The groundhog may have seen his shadow but I've seen geese headed north and plenty of dead skunks along the side of the road so maybe it won't take a full 6 weeks to get to Spring.  With another winter storm scheduled to arrive on Saturday I thought about waiting until tomorrow to put this together but it was a good double session of pickleball today and I still have a bit of an endorphin glow.  With some smooth jazz playing in the background let's light the burners on low and take a slow ride through the Pickleverse.

1. Lobbing For Leadership Tournament Wrap Up - at the bottom of the blog you will find a list of the teams that scored some bling last weekend.  As of right now, they hope to bring the tournament back.  They are open to suggestions as to how they can make it even better.  If you don't have Ryan's email, send me your suggestion and I will forward it to him.

2. What?  Even More Tournament News? - below you will find information for 2 upcoming tournaments in the Johnstown area.  I'm planning to play in the Westmont Hilltop Tournament.  I would consider the Johnstown YMCA Open but I'm hoping to buy a new bike this season so I need to squirrel away a few pennies.  If you are just getting started in pickleball the Westmont tournament would be a good first time tournament.  Additionally they have a 2.5 bracket.  Of course all brackets are dependent on having enough entries to populate them.  I like the use of the 2.5 bracket as opposed to the term "beginner".  I have observed a number of folks coming to the game from strong tennis/badminton/racquetball/squash backgrounds and within a couple of sessions they are competing strongly with much more experienced players.  The hope is that players honor the 2.5 bracket and don't "sandbag" just to get a medal to satisfy some sad empty part of their life. If you ever come across a team like that in a tournament you just have to move past it and enjoy the camaraderie and fun with the other teams in the bracket.

3. A Great Graphic About The Serve - attached is a photo from the 2025 USAP rule book that illustrates the 3 criteria for a legal volley serve.  The first point is the the contact of the paddle to the ball must occur below the waist.  The trouble there is how to define a waist.  The rule book does not give any help past the red disc encircling the players torso.  The second criteria is that at the time of the contact the highest point of the paddle head must be below the wrist.  The final criteria is there has to be a semblance of an upward arc. The arc doesn't have to be from 6 o'clock straight up to 12 o'clock but there has to be some arc in the swing.  Keep in mind, if you do the drop/bounce serve those 3 criteria are not required.

4. 2025 Rulebook - I have purchased a 2025 rulebook and when it arrives I will see if it fits in the side pocket of the ball caddy.  If it doesn't I will keep it in my pickleball bag.  If you would like, you can download a free PDF copy from the USAP website with this link:  https://usapickleball.org/docs/2025-USA-Pickleball-Rulebook.pdf

5. One Last Rule Topic - Here is an interesting article where someone had survey players as to what rule they would change in picleball if they had the power to do so.  The author then added some commentary after each suggestion.  Give it a read.  What rule would you like to see changed?  https://thepickler.com/pickleball-blog/pickleball-one-rule-change/

6. I Can't Even Think Of Title For This One - Sadly pickleball does find its way into the legal system.  This is an interesting case and it does also reinforce what I preach about wearing eye protection.  From the play court to the legal court:  https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/pickleball-lawsuits-every-time-you-pick-up-a-paddle-you-might-be-stepping-into-a-legal-minefield/?utm_source=newsletter.thedinkpickleball.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=amateur-players-most-common-mistake&_bhlid=fb45dffe6c02e16978bf38004b1b492b7db1f5ba 

7. Tip Of The Week - I had the pleasure of being the 5th person with group of wonderful players this morning.  It was my turn to rotate to the bench so I got to watch 2 evenly matched teams battle.  One of their points was a sustained rally of at least 15 hits if not more. They surprised themselves and somewhere around hit number 10 the giggles started and grew until the ball was finally put away.  By that time they totally lost track as to who had served and what the score was.  The joy they had at that point was so great to observe.  Conan The Barbarian may offer up the best thing in life is "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."  I would counter with being a gracious winner/loser, being the player that makes your partner and opponent better and hear the laughter of players enjoying themselve.  So my tip can be summed up in two words:  HAVE FUN!
   
   

Time for this mellow fellow to sign off.  The links for indoor play can be found below.  I hope to see you on the court soon.

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55020374-nvsc

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55020360-c3pickleball

Randy Hoffman

Holbrook PIckleball Ambassador

https://holbrookpickleball.com/

Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN