So I got up this morning and I am about to head to play pickleball.  I notice a crow picking at something in a small pile of the remaining ice and snow in my front yard.  I stop the car and walk over with the crow flying away being a bit annoyed with me I think.  To my surprise there was a dead rabbit on top of this small pile of winter leftovers.  After looking around and seeing no Natives running at me (movie reference there, know it?) I climb back into my car and head to pickleball.  I figured I would relocate the poor thing to field behind my house later in the day.  I had a really good day at pickleball and did so without reinjuring my IT band.  After pickleball I decided to pick up lunch and punch in my order on my phone.  I saw I had discount code for one item so I apply it and to to check out, my final total is $6.66.  I pause for a moment wondering if I should order something else to change the amount.  I shrug my shoulders and submit my payment.  A second later my order number pops up - #13.  Normally I'm not much of an omen guy but the totality of the events had me treading carefully for the rest of the day.  So far, so good.  While the vibes are copasetic, let's blast off for the Pickleverse.

1. New Tournament - attached is a flyer for a fundraising pickleball tournament in Meyersdale, PA on March 22nd.  Meyersdale is a nice little rail trail town in south central PA and sits on the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail, one of my favorite trails.  The registration price is very friendly.  To enter is $20 for your first event and then $10 for additional events.  They are offering 4 skill levels and 3 age groups, keep in mind though that very often tournament directors have to collapse brackets due to insufficient entries in one or more brackets.  It is about a 2 hour drive to Meyersdale from the State College/Bellefonte area.  According to the flyer the format will allow for 5 games guaranteed.  Entries are due by March 18th.  If I get more information I will post it in the next Pickle Jar.

2. Other Tournaments - the information flyer for the Johnstown tournament is below.

3. Shoot Out - The Gorilla Gym will be hosting a shoot out (sort of like a round robin that sorts players into similar skill levels) on Fridays evenings from March 7 to April 18.  The information flyer is attached and it has the QR code to take you to registration.  A good way to meet other players from central Pennsylvania.

4. Balls - The bangers did in the supply of Penn 26 Lava balls this week.  They seemed to be cracking like eggs.  I got an emergency supply as a hold over and replacements should arrive by Monday. I marked the balls I placed in the caddy with today's date.  If you discover one of these balls cracked in the future stomp on it and place it in the caddy.  I placed a Sharpie in the side pocket of the caddy so if you have a dated cracked ball and no one has stolen the Sharpie please mark the cracked ball with the date.  I also tossed in 3 blue indoor balls.  I have no idea if they are crap or if they are decent balls.  If you get a chance to play a game with them let me know what you think.  I also have a trio of purple balls arriving to test and will place them in the caddy when they arrive.

5. Rulebook - I placed a copy of the 2025 rulebook in the side pocket of the ball caddy in case you have any questions concerning the rules or etiquette of the game.

6. The Centre - The Centre will be hosting the home show this coming weekend.  Due to the time it takes to set up displays in the main gym, those 3 courts will be offline on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  The 4 courts on the turf side of the building will not be impacted.  With only 4 courts on W-Th-F we may need to roll out the paddle sorter.  Another option if you want a change of pace is putting a group together and playing at C3 Sports if the drop-in looks too crowded for your liking.

7. People Are Noticing - I spoke with a player today that has been playing at the Y mostly and had been at The Centre for some time.  He was impressed with the progress that a number of players have made since he last played at The Centre.

8. Pickleball 101 - there are 7 folks signed up for Pickleball 101 on March 11th.  I have room for more if anyone is interested.  Here is the link for them to sign-up:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55158643-pickleball .

9. Tip Of The Week - I watched a couple of games today where it was the boys versus the girls.  I know the girls won the first 2 and I am pretty sure they won the 3rd one also.  If I can't be playing pickleball the next best thing is watching and analyzing a game.  I studied games and after a bit noticed a trend.  When they got into a banging contest, the girls usually won that exchange.  When the boys started to mix up their shots with varying depth and speed they often came out the victor in that point.  Apparently boys will be boys though and they kept falling back into the banger way of life.  What illustrates to me is the need to develop a well rounded game and being able to flex your style to better attack and defend against your opponents.  If it ain't workin' try something different.
   
   

The sign ups for indoor play are below.  Have a great week and I hope to see you on the court soon.

The Centre:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55444907-nvsc

C3 Sports:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BA5AA28AB9-55444896-c3pickleball

Randy Hoffman

Holbrook Pickleball Ambassador

https://holbrookpickleball.com/

Discount Code = RANDYHOFFMAN