Aiken Pickleball News

Smith-Hazel Recreation Center now offering pickleball

Smith-Hazel Recreation Center will offer three courts for pickleball from 1:00 - 3:00 pm on Monday, November 25th and Wednesday, November 27th. Dates and times for December will be posted on the Aiken Pickleball calendar when they become available. There will be one court for beginners, one for intermediate players, and one for advanced players.

Smith-Hazel is a City of Aiken Recreation Center. The card you use to access Odell Weeks will also work there.

Smith-Hazel is located at 400 Kershaw St NE in downtown Aiken.

Ask the Pickleball Refs by David Hoel

SITUATION: Team A Player #1 yelled “OUT” before the ball bounced on their side of the net, however Team A Player #2 saw the ball land in and then successfully returned a winning shot. Team B claimed a hinder because of the “OUT” called by Player #1.

QUESTION: Was Team B’s claim legitimate?

ANSWER: No. Doubles partners may warn each other of a potentially out ball before it bounces. Any words to communicate to his or her partner before the ball bounces shall be considered “player communication” only and not considered a line call (Rule 6.D.11). All “out” calls must be made “instantly” after the ball bounces; otherwise, the ball is presumed good and still in play (Rule 6.D.9). If an “out” call is made after the ball bounces, it will be considered a line call. The ball will be considered dead and play shall stop.

It's Gotta Be the Shoes!

Arguably the most common pickleball injuries experienced in the knee or ankle area could have been prevented by wearing proper shoes. Many people new to the game will step onto the court without even thinking about what type of shoes they are wearing. They will grab whatever pair of athletic shoes they have handy, and begin playing. A case can be made that the single most important piece of equipment you buy when first starting out, is NOT a paddle - but is in fact YOUR SHOES!

Court shoes that allow you to move and shuffle around the court without too much trouble are ideal. You must be able to move forward and backpedal without your shoe catching on the floor.

We have been told and learned first hand (the hard way) that running shoes are the WORST type of shoe for pickleball. They have a tendency to grab and stick to the court at the worst time. This can lead to torn or pulled muscles from the foot, ankle, calf, knee, leg, back, or neck.

Court shoes allow for the proper amount of give. The soles are more flat and smooth. They do not have deep treads like running shoes. The treads on court shoes are much smaller and closer together which allow them to slide. The correct shoes are a must. A good pair of court shoes will help prevent serious injury. This is by far the easiest way to avoid the most common of pickleball injuries.

Change to Guidelines for Odell Weeks court reservations

Due to limited reserved court time slots, if only three time blocks are available a person can only reserve one court at that time slot for the first 24 hours after the courts are posted. And a player still may not appear on a court reservation for more than three days in a week for the first 24 hours after the courts are posted.

Recycle at Odell

One of our players commented to her player representative that there didn’t seem to be a recycle bin at Odell Weeks as the trashcan by the exit door from Gym 2 was full of plastic water bottles among other recyclable items.

Well it turns out that Odell has a beautiful recycle bin located in plain view that we all walk by every time we play. It is on the corner of the hallway leading to the men’s and women’s locker rooms. Problem is it doesn’t have a sign drawing attention, but now that we all know where it is, please take your empties with you when you exit the gym and drop them in the proper recycle container.

Thank you.