Vol. 3, No. 7, FALL 2017 Ottawa Pickleball Association Newsletter Hello Pickleball Folks Welcome to the Fall issue of Paddle Talk. Thanks for stopping by to catch up after enjoying the summer months of vacation time and outside pickleball play. With the summer months behind us, the Ottawa Pickleball Association venues have kick started another fall session of indoor lessons, league and recreational play. The City of Ottawa and local area community centres have also commenced regular schedule pickleball as well. You are encouraged to check out the OPA website on the home page for information relating to the above: OttawaPickleballAssociation.com Over the summer, the website gained a new look and many changes were made. We are asking everyone to please refresh their devices and clear their browsing history to ensure the latest NEW version of the website download is what you are currently looking at. Also with the fall officially here, the OPA Annual General Meeting was held and with it came a new slate of returning and newly-elected Board Members. We look forward to an exciting year ahead of us so stay tuned to the website to keep up to date with OPA events. Thank you for your membership. Cathy Denault Editor, Paddle Talk Newsletter
OPA ANNOUNCES NEWLY ELECTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS Don Thompson Doug Orendorff Pat Bertrand Conrad Zeransky President Vice President/Secretary Treasurer Chair Membership Committee Catherine Aalders Denault Chair Communications Committee Rob Lutz Chair Skills Development Committee Lynn Campbell Liaison Tournaments Committee Jill Lutz Liaison Special Events Committee Evelyn Eldridge Pickleball League Director
The joy of pickleball is the play - the free-flowing back and forth of opponents trying to beat each other with a shot. The term for this back and forth action is a rally and is defined as the continuous play that begins with a serve and ends with a fault. The result of every rally is either a point for the serving team (when a fault is committed by the receiving team) or a loss of serve / side-out for the receiving team (when a fault is committed by the serving team). Faults are committed when a violation of the rules of play occurs. All the following are faults: A served ball does not land within the confines of the receiving court. A served ball touches a member of the receiving team after clearing the net and before hitting the court (interference). The server misses the ball while attempting to hit it. A served ball touches any permanent object before hitting the court. A served ball touches the server or his partner or anything they are wearing or holding. A serve is made by the wrong team member or from the wrong court. A return of serve is made by the wrong team member. The serve is made by bouncing the ball off the court before hitting it. A ball lands outside the sideline or baseline. A ball fails to clear the net. A ball is volleyed while the player s feet or anything the player is wearing/carrying touches the non-volley zone line or non-volley zone. A player s momentum following a volley causes the player or anything the player is wearing/carrying to touch the non-volley zone line or non-volley zone or anything in that zone (including the player s partner), even after the ball is dead. A ball is volleyed by a player leaving the non-volley zone prior to establishing both feet outside the zone. A ball is volleyed before bouncing once on each side of the court. A ball bounces twice before being struck by a player. A player, player s clothing, or any part of a player s paddle touches the net or the net post when the ball is in play. A ball in play strikes a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying, with a single exception a ball striking a player s paddle hand below the wrist is not a fault. A ball in play strikes any permanent object before bouncing on the court. A player strikes the ball before it passes the plane of the net. A ball is double-hit or carried without a continuous motion. An item a player is wearing or carrying falls onto the opponents court. A ball strikes the net post. WHAT IS A PICKLEBALL FAULT??
