The Pickle Jar
February 3-7
I had to apologize to my left hand. I had worried greatly about how much the carpal tunnel surgery would impact my right hand, my so-called strong or dominant hand, that I figured the left side would be no big deal. In the course of everyday events I quickly became aware how much I use my left hand. Simple little things like turning a door knob would cause me to pause and have to adjust. I tried putting on a jacket while inserting the left arm first and it felt really strange. I wonder why I wasn't at least a bit ambidextrous for some tasks and I wondered if it was conditioning from when being on the job that I was trained to to keep my sidearm hand free whenever possible. Maybe just one of those quirky habits that followed me into retirement. Let's buckle up and take off for the Pickleverse.
Congratulations to the State College High School Future Business Leaders club and advisor for hosting a fun tournament at The Centre on Saturday. I just have some preliminary results and photos (see below) and should have more for next week's Pickle Jar. In the Intermediate bracket congratulations to Frank J. and Tina R. for their bronze medal finish. In the beginner/novice bracket congratulations toTodd and Susan C. for their silver medal finish and to SaraLee F. and Rana G. for being the highest finishing female doubles team. SaraLee and Rana played a strong game in the bronze medal match but came up just a bit short. I am sure we had some other local medalists and I will recognize them next week.
I will have some information for some other 2025 tournaments in next week's Pickle Jar.
Shoes - The Centre asked that I share with those that play there to check your shoes. Either in our group or another sports group a person or persons are wearing running/walking shoes with a dark sole that is marking the floor. Not only is that a hassle for staff to clean but running/walking shoes are not safe to play in. Pickleball requires a player to be able to move in any direction at any moment. Running/walking shoes are designed to travel one direction - forward. Please consider obtaining a pair of court shoes if you don't have a pair. Whenever we have a person tumble, the first place my eyes go is to their feet. I won't "shoe" shame them in public but more times than not the player was wearing inappropriate shoes.
Pickleball and The Super Bowl - pickleball featured as the backdrop in a Super Bowl commercial. Click here: https://youtu.be/eAJW_-i4-kc?si=AEYjOOm4VXJiBC1S
Pickleball 101 - currently considering running a PB 101 session in late February or early March.
Pickleball 201 - I need a week to play and get back in the groove so I will most likely be available for PB 201 in mid-February. I have 1 group lined up currently.
New Nets - The Centre added two new nets so the heavy beat up original ones will be mined for parts and hopefully there are enough good parts to Frankenstein 1 good net to make #7.
TeamReach - There was some chatter by a few about possibly playing outside on Monday. Those folks are tougher than me but it serves as a reminder that if you don't have TeamReach pushing notifications to you, check in on the app now and then to check the calendar and messages.
Holbrook Pickleball - FYI if you need my discount code for anything on the Holbrook Pickleball webpage, the discount code is now simply RANDYHOFFMAN. Additionally I now have a 14mm Aero X paddle if you are looking for something with a bit more zip to it.
Tip of The Week - I was working with a player today and had a sort of pickleball epiphany. We were discussing how to set up for a low ball. I am sure I have mentioned in the past how you need to bend more at the knees or take a wider stance to get down to hit the ball with a good stroke. When I was demonstrating the wrong way by bending more at the waist I suddenly realized that for me to watch the ball my eyes were seeing the ball and the floor beneath it. I had zero sense of what the other side of the court looked like. It is hard enough to track the ball and still be able to pick up what is going on over on the opponent's court when looking straight ahead. Point your eyes down and you are at a much greater disadvantage. Take that as a tip to improve your responses AND watch your opponent to see if they are in the habit of bending at the waist. If they are, they may be a good candidate to pick on. In a fun convivial way of course.
I hope to see you on the courts soon. Here are your links for the SignUpGeniu and indoor play.
C3 Sports: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-54830590-c3pickleball
The Centre: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-54830599-nvsc
Randy Hoffman
Holbrook PIckleball Ambassador
https://holbrookpickleball.com/
Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN
PICTURE TO BE ADDED ASAP