly saw whether a ball landed out on their side of the net and requested the opinion of nearby spectators, who said the ball was out. Team B asserted that, if Team A was unsure, the ball should be considered “in” and it is illegal to ask spectators.

QUESTION: Was Team B’s assertion correct?

ANSWER: Yes. The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls made. When doubt exists, Team A’s call will be “in” (Rule 6.D.3. & 9). Spectators should never be consulted on any line call (Rule 6.D.4).

 

SITUATION: A doubles match was being played in a gym with many other courts also in play.  During play, a Team B player heard someone on another court shout “PICKLE!” (loose ball) and stopped playing, missing a shot. The player claimed a hinder, even though the loose ball was not on their court.

QUESTION: Was the hinder claim legitimate?

ANSWER:  Yes. Gymnasium play can be very noisy, and such “pickle” calls can be especially distracting. A hinder is “any element or occurrence outside of the player’s control that impacts play” (Rule 3.A.15). A hinder called by a player will result in a dead ball and will result in a replay (Rule 8.C.).

 

SITUATION: A Team A serve touches the net, but was otherwise good and landed in the service court so a “let” was called. The next serve was also a let.  Team B claimed a fault on the server asserting only one service let is allowed.

QUESTION: Was Team B’s claim legitimate?

ANSWER: No. There is no limit to the number of lets a server may serve (Rule 4.0).

 

 

Rating Process for Court Designation Play

We have updated the rating process for Court Designation Play.  Changes include 1) Once a player has been rated there is a four-month waiting period before they can be rated again;   2) Players who win gold medals at the Aiken yearly tournament will no longer be considered for an upgrade to the next higher skill level. 

For a complete look at all the changes go to Odell Weeks Guidelines under the Information tab.

 

 

Lost and Found

Last Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, after all play was completed, there were two metal water bottles and a pair of glasses left behind.  All three items are now in the room where the nets are kept,  on a shelf on the wood podium next to the door.  The room can be accessed next Saturday morning after 9am.  

If you need the items before then, you can try calling 1st Pres  (803) 648-2662 and ask for assistance in retrieving your item.  

 

Saturday play at First Presbyterian Church

We got off to a great start for 2020 at  First Presbyterian Church this Saturday morning January 4th.  Twenty-four (24) people had signed up and a few players showed up who hadn’t signed up but people were courteous and patiently sat and waited for their turns to play.

To help with play next week, Saturday, January 11th, there will be two sessions.  One will be from 9-11am and the other from 11am-1pm, with a limit of eighteen (18) players per session.  Sign-up is required. You can only sign up for one session per Saturday.

Special note:  Please put your names on your paddles.  Those little return address mailing labels work great!  Also, we had a couple of water bottles left today after everyone was gone.  It would help if you could put your names on these so we can get them back to their proper owners.

Thanks to everyone for being so patient.  Hopefully having two sessions next week will make play more enjoyable.   And special thanks to Michele Bullington and Dick Keeler for opening and closing. 

January 11th will be the last day of indoor play at 1st Pres on Saturdays until February 1st.  

 

Ask the Pickleball Ref by David Hoel

SITUATION: In a tournament match, a Team A player wore a shirt which was a color similar to the ball. Team B requested that the Team A player change his shirt. Alternatively, Team B requested the match use a different color ball.

QUESTION: Were either of Team B’s requests required to be satisfied?

ANSWER: No. The referee determined that the player’s shirt color did not present a sufficient safety or distraction issue. (Rule 2.G.1) Further, the tournament announcement clearly described what color balls would be used during the tournament, so changing the ball was not required.  However as a courtesy, the referee offered use of a different color ball, only if all players agreed. The players chose to play with the original ball.

And just for the record, the Super Senior Round Robin being held on Saturday, January 18th, will be using an Onix orange ball - so please no orange tee shirts!

 

Saturday Play at First Presbyterian Church

There will be indoor play on Saturdays at First Presbyterian Church, January 4th & 11th, from 9am - 1pm.  Need a minimum of four players to sign up, or the sessions will be cancelled.

 First Presbyterian Church is located at 224 Barnwell Avenue, NW in downtown Aiken.  Please park on Barnwell Avenue and go in the door by the Coke machine. Turn right after you go in and go through the double doors into the gym.  There is a $2.00 per person fee for each session.  A container will be placed in the laundry room where the nets are stored.  All of these funds will go directly to the church as a donation to help them cover the costs of heating and air conditioning, and general wear and tear on the gym.  

 

 

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