Pickleball combines the features of tennis, ping pong, and badminton. The ball looks like a wiffle ball and the game is played on a court that is much smaller than tennis or about the size of a badminton court. It is one of the fastest growing sports and very popular with active adults including men and women. Games are typically played with four players. We are fortunate at Hickory Woods to have our own pickleball court so give it a try if you’ve never played before.

Our 2018 season is finally getting off the ground now that the weather is improving. We’ll continue using SignUpGenius this year to schedule and sign up for games. Using the sign up system is strongly encouraged to ensure a session has both enough players and, conversely, not too many. If you have not received an electronic invitation to use the signup system, please send an email to Pat Pannese at abbeysys@outlook.com requesting a Pickleball signup invitation.

This year we will try the following levels of play:
1. Beginner – for those who have never played or still honing basic skills or still learning proper positioning and score keeping.
2. Advanced Beginner – for those who know how to play, know how to keep score, can keep rallies going, and can consistently serve without faulting
3. Open – for anyone with skills beyond the Beginner level. This session provides an opportunity for Advanced Beginners to test their skills with Advanced players. Competitiveness of play will depend upon attendees.
4. Advanced – for players who are comfortable with a more aggressive and competitive game.

The Hickory Woods Pickleball schedule and signups are found at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f044ca9ab2fabf49-hickory1

Buying a paddle
Paddles can be purchased at your local sporting goods stores, PickleBallCentral.com, and Amazon.com among others. Paddles come in variety of materials, weights, and grip sizes. Wooden paddles are not recommended because of their weight. If you’re looking to find the best paddle for you there is a very good buying guide on the PickleBallCentral.com web site (link below) that will even help you determine your grip size.
http://www.pickleballcentral.com/Pickleball_Paddle_Guide_s/49.htm

Comments or suggestions regarding Pickleball are always welcome.
Pat Pannese
abbeysys@outlook.com
Ken Penaskovic
kpenasko@comcast.net
Allan Putnam
blindsuccess@gmail.com