Weather or not - P'ball - Friday, 9/23/11

We were drowned out of our scheduled session on Tuesday, Sept. 20th and Old Man Weather tried to foil us again on Fri. the 23rd by dumping tons of rain in the morning causing cancellation of the 9:00AM session. BUT, Gary A's and Steve's persistence and weather manipulation brought the promise of sunny skies for the afternoon - so the session was rescheduled for 1:00PM. Eight players were in action: Steve, Gary A, Gary, Mike, Johnny, Carol, Sharon and Ron. Normally, playing after a rain would entail drying off the courts (at Timmons), but the Gower courts were dry and perfectly playable when we arrived thanks to the well drained playing surface. So, we eight played on two courts for over two hours in beautiful, sunny weather. A little warm, but who's complaining? Notice in the photo above that the court color matches the Carolina Blue sky? Nice touch, yes?

Top photo: Gary A and Carol w/ Steve and Mike gabbing in the background. 2nd from top: Johnny and his knees; above: Gary digging one out of the tarmac.

Spike

Friday P'ball - Hardcore - 9/16/2011

It was a mite windy. And, coolish at 60 degrees (especially after a long run of 90 degree days). But, we've played in much worse conditions. However, only five players appeared for the session: Steve, Peter, Mike, Sharon and yon scribe. We played for about two hours and had some fine games considering the wind kept trying (and often succeeding) in redirecting the balls during flight.

We are getting frequent reports from Anne. To date she has hiked 150 miles and did 18 miles a few days ago. She has been hiking the El Camino in Portugal and crossed over into Spain. Has met some old friends from other El Camino treks she has done.

See you on the courts soon.
Yon scribe

Pickleball Chronicle - Tue, 9/13/2011

Above: Ron and Sharon gabbing with Ralph and Peter.

This was one of our nicest days in quite a while. Nine P'ballers came out to swat the ball around and enjoy the day. Players: Lynne, Jan, Sharon, Steve, Mike, Peter, Ralph, Gary and Ron.  We occupied two courts and played mostly doubles plus we played a few partial singles matches. Lately, duos have been practicing 'dinks' and find, once you get a rhythm going, its easy to get a bunch of shots across the net. The unofficial record so far is 40 consecutive dinks by Ron and Peter. This record, like all others we UPGers lay claim to - are made to be broken. Keep that in mind!  The dink practice is good for eye-hand coordination and forces players to keep their eyes on the ball.
                                                     Below: Gary and Mike in action.

Below: Jan and Steve poised for action

Thanks to Lynne for taking the pictures.

See you on the courts. The sooner the better. Spike

Eight on Friday - 9/9/11 - Pickleball

Had to use a stock photo for today's write-up. Too busy playing P'ball on a beautiful day, but short on players. But, long on playing. Ralph reported in after a 15 day leave-of-absence while traveling in Spain. Ralph got right back into the game - just like he never left. And, he gave us a little rundown on his trip. Other players: Steve, Mike, Peter, Lynne, Jan, Sharon and Yon editor. We occupied two courts and played mostly doubles. Lots of good matches and scads of fun.

Also: Have heard from Anne. She is in Portugal hiking the El Camino, seeing some beautiful sights and enjoying herself.

And: The UPG is looking for some more players. If you know anyone with a tennis, or any paddlesport background who is physically active - let us know. We'll invite them to the courts and give them a little workout to see if they can work into the sport.

Spike

Gusty Day - Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - P'ball

No pictures today. Lucky you. When we first arrived at Gower Park, the weather was surly and some might say threatening due to the ominous black clouds and squirrelly winds. And, the courts were wet. But 6 were on hand, armed with brooms and two courts were promptly cleared of most of the water. The sun, which soon poked its head out of the clouds and the wind combined nicely to finish drying the courts.

Players: Steve, Mike, Gary A, Lynne*, Sharon and Ron. We played doubles and singles and kept busy for 2-1/2 hours.

