Save the date reminder

This coming Sunday, February 19, we have replaced our 2:30 - 5:00 Open Play and reserved court time on Court Reserve with a Pickleball Planet Paddle Demo Day. Rick and Jen Toso will be there with lots of demo paddles from Joola and Head for you to come try out. If you’ve been thinking about getting a new paddle but don’t know where to start, this is for you! Pick out a demo paddle, play a game, and then try out a different demo paddle until you find the right one for you. They will also have court shoes and safety glasses available to try on and purchase, and you’re welcome to come take a look at those even if you aren’t shopping for a paddle right now.

This time will be an Open House, though we do ask that you sign up on Court Reserve so we can get an idea how many people to expect (registration is open now). Feel free to come and go anytime within the 2:30 - 6:00 event.

Ball Carts

Our club has purchased two ball carts and some additional indoor balls. They can be found just outside the storage closet in the LPRD building, and can be used by all club members at the indoor courts. Please make sure to pick up all the balls from around the court periphery when you are done and return them to the carts, including after ball machine use. We’ll move the carts to the outdoor courts in the summer.

Also, please remember to plug the ball machine back in after use.

Upcoming Potluck and Round Robin Day

Mark your calendars for Friday, March 3, when we will have two round robins (12 spots in each) and a potluck lunch. The schedule will be as follows:

• 10:00-12:15: 3.0-3.5 Round Robin;15 minute warm-up followed by play

• 12:15-1:30: Potluck; everyone welcome, even if you don’t play in the RR’s)

• 1:30-3:45: 3.5-4.0 Round Robin; 15 minute warm-up followed by play

Sign ups for the round robins open one week in advance. For the potluck, bring a dish to share. Plates, utensils, bowls, and napkins will be provided. Bring what you want to drink, but no alcohol is allowed in the LPRD building.

Want More Pickleball Instruction?

Many of us can’t stop thinking about pickleball even after we’ve left the courts. One way to keep learning from home is watching instructional videos online. You can find content for any type of player and skill level. Below are a few links we have found useful, but of course use the search field on YouTube/Google if there’s a something specific you want to learn more about.

Great beginner content:

• 5 basic shots to learn when you’re starting pickleball

• Pickleball scoring

Drills for all levels:

• Winning with Wes series on Selkirk TV (or search for the videos on YouTube). If you don’t know Wes Gabrielsen, he was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame last year. He comes over from the Willamette Valley and plays in our tournament every summer, so watch his videos and then come watch him play in person this June!

• Drills that are also games

• Focus on dinking

• Don’t have a partner to hit with but do have a wall? Try these drills and also these and these.

  • Don’t have a wall but want one? Bust out some DIY skills and do this, or this, or this.

• Technique and preparation: Improve all your shots by getting ready for them properly

Pickleball Strategy:

• When I watch high-level players, so often the points go by too fast for me to really see everything that happened. I love these three videos where he breaks down a single point, in slo-mo, from various angles, and talks about why the players are moving where they do and why they hit the shots they do.

• Stacking: How to stack

Once you find an instructor whose style you like, check out their channel for more videos.

What are your favorite pickleball videos? Share them in the comments!

Upcoming Tournaments

Ready to try some tournaments this year? I recommend checking pickleball.com, which will show tournaments that have been listed through pickleballtournaments.com or pickleballbrackets.com (theoretically they’re all merging this year…). A few Central Oregon ones include:

• Pickleball Zone: May 17-21

• Redmond Rock Chuck Open: July 7-9

• Pacific NW Classic: July 26-30

  • Note: this is a double elimination (DE) tournament, while many others are round robin (RR). In DE, if you lose your first two matches you are out, whereas RR usually guarantees you will get at least 5 matches or more.

Here are a few podium pictures from recent tournaments our members participated in. Jen Toso got silver medals in women’s and mixed in Roseburg, plus another silver at Widgi. Cathy Hundley and Whitney Smith got a bronze at Widgi.