Raymond H. Goettsch Members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association, Inc. (SPA), will have a rematch against members of the SaddleBrooke Ranch Pickleball Association (SRPA) on Oct. 20–22. This now annual tournament has been named The Battle for the Saddle and will be held this year at the Ed Robson Pickleball Center in SaddleBrooke. In the…
Tag: Pickleball
September 2023, Sports
Significant Rule Changes Suggested to USA Pickleball for 2024
Raymond H. Goettsch This is the time of year when pickleball players make suggestions for rule changes to USA Pickleball for 2024. Approximately 100 proposed changes can be found on rules.usapickleball.org/entry, and comments can be made regarding these proposed changes. Probably the most important proposed change is to make the volley serve illegal and the…
July 2023, Sports
Relishing Pickleball
Shot Selection David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, it is time now to learn about shot selection. Mary Littlewood says the ideal sequence of shots provides a means for all four players to get to the net where pickleball is won and lost…
July 2023, Sports
SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association Members Play in Dink & Drink Round Robin
Raymond H. Goettsch During the last year, SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) has been offering round-robin play at least once a month. For June, SPA sponsored a new form of round-robin play. Named Dink & Drink, the round-robin not only involved doubles pickleball games, but also a post-game gathering of players for food and drink in…
Sports, May 2023
SPA Players Competed in Doubles and Mixed Doubles
Raymond H. Goettsch On March 31 through April 2, 115 members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) played in an intramural tournament for the first time in several years. The tournament was for Women’s Doubles on March 31, Men’s Doubles on April 1, and Mixed Doubles on April 2. The doubles teams competed in a…
Sports, April 2023
Relishing Pickleball: The Overhead Smash
David Zapatka Continuing our study of Pickleball Fundamentals Master the basics and compete with confidence by Mary Littlewood, it’s time now to learn about the overhead smash after learning about lobbing the past few months. Mary Littlewood says the overhead smash is the most aggressive, offensive shot in all of pickleball. It’s usually hit off the…
Sports, April 2023
Two SaddleBrooke Residents Won a Pickleball Tournament 40+ Years Ago
Raymond H. Goettsch When SaddleBrooke resident Jim Galko approached the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association booth at the 2023 Activity Fair, he indicated that he was interested in signing up for an introductory pickleball class. Jim was asked if he had ever played pickleball, and he responded that he had won a pickleball tournament in Tacoma more…
Sports, February 2023
New Rules for Pickleball Announced by USA Pickleball
Raymond H. Goettsch USA Pickleball has announced new rules and rule changes for pickleball play effective in 2023. One change is that the “spin” serve, or “chainsaw” serve, is no longer allowed. Under this rule, a server may not spin the ball when it is released to be struck by the paddle. However, while serving,…
Sports, January 2023
How Do 800 SPA Members Play Pickleball on 14 Courts?
Raymond H. Goettsch The Ed Robson Pickleball Center now has 14 pickleball courts. However, the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) now has more than 800 members. This raises the question as to how this number of courts can accommodate so many members. While the eight new courts were under construction, SPA established a Court Allocation Committee…
Sports, January 2023
More than 300 SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association Members and Guests Celebrate Expansion of the Ed Robson Pickleball Center
Raymond H. Goettsch On Nov. 18, 2022, more than 300 members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) and guests attended a late afternoon party in the MountainView ballroom to celebrate the expansion to 14 courts at the Ed Robson Pickleball Center. The MountainView ballroom was filled with tables and chairs for the attendees. The back…