*Lynne looked none the worse for wear after having been stranded in Iceland while on vacation with Bill. They were unable to fly out on their scheduled flight due to problems associated with Hurricane Irene. They spent 6 extra days in Iceland.

Spike

Friday Pickleball - September 2, 2011

We had 10 players today. There would have been more, but the intense look on Claude's face scared some of them away. Players who stuck it out: Mike, Steve, Gary, Gary A, Claude Hisself, Johnny, Carol, Ray, Sharon and Ron. We played for about two hours. The group kept dwindling for various reasons - one of which might have been because we were being constantly buzzed by low flying aircraft - some of them, ours. And, a worker was mowing a nearby ball field and kicked up so much dust that we had a hard time seeing the p'ball. That's the excuse we used, anyway. But, we had fun, and there were some exciting games.

Gary was back in town - this time wearing a knee brace. Someone must have messed up, because it's Muriel who had knee surgery. Muriel is doing well and we are glad to hear that. Claude will be leaving for the coast so we won't see him for a while. He's going to leave his tank at Gower until then because the condo association won't let him park it in the driveway.

See you next week. Spike

Back home. Gower Park - Tue. P'ball - 8/30/2011

Ten players were in action - some, a little sore from the action at Lake Lure on August 26, 2011. In attendance: Claude, Ray, Johnny, Ron, Sharon, Steve, Peter, Anne, Gary A and Mike. It was very windy the whole time, so it was hard to get any really good games in. But, that didn't keep anyone from trying. We kept at it for over two hours.

We'll be going at it again on Friday, September 2nd. Be there! Spike

Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad - P'ball Games - 8/26/2011 - REVISED

L-R: Gary A, Claude, Ron, Sharon, Jan, Anne, David H, Catherine, Mike and Steve.

The above Upstate Pickleballers, including Johnny and Carol (not in photo) competed in the Pickleball Games on a veeery hot day at the Rambling Bald Resort on Lake Lure, NC. Peter and Josee were also on hand to cheer everyone on. The event was well organized. The matches started at about 9:30 AM, when there was still a little shade on the courts. Hosts Smoke, Libby and their crew kept things moving (no simple chore), provided much needed yummies and fluids and kept track of all of the matches - at times, four going on at one time. There was plenty of stiff competition and it made for an exciting day. The final match ended about 3:30 PM. Congratulations to all the players from Hendersonville, Lake Keowee, Lake Lure and our group who toughed it out in the blazing heat, and against some hard-core competitors. Upstate Pickleballers battled hard and took home these medals: Mixed doubles. Gold: Jan and Mike; Silver: Carol and Steve; Bronze: Anne and Gary A . Women's doubles. Bronze: Sharon and Anne. Men's doubles. Bronze: Steve and Mike.  Congratz to all.

Above: Carol and Steve and their shadows compete and win the silver.

Above: Anne and Sharon proudly display their medals.

Above: L-R: Anne, Sharon, Gary A, Catherine, David, Peter, Jan and Claude. All trying to cool down. That wet spot by Anne's feet is what was left of Steve after he completely dehydrated. Soon after, a good Samaritan gave Steve an electrolyte drink. Steve promptly morphed back into a Pickleball player and he and partner Mike went on to play two more games - winning one of them to bag the Bronze in men's doubles.

Win or lose, we had a good time and met some fine folks and rekindled friendships we've made during other p'ball events. Thanks to Gary A for working closely with Smoke and our crew to set up our participation in the event. A lot of work. Much appreciated.

PS: UPGers should be sure to check your email as a series of photos of the event have been sent to you, and a video by Richard Stone has been sent as well. Spike

Windyday Tuesday P'ball - August 23, 2011

Twelve players were in action today including Richard Stone who came 'a visiting all the way from Keowee Keys. Players: Ray, Mike, Steve, Johnny, Carol, Richard, Anne, Jan, Peter, Claude, Sharon and yon Editor.

