Life is a bit less hectic today. The computer problems that vexed me yesterday seem to have been handled.  As I was modifying the SignUpGenius links for The Centre and C3 Sports I was remembering what Black Fridays used to be like. Not being a big turkey guy Thanksgiving was okay but other than getting together with family I never got too excited. My jam was Black Friday. My one job on Thanksgiving was to go to Sheetz and buy the holiday issue of the Centre Daily Times, not for the news but for all the sales inserts. That would kick me into the planning mode. Planning and plotting strategic assaults on local merchants and their offerings.  General Grant would have been proud. While I was a fan, I was not a fanatic. I never did the camp out overnight thing but I would be up before first light, grab a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's and head to my first point of attack. Maybe it was the challenge or the thrill of the hunt but I did enjoy it. With the season and sales starting earlier and earlier, online shopping, and what seems to be a move to just offering Black Friday deals on the lower end merchandise, the thrill, for me at least, is gone. At least I have the chance to play pickleball. Let's grab our shopping bags and head off to the Pickleverse.

1. The Centre Holiday Schedule:  The Centre will be closed on Thanksgiving. On Friday there will be pickleball sessions as follows: 12:00 (Noon) to 2:00 PM will be DROP-IN and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM will be reserved court time. The SignUpGenius has been modified to reflect the new drop-in time. Remember to reserve a court, call The Centre at 814-689-1802.

2. C3 Sports:  C3 Sports will be closed on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

3. Westmont Hilltop Recreation Centre Pickleball Tournament:  Last weekend SaraLee and Cyndi Lyn finished 4th in their bracket. They had tied for 3rd but had lost head-to-head with the team they tied with so they fell to 4th. SaraLee and Randy won silver in their mixed doubles bracket. Conversely they had tied for second but won due to having the head-to-head win over the other team. SaraLee and Randy missed gold by 1 point, losing their match with the gold medal winners with a score of 11-10. Photos below. SaraLee was the fashion consultant and whereas we did not win any gold for play, we certainly were the gold standard for style!

4. Don't Be Either Of These Guys:  After nearly 35 years in law enforcement I'm not easily shocked but this video did catch me by surprise. In what must have been a hotly contested match the teams meet at the next as is the normal pickleball etiquette. One player is a bit over excited, drops an F-bomb and in some fashion manages to knock an opponent's paddle to the ground. Watch the video for "the rest of the story":  https://youtu.be/wB4cK_jzguc?si=kgSnb3x_veawxcam

5. Be Alert: With drop-in sessions moving indoor more frequently now please be alert when you are waiting on the side for the next open court. If the rotation is two out/two in, there are players on the court eager to start their next game. Especially during the final half hour of the session players on the side seem to settle into a social herd and no one is catching that it's time for the next two up.

6. Dinking In The New Year:  I have heard entries for DITNY have been lagging. A very well run tournament that would be a good one for veteran tournament players and newbies looking forward to giving tournament play a go. More info and flyer here.

7. Holbrook Pickleball Black Friday:  As of today, only the Aero Metallic T paddle has sold out and it wasn't even on sale (you can still use my 20% discount for it if you want one). The sale paddles run from $10 to $20 cheaper than what you can get with my discount. A nice buy is the gear (they call it a podium) bag. With the 30% BF deal on the website the bag is priced at $105. Nice bag, it's the one I use. I should have the new Kevlar and the training paddle in my kit by Friday if you are interested in them.

8. Tip Of The Week:  OK, even with the new knee I'm not the fastest beast in the forest. One of my recent struggles was getting to the NVZ quickly off of a return of serve. For me it was usually a 2 step process to go from baseline to NVZ. I would drive a return of serve, take a couple of steps, split-step and then repeat before reaching the NVZ. I finally got smart. Instead of driving a fastball back to the opposition (which takes much less time) I now mix in a number of "blob" balls as my return. They are sort of a modified lob. There is a nice high arc in the shot and I am going to try and get that back as close to the baseline as I can. Since this ball takes more time to reach my opponent I am now getting to the NVZ with only one stop and to my surprise, at times, able to get there straight off my shot. A couple of things to keep in mind, keep the ball deep, don't invite your opponent to the NVZ and as soon as you see your opponent about to hit the ball go to your split step and prepare to field the ball. Of course if you see your opponent engage your partner instead of you with your new awesomeness, you have the green light to go directly to the NVZ.
   
   

I think I got everything for the coming week as the where and when for indoor play. I may not see you on the court for most of the week, between the holiday, a trip to NYC and preparing two desserts (grape salad and peanut butter pie) for Thanksgiving, free time may be tricky to find until Friday.  Below are the SignUpGenius links for The Centre and for C3 Sports, they have been modified to reflect the holiday schedule.  Have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-53508064-c3pickleball

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-53508068-nvsc

Randy Hoffman

Holbrook PIckleball Ambassador

https://holbrookpickleball.com/

Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN20