The "Y" in August will be hosting their 2020 Drive, Drop and Dink Pickleball Tournament March 26-29, 2020. Registration closes on March 19.
Aiken Pickleball News
More unusual situations that occur while playing pickleball and how they should be handled.
SITUATION: Neither player on Team A clearly saw whether a ball landed out on their side of the net and requested the opinion of nearby spectators, who said the ball was out. Team B asserted that, if Team A was unsure, the ball should be considered “in” and it is illegal to ask spectators.
QUESTION: Was Team B’s assertion correct?
ANSWER: Yes. The opponent gets the benefit of the doubt on line calls made. When doubt exists, Team A’s call will be “in” (Rule 6.D.3. & 9). Spectators should never be consulted on any line call (Rule 6.D.4).
SITUATION: A doubles match was being played in a gym with many other courts also in play. During play, a Team B player heard someone on another court shout “PICKLE!” (loose ball) and stopped playing, missing a shot. The player claimed a hinder, even though the loose ball was not on their court.
QUESTION: Was the hinder claim legitimate?
ANSWER: Yes. Gymnasium play can be very noisy, and such “pickle” calls can be especially distracting. A hinder is “any element or occurrence outside of the player’s control that impacts play” (Rule 3.A.15). A hinder called by a player will result in a dead ball and will result in a replay (Rule 8.C.).
SITUATION: A Team A serve touches the net, but was otherwise good and landed in the service court so a “let” was called. The next serve was also a let. Team B claimed a fault on the server asserting only one service let is allowed.
QUESTION: Was Team B’s claim legitimate?
ANSWER: No. There is no limit to the number of lets a server may serve (Rule 4.0).
We have updated the rating process for Court Designation Play. Changes include 1) Once a player has been rated there is a four-month waiting period before they can be rated again; 2) Players who win gold medals at the Aiken yearly tournament will no longer be considered for an upgrade to the next higher skill level.
For a complete look at all the changes go to Odell Weeks Guidelines under the Information tab.
Last Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, after all play was completed, there were two metal water bottles and a pair of glasses left behind. All three items are now in the room where the nets are kept, on a shelf on the wood podium next to the door. The room can be accessed next Saturday morning after 9am.
If you need the items before then, you can try calling 1st Pres (803) 648-2662 and ask for assistance in retrieving your item.
We got off to a great start for 2020 at First Presbyterian Church this Saturday morning January 4th. Twenty-four (24) people had signed up and a few players showed up who hadn’t signed up but people were courteous and patiently sat and waited for their turns to play.
To help with play next week, Saturday, January 11th, there will be two sessions. One will be from 9-11am and the other from 11am-1pm, with a limit of eighteen (18) players per session. Sign-up is required. You can only sign up for one session per Saturday.
Special note: Please put your names on your paddles. Those little return address mailing labels work great! Also, we had a couple of water bottles left today after everyone was gone. It would help if you could put your names on these so we can get them back to their proper owners.
Thanks to everyone for being so patient. Hopefully having two sessions next week will make play more enjoyable. And special thanks to Michele Bullington and Dick Keeler for opening and closing.
January 11th will be the last day of indoor play at 1st Pres on Saturdays until February 1st.