It was our first windy day in a while, so it took a little getting used to. Lobs turned out to be problematic and loose balls kindly formed up together against the southern fence due to the NE wind. Unfortunately that fence is furthest removed from where resting players sit out, so the enthusiasm for volunteer ball-shagging was greatly reduced. Hint hint.

Richard (pictured below), got to play several matches. He left early with a long drive ahead of him, and presumably, to save his energy for the upcoming Lake Lure Games. Thanks for joining us.

Newsy stuff: Our logo shirts have been pretty much distributed. Thanks to to Peter for coming up with concept of the logo, to Sharon and Steve for getting the order together and to Steve for finishing the job by picking up the shirts in NC and delivering them to the troops. PS: Additional shirts can be ordered in different colors and material. We have several teams that will be heading to the lake Lure Games on Friday, 8/26/11. Some car-pooling has been arranged. Other folks should make their own arrangements if you haven't already done so. NOTE: We will not be playing local pickleball on Friday due to the tournament.



Good luck at the lake Lure Games. We will return to local action the week of August 28th.
Bent Spike

Fridayball - August 19, 2011 - Gower Park

Only 10 were on the scene today, but we scattered the balls, chairs, satchels and ourselves around so it looked like were occupying all five courts. Players: Mike, Steve, Jan, Johnny, Claude, Ralph, Gary A, Peter, Sharon and Ron. A bright day, 'warmish' with an occasional and much welcomed breeze. Steve delivered our new UPG logo T-shirts and they look very spiffy. Thanks, to Steve for doing the ordering, collecting the cash - and for driving to NC to pick up the shirts, They will be on full display at Lake Lure next week.

Peter and Claude above.

Spidy and Stevie Wonder  below.

Below: Hoot and Rambo

We played a bunch of matches - several hard fought. Some of the teams that are going to compete at Lake Lure got together and worked on their games. None of the teams are as finely tuned as a Swiss watch - maybe, more like a Timex. But, we had a lot of fun. It took just over 2-1/2 hours to fully wear ourselves out. See you next week at Gower and Lake Lure. Spike.

Ball, Pickle - Tuesday, August 16, 2011

We had a beautiful day on the courts and the fine weather brought out 14 players: Mike, Steve, Gary A, Sharon, Anne, Lynne, Ralph, Johnny, Carol, Ray, Claude, Jan, Bob T and Ron. We occupied 3 courts for a while and it worked out well. No waiting to play, but folks did rotate so there was a pretty good mix of players - and play. That's Dutchess below. Can't account for the ball location. Can you?

It was a little noisy during most of the session because workers were busy with mowers, weed-whackers and leaf blowers. Fortunately, none of this activity was taking place on the courts. A few planes buzzed us too. But, we played through the distractions and kept at it for 3 hours, although the crowd slowly dwindled as the session progressed. The last two standing were Stevie Wonder and Rambo who were in the midst of a singles match. Below: S. Wonder and Ace relax between matches,

Below: The Lady in pink.

Newsy Stuff: Stevo will be picking up our logo shirts on 8/17. They will be delivered to whoever shows up next time we play. Some of the teams for the Lake Lure Tournament have been shuffled around due to personal schedule conflicts. Gary A is taking care of the arrangements. There will be car-pool arrangements for the ride to Lake Lure. You will be advised.   Spike

Friday Pickleball - August 12, 2011

Ron

We did play pickleball on Friday and we had 11 players. We had a lot of fun. The players were Mike, Jan, Anne, Johnny, Carol, Ralph, Claude, Bob T, Lynne, Pete and me. The weather was overcast, not too humid, so we played for two and a half hours.

Steve

P'ball session - Tuesday, August 9, 2011 - Gower Park

The short and sweet of it: Players - Mike, Gary, Gary A, Jan, Anne, Peter, Lynne, Ray and Steve.

Spike.
Alexandria (not the one in Egypt!)

Our logo will be the one on the left.

P'ball report - August 5, 2011

Steve reports that 9 players were in action at Gower Park. As follows: Mike, Gary, Johnny, Anne, Joanie, Peter, Ray, Bob T and Steve. The squad played for about 3 hours. No mishaps were recorded. We'll be at it again next week. Stay tuned.

