The Pickle Jar
April 22-26
Well, hello again. It has been quite a couple of weeks. Texas last Saturday, New Jersey today, a bike ride on Pine Creek this past Thursday, and then some back-home pickleball on Wednesday and Friday. Let's jump right in and see what is happening in the Pickleverse.
The Centre and C3 Sports are both operating on their normal schedules to the best of my knowledge for the coming week. April weather is being a bit fickle so outdoor play may be day-by-day.
Bellefonte Area High School: On Monday I will be assisting with a BASD community education program of pickleball instruction that will be held over the next few weeks. Last I heard there were 22 in the class with the expectation it would be filled by the start of class. Maybe someone in the class learns to love pickleball and has the connections to get the tennis court at Governor's Park some rehab and create at least one if not two courts. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?
Tournament Alert: Just down the road in Altoona, The Gorilla House Gym is hosting a tournament in May. Here is the link if you would like to check it out: https://gorillahousegym.com/pickleball-tournament/
State College YMCA: With the outdoor courts open again the YMCA has posted their sessions, which do attempt to set up some play times based on ability. If you are not a YMCA regular here is a link to their page that outlines the court availability: https://www.ymcaofcentrecounty.org/page/2/?s=pickleball. If you are unsure what level you should play at, start at one below what you would rate yourself and give it a few sessions. You should be able to determine if that level is right for you or if you can move up.
Ball Bonanza: On Friday I was confused to discover the supply of Penn 26 Lava balls had greatly diminished. I had played on Wednesday and there had been many more than what was in the hopper. Furthermore, the blue Lowes ball bucket had disappeared. Being a trained forensic technician I took my sleuthing skills out of the vault and put them to work. Eventually, Danny at the desk suggested taking a look in the "garage". To my wonder, we found about 15 or so Penn Balls and all the rainbow balls in a clothes basket. The blue Lowes bucket was still MIA. Eager to play, I ended my investigation there. So if balls are ever missing in the morning first check at the desk and if that is a dead end, ask the attendant to check the "garage".
Selkirk 1 Year No Crack Guarantee Balls: The YMCA is experimenting with the new Selkirk outdoor ball that is guaranteed to not crack for 1 year. It will be interesting to see what they think of them. If you play at the Y and play with the ball, let me know your opinion. I was shocked to learn that the YMCA spends close to $2500 a year on pickleball.
Organized Crime: Out in Nevada, Colorado, and California organized groups have been targeting and stealing pickleball equipment from sports stores. The MO is an oldie but popular one of distracting staff while accomplices steal the product. So don't buy your next paddle off the black market. BTW, I sold the new Holbrook Mav Pro-E but still have the lightly used one available for $50. As a reminder, I am directly selling those because Holbrook is discontinuing them with their new paddle coming out sometime soon.
OK, have a great week, I am still catching up on things so I may only make it to the courts a few times this week. Looking forward to see you soon. Here are your links for the SignUpGenius:
C3 Sports: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-49226433-c3pickleball
The Centre: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-49226434-nvsc
Randy Hoffman
Holbrook PIckleball Ambassador
https://holbrookpickleball.com/
Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN20