PICKLEBALL REPORT - 1/28/2010

It took a while to get the players together for this group photo. Everyone was milling around, but we finally managed to get the photo with everyone of the P'ballers squeezed in and luckily no one was inclined to hold 'rabbit' ears up over anyone's head.

We had everything going for us today: Sunny, warm weather, almost no wind, empty courts. But, we had a big shortage of players. Certainly, this had a lot to do with the short notice, the earlier time-frame and the fact, that due to Friday's not-too-hot weather prediction - we decided to play two days in a row. But, as the saying goes: we made the best of a bad situation.
We three - for the record: Stevie Wonder, Cupcake and Spike, played Canadian doubles for 2 hours - taking turns 'in the hole'. It was a good workout and we enjoyed the beautiful day. But, missed many of our pals.

Above - Stevie Wonder working on a backhand.

Sharon with her Tie-Dyed shirt whacking a forehander. Where were you Catherine?

Spike. Where's the ball?

We are hoping for better weather conditions next week so we can get back on schedule. Watch for E-mail announcements.

Spike

P'Ball Report - January 27, 2010

We had a nice day for Pickleball and a good turnout of eleven players. The one and only problem we had was a big shortage of courts. It turns out that one court was occupied by tennis players - if you can believe that. As our group grew, we eyed the tennis players figuring that they wouldn'y stick around long. But, they kept at it for two hours. So, by mutual consensus, the Fab Foursome of Spidy, Stevie Wonder, Ralph and John (Spin Doctor) took off for McPherson Park where they played about five games, but not before they got some games in at Timmons.

The players: Steve (Stevie Wonder), Mike (Spidy), Dave, Catherine, Anne (Pit Bull), Bob H (Buckeye), Sharon (Cupcake), Ralph, John, (Spin Doctor), Rebecca (new today, but a quick study), and your's truly Ron (Spike).

We had many fine games at Timmons including a few big comeback wins. Sunny with some breeze. Dave had some masterful spin on his returns, that caused a few players to corkscrew around while flailing wildly at balls that ended up being where they weren't expected to be.

The photo above is of Anne (aka Pit Bull). The photo is not blurry because the photographer didn't steady the camera. Not on your life! Anne was so quick at this moment that even though the shutter speed was set to 1/2000th of a second, it was not quick enough to stop her incredible speed. So, fast even, that the court is blurry as well.

Above: Buckeye (best dressed player of the day) executes his signature backhand.

Below: Rebecca - new to P'ball, but not to racquett sports - starts to get the hang of it. She settled in after a few matches and made some nice shots. Welcome.

Three of the Fab Foursome returned from McPherson and reported on their adventures. Good thing they got some games in, because just before they returned, the two tennis players left and were almost immediately replaced by a tennis instructor and his student.

We will play again on Thursday, January 28th @ 10:00 AM. Timmons Park.

See you then.

Spike

Pickleball Report - 1/23/2010

Steve wasn't actually poaching was he?

Gary connecting; Muriel ready for a return shot.

The Deck Swabbers ready for inspection.

We had a fair turnout for a day that some softies might classify as raw and damp. Temperature was 41 degrees at our 10:00 AM start, but climbed steadily for the next two hours to a balmy 43 degrees. Overcast with a slight breeze.

The deck swabbing crew got to work right after the inspection shown above. The games commenced as soon as the courts were cleared.

Seven hardy players were in attandance: Muriel, Ralph, Gary, Steve, Sharon, John and this chronicler.

We played doubles on one court and Canadian doubles on the other. For the most part we kept moving so there was much slack time. Good thing, too. Moving around kept the chill off.

We will be playing next week. Probably on Tuesday - depending on the weather.

Spike

Pickleball Tuesday Afternoon 1-19-10

We had a beautiful day to play pickleball. 65 degrees, slight breeze and sunny. No wonder we had such a good turnout.
11 players in all including long lost Catherine, and a new player to us (but not to pickleball), Linda M. (hereafter: Linda). She plays indoors in western NC but it didn't take her long to get the hang of playing outdoors contending with the sun and the breeze. Welcome.
In attendance: Mike, Sharon, Ralph, Bob H., Jan, Linda, Catherine, Steve, Gary, John and me (Ron).
John started the day with a push broom cleaning up the few puddles from recent rains. He got a rousing applause for his efforts. Our Award Committee designated John as the Supreme Court Cleaner and All Around Handy Man. An award is being prepared. It will be awarded during a special ceremony on - you guessed it - Feb. 30, 2010. A photo is attached confirming his push-broom prowess. It clearly demonstrates his unusual technique.
We played for almost 3 hours and, as usual, had many fine games. Someone was bar-b-queing nearby and we were all having hunger tantrums by then. Otherwise we probably could have gotten a few more games in.
We'll be scheduling games for later this week depending on the weather.
Hope to see you there..... Spike

Pickleball Friday Afternoon 1-15-10 Timmons Park

12 pickleball players were in action today..... Ralph, Gary, Muriel, Sharon, Steve, Bob H., Jan, Mike, Lynne S., Joanie, John and me (Ron).

We had a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 60's, bright sun and just a breath of a breeze. But it was breath enough for one player to blame it on a missed return. No one fell for it though.

As always there were many spirited matches played during the 3 hours we were swatting the little yellow balls around. There were at least 2 shutouts. The best one came when Joanie started serving a match at "zero, zero, only" and kept at it until the match was over at "11, zero, only". She never gave up the serve much to the distress of her opponenets Sharon and Lynne S. For this amazing feat Joanie was designated player of the day and will receive a new Buick (from Tiger Wood's dwindling supply). This along with the free T-shirts, previously discussed in this column, will be delivered on February 30, 2010.

We'll be playing next week, probably on Tuesday, if the long range weather prediction holds. I'll work on it..... Spike

Pickleball Tuesday Afternoon 1-12-10

Jan attacking the photographer

Pickleball Report - January 12, 2010 - Timmons Park

9 Players: John, Jan, Lynne, Steve, Ralph, Fran, Sharon, Mike and this writer.

Some players were reluctant to come today after the Sunday announcement about the session. They feared that it would be too cold to play. They were assured that the temp would be at least 46 degrees. This writer brought an Official, US calibrated to Naval Observatory Standards, magnesium colored, lightweight, solar powered (with battery backup) thermometer. It was cleverly attached to the fence, in a protected position and as guaranteed - the temp hit 46 degrees (F) and stayed exactly the same for the entire match. Some players' automobile thermometers registered the temperature at 41 degrees. Just shows you how inaccurate they can be!

To confirm the court temperature readings - an authentic, un-retouched photo is attached for you viewing pleasure.

Once everyone was settled on the weather issues, we began to play p'ball and we carried on for 3 glorious hours. Many fine games ensued. Lynne was playing wearing jeans and with a bum foot to boot (pun intended). She played one of her best games. Ralph was fired up; his serve is back and he pulled off a couple of great hustle-plays. Sharon lashed a few kill shots much to the displeasure of her opponents. Jan tried to attack the photographer (see photo) while he foolishly crouched behind the net during a game to "get realistic action shots".

And, almost forgot. Four young disc golfers stopped by and asked, "what is the name of that sport?" Not 'game', but 'sport'. Glad they saw the event for the sport it is.

We plan on another Pickleball session on Friday January 15, 2010.

Spike (aka Ron):
Tall-story teller (well, not actually tall)/amateur weather forecaster and arranger/part time photographer/all around handy man

Pickleball Thursday Morning Indoors 1-7-10

Today was our first group indoor pickleball session. Everyone seemed to enjoy being out of the cold weather and playing indoors. We played at the Pavilion Recreation Complex. It was really different and fun. There were 13 pickleball players today..... Anne, Claude, Gary, Jan, Joanie, John, Ken, Lynne S., Ralph, Ron, Sharon, Steve and I. This is definitely a nice option to have when the weather is bad outside. Lynn

Pickleball Monday Morning 1-4-10 Indoors

Today 4 of us got together and did a test run of playing pickleball on the indoor badminton courts at the Pavilion Recreation Complex. The badminton court is the same size as the pickleball court. There are 3 courts but 2 would work great for play. Everything went smooth and it looks like a good option for our group during bad weather. The only drawback is that it does costs to play there. The cost is $3.50 per person for 2 to 3 hours of playing, depending on the number of players. It was a new and different experience and we all enjoyed playing there. The players today were Steve, Jan, Ken and I. Ron came and checked things out and took a few pictures for us. He did not play as he is recovering from a cold.