Sorry for the brief BLOG.

Spike
CT

Tuesday P'ball @ Gower - August 2, 2011

Eleven players were on hand for p'ball on another _______  _______* day. They were: Mike, Claude, Jan, Anne, Johnny, Carol, Bob H, Peter, John, Bob T and Steve. Welcome back to John who has been on the mend after a hip replacement. He came back in fine fashion, by taking a digger and scuffing his knee. But, not much harm done; he carried on for the rest of the session. Otherwise, the ________* wore some players down and led to a few early departures. But, I'm advised by Steve that there were plenty of good matches.

* Fill in at will.

Spike. Roving reporter
Manchester, CT

Maiden Session - Gower Park. Friday, July 29, 2011

Twelve players were on hand to christen the newly surfaced courts at Gower Park. All five of them. The courts are blue as seen in the following photos with white tennis lines and light blue pickleball lines. And, a very nice surface. The lines are easy to see and the blue color is easy on the eyes. Players: Mike, Steve, Ralph, Johnny, Claude, Ray, Gary A, Bob T, Peter, Anne, Ron and Sharon.

We played on three courts for a while, but it was hot and folks were taking well deserved rests under the nearby tree, so we pretty much stuck to two courts for the 2-1/2 hours session. Several planes flew low overhead on their final approaches to the municipal airport. Sharon claimed she had arranged for celebratory flyovers - but, no one bought into that claim. New sights: A tank; A one-man basketball game, and two observers. Below: Even though today was UPG's first official session at Gower - Spike and Cupcake played for about 15 minutes on July 27 to take the honor of being the first to play p'ball on the new courts.

Court 3. Players taking advantage of the shade, with a tank simmering in the background.

Notice that the pickleball lines break everywhere that they intersect a tennis line. That method is very effective for delineating the different court boundaries. Already said once: but, very nice courts and a spanking job. Spike.

Timmons Swan Song? - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Fifteen players made it to the courts today. Before we got started, the squeegee squad, led by Spidy and Stevie Wonder removed most of the puddles and the 'elements' took care of the rest. Remember: there will be no more discussion about the conditions that have prevailed since mid April. Suffice it to say that as we played drips and drops were deposited on the courts and the splashes didn't come from the sky.

Players: Bob T, Bob H, Mike, Steve, Ralph, Peter, Gary A, Ray, Jan, Anne, Joanie, Johnny, Carol, Sharon and Ron.

We played hard an long, and many fine games were duly recorded in the record books. Highlight for some: Mr. Wonder and Rambo challenged Jan and yours truly to a final game as the rest of the players were re-hydrating. Jan commented in a most friendly way that out team was going to boot Steve's team in the rear - or, it was a statement something like that. Stevie made a gentlemanly retort suggesting that they would beat us handily and the game commenced with much attention from the remaining spectators. Jan's team pulled out all the stops and played brilliantly, garnering applause from the fans and overwhelming Steve's team with exquisite gazelle-like moves. Unfortunately, the sweet moves did not result any points so Steve and Rambo went on the edge their opponents 11-0.

Several of our players have checked out the Gowers' improvements during the re-surfacing process. Now, the proof is in the pudding. Because, we'll start playing there this coming Friday and you will be advised accordingly. Shade will be at a premium anytime after 6:00AM and before 8:00PM. There is a tree just outside the court entrance. So, some may cluster under it like range cattle - but, I doubt it. Any one with a solar phobia might want to consider bringing some sort of personal shade providing device (PSPD) like an umbrella or a wide-brimmed hat. We UPers are a tough lot, so we'll figure it out. Spike

Johnny's Day - Friday, July 22, 2011 - Upstate Pickleball.

Johnny (Hoot) is featured today because it's his Birthday and he's an all-around nice guy. Plus, his darling wife Carole, who wasn't playing today, but was kind enough to stop by to deliver some scrumptious cookies. Hoot lucked out and didn't have to suffer through the UPG's off-key version of Happy Birthday. He departed just before we started tuning up. Smart move.

