First Pickleball Commercial Shot at Marshdale Today
Pickleball was the theme, sort of, as the first commercial shoot at Marshdale today. From 7:30 am to well past noon a crew of about 15 and four actors took over the courts. Two “extras” were the Tennis Babes, as they become known, Jeri Herskovits and Linda Jacobsen. Bob Taber did his best to make the actors, Never Evers, “look” like they could play pickleball.
When we get a copy of the final edit we’ll share it with you. In the meantime, here’s the trailer.
A Few Openings Still Available for Pro Bill Muno Skills Clinic Sept. 13
The afternoon session, 1 -4 pm is still open for certified international pickleball teaching professional Bill Muno’s clinic for intermediate (3.0) and advanced intermediate (3.5) players on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Marshdale. The morning session is sold out. Cost is $60 payable either through Venmo (Williammuno-2) or check or cash day of the clinic.
Registration is directly with Bill. Make sure you’re an EPC member as well.
Register Now for EPC’s Fall Dinkeroo Sept. 14
You don’t need a partner for the Fall Dinkeroo, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 9 am at Marshdale. But you need to sign up.
Dinkeroo is a fun, friendly, competitive tournament open to EPC members of all skill levels. Groups of eight will play a round robin based on dinking. Every shot, including the serve, is from the No Volley Zone, or the kitchen line. The ball must bounce before you hit it and it must land in the opponent’s kitchen.
THE RULES FOR DINKEROO
1. Start and scoring the game is the same as a regular game. You serve from outside the kitchen line to the opposite side of the opponents’ court.
2. Every ball must bounce in the kitchen before it is hit. You can step into the kitchen to hit the ball, but you must step out with both feet before stepping back into the kitchen to hit the next shot.
3. The kitchen line is in as if it were the base line. The center line is in on serves.
4. Dinkeroo is a game of pace and patience. Almost all points are made on an unforced error as opposed to a "kill" shot. Slamming or hitting your opponent with a drive, even if they’re in the kitchen, is a fault, therefore your opponents’ point.
5. Game to 11, win by one.
Watch how the game is played.
$10 registration fee for EPC members. If you haven’t paid your 2022 dues, add your EPC membership as you register for the tournament.
If you don’t plan to play but would like to be involved, we need volunteers on the courts. Let Pat Theno know you’re available.
CNN Posts “Everything You Wanted to Know (and More!) About Pickleball”
"Complete with its quirky name, this eccentric sport has begun to enter American mainstream culture and become the new thing,” CNN reports.
“It's truly a sport for everybody," Ben Johns, pickleball pro says in the interview. "I've never really seen anybody not like it, and it spans a wide range of ages, and people with [different] backgrounds," Johns added.
And ESPN Ran Another Origin Story - Bainbridge Island 1965
The Dink highlighted ESPN’s six-minute short “One Nation Under Pickleball.” The snarky newsletter correctly observed “It's not possible to tell pickleball's full story in a mere six minutes, but the piece did feature:
“The invention of the game. Joel Pritchard's son, Frank, rules out the 'Pickles the dog' theory in
favor of the pickle boat theory
“A story about a third founder, Bill Bell, who was apparently a CIA spy that helped retrieve POWs in Southeast Asia, pretty wild
“The dominant mother-daughter Waters duo that just keeps winning
“Brief statements from Washington's Governor, Jay Inslee, former professional tennis stud James Blake, PPA owner Tom Dundon and MLP owner Steve Kuhn.”
Tip of the Week From Hiwan Pickleball Pro Tom Karas: The Bane of the Unforced Error
What is an unforced error?
Do you ever serve out of bounds, hit the ball into the net or out of bounds or pop the ball up so your opponent gets slammed. Those are all unforced errors and 90% of rallies in pickleball end in an unforced error.
Unforced errors can be avoided by following through to where you want the ball to go and keeping your shots low and soft. I challenge you to try to count your unforced errors in your next game.
Developing an awareness about unforced errors and avoiding them will drastically improve your game. Upper level teams should make less than a handful of unforced errors in a match. If you are up there in the double digits, then it’s time to make some changes.
