By Mike Beckner
Just a gentle reminder to all Pickledillys (and others who play at Odell Weeks) that pickleball is fundamentally a game which encourages and nurtures good sportsmanship. Here in Aiken, we have been known from the very inception of the sport for making all players welcome, regardless of their individual skill level as all of us were beginners at some point and we remember how difficult it was for us early on. We also emphasize that fair play and friendship are integral to the enjoyment of the sport.
With the growth of pickleball here, there have necessarily been times when rules and guidelines needed to be developed, in partnership with the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department of Aiken. These changes were designed to maximize the use of court time in a way that is fair to all players and also to protect beginners/weaker players from more advanced and/or more aggressive players. None of us want to be known as enforcers or the “pickleball police” but with our growth and subsequent organization, players have volunteered to be on the leadership team to help us with the sport as it continues to grow. We are indebted to those volunteers and their commitment to make pickleball in Aiken as good as it can be.
One of the products of our organization was the formation of player representatives for each skill level. These “player reps” are the ombudsmen for their respective skill levels and bring topics of interest from their players to the leadership team. They also serve as the eyes and ears of the leadership team and help explain the rules and guidelines during play. Please respect and listen to the player reps if they are sharing guidelines and rules with you on the court. They are simply carrying out their duties and do not deserve to be disrespected or insulted when simply trying to share information regarding a variety of issues. If there is a disagreement with any of the rules, ask the player rep to seek further guidance from the leadership team. In the meantime, please follow the guidance given by the player rep.
Players who become abusive, obnoxious or disrespectful run the risk of being sanctioned by the leadership team and/or by Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Unfortunately, there have been instances when PRT has had to ask offending players to leave the court and subsequently barred them from future play.