No more talk about the weather except to say that we dripped a lot. Twelve players were on hand: Gary A, Mike, Ralph, Peter, Anne, Jan, Johnny, Bob T, Claude, Steve, Sharon and Ron. We played for about 3 hours and had more than a few exciting matches. As previously noted, several teams have formed to participate in the Lake Lure games. So, these duos have been trying to get in at least a few games together during each session to work out any kinks in their play. So far, no kinks have been reported.

Maybe, just maybe we'll be playing at Gowers Park next week. We checked the courts out on Saturday, July 23rd. The finishing touches were in progress. Stay tuned. Also: several UPGers have expressed an interest in getting logo T-shirts. Steve has been in contact with a T-shirt firm and Sharon is compiling a list of sizes. A design has not been selected, but plenty of ideas have been suggested.

See you next week. Watch your email for details and the location of our next session. Spike

Tuesdayball and Steve's 54th - July, 19, 2011

Fifteen UPGers were on the scene today, and showed little concern for the hot, humid weather that has been our friend since mid-April. The courts were very puddled, but we managed to push most of the water off the playing surface with Stevie Wonder's 100-year old push broom with its withered bristles. Players: Bob H, Jan, Steve, Anne, Lynne, Carol, Johnny, Peter, Bob T, Joanie, Ralph, Gary A, Mike, Sharon and Ron.
Today was Steve's 54th Birthday and was duly celebrated with an only somewhat off-tune rendition of Happy Birthday and yummy home-made cupcakes kindly provided by Jan.
We also took time out to play many rousing p'ball matches. Jan (mentioned thrice, so far - at the cost of a hefty bribe) was on the winning side of 5 consecutive matches - which is some kind of record, but it is not known which one. Will check the archives and report. Below: That's Stevarino protecting the 'kitchen' with Carol (Lash) standing by.

Newsy stuff: Gary A - Commander-in-chief of the UPG Traveling Team reports that we now have 3 men's, 3 women's and 6 mixed teams that will participate in the Lake Lure Games. And: If all goes well, we may be able to start playing at Gowers next Tuesday (July 26th). Directions will be sent out via the UPG Communications Network Facilitator. Below: Bob T firing away, with Johnny holding back in reserve.



So, word has it that we'll be playing Friday (July 22nd) at Timmons. See you then. Spike

July 12, 2011- P'ball

Fourteen players were on hand for another humid p'ball session at Timmons Park. Even at the 9:30AM start time the weather was steamy; the temp continued to rise as we progressed through the 3-hour session. Players: Steve, Mike, Ralph, Gary, Gary A, Bob H, Georgianna, Jan, Anne, Johnny, Joanie, Peter, Sharon and Ron.

Above: CW from top L: Dutchess, Buckeye, Ricky Ricardo, Pistol Pete and Jan. Below: Spidy and Joanie hitting to Gary and his partner.

There was lots of action on both courts and the H and H didn't seem to slow anyone down. Eight teams have been formed for the upcoming Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad (Lake Lure). The teams have been practicing - by playing games together as opposed to our usual random method of forming teams. OBSERVED: some of the newly-formed teammates have been seen whispering, gesturing toward their opponents, and using not-so-subtle hand-signals. Apparently, this activity is related to a sophisticated playing strategy new to UPGers.

Below: CW from top L: Rambo/Dutchess, Rambo and Stevie Wonder/Joanie.



Otherwise: Bob H managed to hit himself in the mouth with his paddle. He ended up with a fat lip. Thankfully, his paddle is OK. Georgianna, visiting from AZ may, or may not, be back for one more session. In any case we enjoyed her company and her play. We UPGers have a standing invitation to visit her pals in AZ to play a little p'ball on dedicated courts.

So ends another day of play in Pickleballville, SC. Looks like we'll be at again on Friday, 7/15/11. See you then. Spike