Pickleballs, pickleballs, pickle all the way.  I played pickleball to the sounds of holiday music today.  It is hard to be aggressive to the tune of. White Christmas.  Still, I found a lot of tunes to bop to though.  Even a few others got happy feet and danced a bit.  Let's go dancing with the stars and blast off to the Pickleverse.

1. The Centre - I have the holiday schedule for The Centre.  Good news, there will be many opportunities for pickleball.  For the coming week The Centre will be open for pickleball every weekday except Christmas on Thursday.  For Christmas Eve, The Centre will be closing early so there will be no 1:00 to 3:00 PM private court session.  For the following week, there will be pickleball M-F, yes, even on New Year's Day.  For Wednesday, Thursday and Friday a dog show has rented the entire turf side of the building so only the 5 courts on the gym side will be available.  I will have more about that week in the next Pickle Jar.

2. C3 Sports - I am flying a little blind on their schedule but looking at their website calendar I have pieced together a guess as to their schedule.  Monday and Tuesday have a high probability of being correct on the SignUpGenius, but I would strongly suggest contacting the facility at 814-237-0711 to confirm that the facility will be open and there are no court conflicts with other programing for the 24th and 26th.

3. Dinking In The New Year 2026 - I just checked and there are 81 players registered for DITNY 2026. Registration closes on January 1.  If you need more information or wish to register follow this link:   Dinking In The New Year 2026. You can also check out the flyer on the Tournaments page.

4. The Centre - Just a reminder that the facility fee for a 2 hour court session will go up $1 in 2016.  If you have pre-purchased play credits in 2025, those will be honored.  Now is the time to do some math as to how much expect to play and stock up, plus the price drops a bit with the multi-credit pack options.

5. Food Bank - Thank you to those that donated Food Bank items to Deirdre and Rana this month.

6. The Centre - When The Centre was going through repairs and upgrades last week and early this week The Centre added 2 additional courts on the gym side.  When all courts are available there will be 9 for play.  Staff need to assemble one net and order and assemble a second to make 9 courts a reality.  

7. Training Court - John R. and I were discussing the possibility of every now and then, dedicate one court to an hour of drill/practice to work on improving a specific skill.  The target group would be for novice or low intermediate players.  More to come on this as we hash it out.

8. 2026 Rule Book - The 2026 USA Pickleball Rule Book has been released.  I have just started reviewing it but from what I understand there are no earthquake level changes, more of trying to clean up some language to make things more clear.  One question I heard twice now was "did they do away with hitting spin on the serve".  If you are a spinner, relax.  The update was to state that spin created during the toss or drop by either the hand or paddle (think chainsaw serve) is illegal.  When you hit the ball for the serve you can spin all you want if you adhere to all other rules for a legal serve.  Here is a link to the 2026 rules:  USA Pickleball 2026 Rule Book. 

9. The Case For Grace (Grow The Game) - In the final Case For Grace I've elected to ask you to consider how you can grow the game.  I remember way back when while sitting waiting for my daughter to finish swim practice at the Bellefonte Y hearing the pop, pop, pop of something being whacked.  I looked in the gym and saw this strange game being played.  I was warmly welcomed to give it a try and it was not long before I became a pickleball convert.  The folks at the Bellefonte were so gracious in teaching me the game and not only sharing the game but also their friendship.  Over the years i have observed many new players be introduced to pickleball and many friendships blossom out of love for a common game with a silly name.  I don't know all of you but I do a great many and consider you all my friends.  As you go into the new year, invite the newbie to join you in your game.  Be patient with them, remember what you were like when you started.  Support them and allow them to become the next wave of pickleball fanatics.
   
   

OK my fellow pickleball fanatics that's all for this week.  Whether it is Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas, or Kwanzaa I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season with opportunities to commune with friends and gather with family.  I hope to see you on the courts sometime soon.  Peace.

The Centre:  Indoors At The Centre

C3 Sports:  Indoors At C3 Sports

Randy S. Hoffman

Pickleball: The art of keeping your eye on the ball…mostly.