Author: rkraemer333

Valentine’s Mixed Social – a day of cold hands and warm hearts

A cold and dreary day did not deter SJPA members from coming out and playing some heartfelt Pickleball at Valentine’s Day Social.

This was the second event of the year and, again, the event filled quickly, with a waitlist of over 25 people on the first day of registration.  As a result, the event was split into two sessions in order to accommodate more players. And accommodate we did!  Both sessions filled completely, allowing nearly 70 SJPA members to enjoy the event.

There were many familiar and new faces on the courts, making this a great afternoon of pickleball and meeting new people.

The “King of the Court” format was used to mix up the play and it did a great job of getting everyone where they needed to be quickly and smoothly.  

The event coordinators, Robyn Smith and Becky Jennings, along with their support team of Bernadette Clinton, Cherie Nichols, and Dick Cournoyer, really did an amazing job making sure there was plenty of love in the air and refreshments on the tables.  

Thank you to the members who came to enjoy some fun pickleball, and a special thanks to those who donated food.

We look forward to our next event in March, “Come Play with a Pro” where we will have Kim Mihan, our pickleball pro, playing with us as well.

Jeff Franken, SJPA Event Chair

In addition to a great day of Pickleball, the participants donation over 100 non-perishable items for Southport-Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship (SOIIF) Food Pantry.

Shade structure construction started at the Seaside courts.

Step one towards a shade structure at Seaside courts is done.

The SJPA works very closely with Troon management, on behalf of our membership, to ensure that Troon is aware of the desires of SJPA members and the overall conditions at the Rymer and Seaside courts.

As a result, the Troon 2024 budget includes the installation of a new shade structure at the Seaside courts.

The SJPA board continues to work hand-in-hand with Troon  management to continually improve the pickleball experience for all.

We appreciate that Troon management listens to us.

Seaside Courts – shade structure progress

Winter Classic 2024 – Pictures

It was a cold, blustery Winter Classic day, but the sun and the smiles were bright! 

The SJPA hosted the first pickleball play event of the year on Sunday, January 21st.  The weather cooperated for this event and gave us a bright sunny, albeit chilly, afternoon.

Due to the initial sign up being filled along with a waitlist of over 25 people, the event was split in to two sessions to be able to accommodate more players…… and accommodate we did!  Both sessions were full allowing close to 70 members to enjoy the event.

Thanks go to Dick Cournoyer and his team of Leo Pacyna, Lynn Albrecht and Mike Renzaglia for volunteering their time to make this a great start to the 2024 event year, assuring that everybody had a FUN time playing pickleball. It is  also appreciated that Christine Cournoyer and Peter Albrecht jumped in to help the team on the day of the event.  They did a great job of organizing the event and getting the courts “winterized”  with all sorts of “Northern Memorabilia” being pulled out of people’s personal  storage including skis, sleds, winter garb, hockey sticks, etc..  

The “King of the Court” format was used to mix up the play and did a great job of getting everyone where they needed to be quickly and smoothly.  

It was a great afternoon to play pickleball and meet new people.  

We thank all who came out to play and have some FUN with us.  A special thanks to those who donated ball caps for the Oak Island Angels. 

We look forward to our next event, “the Valentine’s Day Social” on Feb 18th.
Registration opens on February 4th.

And the Band Played On: Back Porch Rockers Rocked the Night Away – SJPA WINTER PARTY (pictures)

SJPA rolled out another fun filled social event to kick off 2024 into a fantastic season. Yes, we are talking about the SJPA WINTER PARTY!!! The Social Committee, headed up by Liz Wilson and her team, put together an entertaining night: jamming with the Back Porch Rockers, opportunities to sing with the band, trivia contest, and raffles. WOW!

An early count estimates that we collected $2045 to benefit Matthews Ministry.

Whiteboard Survey Review

You may have seen Kent Silhanek’s recent message regarding changes to the whiteboard schedule starting in January and we thought that you might be interested in this brief summary of the survey results.

Survey Overview:
  • Thanks to just over 200 people that took the time to take the survey.
  • The survey covered demographics, Whiteboard experience, opinion on Whiteboard continuation, and preferences for court segregation.
Key Findings:
  • Whiteboard continuation: Overall support for keeping Whiteboard sessions with a slight gender difference (men slightly more positive).
  • Court under-utilization: Many concerns about unused courts during current Whiteboard sessions.
  • Playing level segregation: Strong interest in segregation by level with 28% specifically requesting it.
  • Mixed experience with current Whiteboard: A third of respondents found the mixed-level play unfair (weaker players feeling overwhelmed and stronger players not feeling sufficiently challenged).
Recommendations:
  • Reduce Whiteboard time slots: Decrease total court hours allocated to Whiteboard sessions.
  • Level-based allocation: Dedicate specific time blocks or courts to different playing levels.
  • Maintain key aspects: Keep Whiteboard sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays but adjust details.
Additional Suggestions:
  • Consider dividing open sessions on each day with a reservation block for all levels.
  • This would prevent players from the earlier open session monopolizing the level-specific session.

Overall: The survey indicates general support for Whiteboard sessions but suggests changes to address court under-utilization and cater to different playing levels.

This is what TROON is implementing for Open Whiteboard Sessions:
Tuesdays:
–10:00-11:30 Open White Board (open to all) on 4 courts
–1:00-2:30 Advanced Beginner White Board (2.5-3.0 level) on 4 courts

Thursdays:
–10:00-11:30 Open White Board (open to all) on 4 courts
–1:00-2:30- Intermediate White Board (3.5-4.0 level) on 4 courts

Saturdays:
–10:00-11:30 Open White Board (open to all) on 4 courts
–1:00-2:30 Advanced White Board (4.0 and up level) on 4 courts

USA Pickleball – 2024 Rulebook – now available

Although some of these changes don’t apply to social play, the following are the changes that the USPA considers “Significant Rule Changes For 2024” for your information.

See see the entire USPA Pickleball Rulebook for 2024.

Correcting Server, Receiver and Player Position Errors (4.B.9)

Faults for incorrect server, incorrect receiver and player position errors are eliminated. The referee will now correct any such alter errors before calling the score. Rule 4.B.9 is the primary rule text. Several other rules have been modified or deleted to correlate with this change.

Draping Net (2.C.6/11.L.5.b)

Rule 2.C.6 called for a replay when a ball goes over the net and hits a net that is draped on the ground (except on a serve) but only if the referee determined that the ball was affected by the draped net. This rule, and Rule 11.L.5.b for temporary nets, now call for a replay without qualification. A determination that the ball was affected by the draped net is now not required in officiated or non-officiated play.

Catch or Carry Ball on the Paddle (7.L)

Rule 7.L now makes catching or carrying a ball on the paddle a fault without having to determine that the catch or carry was deliberately done.

Conceding a Rally (13.E.4/13.E.5)

Rule 13.E.5 calls for a replay when a player overrules to their detriment a line judge’s ‘out’ call as ‘in.’ The player or team may now choose to concede the rally to their opponent if they determine they would have been unable to return the ‘in’ ball.

Similarly, Rule 13.E.4 calls for a replay when the referee overturns a line judge’s out call as in.  The player or team who benefitted from the referee’s ruling may now choose to concede the rally to their opponent if they determine they would have been unable to return the ‘in’ ball.

Medical Time-Outs (10.B.2.c)

A player is now allowed to use available standard time-outs after the 15-minute medical time-out has expired to allow more time before the player must retire from the match.

NOTE related to medical time-outs:  Case 5-23 in the USAP Casebook establishes how and when a player can rescind a requested time-out, and that the medical time-out would not be charged to the player. The ruling has been revised to require that the requested medical time-out be charged to the player.

Paddle Specifications (2.E.2/2.E.5.a/2.E.5.c)

Paddle specifications have been updated to address new and emerging paddle technology and features and to clarify the alterations that players are allowed to make to certified paddles.

Mini-Singles (12.O)

Mini-singles is currently an approved format. The specific rules governing mini-singles are now incorporated in the Rulebook.

Top 5 Pickleball Mistakes to Avoid in 2024

Although the sport of pickleball was invented over 50 years ago in 1965, the sport, the strategies, the shots, etc. are all constantly evolving. As a result, to stay ahead on the pickleball court it is important to constantly evolve yourself as a player. 

As we prepare to step into a new calendar year, we reflect on the common pitfalls of 2023 in an effort to avoid the same mistakes in 2024 on the pickleball court. This article unveils the top 5 pickleball mistakes to sidestep in the coming year, in an effort to help you elevate your performance on the court. 

