Thank you to everyone that checked in with me to see how my recovery is going.  As a quick update, the ribs are still sore but the back pain is negligible.  Well, except for the strain I earned from doing the monthly mattress flip.  As I have said many times, getting old is rough but it beats the alternative. One of our community's greatest strengths is the amount we care about each other.  Over the years the family has grown there have friendships forged, if one goes down for a surgery someone usually quickly gets a get well card in play for folks to sign.  Several times a year I hear from visitors what a wonderful group you are in welcoming strangers to play.  May this forever be what we are famous for. Kind of tearing up *sniff* now so let's blast off for the Pickleverse.

1.    Thanksgiving Planning - I checked and for the week of Thanksgiving The Centre will have its normal schedule for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  The Centre will be closed on Thanksgiving. For Friday, drop-in will be open from 9:00 to 11:00 AM.  Private court reservations will be available from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  There will be no 1:00 to 3:00 PM session.  It would be wise to anticipate a busy drop-in session since a number of our regulars have  family coming for the holiday and are looking to play.  I know 1 court has already been reserved for the 11 - 1 private session so get you plans together.  I forget to check but I think all 7 courts should be available.  I will check on that and confirm or correct next week.  I have not heard any plans from C3 Sports yet.  If I get information I will post that next week.

2.    Checking In At The Centre - Brie, the desk attendant at The Centre, is getting very close to going on maternity leave.  She has a pretty good handle on who the pickleball players are; however, with a growing group and with folks stocking up on play credits to beat the 2026 price increase the desk gets very busy in the time leading up to 9:00 AM.  If you have play credits please make sure to catch Brie's eye or any other person working the desk  to make sure they see you and debit your account as appropriate before you head back to the courts.

3.    The Case For Grace (Know Your Players) - In that we are entering the holiday season I decided to run a weekly series through the New Year focusing one how we can all show grace within the spirit of competition and community.  I will lead off with a note about showing grace when you have a "mixed bag" of players on the court.  You might have a 6 year player like me, a person just 2 months out from their Pickleball 101 clinic, and a couple of other players somewhere in the middle.  You may have a team of team of two old dude with no natural knees between them.  So in REC OPEN PLAY, it's like a box of chocolates, you don't know what kind of team mix you may come across when you start play.  Here's were the grace part comes in.  We all like to win, but when that point comes via dominating a weaker player or one that may have mobility issues, that victory is hollow.  Showing grace would be CHALLENGING the weaker player, not dominating or intimidating them.  It doesn't take too long to figure out whether a opponent can handle your heat of a forehand drive or if they know how to shuffle back and defend an overhead smash.  To the higher level players my advice would be to a) hit to the better opponent more, b) work on parts of your game that need improvement like 3rd shot drops, c) challenge the weaker player with shots that they have a chance at and help them grow their game, d) and find a group of like-mind and skill players and reserve a private court.  One final thought about this point concerns control.  If you can't hit hard drives or overheads without some degree of control, don't do it until you can.

4.    Novice Player Note - If at anytime you feel unsafe, call everyone to the net and let the other 3 know that you are dropping out of this game.  Don't be angry or accusatory, speak plainly and honestly with them.  If an offer is made to tone it down, it is up to you to decide if you want to continue.

5.    The Centre - Two new net setups were ordered yesterday to replace the ones damaged by another event.  A new net for the heavier duty net frame is also to be ordered.  I also got the OK to Frankenstein the worst of the damaged frames and try to improve the others.  We also discussed a possible ball stop solution for the main gym.

6.    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 at the bottom of this blog and you can also get more information and register to play at this link:  Dinking In The New Year 2026

7.    Money, Money, Money - I have a part time gig as a lab rat for various Penn State research studies.  Some are fun and most are usually pretty interesting AND some are good for pizza money.  On Thursday I participated in one where I operated a driving simulator that was running as an autonomous vehicle that encountered some hazard that overwhelmed the car's computer and you would have to take over.  I crashed 5 times, although 4 of them were from oversteering to the right and crashing into a barricade.  I can proudly say none of my crashes involved other vehicles.  So 5 is the mark to beat if you want to best my tally and make $25.00.  I attached the researcher's flyer to the Pickle Jar.  Just tell him, the pickleball guy sent you.  Actually, I was the second player to participate.  If you are interested in checking out any other studies, go to this link:  Penn State Studies

8.    Holbrook Arma Series Black Friday Special - If you are looking for a deal on a paddle, Holbrook will be be running a Black Friday Special for the entire Arma line (their newest paddle) from November 18th to December 2.  The deal is 50% off of $199.99, so a very good paddle for $100.  I have one in my demo bag if you would like to try it.  Here are the paddles:  Arma Paddle Options  The discount code if you want to jump on this on the 18th is RANDYHOFFMANBFCM50. 

9.    CPR/AED for Adults - I just finished my recertification as an instructor in American Red Cross CPR/AED/First AID  Adult and Pediatric.  I had a preliminary discussion with The Centre about possibly holding an occasional class at The Centre for you guys.  Let me know if that is something you might be interested in doing.

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