Aiken Pickleball lost a great friend yesterday. Nelson Swartzentruber passed away yesterday after battling a rare form of leukemia. Click here for his obituary.
Nelson you are going to be missed.
Aiken Pickleball News
Lisa Barrett-Johnson, a.k.a. LBJ, is our new certified teaching instructor at Gregg Park effective June 1st, 2023. In a couple of weeks, Lisa will be offering Drills with LBJ on Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm at Gregg Park. Separate news article to follow with more details and info on how to sign up. She will also be available for lessons at Odell Weeks on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons. For more information, to see a photo and contact details select Read more
A new transplant to the south (six years) and a former Wall Street trader from New York, Lisa came to Georgia as a longtime tennis instructor. The first day she saw a group playing pickleball she was hooked. The rest is history, as they say .
Certified to teach for over four years and an avid pickleball tournament participant, Lisa has won over 75 medals in the past few years. With a love of the sport and a penchant for exercise (a ten time marathon participant) she is super excited to be teaching at Odell Weeks and Gregg Park, and looks forward to bringing back some laughter to the sport! Her focus is on strategy, how to be defensive, and turning defense to offense. She feels you don’t have to be the best person on the court, you have to be the smartest!
LBJ will assist Mo with New Players Clinics at Odell Weeks and conduct her own New Players Clinics at Gregg Park. Email address is lisabarrettjohnson002@gmail.com
Thank you to everyone who came to the celebration of the new courts at Virginia Acres Park. And thank you to Mike and Loretta Beckner and the pickleball pioneers (also known as the Pickledillys) who started us on the road to being the thriving pickleball community that we are today.
Pickleball pioneers Jean Durkee, Sharon McMichael, Mike Beckner, Loretta Beckner, Ron Nelson, and Nelson Spitnale
Mike and Loretta Beckner
The next New Players Pickleball Clinic at Odell Weeks will be on Saturday, June 17th. The clinic is for people new to the game of pickleball. Clinic is full. Schedule as follows:
845-9am - Check-in at front desk
9-10 am - Instruction
10-11 am - Practice Play
Clinic will include proper court position, how to keep score, how to make the transition from tennis and other racquet sports to pickleball and much more. Players should wear tennis shoes and bring something to drink. Clinic will be held indoors on Courts 1 & 2 in Gym 2, at Odell Weeks. Balls and paddles provided. Maximum 8 players. Cost is $15 per person which includes the daily access fee. Sign up and pay at the Odell Weeks front desk. Bring your receipt to the clinic.
Note: Fee also covers attendance at the New Players Practice session to be scheduled later.
There will be a celebration of the new courts at Virginia Acres Park at 4.30 pm on May 23. Aiken Pickleball Inc. would like to show our appreciation to the City for building the courts and would be delighted to see our pickleball community show up to mark the occasion.
After the outdoor celebration, we will move inside for a potluck social at 5pm. All are welcome. To sign up for the potluck, click here.
We want to give special thanks to Mike and Loretta Beckner, who introduced pickleball to Aiken 13 years ago and changed our lives for the better. We are deeply grateful to the people who first showed up to support Mike and Loretta, some of whom are still actively involved in making pickleball a fun experience for everyone. The pickleball pioneers, who were also known as the Pickledillys, included Ron Nelson, Jean Durkee, Sharon McMichael, Bobbie Atwell, Leigh Maund, Maggie Ward, John Cox, Rob Bromley and Nelson Spitnale.
Our district ambassador, Mo Garcia, has worked tirelessly with the City to provide the initial 8 outdoor courts as well as the latest addition of the six outdoor courts at Virginia Acres Park. Thank you, Mo!
The Aiken/Savannah Lakes Mini-Scramble featured a round robin arrangement for a total of 7 games employing Men’s, Women ‘s and Mixed Doubles. Savannah Lakes Village Pickleball players were Bob Massie, Joe Locke, Bryan Conner, Chuck Wiegert, Anne Hiney, Brenda Briggs, Tracy McGraw, and Julie Elmore. Aiken Pickleball players were Ben Stephens, Rob Harrington, Mike Howard, Jay Wilson, Heidi Abele, Dianne Floyd Peg Sharp, and Christy Pritchard. Great play and camaraderie!
Aiken Pickleball is hosting a free New Player Clinic indoors at the Gregg Park Civic Center on Saturday, May 20th. Click here to sign up. Schedule as follows:
830 - 9am - Check-in at front desk
9 - 10am - New Players Clinic Instruction
There have been delays checking in so please arrive early and be patient. Thanks
10 - 11am - Practice Play
In this sixty minute clinic you will learn everything you need to get started playing the sport of pickleball. Please wear tennis shoes and athletic attire, and bring something to drink. Balls and paddles provided. Class limited to eight.
The April.29th clinic cancelled.
Minutes from the Leadership Team's Meeting held on Monday, April 3 have been posted. Click here to read the full report.
The 9th Annual Palmetto Indoor Doubles Invitational Pickleball Tournament, held at the Odell Weeks Activities Center August 4-6, 2023, was a great success. Over 170 players participated in twenty-one events - men's, women's and mixed doubles - in all different age divisions up to and including 70 and above! Hats off to Jay Wilson, the Tournament Director, Joyce Noland, the Technical Advisor, Mo Garcia and all of the volunteers that made this possible. You gals/guys are the greatest. And special thanks to the City of Aiken and all our sponsors listed below.
Click on "Read more" below to see a list of all the medal winners. Also go to the Aiken Pickleball Facebook page to see their photos.
Gold-level sponsors
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Silver-level sponsors
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Bronze-level sponsors
Partners:
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Results Palmetto tournament
Men's Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Ronnie Vengua (Grovetown, GA)
Justin Santos (Evans, GA)
Silver
Joshua Pifer (AIKEN, SC)
Robert Schafer(Aiken, SC)
Bronze
Jose Gonzalez (Hephzibah, GA)
Brian White (Grovetown, GA)
Men's doubles 3.0) Age: (70 And Above)
Gold
Andrew Stivanson (Aiken, SC)
Douglas Ditter (Chapel Hill, NC)
Silver Mike Burley (Augusta, GA)
Lester Powell (Augusta, GA)
Bronze
Kenneth Mason (Evans, GA)
Ron Jackson (Evans, GA)
Men's Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Ranjeet Singh (Augusta, GA)
Fawzi Naji (Augusta, GA)
Silver Aaron Shelton (Evans, GA)
Ken Oliphant (North Augusta, SC)
Bronze
Will Pethick (Aiken, SC)
Kevin Pethick (Aiken, SC)
Men's Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (60 And Above)
Gold
Stan Felkner (Conway, PA)
Steve Jensen (Conway, SC)
Silver
Harry Molloy (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Bob Grueser (Bluffton, SC)
Bronze
Ken Oliphant (North Augusta, SC)
Mike Newman (Martinez, GA)
Men's Doubles Skill: (4.0) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Westin Bobadilla (Augusta, GA)
Mark Shearer (Augusta, GA)
Silver
Spencer Smith (Conway, SC)
Ralph Teal III (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Bronze
Marwan Ben-Jebara (Evans, GA)
Jon Roebuck (Evans, GA)
Men's Doubles Skill: (4.0) Age: (50 And Above)
Gold
JoJo Davis (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Thomas Gull (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Silver
Harve Mobley (Aiken, SC)
Phil Breidenbach (Aiken, SC)
Bronze
Drew Walker (Greenwood, SC)
Derek Kidd (Greenwood, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Dani Ingle (Fort Eisenhower, )
Ronnie Vengua (Grovetown, GA)
Silver
Andrea Motley Crabtree (Belvedere, SC)
Justin Santos (Evans, GA)
Bronze
Emily Jones (Aiken, SC)
Joshua Pifer (AIKEN, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (50 And Above)
Gold
Aimee Kollmansberger (Columbia, SC)
Mike Kollmansberger (Columbia, SC)
Silver
Cookie Gonzalez (Hephzibah, GA)
Brian White (Grovetown, GA)
Bronze
Julie Felder (Evans, GA)
Felix Latorre (North Augusta, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (60 And Above)
Gold
Vanessa Rogers (Evans, GA)
Graham Deriso (North Augusta, SC)
Silver
Pamela King (Evans, GA)
Harry Bacheller (Evans, GA)
Bronze
Ratchinee Skinner (Martinez, GA)
Ron Jackson (Evans, GA)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Sarah Lancaster (Evans, GA)
Marwan Ben-Jebara (Evans, GA)
Silver Jane Grange (Germantown, MD)
Will Pethick (Aiken, SC)
Bronze
Anna Parviainen (Augusta, GA)
Jules Gouron (North Augusta, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (50 And Above)
Gold
Diane Pepple (Evans, GA)
Ranjeet Singh (Augusta, GA)
Silver June Melton (Asheville, NC)
Ronald Nelson (Tryon, NC)
Bronze
Tammy Pruitt (Graniteville, SC)
Mike Chaput (Aiken, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (60 And Above)
Gold
Diane Miller (Florence, SC)
Paul Miller (Florence, SC)
Silver
Victoria Miller (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Stan Felkner (Conway, PA)
Bronze
Christy Pritchard (Aiken, SC)
Michael Howard (Aiken, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (70 And Above)
Gold
Pat Truesdale (Camden, SC)
Harry Molloy (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Silver Mimi Borchers (Evans, GA)
Mike Burley (Augusta, GA)
Bronze
Sally Serago (Aiken, SC)
Douglas Ditter (Chapel Hill, NC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (4.0) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Joni Walls (Myrtle Beach, SC)
JoJo Davis (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Silver
Cameron Frank (Evans, GA)
Jose Vega (Martinez, GA)
Bronze
Leslie McCowan (Aiken, SC)
Brian Eberhard (Aiken, SC)
Mixed Doubles Skill: (4.5) Age: (50 And Above)
Gold
Lisa Barrett-Johnson (Augusta, GA)
Terry (Woody) Irons (Grovetown, GA)
Silver
Cheryl Breidenbach (Aiken, SC)
Harve Mobley (Aiken, SC)
Bronze
Amy Buck (Aiken, SC)
Jeff Simizon (Aiken, SC)
Women's Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Aimee Kollmansberger (Columbia, SC)
Crystal Manzi (Lexington, SC)
Silver
Christine Lightsey (Seneca, SC)
Lauren Young (Clemson, SC)
Bronze
Kissila Gunther (Aiken, SC)
Pamela King (Evans, GA)
Women's Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (50 And Above)
Gold
Diane Miller (FLORENCE, SC)
Billi Jager (Lexington, SC)
Silver
Julie Newman (Martinez, GA)
Van Fleming(Evans, GA)
Bronze
Lori King (Aiken, SC)
Christina Thompson (Aiken, SC)
Women's Doubles Skill: (3.0) Age: (60 And Above)
Gold
Bebe Murphy (Aiken, SC)
Jan Snipes (Aiken, SC)
Silver
Andrea Motley Crabtree (Belvedere, SC)
Anna Wilds (Martinez, GA)
Bronze
Victoria Miller (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Margo Harrison (North Myrtle Beach)
Women's Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (11 And Above)
Gold
Sarah Lancaster (Evans, GA)
Tonya Roebuck (Evans, GA)
Silver
Jessica Coon (Evans, GA)
Faith Van Rengen (Clarks Hill, SC)
Bronze
Leslie McCowan (Aiken, SC)
Amy Myers (Aiken, SC)
Women's Doubles Skill: (3.5) Age: (60 And Above)
Gold
Valerie Karrasch (Graniteville, SC)
Christy Pritchard (Aiken, SC)
Silver
Miriam James (Matthews, GA)
Barbara Outley (Martinez, GA)
Bronze
Sally Serago (Aiken, SC)
Barbara Dellamora (Aiken, SC)
Women's Doubles Skill: (4.0) Age: (19 And Above)
Gold
Cheryl Breidenbach (Aiken, SC)
Lisa Barrett-Johnson (Augusta, GA)
Silver
Mary Gull (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Joni Walls (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Bronze
Rhonda Fink (Greenville, SC)
Amy Buck (Aiken, SC)
If you are trying to make a court reservations or change an old one and you get the message "ACCESS CODE REQUIRED", it is probably sometime Wednesday evening and 8am Thursday morning. That is when the Signup Genius is locked down for maintenance. During this time the new court reservations for the following week are being added. So be patient - you do not need a code - you just need to wait until 8am on Thursday when the SUG will be reopened.