PICKLEBALL Recently posted on the website More Spotlight News in Ontario, Canada Pickleball isn't cooling down because it crosses the northern boarders into Ontario, Canada it's heating up. As our most Northern Great Lakes Region member Ontario, Canada is a great summer get away for those in the "heated" southern states to visit. Ontario has a plethora of amazing pickleball places to play and tournament events as well. With over a 150 Places to Play locations listed on the USAPA.org site and more cropping up regularly, Ontario, Canada is another HOT spot of pickleball play. Make one of your next trips across the border for some exciting play. Ontario Introduces Wheelchair Pickleball Just this past June in Whitby, Ontario the first wheelchair pickleball clinic was held at the Abilities Centre (AC). This clinic took 8 months of planning by the PAO Wheelchair Pickleball Initiative Committee members: Carol Doughty (Chair), Bruce Doughty (former PAO President), Joseline Sikorski (former PAO President), and Bob Cook-Abbott (former PAO Board Secretary). FANTASTIC Job by this crew to help make pickleball inclusive to all. NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERSHIP As we have already transitioned ahead with the new website and a new membership system is in the works (coming soon), please note that it is essential that all renewing and new membership applications are done through the current website using the paypal option. Using this option does not mean you need to open a paypal account. Your payment will be made using a credit card. It requires a lot of effort to keep our membership up to date and we need to ensure we are all registering in the same manner. Please ensure that you are using the current new version of the website. If you are getting a message that you can pay by email money transfer or cheque, this is not the new website domain.
b WANNA BE A BETTER PICKLEBALL PLAYER? We all do! Here s a tip: Ensure you always strike the ball in front of your body. Never let the ball get behind you, as then you're not controlling the ball, it's controlling you! Your best chance to control the ball and place it where you want is to hit it in front of your body. Balls that you hit parallel to or behind your hips are much more difficult to control, and leave you with a reactionary shot. I suggest the best way to maintain control of your shots, is to find the sweet spot - it's in front of your lead foot, at about the height of your knee. You don't control your opponent's shot - you only control your own reaction. Set yourself up for success with aiming to hit the ball in the sweet spot as often as possible! Rob Lutz Chair - Skills Development Committee
End of summer season OPA Fun Tournament held at Fallingbrook Community Centre, Orlean s in August 2017. Check the website on the Home Page>scroll down to OPA Gallery for more photos. Special thanks to our Sponsor: ONIXCanada/PremiumPickleball for providing tournament balls and prize give aways. Special recognition to the OPA Special Events Committee for another year of great organization and a fantastic fun activity. Well done! Wrap Up of the Ladies League this past June was a fantastic summer evening of food and fun! Just some of our lovely pickleball ladies featured here. The Ladies League is always a great success so if so inclined to join us, watch for the next round on our website under OPA Pickleball>OPA Competitive Play and sign up.
You've just hit an awesome deep serve and while the ball is in the air, you hear one of your opponents yelling "OUT! OUT! OUT!" Can they say that?!? Should everyone stop playing? Is this a line call? No! While this may seem like an official call from your opponents, it falls under the category of "player communication", as per the following International Federation of Pickleball rule: 6.D.12. If, while the ball is in the air, a player yells out, no, bounce it, or any other word to communicate to his or her partner that the ball may be out, it shall be considered player communication. If the ball lands in, play will continue. If the out call is made after the ball has hit the playing surface, it shall be considered a line call and play shall stop. Summary: anything that you say to your partner after your opponents have struck the ball is allowed and considered "player communication". It's only what you say AFTER the ball has landed that is considered an official call and should cease play. Rob Lutz, Chair Skills Development Committee PCO Ambassador Ambassadors help promote the sport of Pickleball in their respective region. Many of our ambassadors have organized clubs, tournaments and other events. Seeking a PCO Volunteer Ambassador for Ottawa! Interested? Please email OPANewsletter@outlook.com.
As our outdoor Pickleball slowly comes to an end for the 2017 season and indoor pickleball resumes once again, a big thank you to all our members who were involved in organizing outdoor play time with various groups over the summer months. A fond FAREWELL comes quickly to those of you who head to sunnier climates for the winter months. Safe travels to all and keep the pickleball spirit alive wherever you may be. See you all upon your return. OTTAWA PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBER ELECTED TO PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Pickleball Association of Ontario (PCO) was held Friday, September 15, 2017. Congratulations to Cathy Denault, our OPA Board Member, who was nominated and elected to serve as a PCO Board Member. Don Thompson, OPA President Your Input, Photos and Comments are greatly appreciated. Please email me: OPANewsletter@outlook.com Happy Halloween