This event is for Beginners and players at the 3.0 level and below. We will drill for 45 minutes and play for 45 minutes. Drills will include serving, return of serves, dinking, and third shot drops as well as others.
Come out for a great time and practice and play against others at your level.
Join us on Sunday, February 23rd. There will be two sessions. Be sure to sign up as space is limited. Registration is open.
This is a FREE event and is open to non-SJPA members as well.
The SJPA Board recently decided that effective March 1, 2025, all payments for membership and events will be made through Zeffy; checks will no longer be accepted.
What is Zeffy? Zeffy is a free, and secure automated service that enables members to make payments for membership and events. It allows members to make secure payments by credit or debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or by direct transfer from a bank account. It was introduced last March and has been a great tool for the association. Over 95% of payments have been made through Zeffy this year.
Why have we made this decision? Zeffy has several advantages over paying by check:
Cost: Zeffy is free for the organization and free for you! Zeffy covers any transaction fees charged
Security: All data in the system is encrypted. Using checks and the check dropbox opens up the possibility of exposure of your personal information.
Ease of processing and reduction in manual errors: The process to enter manual checks is very time consuming and introduces the risk of manual error.
As previously announced, the new 2025 USA Pickleball rules have been announced. Here is a greatYouTube Video that describes the changes that may actually affect your game. See more details on the SJPA Website.
The first SJPA Pickleball social for 2025 took place this past Sunday. Sixty-Eight players challenged each other on the pickleball courts. Players of all levels had a great time playing, drinking hot chocolate and enjoying the many snacks. A big thank you goes out to these players for supporting SJPA and to Andrea Velez and Lynn Albrecht for running the event. Our next event, a Valentines Mixed Social is scheduled for February 9th. Please be on the lookout for more information about this event in the coming days. If anyone is interested in getting on the email list to play with others please contact Scott Nasiff at snasiff@gmail.com. Happy New Year and see you on the courts.
Join us on Sunday, February 9th for this social, open-play round-robin event open to all SJPA members. There will be two sessions. Be sure to sign up as space is limited.
Below is a summary of a couple of key changes. You can find a document of all of the changes on the USA Pickleball site as well.
Redefining the Volley: The act of volleying begins when the ball is struck out of the air before bouncing (volleyed) and ends when the player’s movement from the follow-through action (momentum) stops.
The primary impact of this change for 2025 is that the volley starts when making contact with the ball and it will no longer be a fault if a player touches the non-volley-zone (NVZ) before hitting the volley.
Adding to the Not Ready Signals definition
Verbal indicators to stop play such as “stop” and “wait” will be recognized.
Change to the Serve rules to add that the paddle may be used to release the ball.
The serve shall be made with only one hand or the paddle releasing the ball. While some natural rotation of the ball is expected during any release of the ball , the server shall not impart manipulation or spin on the ball with any part of the body or the paddle as a result of the release. Exception: The server may allow the ball to roll off the face of the paddle by gravity.
Calling faults on your partner
The rule adds that players are expected to call faults on their partners as well as themselves.
Calling faults on opponents
Added the rule that any disagreement between the partners on an opponent fault call will be decided to the benefit of their opponents. The general principle is that when partners disagree, they express doubt, and the benefit of that doubt should go to their opponents.
Join us on Sunday, January 12th for this social, open-play round-robin event open to all SJPA members. There will be two sessions. Be sure to sign up as space is limited. Registration opens January 1.
For more details and sign up, visit the following links:
The SJPA Tournament and Events Committee has been working hard over the holiday season to plan the 2025 SJPA events. The events are for all levels and we encourage everyone to participate. Our goal is to be an inclusive pickleball community where members make new friends and have fun playing pickleball. Some of the events planned in 2025 are:
Monthly Social Play – This is an event where all levels of players meet and play with each other. Find out more
Team Spring Tournament – April 26 This is a one-day event where teams battle it out on the courts.
Battle For the Paddle – September 27-28
SJPA Womens, Mens and Mixed Championship Weekend – October 24-26
Play with the Pro Events
Beginner Social Play with Instruction
Under the Lights Social Play
Details on these and other events will be sent in the Weekly Pickle email and on the website.
More information will be posted shortly for our first Social Play Event, which will be held on Sunday, January 12th, from 1-4. Registration will open soon. If you have any questions, please email Scott Nasiff at snasiff@gmail.com
As my term as president of the SJPA ends, I would like to thank the Board, the Committee Chairs, and all of the other members who helped make 2024 so successful. There have been terrific events, both on-court and off, and lots of spirited and fun play. We continued to work closely with The Clubs at St. James to enhance the pickleball facilities, both for usability and safety. And more improvements are coming in 2025, including resurfacing the courts at the Rymer facility. The topic of getting gates at the entrances to the courts continues to be discussed and I am hopeful that it will be addressed soon, though I do not have the details or timing as yet.
Those of you who attended our social events (Winter Dance, Progressive Dinner, Spring Fling, Pool Party, and Beach Events) understand that this is a group that knows how to have fun, whether it includes good food, music, dancing, tug-of-war, or a swimming relay race with an inflatable pickle.
In addition to the always popular Battle of the Paddle, we introduced several new on-court events including men’s and women’s championships, and the All-Aboard Tournament involving competition for every level of player. We also had a number of Mixed-Up Doubles events in all seasons and weather conditions – heat, cold, and wind – where part of the goal is to meet new people and have fun playing with folks you might not know.
While we had many successes, we encountered a few challenges as well. Court reservations and utilization continue to be areas of concern, though with only 10 courts for over 600 pickleball players in St. James, it seems that the competition to get courts at the most popular times will always be a challenge. How to ensure that the courts that are reserved are actually used is a separate issue that remains unresolved. A number of ideas have been discussed, but none have been put into practice, so this is an area where the SJPA and The Clubs will continue to work toward a viable solution. The procedures for using the Whiteboard during open play evolved during the year and it seems to generally be working, as long as everyone understands the process and includes all players who attend, regardless of level.
I look forward to more fun events and energetic play, with a bit of competition and a lot of laughter, in 2025. (We can’t take ourselves too seriously!) I expect that the new SJPA Board will continue to offer events and activities for all of our members.
Happy holidays to you and your families. I hope to see you at the socials and on the courts in the new year!
The SJPA participated in the Service Club’s annual ‘Celebrate The Holidays’ fundraiser by sponsoring a tree at the Holiday Festival. Pat Allred and Christine Cournoyer created a magical ‘Pickled Elves’ tree that perfectly captured our group’s spirit. Thanks to all who came out to support the Service Club.
Dr. Matthew Landfried, Southport Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, will be discussing common pickleball injuries and conditioning tips to minimize risk of injury.
The Cape Fear Intercommunity League will begin play on March 10th, 2025, and will end around the 3rd week of May 2025.
The Cape Fear Inter-Community League Rep is now soliciting interest for this friendly, social, and competitive pickleball league that provides opportunities to play other communities including Winding River, Brunswick Forest, Waterford, Compass Point, Porter’s Neck, Landfall, and Del Webb.
Players must be 55 or older to play in the league. If you turn 55 in calendar year 2025, you are eligible to play.
This is NOT an SJPA sponsored event or league.
DIVISIONS:
SOCIAL/NOVICE – Social division for beginner/novice players that will play in a social environment. No DUPR rating required, but if DUPR rated, rating must be under 2.99 DUPR. Team formats will vary depending oncommunity participation. Play will be scheduled every other Monday.
INTERMEDIATE – Competitive division for players with a minimum of 30 DUPR games and a rating between 3.00– 3.49. The game format is one man’s double, one woman’s double, and two mixed doubles: playing 7 roundstotaling 28 games weekly for a team of 10 to 12 players. Play will be held on Wednesdays from 4:00 PM – 7:00PM for away matches and Tuesdays from 4:00 PM to – 7:00 PM when hosting at home.
UPPER INTERMEDIATE – Competitive division for players with a minimum of 30 DUPR games and a ratingbetween 3.50 – 3.99. The game format is one man’s double, one woman’s double, and two mixed doubles: playing 7 rounds totaling 28 games weekly for a team of 10 to 12 players. Play will be held on Thursdays from4:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
ADVANCED 4.0+ – Competitive division for players with a minimum of 30 DUPR games and a rating over 4.0.The game format is two men’s doubles, one women’s double, and one mixed double: playing 7 rounds totaling28 games weekly for a team of 10 to 12 players. Uploading DUPR scores is required for these matches. Play willbe scheduled every Monday.
STEP ONE – League Registration
Contact Cathy Rollins at 703-901-3217 or via email @ crollins@comtex.com to register.
Players will be assigned to teams based on the stated criteria and roster slot availability.
When you register you will be asked to provideyour community. Enter: Cape Fear Intercommunity League. If you do not have a DUPR rating, you have untilFebruary 15, 2025, to complete 30 DUPR matches. DUPR will begin recording your scores as soon as youregister, and you will get a rating which will change as you enter your games. The more games you play, themore accurate your rating becomes. It is strongly suggested that you begin to use DUPR and as soon aspossible if you wish to participate. It is also strongly recommended to schedule and play DUPR matches withplayers of like ability.
Another beautiful, sunny day in St. James provided the perfect backdrop for SJPA’s Halloween Mixed-UP Doubles with the Pro event on Saturday, November 2nd.
The first session was a sell out on all 8 courts, and the second afforded a more intimate group with everyone in both groups able to play with the pro. Kim Mihan gave it her usual 100%, playing to win when she needed to but still giving players helpful instruction and pointers.
As always, donations were collected for the food pantry and more than a few participants indulged in Halloween candy and homemade cookies.
