Well, I almost made it 2 ½ years between falls.  The last one was a pre-knee replacement incident where it just gave out.  This one was quite a bit different.  What happened was my partner made an outstanding chase down of a sharply angled cross court.  I had moved to the center of our court to maybe get lucky and get something hit in my direction.  Our opponent did a tap shot back towards were the ball had come from.  Normally I would have surrendered the point but it bounced higher than I expected which ignited in me the thought I could get there and at least try for a shot - any shot.  So I started running, well at least in the form of running in sort of a charging rhino fashion, the arm and paddle extended as my horn.  I figured out I would not be able to reach the ball just from shear speed so I started to lean down with gravity laughing at me as it pulled the ball closer to earth.  I can't quite remember where I was when the "oh crap" moment hit me but as clear as a bell I heard a voice in my head yell "ROLL".  Muscle memory from years of police training and bike patrol training kicked.  I tucked my chin into my chest and offered my right shoulder as a sacrifice to the cold, hard surface of the court.  It wasn't as graceful as I may have executed in my younger days but the head never made contact with the ground as I sort of log rolled onto my back and finally coming to rest on my stomach.  There is always that very strange moment when the violence of a crash turns to the stillness of assessment.  OK, I hear voices, I open my eyes and nothing is spinning or blurry.  I hear my partner call my name and ask if I am OK.  I make a fist and turn my thumb skyward.  I'm thinking I may have escaped with minimal damage and then I start to push up off the ground.  Pain shoots through the middle of my back.  I get up on all fours and declare, "I'm done for the day".  With a little effort and maybe some help, I can't recall, I get to my feet.  I know that besides the pain between my shoulders, I have a skinned knee and while it doesn't hurt now I know I will be feeling a good bit of discomfort later that day or the next.  Everyone was so gracious to offer their thoughts of sympathy and wishes for quick healing.  I limp my way back to the car and head home for a quick shower and then head off for the afternoon shift at my local polling place.  I was fortunate that my job (instructing people how to put their ballots into the machine and handing out the I Voted stickers) was a position where I could sit.  I believe that at times during my shift I looked like the Sphinx looking straight ahead, arms resting on the arm rests, not moving.  How does this sage end, all some tissue injuries? Incremental improvements.  On hold for no pickleball until Monday at the earliest and then instructions to be smart about my body.  Time will tell, time will tell.

Let's stay balanced and take off for the Pickleverse.

1. Somerset Tournament - good luck to the local players travelling down to Somerset for that tournament.  

2. Dinking In The New Year 2026 - Set for January 10 and 11, 2026 this is one of if not the largest pickleball tournaments in central Pennsylvania and often attracts players from all over Pennsylvania and other surrounding states.  The tournament is held at the Gorilla House Gym in Altoona.  There is a flyer on the Tournaments page and you can also get more information and register to play at this link:  Dinking In The New Year 2026

3. Nittany Valley Sports Centre (The Centre) - While convalescing at home my TeamReach app started to buzz like a hive of bees.  There was great excitement about the possibility of evening play at The Centre.  The Centre had been contacted and I am guessing the person that contacted The Centre talked to one of their part-time desk attendants.  I have observed past instances where the kids working the desk give incomplete or incorrect information especially regarding pickleball.  Just to check if there had been any changes from the prior year I contacted Sean Kadar, the events manager (sorry if I got that title wrong Sean) to get the low down.  As a review, drop-in and private play rentals occur from 9:00 to 3:00 PM on weekdays.  Any evening or weekend play is considered premium time and priced differently.  The next important thing to keep in mind is that the actual money brought in by pickleball is "pizza money" in the big scheme of their financials.  So during the more competitive weekday evening and weekend slots the big dogs with 4 and 5 digit rental fees will edge us out for space.  FYI, C3 Sports is much that same.  So courts MAY be available at varying times throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring.  Right now, slots that may be available in the evening will soon disappear as the "winter" sports season ramps up.  So sadly, temper those expectations that there will be a steady supply of available courts for play.  So if there is a evening time slot where the courts are available what one player needs to do is arrange a court rental.  The rate for a court rental is $40 per hour.  With that you are paying a flat rate for that "space" so depending on if you have 5 or 6 players, the player cost per share goes down.  I have couple of questions that I sent Sean for clarification and I will send a supplemental notice when I get that.  I hate being a killjoy.

4. Novice Meet/Greet Play Session - We didn't have a big turnout for the novice session but those that participated enjoyed it.  They endorsed having another one so I have to check my calendar and see what I can set up so watch for an announcement.
   
   

Below are the sign-up links.  Have a great week, stay warm on Monday and Tuesday.  I hope to be back on the courts soon.  Peace.

The Centre:  The Centre Drop-in

C3 Sports:  C3 Sports Reserved Court Play

Randy S. Hoffman

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