The Houndslake Country Club has started work on converting tennis courts 5 & 6 into Pickleball Courts. Three (3) pickleball courts will be created initially with space to expand to six (6). A social will be held in early October to introduce the game.
Need Volunteers to help complete the filling of cracks in the concrete surface of the courts.
Contact: Dick Funkhouser (270-3448) or Jerry Clements (215-9190)
Have you seen the new Bulletin Board? It’s hard to miss when you come down the hallway toward Gym #2. The large overhead banner “Welcome to Aiken Pickleball” catches your eyes along with the colorful displays of useful information such as a flyer (also entitled “Welcome to Aiken Pickleball”) that provides information for beginners on the best way to get started.
The bulletin board also includes information about our instructors, lessons/clinics/drills they provide and much, much more. Check it out. And while you are at it, give special thanks to Bebe Murphy and her husband Gene for putting it all together. Well done, Bebe. It looks great!
The articles Lesson with a Difference, Drills with “Little Mo”, and Wednesday Clinics are the results of a meeting that took place last Tuesday between the Leadership Team and our certified instructors. The focus was on feedback received from various players on ways to improve lessons and clinics.
We know that we can please some of you most of the time, most of you some of the time, and although it is probably an impossible task, we will continue to try and please all of you, all of the time. But we can not do it alone - we need your feedback!
If you see something that is wrong, or have suggestions on how things can be improved - please provide your positive feedback to the members of the Leadership Team at info@aikenpickleball.com. That address forwards to all three Leadership Team members. You can also provide input through your player representative. Their photos and email addresses are displayed under the “Contact us” tab. Thank you.
When you discover a net tape that is broken, roll up the net and bring it to the front desk to be repaired. In lieu of using duck tape as a quick fix, the nets are actually repaired by replacing the broken tape and then hand stitched.
If anyone would like to learn this unique skill, contact Mo Garcia. In the meantime please quit banging the top of the nets with your paddles. Thanks.
Aiken Pickleball is all over the news these days. From the Pickleball Magazine to social media to Cable TV, we’re there. Our upcoming tournament has a large presence on the current Visit Aiken SC.com website. Click here to view.
On Facebook, we get occasional mention on VisitAikenSC and Aiken Parks Recreation and Tourism pages. Atlantic Broadband CableTV Channel 4 scrolls Pickleball information periodically.
Thanks to all the players who participated in the round robin at Gregg Park, and to the many volunteers without whom these events would not be possible. Thanks to Mo Garcia, Keith Shaver, Ron Nelson, and Mark Giddings for putting down the new blue tape. And also thanks to Gregg Park Civic Center employees who were helpful and nice throughout the event.
See below for the results of the Gregg Park Civic Center round robin.
Men's 4.0
Gold - Luis Garay and Mike Dyes
Silver - Jeff Beckner and Harve Mobley
Bronze - Farhad Mohajer and Jim Kabel
Women's 4.0
Gold - Caitlin Barry and Lisa Barrett-Johnson
Silver - Anne Rheins and Yong Ko
Bronze - Marian Garcia and Sharlene Buggs
Men's 3.5
Gold - Booker Paige and Woody Irons
Silver - Keith Shaver and George Dalzell
Brnze - Brandon Johnson and Daniel Tucker
Women;s 3.5
Gold - Susie Felz and Din Yun Chi
Silver - Miraim James and Nancy Cox
Bronze - Beverly Shaver and Christine Chandler
Women's 3.0
Gold - Nan Racki and Peg Sharp
Silver - Bebe Murphy and Lisa Sanderson
Bronze - Kathie Roberts and Gloria Toombs
Now that the Senior/Youth Recreation Center at Eustis Park is open, there are bathrooms available to us pickleballers, even when the building is not open.
The bathrooms are on the back side of the building, near the blue water fountain.
Mo Power Sport LLC
Thinking of buying a new pickleball paddle? Or maybe you just need to replace the grip on you current paddle? How about getting an Aiken Pickleball T-Shirt? Well you are in luck.
Mo Garcia, our Head Professional Pickleball Instructor, and his wife Marian, can accommodate almost any request related to Pickleball Mo has demo paddles that you can try out to find the one best for you. He can also get you discounts on most paddles and/or replace your old grip in minutes. He is the Onix pickleball representative in Aiken and had both indoor and outdoor Onix yellow and orange balls in stock. Marian is the poc for ordering Alken PB T-Shirts.
Other items available:
Nets
PB Bags
PB Paddle Covers
PB Medals
Court separators and dividers
PB Court Lining Tapes (indoor and outdoor)
Mo also has safety sports glasses with interchangeable lenses for indoor and outdoor play with the provision to insert prescription lenses.
You can contact Mo via email at mog01@aol.com
The Aiken County YMCA Pickleball Program offers open pickleball play in their main basketball gymnasium. The gym has rolled rubber flooring which gives a true bounce, but as with the lighting, it takes a little while to get used to. The “Y” is located at 621 Trolley Line Rd, about half way between the USC Aiken Convocation Center and Gregg Park Civic Center. Unfortunately, the "Y" is not part of the "Silver Sneakers" program. It is a co-ed facility - ladies are welcome. In fact, the Pickleball Program Coordinator and Head Instructor is Caitlin Barry, an International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) and Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) certified instructor.
Schedule as follows:
Monday: 10am - 1pm (no host/members only - 3 courts).
Wednesday: 10am - 1pm and 7pm - 9pm (hosted by Caitlin Barry/3 courts/members free; non-members $4 per day - first visit is free).
Friday: 10am - 1pm (no host/members only/3 courts).
Caitlin also runs a 6-week fundamentals of pickleball program; 1 session a week for 6 weeks that is open to members and non-members. Round Robin tournaments are normally held quarterly (open to members and non-members). With over 5,000 Aiken “Y” members the pickleball program can only grow.
For more information contact Jessica Bacon, the Aquatics and Sports Director for the Aiken County Family YMCA. Phone 803 349-8080 ext 8083. Email jbacon@thefamilyy.org or visit the webpage at www.thefamilyy.org.
