EPC general member meeting rescheduled for Dec. 12
The 2024 Evergreen Pickleball Club annual general membership meeting will take place Thursday, Dec. 12, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Birch Room at Wulf Recreation Center. All EPC members are encouraged to attend. The meeting was previously scheduled one day earlier.
Three positions on the EPC board of directors are up for election this year. The incumbents, Bob Kerr, Jim Hunsaker and Mick Pearce, are running to retain their seats. However, any EPC member in good standing may run to fill one of the three open seats. To place your name in consideration, email EPC Vice President John Dunlop.
The current board members running for election hold important positions on the 11-person working board. Bob Kerr is the board president. Jim Hunsaker is the webmaster and Mick Pearce is the tournaments director.
All EPC members may vote on board of directors candidates, but only in person at the meeting, per EPC Bylaws.
EChO accepts record EPC donation
EPC Treasurer Jeri Herskovits presents Dale Flanders, Evergreen Christian Outreach executive director, with a check for $3,725. The donation is a 50 percent increase over last year’s proceeds from the annual EPC Holiday Gala.
Start the new year with a tournament
Beth Schwecke, left, and EPC First Lady Debbie Kerr had fun at the 2024 Icebreaker Games.
December to-dos: Make a list for Santa (indoor pickleballs, outdoor pickleballs, yellow pickleballs, orange pickleballs), decorate tree with clever (?) pickle ornaments, find partner for Icebreaker 2025 Tournament.
Slots continue to slowly fill in for EPRD’s pickleball tournament at Wulf gym on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 8:30 a.m. “The max number of teams is currently set for 16, but if we fill up we can look at adding more,” EPRD recreation supervisor Jeff Sweet said.
The tournament is for Advanced/Upper Intermediate-level players. Register as a two-player team—male, female or mixed. There is a place on the form to enter both players’ names.
Cost is $40 per team, with a three-game guarantee.
It’s a non-volley zone, not a non-contact zone
RULES REFRESH Q&A - CONFLICT IN THE KITCHEN
By Mark Peifer, USA Pickleball Certified Referee; Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee
QUESTION: We had a conflict about the kitchen. In doubles, Player A was in the kitchen when the opponent hit the ball. Player A got out of the kitchen and re-established himself before hitting the ball back. But the opponent said that is not allowed since Player A was in the kitchen when the opponent hit the ball even though Player A got out of the kitchen before returning the ball.
ANSWER: Your opponent is mistaken. It might help with understanding the rules for the non-volley zone (NVZ) if we don't, for the time being, refer to it colloquially as ‘The Kitchen’. To answer your question, you are fine as long as you don’t volley a ball while touching any part of the NVZ or touch the NVZ due to your momentum after a volley, hence the name non-volley zone. From your description of the scenario, you did neither. You can stand in the NVZ at any time you want. You can even stand in the NVZ when your partner hits the ball (even if they are hitting a volley) or your opponent hits the ball. Just don’t touch any part of the NVZ or enter the NVZ due to your own volley. But you can be in the NVZ at any other time.