Picklin' in Rocket City

Another Night in Rocket City

pictures by Maryann Stickney and Lauren Doherty

Fall Preview

Yes, it is still summer, however all good things must come to an end ..........

                                                                                      

except for year round pickleball

                                 

So with that in mind let's look at what's coming.

Starting  September 1, Reading Recreation will upon 44 open slots for Monday play. Eight of those will be for a beginner class

Winchester Recreation hopes to open indoor courts on Thursdays/stay tuned

Malden will have pickleball again on Tuesday nights

Newton will have an indoor program beginning in January

Andover continues Wednesday night outdoor program/indoors in November 

Woburn YMCA and Woburn Recreation will be starting Pickleball in the fall

Belmont is exploring starting a program after the first of the year

Billerica will begin a fall schedule in September

Lexington is planning on a winter schedule

South Boston Exhibition at Moakley Park in September

Unsung Heroes

This Summer's Unsung Heroes 

Dick Eddy

Four New Outside Painted Courts in Hamilton

Bill Zarhoruiko
Four New Painted Courts in Andover

Karen Richardson
Four new painted courts in Georgetown

Marjorie Berger and Natalie O'Connell
Four Indoor Courts in Winchester in September


Noel Doherty
Two Outdoor Courts in Burlington 


Bill Kane and Jim Buckley
Contributions to Defeat Cancer Event

Maryann Stickney and Rosemary Dissell
For excellent coverage while the fox is away 

Hank McLaughlin and Kevin Stankewicz
For making West Peabody a premier place

Rick Haigis
Salem Outdoor Courts by the Sea

Debbie and Eddie Chan

Pellegrini Park Newton 

West Peabody Pickleball: Where Athletes Are Reborn

The West Peabody Sitters

where there is always room for a visitor

Fay Larkin from Camden Maine with someone named Hank

Kevin the best of hosts with Gene

-------------------------------------

On the Other Hand

Right as Reading Rain

There are tough picklers ...... then there is Jim Buckley, Rosemary Dissell, Bill Kane and myself

A Video Worth Seeing and Sharing

When family and friends ask you what is pickleball show them this video and have a net, paddle and ball ready to hand them when they finish. Four minutes long.

A Pickler's Day Off

Sometimes we need to take a day off, relax, regroup and prepare for the following days pickleball 

Jesee "James" Buckley gunslinger

So with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees, 8 able bodied or let's say one able bodied  and seven "wish they were" picklers took to the links at Hillview CC in North Reading

I led off the first hole with a duck hook into the woods on the left, followed by severe slice into the woods on the right. And so it went, back and forth between the two foursomes for nine holes

 

 Gene had the only birdie of the day but we made it a bogie as he was the only one with a cart

 Larry, Bob and that might be Hank dragging himself to the finish line (Peg, I told him to ride)








                                 
                                                                                     Cooling off at the 5 Star Horseshoe Lounge

                          John Donovan and Rob Evans smiling as they assumed a victory was at hand
                                                                     (it wasn't)

How good am I?

How do you match up? How would you rate yourself? See the criteria one pickleball community out West uses.

2.0 Skill Level  Moves around court in balanced, safe manner  Gets some serves “in”, perhaps not regularly  Realizes aspects of score-keeping, rules and where to stand on court during serve, receipt of serve, and general play  Has some basic stroke skills

 2.5 Skill Level  Able to serve “in” more regularly  Knows two-bounce rule and demonstrates it most times  Knows where to stand on the court during serve, receipt of serve and general play  Is mastering keeping score.  Attempts to dink but not always effective at it  Working on their form for ground strokes, accuracy is variable  Can keep the ball in play longer  Sometimes lobs with forehand with varying degrees of success. 

3.0 Skill level  Knows the fundamental rules and can keep score  Regularly gets serves “in” to mid-court or deeper  Dinks mostly in opp. kitchen and is dinking lower over the net  Able to sustain dinking in the game  Using both forehand and backhand on returns and forehands on overhead returns  Working at keeping the serve deep and return of serve deep  Moves quickly towards the non-volley zone when opportunity is there  Trying to make flatter returns (where appropriate)  Aware of partner’s position on the court & moving as a team  Developing more power and/or softness in their shots  Somewhat a uni-dimesional player working at broadening their playing repertoire. 

3.5 Skill level  Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the rules of the game  Gets a high majority of serves in deep & returns serve deep  Often hits to the weak side of opponent  Demonstrates strategies of playing during games  Actively works with partners in communicating, covering court, moving to net  With varying consistency executes: lobs, forehand/backhand ground strokes, overheads, net volleys, and sustained dinking  Some use of drop shots to get to the net  Specifically places shots rather than just hitting shots anywhere  Selective mixing up soft shots with power shots to create an advantage  Hits fewer balls out of bounds or in the net  Has a moderate # of unforced errors per game  Demonstrates ability to intentionally play in offensive mode  Self-correcting after play is over  Demonstrates extended periods of multi-dimensional play 

4.0 Skill Level  Primarily plays in an offensive mode rather than reactively  Controls and places serves and return of serves to best advantage  Puts advanced playing strategy into the game, particularly in dinking  Consistently varies shots for competitive advantage, uses power shots selectively  Communicates and moves well with partner -- easily “switches” court positions  Very comfortable playing at the non-volley zone. Works with partner to control the line, keeping opponents back and driving them off the line.  Can block hard volleys directed at them  Has good footwork and moves laterally, backward and forward with ease.  Hits overhead shots consistently, often as putways  Ability to change a hard shot to a soft shot  Consistently executes effective drop shots that are not easily returned for advantage  Can effectively poach  Hits a low # of unforced errors per game  Regularly demonstrates “anticipation of play”  Self-correcting during play  Consistently is a mult-dimensional player and/or is exceptionally dominate in a limited playing repertoire. 

4.5 - 5.0 Skill Level 1. Can regularly convert a hard shot to a soft shot 2. Exhibits patience in play at a superior level 3. Shows noticeably increased skills, a higher level of strategy, quickness of hands and movement, judicious use of power, superior placement of shots, superb anticipation of play, sustained volleying skills, superior put-aways ---all with consistency 4. Makes very few unforced errors Differences between 4.5 and 5.0 are subjective – but, generally, each of the four points above is even more pronounced at the 5.0 level