Pickleball Novelette - 2/18/2010

We had another nice today. Bright, @ >46 degrees and some gusty winds just to make things interesting. Seven players were present including Anne (Pit Bull) who recently returned from a trip to the great state of Vermont. Present: Anne, Sharon, Johnny, Ralph, Bob H, Gary no-nick-name, and yon novelist and occasional sayer of truthful utterances.

Photo above: Sharon lashes a serve while Johnny prepares for the return that never arrives.

Pit Bull serves as Johnny everywhere looks on. Anne was trying to wing the photographer. Missed by a few inches.

Gary no-nick-name took on the awesome responsibility of serving as assistant to the assistant Upstate Pickleball Group photographer, twice removed. It's a temporary position and that's a good thing. He took 35 pictures including the 1st & 3rd above. These photos are included here because they are the only 2 of the 35 that include a little yellow ball.

We had several hard-fought games and a bunch of great shots. Thank Goodness Bob H was present to help us keep track of the scores and servers.

Looks like we will not be playing P'ball next week. Here's hoping the courts don't sprout grass in our absence. We'll be back in action the week starting March 1 (which is right after February 29 or 30th.

Ron

PICKLEBALL JOURNAL - 2/17/2010

We had a swell day of Pickleball with 5 players present: Steve, Sharon, Jan, this bull-thrower and a new player: Avis. The weather was kind to us. The temperature was just under 46 degrees, mostly sunny with some squirrelly winds. This was Avis's first time at P'ball, but she is an avid tennis player, so had no problem catching onto the game. Good thing too, because we put her right into the first game after a short warm-up and she played three in a row before we let her off the hook.

Sorry, no photos today. Will try to do better tomorrow when we will be playing again at 1:00PM.


Spike

PICKLEBALL REPORT - 2/08/2010

Above: Carol smoking another net shot.

Below: Johnny about to pounce on a low drive.

Eight players showed up for Pickleball today including Johnny and Carol. We thought they had been soaking up the sun and taking life easy in Florida for the last month, but it turns out that they spent a lot of time playing P'ball - 3 & 4 times a week! And it showed in their playing. It didn't take long for them to get into the game - especially at the net.

Players in action: Jan, Mike, Ralph, Johnnie, Carol, Bob H, John & Ron

We had many fine matches highlighted by a lot hard-fought net volleys. This rapid-fire action - up close and personal - took its toll on at least three players who took direct hits. The players, by a stroke of luck - suffered only minor flesh wounds and are expected to fully recover in a week or so.

In the mean time Upstate P'ballers are taking the rest of this week off. We will be back in action the week starting Feb 14ht. Better not forget that date!

Spike

P'Ball Report - February 4, 2010

What a difference a day and a 20 degree drop in temperature makes. The photo above was taken on 2/3/10 at 3:00PM while the photo below was taken on 2/4/10 at 2:00PM. An astute observer will note some interesting differences in these photos. The biggest difference is the paucity of players and cars in the parking lot. The next thing is the difference in attire. And, of course there are shadows in the top photo.

In the photo above Spike is eyeing his timepiece while Cupcake looks toward the park entrance for the arrival of players who might be on the tardy side. But, alas, no one showed. But, fear not. We played 'pepper' (playing close to the net - short shots back and forth). It took some doing and several attempts, but we finally managed a 25-shot rally. We played doubles (both on the same team) and won every game by consecutive 11-0 scores. Surely some kind of record. We then played singles by utlilizing only diagonal courts with each having one serve. This turned out to be a good workout.

Hoping the weather will cooperate next week.

Spike

OFFICIAL P'BALL REPORT - 2/03/2010

OK. This is the way it was. First off, John didn't show up, even though he specifically said he wouldn't be there! So, we fumbled around drying the court and doing a pathetic job of it without his leadership skills. Six of us were present so we didn't occupy both courts even though we swabbed both. Four began to play. A tennis player arrives and starts playing against the backboard. Our 7th player arrives. Seven against 1. He practices his serves. Hits a few balls over the fence. Finally quits. We take over the other court. Players present: Jan, Bob H, Steve, Catherine, Sharon, Spidy and Spike. We have many fine games in sensational weather. We played doubles on one court and Canadian Doubles on the other. Spidy and Spike played four singles matches using the full doubles courts. There was only one winner of the four matches His nickname startes with an 'S', but - sorry to say - it ends with an 'e'. But, if your going to lose hard-fought games - singles is a good way to do it!






Catherine, adorned in her lucky tie-dyed T-shirt, finishes off a powerful forehand stroke. She filled in as assistant to the unofficial photographer 2nd class, twice removed.






Above: Bob H smashes a backhander.

Jan and Spike race-walking.

Stevie Wonder looking suave.

Weather is moving in again for the weekend, so we will play again on Thursday, Feb 4th.

Spike

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.

Pickleball Tuesday Afternoon 12-29-09

PICKLEBALL REPORT - TUESDAY,DECEMBER 29, 2009
TIMMONS PARK

We had a good crowd, a beautiful, sunny day with just enough wind to make things interesting (and also a convenient crutch for those of us who occasionally missed a ball by a foot or more).

Present: Ralph, Gary, Muriel, John, Mike, Jan, Sharon, Steve, Bob H and yon reporter. That should add up to approximately 10 players. We occupied both courts and rotated the two sitting players in, so there wasn't much time to rest.

The games were fast and furious, so fast in fact that Stevo (Stevie Wonder) took a rather nice swan dive while lunging for a ball delivered smartly by Spidy. Stevie missed the ball; the good guys got the point, but Mr Wonder garnered a 9.5 by the panel of Olympic judges that just happened to be in the area.

Muriel sported a new paddle, presented to her by Santa Clause himself. She made some blistering shots much to the chagrin of her opponents.

John delivered several nasty back-spin drop shots, while Bob H, Gary and Ralph executed some breathtaking rockets - more than once retrieved by the opposing players' mid-sections.

This was also a special day because Muriel brought along her Mom, Lou. Lou spent the entire 2-1/2 hours shagging balls and watching our matches - but, most of the time she motored around the court retrieving balls and keeping herself warm and getting some good exercise, too. We enjoyed her company.

Lynn & Ken should be back in town on Wednesday, 12/30. They will be scheduling our next match.

If we don't get together for some games on Thursday 12/31, then I guess we'll see you all in 2010.

Drive safely and enjoy the holidays and the New Year.

Ron (Spike)

Pickleball Tuesday Afternoon 12-22-09

PICKLEBALL REPORT. TUESDAY, 12/22/2009
TIMMONS PARK - GREENVILLE, SC

We had a beautiful day again today and a notable gang of players.

12 players in attendance: John, Johnny, Jan, Carol, Bob H, Mike (Spidy), Claude, Steve, Gary, Ralph, Sharon and writer of this missive. Lynne is still on the disabled list, but she stopped by to say hello and to present Spidy with a gift.

Carol played some spirited games after her short layoff. She didn't spare any of her opponents.

Sharon played about 4 games and showed her stuff, sore knees and all.

Otherwise, all enjoyed the day and played long and hard. There were a few matches that were highlighted with lots of noisy bantering about line calls, scoring issues and who was supposed to be serving. In one case, one of our more social players, gabbed with a non-player for so long that one of the players took a short siesta on the court while waiting for play to commence.

An amazing play took place and was duly recorded. Please see the attached sketch, by a roving reporter who happened by, and a photo documenting the event. One in a million!

Lynn & Ken will be heading back to Greenville soon. They will take over the PICKLEBALL notifications and write-ups. My guess is that we'll be playing again on Mon or Tue (28th or 29th).

Seasons Greetings to everyone. Drive carefully.

Ron (Spike)