Avoid these top 5 pickleball mistakes to up your game in 2024:

  1. Easy Serves: The serve in pickleball is not just a “point starter.” Rather, it is a shot that can give you an advantage from the start of the rally. So, adopt the mindset and pickleball strategy to be aggressive on your serves in order to keep your opponents on their toes. 
  2. Big Backswings: Avoid trying to do “too much” on the pickleball court. Bigger is not always better, and this is true of your pickleball game. In other words, simplify your strokes and avoid unnecessary, elaborate backswings. The goal should be to take short backswings. The more you limit your backswing, the faster reaction time you will have, the more consistent your shots will become, and the more you will be able to disguise your shots on the pickleball court.
  3. Moving and Hitting at the Same Time: Master the split step for better positioning and more effective shots on the pickleball court. In other words, split step prior to hitting the pickleball in order to avoid moving your feet and hitting the pickleball at the same time. Moving and hitting at the same time will cause unnecessary unforced errors, as you will be prone to overrunning the pickleball, missing your contact point, overhitting the pickleball, and other avoidable errors.
  4. Underutilizing the Lob: One of the most underutilized shots on the pickleball court is the lob—and, to be more specific, the offensive lob. The offensive lob is a critical shot that can help push your opponents back in the court to give you more space to win a rally. Embrace offensive lobs strategically for a powerful weapon on the pickleball court.
  5. Stagnation: Too often, we get complacent with where we are at—including where our pickleball game is at. Pickleball is a relatively young sport that is constantly evolving, so it is important to constantly evolve yourself. In other words, in 2024, do not stagnate or become complacent. Rather, find something to work on. For instance, work on your ability to vary speeds and to disguise your different speeds and shots by having the same pre-motion and body language on every shot. Work on your footwork, which will improve every shot on the pickleball court. Work on new strategies, such as “the fade,” the “bait ball,” the “shake and bake,” etc. Stay ahead by actively adding new dimensions to your pickleball play.

From rethinking serves to unleashing the power of offensive lobs, simplifying strokes, perfecting your split step, and embracing a continuous learning mindset, these strategies aim to guide pickleball enthusiasts toward a more successful and rewarding gameplay experience in 2024. Upgrade your skills and outsmart opponents by steering clear of these common pickleball mistakes in 2024.

This article came from the website titled: Pickler
https://thepickler.com/

Holidink Pickleball Social Play (rescheduled)

Join us on Sunday, December 17th, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm, for this social, open play event open to all SJPA members.

We will be playing nine minute games on all eight courts and will stack paddles to keep things mixed up and fun!

This event includes “free” 10-minute lessons from Kim Mihan, St James’ Pickleball Pro.

‘Tis the season, so wear your holiday gear to show off your holiday spirit!

No fee. Please bring a non-perishable item for Southport Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship Food Pantry (SOIICF)

Click here to register now!

VOTES ARE IN: 2024 Pickleball Board of Directors

Three new postions: Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
ALSO new volunteer for Instruction.

The Vice President, Treasurer positions were uncontested with no opposing candidates. Here are the results for Secretary:

Be sure to congratulate your new Board members and our new volunteer for Instruction.

President:George Johnson
Vice President:Christine Cournoyer
Treasurer:Chris Romig
Secretary:Paula Franken
Communications:Al Hausmann
Tournaments & Events:Jeff Franken
Social:Liz Wilson

Committee Chairs

Instruction:Cynthia Mendoza
Sunshine Committee:Kathy Goliszek

2024 By-Laws Approved

By-Laws were updated and approved by the Board in October. You voted on the changes in the 2023 elections, and they were unanimously approved. You can access and read a copy of the By-Laws on the SJPA website under the category Pickleball Docs. This is a Brief explanation of changes made to By-Laws: 

  • Date changes
  • Number 3: Clarification about our fiscal year especially when referencing the terms of our officers.
  • Numbers 10, 11, 12, 13 and 26: Clarification on President’s, Vice-President’s and all board member’s terms.
  • President’s board position essential job functions
  • Treasure’s board position essential job functions
  • Communication’s board position essential job functions
  • Footer of all the board job descriptions
  • Added line 17: Any officer who wants to serve additional terms shall submit their name and be voted on by the membership. Officers do not automatically remain for additional terms.
  • Added line 18: In the event of gross misconduct on the part of any SJPA Board member, the Board may vote to remove the officer and appoint a member in good standing to complete the term.