New Players Clinics - 9am & 10am, Saturday, October 3rd. Sign up at the front desk. See separate news article for more details.
Open Play expanded - Starting October 5th, modified Open Play will be every day, Monday thru Satruday, from 9-11am on courts 1 & 3. Sign up is still required. There will also be modified open play on Wednesday and Friday evenings on courts 1 & 3, from 6 - 8:45pm.
Face masks are still required for entrance into Odell Weeks.
First of all, it is a great way for beginners to become acquainted with the game of pickleball. Court #1 is normally designated for beginners so players just starting to take up the game can play together. It is helpful to have at least one experienced player who is willing to help with some of the basics of pickleball such as, how to keep score, where to stand when your side is serving or receiving serve, basic playing strategy and the non-volley zone. These players - a maximum of six - will queue adjacent to court one.
The rest of the players will queue adjacent to Court #3. Again, with a maximum of six players per court. Because of social distancing, players should remain and rotate in their own group. Normal rotation is - winners split - losers sit. If you play two games in a row, you should sit if other players are waiting. That is the plan. What actually happens will depend on how many players sign and show up. And that is the difference between modified and regular open play - you must sign up in advance. You can't just drop-in. The great thing about open play is you get to meet a lot of nice people, and that is how friendships are formed. Enjoy.
Face masks are required for entry into Odell Weeks.
On Saturday, October 3rd, our teaching professonals will conduct New Players Pickleball Clinics on Court 1 in Gym 2, at Odell Weeks starting at 9 and 10am. Cost is $15 per person. Sign up and pay at the front desk.
Due to social distancing, this offering is limited to 4 players per session. Each clinic will last 50 minutes. Balls, Paddles, Gloves and sanitizer will be provided.
Face masks are required for entry into Odell Weeks.
New players - What is the best way to get started? That's easy - attend one of the two New Players Pickleball Clinics being offered on Saturday morning, October 3rd. See separate news article for details.
In the meantime - go online and type in "pickleball". You will see sites for everything you need to know about pickleball to include videos on how to play the game. Following that, go to the outdoor courts at Virginia Acres Park located behind Odell Weeks. The courts are open from sunrise to sunset. You should be able to borrow a paddle and balls from the front desk at Odell Weeks. Hit back and forth with a partner until you are able to sustain a rally. If you don't have a partner, hit against the walls that are adjacent to the courts. Better yet, sign up for modified Open Play. Make sure you have on tennis shoes - not running shoes.
Next Step - If you find you enjoy playing pickleball and would like to get better, the next step would be to take a lesson with one of our teaching professionals, Mo Garcia (mog01@aol.com) and Megan Hollenbeck (meghollenbeck@gmail.com). Lessons are normally given indoors on Fridays at Odell Weeks. Contact one of the instructors to sign up. After that, an instructor will refer you to Faith Loeb and Linda Blake who will invite you to their Free Practice Sessions and try to include you in one of their playing groups.
Our Website - The Aiken Pickleball website www.aikenpickleball.com has everything you need to know about playing pickleball in Aiken. Check the "Calendar" tab to see locations, days and times avalable to play. Check the "Sign-Ups" tab and sign up on the "Partners List" for players looking for partners. More important - call someone on the list.
Cost - It is free to play outdoors. For residents of the City of Aiken, the cost for playing indoors at Odell Weeks is $2 per visit; non-ciity residents $3. An annual pass with membrship is also available. Check with the front desk at Odell for more details.
Silver Sneakers - Silver Sneakers is a heallth and fitness program designd for addults 65+ that is included in many Medicare plans. If you qualify, there is no cost to play pickleball or to use the fitness center at Odell Weeks. Go online to www.silversneakers.com to check your eligibility.
Important - If you have any questions or need assistance with anything related to pickleball (i.e. how to reserve a court), send an email to AikenPickledillys@gmail.com.
When arriving at Odell Weeks to play pickleball, please do not enter the gym until five minutes before the time of your reservation. This will give the people playing on the court before you a chance to leave. The only exception is if you have the first reservation of the day. In that case, you may enter 15 minutes before your reservation time in order to set up the net.
When you are playing at your reserved time, and there is someone scheduled behind you, stop playing at your allotted time and exit the gym as soon as possible.
The point of having 15 minutes between reserved slots is to allow social distancing. The previous group should exit before the next group enters to minimize the number of people you come in contact with.
Face masks are now required when entering and exiting Odell Weeks. They may be removed for playing pickleball. Please remember to sanitize your hands before putting your mask back on after playing to avoid transferring germs from your hands to your face.
The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting that was held Monday, September 14th, 2020 at 5:30pm via Zoom have been posted. Among topics that were discussed -
An update on Open Play both at Odell and Gregg Park; New Players Clinics on Saturday, October 3rd at 9 and 10am; Lack of play at Smith-Hazel; and a Request for Volunteers to fill upcoming vacant positions on the Leadership Team. Go to Forums or click here to see the latest information.
Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 5th, at 5:30pm via Zoom.
Another awesome tournament opportunity is coming to Augusta in October. Select "Read more" to see attached flyer. Some brackets will fill quickly as usual.
Click here to register.
Court 2 & 5 will remain closed.
Starting Labor Day week, Open Play will begin on courts 1 & 3, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9-11am. Maximum 12 players - sign up required. This is just a start to see how it goes, and we will adjust from there.
Thanks to all of you that took the time to complete the survey.
Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10am- 12pm, there are two courts available for reservations at Smith-Hazel. See separate news article for details.
During the month of September there will be evening play at Odell until 845pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
And on Fridays there are now five one-hour slots available for lessons.
Social distancing and face masks are still required.
Something new - We have created a help desk to assist with any problems you might be having concerning pickleball. We can help you with making and editing court reservations, adding your name to the Partners List, among other things. What we cannot tell you is the Access Code. That is for our use only. After 8 pm Wednesday evening, the signupgenius is locked down requiring an access code while the new time slots for the following week are being added. The signupgenius is then unlocked after 8 am Thursday morning and an access code is no longer required. But if you need help with anything else send an email or text to info@aikenpickleball.com and one of us will get back to you.