Part of my drive to morning drop-in has me rolling down I-99.  I am a stickler for using "blinkers" so I wind around and up the ramp and signal my intent to merge.  The 18 wheeler was kind enough to slide over so I could just ease on in.  Now where I fail at times is flicking the blinkers off if the auto-off didn't kick in.  I think I travelled about 5 miles before I realized I was "that guy".  BUT, I can top that.  Back in my days of gainful employment one of my duties was to transport evidence to the crime lab in Harrisburg.  When I started doing the run I heard that the receptionist was often terse and not one for chit chat.  Believe it or not, I can be a bit charming if I try.  Since I wanted to start a good relationship with these folks I figured I would insure my efforts with a small token of appreciation for their work.  The light bulb fired bright over my head and I had an aha moment.  I loaded up for that trip and subsequent trips with individual cups of Creamery ice cream.  I became one of their favorite evidence officers needless to say.  I would show up with my stash and upon my arrival calls were made to lab sections and that would start a parade up to the check-in desk.  It was a fine Spring day. I had made my trip and was headed back to PSU with an empty cooler and evidence that had been processed.  Normally I would take the unmarked car but on this day it was signed out for some other purpose so I had a marked  cruiser.  As technology has advanced in policing the cockpit of a patrol car is stuffed with radios, laptops, and all the tools of the trade. I am cruising on 322 and traffic was moving to accommodate when I wanted to pass.  A lot of cars will drop down 5 MPH below the limit when a marked unit is following behind.  As I start up Seven Mountains I get a call from my dispatcher.  After acknowledging him he asks if I knew that my emergency lights were on.  I scanned down at the control switches and sure enough somehow I bumped the rocker switches to put me in a full Code 3 mode. A Mifflin County Regional officer saw me and called my dispatch to see if I would need any assistance. I flipped the rockers switches back and gave my dispatcher a one word reply.  "Corrected".  So I figure 5 miles with a blinker is no big deal.  Let's make sure we hit all the right switches and blast off to the Pickleverse.

1. Found - a pair of protective glasses were left at The Centre on Friday Morning.  They have been placed in the ball caddy.

2. Found Money - You may have unclaimed property/money being held by the Commonwealth of PA.  They have simplified and streamlined the process for checking to see if you have unclaimed property and want to make a claim.  After searching myself (found a small unclaimed royalty check) and my family (found 4 with small amounts) I randomly checked some of my pickleball friends.  The first two I tried had hits and I notified them of their small windfall.  If you want to check to see if you have anything out there click on the link provided.  Suggestion - don't enter any address, the property may be listed under an old address, like mine was or remember to check other names you may have used.  Good luck - https://www.patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/

3. Bernel Road Park Open Play - The current weather makes it feel like Spring is ages away.  Eventually the temps will cooperate and players will begin to migrate back outdoors.  Of course this creates the issue of sharing free public resources.  I came across this article that talks about the concept of Open Play and how people can screw it up.  I'm not offering any opinions but I believe it can be a good piece to foster discussion as to how our public and semi-private (like the Y) manage their court time.  https://thepickler.com/pickleball-blog/pickleball-open-play/

4. Pickleball 101 - Six (6) people have jumped about the PB 101 train.  I have enough to run the class and I can accept more.  If you know of anyone that is interested, here is the SignUpGenius link:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55158643-pickleball#/

5. Positive Signs - Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed more players using protective eyewear and I have seen players joggin and doing other warm-up stretches prior to playing.  Keep it up!

6. Tournament Info - See the graphics attached.

7. Kudos - This past week had a few new players come to drop-in at The Centre.  When I have talked to them after their session, as in the past, I get comments like "welcoming" and "people are so nice".  Many thanks to those that go out of their way to make new folks comfortable.

8. Body Bagging -  A new rule from the UPA-A (a professional pickleball league) allows referees to issue a point penalty for intentional or reckless shots above shoulder level. The penalty will also include a $2,500 fine for the offending player.  Body bagging (hitting hard/fast at an opponent's torso) with a high probability of striking the body to win a point has been discussed a lot at the pro level.  Of course what some casual players see the pros do, they try to do.  From what I have seen in our community has been more "toe tags" from overheads and the body bags appeared accidental.  Once again, this is why I endorse protective eyewear.  Here is an article that talks about whether this shot has a place in rec play.  https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/are-body-bags-appropriate-in-recreational-pickleball/

9. Tip Of The Week - Perhaps just because I was there all week but I observed and heard about an increased number of falls of late.  This summer I watched a 20-something player try to run down a shot, fall, roll and jump back up - ninja like.  Umm, most of us ain't like that.  I have been very, very lucky in the few falls I have encountered that training from self defense training and patrol biking helped me reflexively tuck and shoulder roll.  As Harry Callahan said "A man's got to know his limitations" (bonus points if you can name the movie without looking it up).  Make sure you are warmed up, all body systems are working well that day, be smart about when to go "all gas, no brake".  Oh, make sure you wear court shoes too.
   
   

Below are the links for indoor play.  Have a great week and see you on the courts soon I hope.

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55279566-c3pickleball

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55279522-nvsc

Randy Hoffman

Holbrook PIckleball Ambassador

https://holbrookpickleball.com/

Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN