Pickleball Report - off day. Monday, Jan 24, 2011

Possible gloomy weather on Tuesday forced a Monday session and that resulted in a smaller than usual turnout. But, it was a sparkling day and  seven players appeared - paddles in hand - ready to play. Present: Ralph, Mike, Jan, Bill, Peter, Sharon and Ron. We played doubles on one court, and either Canadian Doubles, or singles on the other. Folks were either on their game or off their game. No middle-of-the-roaders today, so there were a lot of blowouts. But, who cares? We played for over two hours and had a good time in the process. Looking for 2 more sessions this week. Watching the weather. Stay tuned.

Spike

Logo (Or, loco) Day - Friday, Jan 21, 2011

This was another Freaky Friday event. The charge: Wear something featuring a favorite school, sport or almost any event for which p'ballers had, or could borrow attire. This was our third such event and the participation was an overwhelming 125%. As you can see above and below, many institutions were represented including the University of Adidas - where ever that is? Thirteen players were on hand to display their wears (< intentional play on words!!!) and to play pickleball: Gary, Gary A, Bill, Bob H, Steve, Jan, Anne, Joanie, Ralph, Peter, John, Sharon & Ron.

The UPG photographer remained very professional, even while shooting the front of Anne's, Joanie's, and Sharon's T-shirts. They are represented by these logos: The Red Sox/Celtics, Marathon & Colts. Who's who?

Above: Bob H w/ Ohio State duds. Who would have ever guessed? Ralph forehanding and determined. Bill's badge of honor for the wounds he collected on his first day playing P'ball (Wed, Jan 19). John ready for a backhand. ... Highlights for some: Cupcake and Jan defeated Gary-The-Long-and-Lean & Ralph The-Sturdy in a brilliantly executed match. Much gaiety (and/or merriment) followed the victory by the dynamic damsels. One of the UPG enforcers suggested a penalty for excessive celebration, but the  thought was stiffled quickly by the UPG Rules Committee. Anne (Pit Bull) was on her game - drilling the ball at will, and Stevie Wonder was as hot as a Chinese firecracker with a short fuse - and, twice as quick. And: We received a report from Kevin from the Rec. Dept. that the resurfacing and P'ball lining of the 5 courts at Gowers Park is still in the works. A few obstacles that were holding up the project have been resolved. No time frame yet, but things are looking up.

Watching the weather.
Spike

P'ball - Wednesday, Jan 19, 2011 - Back @ Timmons

A Wednesday match caught some of our players with other obligations, but we still ended up with 9 players: Bill (a newbie), Joanie, Catherine, Steve, Mike, Ralph, Gary, Sharon & yon editor. It was good to see Ralph back in action. The courts were wet, but our maintenance division spiffed them up pronto. New guy Bill (also a GNHA hiker) joined us for his 1st try at P'ball and did well. Within the 1st half hour he took a digger - judged as a low-degree of difficulty (LDD) swan dive. None the worse for wear, he only garnered a 7.0 for the effort. Much room for improvement.

Above: Bill, looking like a seasoned p'ball veteran. Got his 1st win late in the day, partnered with Stevie Wonder. Below: Gazelle-like Joanie de arc lunges for a backhander.

Spidy was in action today, but still burdened with a cold. Under the circumstance - catching him in a debilitated state, and definitely out of sorts, I (Spike) cleverly challenged him to a singles match. It was the best idea I had all day. It went my way because I finally gained a sympathy point when he was leading 8-0. Spidy, clearly off his game battled back, and eventually, barely edged me by a scrawny 11-1 score.

Above: Spike and Ralph. Catherine-the-great took a bunch of pictures when she wasn't playing. This is one of them. She demanded copyright privileges. The editorial staff usually plagiarizes all documents and photos so it isn't familiar with the copyright symbol. But, for the record: this photo is copyrighted. So, duplicate it at your peril.

 The weather was exceptional, closing in on 60 degrees. So, we played for over two hours and had a good time as always. We'll be playing Friday @ Timmons. Watch for the notification.

Spike