Pickledilly News

New Rating Committee Chairperson

by Mike Beckner

We are pleased to announce that Diane Voss has agreed to assume the role of rating committee chairperson.

She will work with Ron Nelson to learn the necessary skills before taking over sometime before January 2019.

Ron, we all owe you an incredible debt of gratitude for the hard work and commitment you have provided to the Aiken pickleball community, especially in your role as chairman of the rating committee. Your work has been integral to our whole system of organizing the court structure and if we didn't have the rating program we would not have a cohesive program for designating our limited courts. Thank you so very much for your involvement and guidance.

Open Play on October 27th in Charlotte

For anyone who may be interested in traveling to the Charlotte area for pickleball on October 27th, check out the kickoff for this new facility.

Aiken Y Round Robin

The Aiken Y will host their first round bobin tournament on October 31st. See the flyer below for details.

Wednesday Drop-in Play at the Aiken Y

The Aiken Y has added drop-in play for non-members on Wednesdays.

For details, go to https://thefamilyy.org/programs/22511492/pickleball/#division_2172373 and click on "Aiiken Non-member Drop-in".

Aiken Round Robin Slam

Aiken Round Robin Slam

October 13^th - 14^th2018

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4aada929a7fa7-court2

The Aiken Pickledillys will host another Round Robin Slam on October 13^th -14^th

October 13^th - check-in at 12:00 pm - play starts 12:30 pm - levels 2.5 & 3.0

October 14^th- check-in at 1:00 pm - play starts 1:30pm - levels 3.5 & 4.0/4.5/5.0

There is no charge for this social competition. Players will be placed in groups on a first come, first served basis.

The following is a basic description of the format:

Play within your skill level

Play with a different partner each round

15 minute rest period between games

You will play at least 6 games

The actual number of games will depend on the number of participants

All games will be timed at 11 minutes regardless of score

Top scoring players will be entered into the playoff round

If you have any questions please contact Nancy Vermilye :

vermilye01@msn.com 803-270-4270

Please register using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4aada929a7fa7-court2

Rules Challenge with Prizes!

Knowing the rules of pickleball is an essential part of the game for everyone from beginning players all the way through the pros.

We hope that each of you has already made an effort to become well acquainted with them.

To encourage everyone to know the rules, we are offering the choice of an Onix Pure outdoor ball, a paddle cover, a paddle handle overgrip, or a $5.00 discount on any new Paddletek Paddle to any player who scores 95% or better on the rules test.

Just go to https://www.usapa.org/rules-tests/ .and choose “Player Rules Quiz”, and take the test. You may take it as many times as you wish to obtain the target score. If you score 95% or above,
send your prize preference and a screenshot of your score to info@aikenpickleball.com to claim your reward. Winners will be posted on the website. This offer is valid through October 31, 2018.

Sixth Annual Pickleball Tournament a Huge Success

by Mike Beckner

Aiken hosted the sixth annual Palmetto Indoor Pickleball Doubles Invitational tournament from 7-9 September and the tradition continues!

Attendees were from 8 States and one foreign country with a total of 196 skilled participants engaging in highly competitive and entertaining pickleball. We are indebted to the hard work of the tournament director, Lisa Miner, who was ably assisted by Mo Garcia, Keith Shaver, Nelson Spitnale and an enthusiastic support staff of volunteers from the Aiken “Pickledillys”. Employees of the City of Aiken, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department under the supervision of Pam Royal, Athletics Manager, supported the effort at Odell Weeks Community Center.

Sponsors included Scott Singer of Janney Financial Advisors, Mo Power Sport, G4 Power Products, Security Federal Bank, Suzy Haslup Realtor, Baker Family Dentistry, Onix, Paddletek and Pickleball Central.com.

