Remember, if you have left over candy, moderation is the key.  It's the first day of November and two things come to mind, Thanksgiving and the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  If you have not figured it out just yet, I am wired a little differently, mostly for the better, I like to believe.  This past week saw players starting more and more to migrate indoors or shifting their start time for outdoor play to late morning or early afternoon and others grabbing the occasional afternoon session.  With the "Fall Back" time adjustment tonight the late afternoons will be putting a hard press on to get play done before dark.  This edition of the Pickle Jar will be served up in two parts.  The first will be the usual notes about local pickleball and the second will be a piece about where you can play indoors with coming of winter.  So let's push the start button and head off to the Pickleverse.

1. Somerset Pickleball Tournament - Next weekend will be the Somerset tournament.  Registrations will close on Wednesday, November 5th.  If you are interested in playing check out the flyer attached at the bottom of the blog or contact the tournament director: Lisa Miller.

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 along with a link for more information and registration.

3. Pickling In Halloween Fashion - Ever the fashion icon, check out the photo at the bottom of the page of Saralee in her "big dill" outfit when she came to play the other day.

4. Safety Reminder - I know balls rolling onto your court can be annoying but please, pretty please with sugar on it, don't just blindly roll or kick the ball back to where it came from.  Either ground the ball in a safe spot or make eye contact with someone that is waiting to receive the ball.

5. Know Anyone Like This? - Pickleball and the Weather

6. Novice Meet/Greet Play Session - On Wednesday, November 5th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM I am hosting a pickleball meet and greet for novice level players that are looking to meet other player that are also just beginning their pickleball journey.  The goal is to have FUN and make meet some new friends and perhaps create some play groups.  I have 2 courts reserved and could add more if there is a demand.  There is an $8 facility fee.  You can log in here to sign-up:  Novice Meet/Greet Play Session

7. Final Numbers From The Great Cycle Challenge - The money has been tallied and this year The Great Cycle Challenge raised $7,198,381 to fight pediatric cancer.  Thank you so much to those that donated and supported me as a pretty much disappeared for much of September to spin down the dusty trails of PA, MD, and DC.  I will be riding again next year but I am planning a bit of a different theme.  Instead of crunching a bunch (for me) of miles I'm going to try and do a series of "destination" rides, like a return to the Ride DC event.  Thanks again for all your support.
   
   

OK, time to talk about playing indoors.  I will try to break down, especially for newer players that just started their pickleball life playing at an outdoor venue.  When I talk about a facilities number of indoor courts that would be if they had all courts in play.  Most venues are multi-use facilities so at time some or all courts are not available. 

• The Nittany Valley Sports Centre (The Centre) - 177 Champion Drive, State College - telephone 814-589-1802 - 7 courts - rolled sport vinyl floor - mixed sports lines, pickleball is green - normal court availability is weekdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  Weekends and evenings are variabile based on other programming, call facility - the 9 AM to 11 AM sessions on weekdays are dedicated to open/drop-in play - the 11 AM and 1:00 PM sessions are reserved courts for a bring your own group for private play - the weekday fee per person is $8.00 and you can purchase multiple play credits at a discounted rate - balls are provided but you may bring your own - there are occasional classes and clinics but no set schedule, they are usually announced in the Pickle Jar.  A quick video of The Centre:  Pickleball At The Centre

• State College YMCA - 677 W.Whitehall Rd, State College - telephone 814-237-7717 - 5 courts (due to multiple programs at the Y, 4 is usually the max) - wood gym floor - multiple sport lines - see this link for court schedules and rates:  State College YMCA Pickleball - the usually has clinics and other events on a regular basis - balls are provided and there are demo paddles to use

• The Gorilla House Gym - 3200 Fairway Drive, Altoona - telephone 944-9412 - 6 courts - hard court material (cement base?) with sport court paint - pickleball and tennis lines - this link will take you to their Pickleball and Tennis page and provide some information about fees:  Gorilla House Pickleball - that page will direct you to a link to join Pickleball Den and then allow you access to the facility schedule and events - I know balls are provided but I am not sure about paddles

• C3 Sports - 200 Ellis Place, State College - telephone 814-404-0711 - 4 courts - wood gym floor multiple sport lines, courts incorporate existing sport lines into the court and then add green lines to complete the court - does offer one court as a drop in court but that usually never used - the other 3 courts are private reserved courts and have a small but loyal number of groups that play there - the sign up to reserve a court for private play is posted weekly in the Pickle Jar and then is posted by C3 Sports at C3 Sports - note that other than the schedule link, some of the pickleball links are dead links or out of date information.

Have a great week and I hope to see you a court soon!

Here are the links for indoor play and the Novice Meet/Greet

Novice Meet/Greet Play Session

Indoor Play At C3 Sports

Indoor Play At The Centre

Randy S. Hoffman

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