The great herd migration has begun!  After a few starts and stops as the rain, temps and wind tried to push players back indoors we were rewarded with some outstanding pickleball weather.  The courts were filled on the mornings I played and the one night I did a walk in the park at Bernel the courts were once again filled to capacity.  The only aggravation has been that annoying but necessary yellow powder I find on my windshield each morning.  I wonder, do bees ever have allergies to pollen?  Many of the snowbirds have returned to their northern nest and it has been fun to see old friends again.  Before I get all sentimental and philosophical, let's "make it so Number 1" and take off to the Pickleverse.

1. C3 Sports - C3 will be unavailable for indoor play on Friday.  The sign-up has been modified to reflect that.

2. Johnstown YMCA Tournament - good luck to area players headed to Johnstown this weekend.  We are sending a pretty strong contingent from our area:  Michael F., Kevin O., Frank S., Amir O., Mark R., Prasad G., Cyndi Lyn O., Saralee F.  Have fun and if the fates or your sheer strength of will and skill, mine some precious medal.  Take photos and send them to me for next week's PJ.

3. Bernel Road Park Pickleball - with outdoor play exploding again just a few notes for the Bernel.  Remember to wait and not walk behind courts that are in active play.  Do not linger at the gates, get to the side fences or outside to conduct chats.  If you need to go to the far side of the courts to play your next game consider walking outside the fence to eliminate navigating in play courts.  If you put your pickleballs into the group play make sure to mark them with your name or initials.  As far as I know the paddle rack has not had to be activated.  Review the rules and guidelines listed on the posted signs.  If you are looking to have the best chance of not having to be in a court rotation group I think your best time to play may be between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM during the weekdays.  I have not played there on the weekend yet so I have clue what to suggest.

4. Pegula Arena - not sure what the story is just yet but a bike friend recently sent me a photo of some pickleball courts set up on the arena floor, sans ice.

5. Service Rules - I saw a headline about a rule change for the serve.  Like so many times recently these are created in and for the pro pickleball leagues.  The rules traditionally used in rec play and amateur tournaments are issued by the USAP.  If you would like to reference any rule, here is a link:  https://usapickleball.org/docs/2025-USA-Pickleball-Rulebook.pdf

6. Tip Of The Week - since we are talking rules, I thought it would be a good time to review what make a legal toss/drop serve.  If you look at the 2 photos below of Saralee serving she hits on all 3 criteria.  Number 1:  She makes contact with the ball below her waist.  Number 2:  At the time of contact the highest part of her paddle HEAD is below her wrist.  Number 3:  The path of her paddle after contact follows in some degree of an upward arc.  There is no set rule as to how much of an arc just that the paddle has to travel from a lower to higher point after contact.  Right now I can hear someone saying "Hey, so-and-so doesn't hit legal serves then".  Yep, I probably have noticed them also.  I have even counseled a few but old habits die hard for some. The question you have to ask yourself is does the illegal serve create an unfair advantage.  If it doesn't then in rec play I would suggest just letting it go and just enjoy playing.  In a tournament, a different story.  By the way, I was getting a bit sloppy a few weeks ago and I got called out and they were right.  I corrected my error and have been more cognizant of making sure the contact point is below the waist.  BTW - this adaptation helped me develop a nice and improving topspin serve.  Of course you always can fall back on the bounce serve.  To be a legal bounce serve you can scrap all the aforementioned details and just make sure you only drop (can't throw the ball down or up) and that your feet are behind the baseline when you hit the ball.

7. Great Cycle Challenge - I've done a few training rides on the new bike and have loved how my rides are progressing.  Right now I have my miles to ride pledge (in the month of September) at 400.  I'm feeling a bit adventurous and thinking seriously about bumping that up to 500 miles which would be a personal record for me.  If you would like to learn more about the fundraising I do for pediatric cancer research go to this link:  https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/RandyHoffman. Any amount would be appreciated.  I tell you what, if I get to the $500 pledge mark before May 1, I will get off the fence and bump up the miles target.
   
   

The links for indoor play are below.  Remember to check the SignUpGenius and TeamReach app to figure out where people are playing, especially on weather days that are a bit iffy.  I hope to see you on the courts soon or if you are into rail trail bike rides let me know.   Peace.

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-56527997-c3pickleball

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-56528010-nvsc

Randy Hoffman

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/RandyHoffman