Aiken Pickleball News

Drills with "Little Mo"

The Drills with “Little Mo” at Odell Weeks for the entire month of March are available for sign up. We lost some of our days in Gym 1 for March and had to make some changes. New schedule for March is as follows:

March 2 - Drive topspin Volley - Gym 1

March 11 - King/Queen of the court, (Doubles) - Gym 2 (Originally scheduled for Monday, March 9)

March 16 - Drop, Chip, Drive. - Gym 2

March 23 - Lobs - Gym 1

March 31 - Specialty shots (Various Big Mo Shot choices) - Gym 2 (Originally scheduled for Monday, March 30)

Cost is $10 per session. Pay at the front desk and bring the receipt with you.

Car break-ins at Gregg Park

The management at Gregg Park just advised us they had two cars broken into in their parking lot around 2:45pm on Thursday, February 6th, 2020. The windows of the vehicles were shattered and some personal belongings were taken. Please take all valuables out of your car and lock the doors.

Do not leave anything in your vehicle in plain sight that would be an easy target for theft.

How to Avoid Pickleball Injuries - Article from the MayoClinic.com Feb 2020

Question - A lot of my friends play pickleball, and I am thinking about joining them. Should I be concerned about injuries?

Answer - Joining your friends is a great idea to explore. Physical activity and learning a new sport can help you maintain your memory and remain independent. Plus, pickleball is a great opportunity to exercise and socialize -- it also can be less intense and requires less running than other racquet sports such as tennis. For those reasons and many more, many older adults play pickleball. Still, it is good to be smart and take steps to prevent injuries.

The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) lists strains - including ankle, hamstring and quadriceps strains - as common injuries, as well as heel bruises and wrist fractures from falls. To avoid these injuries, warm up the major muscle groups - a brisk walk to the court is one good way - and then gently stretch before starting to play. Warming up will increase blood flow to the areas that will be used during the sort and potentially prevent common injuries.

Consider using eye protection, and drink plenty of water to keep your body functioning at its best. For sound footing, wear proper shoes and avoid wet courts. The USAPA warns against shuffling backward to return a hit, as falling backward can lead to serious injury. Rather shuffle sideways or turn to face the direction you want to go.

If you have a medical condition or injury, get cleared to play by your healthcare provider. Start slowly as you learn the game, taking breaks when you feel the need. Don’t pick an opponent who will push you to play more intensely than is comfortable.

Most important, if something hurts, stop and take stock of the situation. See a health professional if an injury lingers or gets worse over time, or seek help right away if you are seriously hurt.

Minutes for the February Leadership Team meeting

The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting that was held Monday, February 3rd, 2020, have been posted. Topics that were discussed included:

The format, location, and date of next round robin. Location will be at Gregg Park, format will be Mixed Doubles, Teams - 3.0; 3.5 & 4.0. The exact date is still waiting for final approval and should be announced shortly.

Our new assistant pro, Megan Hollenbeck, was introduced, as well as Gloria Lynch, the new player representative for Gregg Park.

The Spring League has generated a lot of interest and as of now we have several potential teams, both in Aiken and Augusta.

There was a lengthy and animated discussion about what to do to give everyone a fair chance to get a court reservation, especially when court space is limited during basketball season. As the basketball season at Odell is almost over, and extra courts and Wednesday evening and Saturday play will soon be available at Gregg Park, it was decided to leave the signup procedures as they currently exist. We will make adjustments when the next basketball season starts and our playing time is reduced.

To read the minutes in their entirety, click here.

Skill Rating Session for February

The next skill rating session will be held on Thursday, February 27th, from 11 am - 2:00 pm, on Court #4. A minimum of four players is needed to conduct the session.

Please contact Nancy Rogers at pball29803@gmail.com to schedule a time or Ron Nelson at ron@gforcecable.com if you have any questions.

There is no charge to be rated.