Medalists from Aiken were Dennis Vermilye, John Fuller, Jeff Beckner, Walter Suescum, Mark Giddings, David Hoel, Nelson Swartzentruber, Jim Hughes, Jim Kabel, Keith Shaver, Josh Booth, Carlene Clark, Kathie Roberts, Barbara Dellamora, Rob Bromley, Marshall Read, Gene Murphy,Marian Garcia, Beverly Shaver, Vicki NcNair, Tony Quick, Chris Powers, Lisa Sanderson, Bel Madera, Diane Davies, Tracy Hallen, Sherri Vogel, Vince Brumfield, William Haller, Maria James, Michelle Bullington and Joyce Noland. Congratulations to all and continued success.

The tournament can only be categorized as an unqualified success and we look forward to next year’s tournament and hope to bring in many more visitors to take advantage of all that Aiken has to offer.

Notice to all Aiken Area Social Pickleball League captains/players!

The 2019 Fall Pickleball League will begin soon. Below you will find some basic information regarding this season’s play. The major change is that we will NOT rely on the draft to determine teams. Captains will be responsible for their own rosters. If you are interested in participating, please respond to league@aikenpickleball.com. To register, click here. NOTE: This year, the league champions will be invited to participate in a statewide SC Pickleball League Championship which will take place at a time and place to be determined.

Duration
The league will run from October 19th – November 18th with possible make-up days in late November or early December. There will be 8 weeks of outdoor play with possible indoor play for some of the make-up days.

Dates
October 19, 21, 26, 28
November 2, 9, 11, 16

(Dates in red are Sundays)

Times
Friday evenings: 6:00 PM ladies; 7:00 PM mixed; 8:00 PM men.
Sunday afternoons: 2:00 PM ladies; 3:00 PM mixed; 4:00 PM men.

Number of teams
To be determined

Number of players per team
Proposed number is 27, but this is subject to change Team captains will be responsible for contacting and selecting their own players

Play locations
Virginia Acres Park, Eustis Park, Woodside, The Reserve Club Locations without lights will be used for Sunday afternoon matches only.

Levels of play
2 lines at 3.0
1 line at 3.5
1 line at 4.0

Cost per player
$10.00 for the season

Open position

We are well underway in the new year for the Pickledillys. We do have one open position that needs to be filled immediately.

It would be nice to see some new faces volunteering in the Pickledillys group. In this position, there would be people to assist you as needed.

League Manager

Shadow Mo Garcia this fall season
There are two seasons for league each year - Spring and Fall
Schedule dates for league play - arrange location and time of play
Manage the captains
Manage the Top Dog Sports website
Arrange location and time of play

We appreciate your consideration. iI you are interested in this position, please contact Nancy and Joyce at info@aikenpickleball.com

Thank you to the tournament volunteers

From Lisa Miner

I would like to thank every one of you personally for all the hard work you put in over the tournament weekend.

The tournament was a huge success and that was thanks, in no small part, to each and every one of you. From the check in and event desks to the lunch room and the court monitors, all the comments that I heard were entirely positive. Congratulations!

The post tournament survey results are in and I thought you might like to hear some of the feedback that we got. The players were asked to rate their enjoyment of tournament on a scale of 1 to 10 and the average score was 9.17. That’s incredible. 88.1% liked the swag bag contents, there were some who were not keen on the shirt color but when you pick something that bright you know some will object. The lunch scored 4.2 out of 5 and having lunch provided was considered a big bonus. When asked whether they would return next year 78.82% said yes and 17.65% were undecided — again great numbers.

Finally here are a few of the comments from the survey:

"All the volunteers were fantastic."

“Thank you for a great weekend. The organizers and volunteer staff tried very hard to make it enjoyable. Give them all a big hug."

"I had a wonderful time, good organization with helpful and courteous volunteers. Kudos to all of you."

"Loved loved loved the staff of volunteers - made it all worth while."

"Best run tournament that I have attended EVER"

"Had a Blast one of best Tournaments I’ve played. ??"

"The staff working the tournament are extremely friendly.”

So thank you once again. When I see you I will try and remember to give you the Big Hug!

Lisa

Aiken Pickledillys