Aiken Pickleball News

Dink for Tots by Tanya Hoffman

I had been walking past the 3 empty Toys for Tots boxes in the hallway at Valmet for a couple of weeks when an idea came to me….. I decided to host a Pickleball Social here in Aiken in hopes that we could fill these 3 boxes. (see flyer I made). I can’t begin to tell you how full my heart was last night to see the incredible outpouring of people that came to support such a wonderful cause. We even had Pickleballers make the trek from Augusta to join our efforts to collect Toys for Tots. These toys will be picked up today at our Valmet Aiken location by the Marine Corp., and I can’t tell you how proud I am to represent Valmet and the Aiken/Augusta Pickleball Community.

I hope this story spreads a bit of joy into your Holiday Season ~ I know it has completely made mine!

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight! Y’all were so generous, my entire Jeep is packed full of toys and my heart is so full of joy! I will share a pic tomorrow morning before the Marine Corp picks up the toys Tanya Hoffman\

Correct address of City of Aiken outdoor pickleball courts

We had a medical emergency at the outdoor courts at Eustis Park and discovered no one knew the correct address to give the Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Thanks to the initiative of several people, there are now address signs posted at the outdoor courts at Odell Weeks and Eustis Parks. Consider adding this information into your phone, should there be a need to call 911 from the courts.

Pickleball Courts at Virginia Acres Park (behind Odell Weeks Recreation Center) address is 1635 Two Notch Rd. Signs are posted above the two entrances from Two Notch Rd, but not posted at the court entrances near the playground.

Pickleball Courts at Eustis Park address is 905 Edgefield Ave, NW

REMINDERS FOR CALLING 911

Let the dispatcher end the call first.
Send a spare person to the road or parking lot to flag-down EMS

Minutes for the December Leadership Team Meeting have been posted

The minutes for the December Leadership Team Meeting that was held at Odell Weeks on Monday, Nov 29th, 2021, have been posted. Go to Forums or click here to see the full report. Brief summary below.

Ben Stephens has accepted the open position on the Leadership Team starting in January 2022, replacing Joyce Noland, who will continue to help with Aiken Pickleball. Many thanks to Joyce for all her hard work the past three years on the Leadership Team. Ben Lacy was introduced as the new Aiken County Pickleball Ambassador. Topics that were discussed included the curtain repair at Gregg Park which fell "short" of expectations; the unanimous decision not to have skill combo round robins at Gregg Park; the City Challenge this Saturday at Gregg Park and the Dink for Toys on Monday outdoors at Odell Weeks, which everyone is encourage to attend; Court 1 designation for beginners starting at 10am during drop-in play, and much more.

The next meeting target date is Monday January 3rd, 2022.

City Challenge - Aiken - Augusta - Columbia

The Aiken teams for the City Challenge have been selected and the schedule of play has been posted. Come out to Gregg Park on Saturday, December 4th to support your local team. Schedule as follows:

Aiken Men’s Teams - Matches from 9-1025am

3.0 - Davion Bellinger & Chuck Harvey

3.5 - Mark Giddings & Lawrence Tam

4.0 - Brian Eberhard & Doug Boessneck

Aiken Mixed Teams - Matches from 1045am-1210pm

3.0 - Peggy Sharp & Kim Herring

3.5 - Christy Pritchard & Michael Howard

4.0 - Christine Chandler & Brandon Hoffman

Aiken Women’s Teams - Matches from 1230-155pm

3.0 - Bebe Murphy & Ann Boessneck

3.5 - Amy Buck & Barbara Dellamora

4.0 - Leslie McCowan & Michele Bullington

All matches are at the Gregg Park Civic Center located at 119 Trolley Lane Road, Graniteville, SC, approximately five miles from downtown Aiken. There is no cost to enter the center to watch, but you must sign in whether you are a member or a guest.

Christmas at Hopelands

The City of Aiken is gearing up for Christmas in Hopelands and seeking volunteers for December 11-23. Is this an opportunity that the Aiken Pickleballers would like to take advantage of to help serve the community? This opportunity is not limited to the Aiken Pickleballers; we welcome family and friends. If you are interested, please get in touch with Brian Loging at 803.643.2179 or bloging@cityofaikensc.gov.

Wall drills

Having trouble finding a practice partner? Check out this video.

Pickleball Solo Wall Drills

Gregg Park Round Robin Photos and Results

Women's 3.0 Division

Gold (center) – Judy Degregorio and Debbie Rossetti

Silver (left) – Linda Bourbeau and Aimee Harwick

Bronze (right) – Bebe Murphy and Jan Snipes

Women's 3.5 Division

Gold (center) – Amy Buck and Sally Serago

Silver (left) – Tanya Hoffman and Savannah Price

Bronze (right) – Kathy Giddings and Rita Turner

Men's 3.0 Division

Gold (center) – Davion Bellinger and Chuck Harvey

Silver (left) – Tony Kemper and Steve Schnitzer

Bronze (right) – Cesar Paraiso and Andrew Stivanson

Men's 3.5 Division

Gold (center) – Mark Giddings and Andrew Escobar

Silver (left) – Andrew Hughes and Ryan Keeley

Bronze (right) – David Honea and Doug Weiss

Men's 4.0 Division Winners

Gold (center) – Brandon Hoffman and Chris Tubbs

Silver (left) – Doug Boessneck and Harve Mobley

Bronze (right) – Brian Eberhard and Bob Fogle

Minutes for the November Leadership Team Meeting

The minutes for the Leadership Team Meeting that was held Monday, Nov 1st, 2021 at 5:30pm at Odell Weeks, have been posted. New player reps were introduced - Steve Haertel for Gregg Park; Tonya Hoffman 3.5H, and Froggie Rappoport 3.5L. Topics that were discussed included Leadership Team upcoming vacancies and a request for nominees; update on the floor maintenance at Odell Weeks; the OW New Players Clinics; status of curtain repair at Gregg Park; the return of "Little Mo" in January and much more. Go to Forums or click here to see the full report.

Rain won't stop us!

What's a little rain to a group of determined pickleball players? Click here to watch!

2.5 Learn the ropes Tournament by Claudia DeLorme

Six weeks ago twelve intrepid and competitive 2.5 players (yes, competitive, as that spirit transcends level) began a journey. The goal: education and new experiences to up their games. The finale: a 2.5 Learn The Ropes Tournament.

Six teams were created by drawing names from a brown bag. The teams had that six-week period to play together. To do so they would have to work the Aiken Pickleball website system to reserve courts and contact each other for practice sessions. To help with the process instructor Ben Lacy created two clinics, one on team building and the other building skills in the kitchen.

On October 16th the teams played a round robin and one could not help but notice the determination each player brought to the game. The tournament was lifted yet another level by the inclusion of referee trainees rounded up by Ben. Tony Kemper, Mark Giddings, Booker Paige and Davion Barry Bellinger were courtside making calls, in the process educating the players on various rules. It was a win/win situation for players and refs.

So who won?

Everyone who took part deserved a gold medal considering the nature of how teams were created and the whole-hearted commitment of all players. If you were to ask these players how it went the first thing our of their mouths might be a what they gained from the journey as players … but even more than that the comradery found in working towards a common goal.

That said:

1st Michael Sasnow and Donna Brisbin

2nd Kevin Curran and Marcia Gable

3rd Mary Curran and Pinkie Johnson

4th Wendy Russell and David Stinson

5th Susan Birt and Karen Pifer

6th Carl Withers and Martha Hartline

Congratulations!

Special thanks to Claudia Delorme who put this all together.