Do pickleball tournaments need ref's?

This past week I was a volunteer for the BC Seniors games for pickleball. At the players instructions at the start they were told that they would have to call their own lines, own faults, and even their own scores. What??? I realized that not all their pickleball volunteers actually knew anything about pickleball, but i know when I'm playing a pickleball tournament, I appreciate having a ref make the calls. In the heat of volleys you don't want to concentrate on lines, but instead concentrate on hitting the ball. I've attended some tournaments like Kelowna & Nanaimo and once you play a game, one of the winners becomes the ref for the following game, easy-peasy. If seniors were attending the games for softball would there be umpires? How about if they were there for the javelin throw, would there be anyone judging if they had faulted on their throw line? I might have been told to just simply collect the scores, but I acted upon instinct and called lines, faults, and scores after agreement from all participants. Players appreciated my reffing, and even asked too switch from their courts to be reffed on my court. Ref's are needed for pickleball tournaments! For those that are reading this and you don't know how to ref, start learning! It is very key to your own success in pickleball as well. What do you think about ref's in pickleball?

Drug Testing in Pickleball?

As the sporting world follows the story of Cycling's & Cancer survivor's  poster boy Lance Armstrong, we are in waiting to find out if his use of performance enhancing drugs did in fact take place. The news report on Thursday stated that Lance had indeed dropped his petition to fight the ruling, meaning that he is in fact guilty, or not wanting to fight against a witch hunt opposing him. If he is found guilty he will be stripped of all Tour de France medals, and other titles, and payback all winnings during a 9 year period. That same day that I heard that I was heading in for another day of Reffing for pickleball at the BC seniors games. I chuckled to myself of the thought of drug testing taking place in pickleball at a seniors games. There was already laughs flowing at the games when I arrived about the possibilities of that taking place. As was stated by the participants in attendance, you have seniors taking any number of medications for allergies, hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, inflamation, anti-depressants, sexual enhancements, anti-smoking, arthritis, bone density, cholesterol control, anti-ulcer, and list could fill the page. Very much amused by the joke of having drug testing take place at a seniors games pickleball event would mean that, "We would all Fail!", says one participant. Livestrong=Pickleball=Livestrong.

Doubles tournament coming to Kelowna

Brian Stovell (The gentlemen on the left) has informed me that there will be a 1 day doubles tournament in Kelowna tentatively booked for Saturday September 22, 2012. The reason that it is tentatively booked is that the kelowna school district has not released it's fall dates yet. This tournament will follow IFP (International Federation of Pickleball) rules, so there will be only sanctioned paddles used. It will be round robin format so you will be guaranteed 7 or 8 games. The folks up in Kelowna always put on a great pickleball tournament, so tentatively mark your calendars, we'll keep you posted.

Pickleball: Beware of Counterfeit Pickleball Organizations in Canada

The true national pickleball organization in Canada!!!

Last week I was shopping at Home Depot for some gardening supplies, and i went to the cashier to pay for my items. I was actually carrying cash with me rather then my debit card, which caused the young cashier a slight moment of confusion. She then proceeded to scan my $20 CDN bills through the counterfeit machine to check their authenticity. I was all good and asked how often they receive bogus bills? She said that she would show one that they had found counterfeit only hours before. To the untrained eye, you would not be able to see any differences in the bills, but upon closer examination you would notice glaring differences. Much the same as the problems that exist in Canada with the national Pickleball organization. To most people there is only 1 true pickleball organization in Canada: Pickleball Canada! But there is another crafty bogus organization that tries to be that same well respected organization. They call themselves Canada Pickleball. Pickleball Canada...Canada Pickleball isn't that the same thing you might ask? No!!! Pickleball Canada is made up of pickleball players from all over Canada who serve in various board functions to advance the sport of pickleball in Canada through sanctioned tournaments, player ratings, instructional clinics, new pickleball programs in communities throughout the provinces and territories. Pickleball Canada is associated with the USAPA (United States Association of Pickleball) and uses the IFP (International Federation of Pickleball) rules for pickleball play in recreational or tournament play. The bogus Canada Pickleball main platform revolves solely around the inclusion of the illegal pickleball paddles (Apike & Hush.) They have tried to make up their own rules so as to include their paddles. The rules set forth by the IFP are used throughout Canada, USA, India, and other countries, why do we need to change the rules? This has caused many divisions in Canada, and some snake oil salesman make Canada Pickleball out to be the same as Pickleball Canada, don't fall for the lies. Support Pickleball Canada, Canada's true national pickleball organization.

Pickleball: Henry Meerkerk Pickleball Coach Extrordinaire!

I want to introduce a great pickleball friend and coach: Henry Meerkerk. There are some people who will angrily tell you what you are doing wrong in pickleball, or make you feel like an idiot. But this gentle giant that hails from Abbotsford/Chilliwack, BC is a true example of encouragement. Henry (sometimes called the seagull or albatross because of his incredible wingspan) will straight talk you on how to play better pickleball in a humble mannerism. He self professes that he is far from a pro-pickleball player, but commands authority with coaching that makes all around him, especially myself eager to listen when he starts talking pickleball strategies. Henry towers at 6'4, with strong forearms & legs, and is at ease when playing that smash down the baseline, or hitting those diagonal non volley zone shots. Henry is a true ambassador of Pickleball in that he is approachable, humble, instructive, resourceful, and a man of integrity.

Pickleball: Medals or Prizes?

This past Olympics in London they handed out some really nice Olympic medals to the worlds top athletes in their respective sports. I've been to some Pickleball tournaments where they hand out some great looking pickleball medals, and then there are some tournaments where the awards are donated prizes by local businesses or individuals. There is something extra special about having a medal hang around your neck that shows your accomplishments through hard fought matches, grueling pickleball volleys. Don't get me wrong I enjoy getting a 21 piece ratchet set, and a car dealers frisbee for winning instead of a gold medal. Maybe I'm still young, and get a sense of pride winning a medal, that may only hang on my wall for years in my rec room, but it's better then having my dog chew my tournament frisbee. Thoughts...what would you rather receive?

Pickleball Rules Refresher: Tournament line call disagreements

At the BC seniors games today during mixed doubles pickleball play, a question arose regarding a line call. I was refereeing the match in which one team made a call that they called out. The other team verballized to themselves that they thought the ball was in, but were unsure if they should question the call. So they did question the call to their opponents, which of course argued one way. Is that as far as it goes? In regular play, honesty and integrity is all. In tournament play without a ref the latter also stands. But how about with a ref in a tournament setting? According to IFP rules it states, 14.F, "That if players make the line call, and there is a dispute, then the players may request the referee make a call. The referee's call will stand. In this situation the questioning players asked me for the call, which I in fact determined the ball was in fact in. As it turns out the opponents weren't really 100% sure of their call. In a tournament situation with a ref, question the call if you are unsure. Either way play fair!