Pickleball

Held on September 15^th and 16^th, 2012 at Delaware State University, in Dover, DE.

View the 2012 Results

Hello to all Delmarva Pickleball Lovers!

The Ocean Pines Racquet Complex has invited all of us Delmarva Pickleball Players to be a part of the Susan G Komen Pink Ribbon Racquet event, on June 14th (raindate June 21st)! Your cost of $25 gives you a $20 donation to Susan G. Komen breast cancer research, along with a light breakfast, several hours of pickleball play, a nice lunch, a magazine subscription, door prizes, a gift bag, and free play all afternoon!

This very fun day will start at 8:30am with breakfast and photo opportunities. The round robin pickleball play is from 9-11:30am, followed by lunch and prizes at noon. Then, in the afternoon, all participants can hang out at the OP racquet complex, and use all the facilities for free, including tennis courts, platform tennis courts and pickleball courts.

Dudley, Frank and I are working on this event and are very excited, as the Ocean Pines Association is now taking the sport of pickleball seriously. The Association has started buying some nice things for our group of players (most recently, 2 new top of the line pickleball nets were purchased) and has been tossing around ideas for our future needs!

We are hoping for a huge showing of pickleball players (all levels) on June 14th, so that Ocean Pines will see that there is already a large base of pickleball players in the area. At the rally, we will play alongside tennis players and platform tennis players, many of whom have expressed an interest in pickleball. Our goal is to have more pickleball players sign up for this Rally than tennis or platform tennis players! If you play two or all three of these sports, please be sure to sign up for pickleball for this event, to help us get the pickleball message out!

TO SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT:

1) send an email to Julie Woulfe no later than May 30th, indicating to me that you are psyched to play pickleball on June 14th (raindate June 21st)

2) give me your choice of one of these four free magazine subscriptions: SELF, bon appetit, Architectural Digest, or GQ

3) give me your address for the magazine subscription

4) mail a $25 check to me, made out to OPTC. My address is 20 Clipper Ct., Ocean Pines, MD 21811. I can collect a check from you on June 21st, but would prefer not to.

Please forward this info to any pickleball players I have missed! Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks, Julie Woulfe

Pickleball: DSO Sport Description and Rules

An 11 point game, Pickleball combines elements of tennis, squash and ping pong.

The racquets resemble ping pong racquets but have larger heads and longer handles.

The outdoor ball resembles a whiffle ball, but is a little thicker/heavier, while indoor balls can be whiffle-like or even made of foam.

The court is the same size as a badminton court, but the net is at the level of a tennis net. View a Pickleball court and Rules.

Coordinator Information

Co-Coordinators: Georgia Billger & June Fortney

I was first introduced to the game of pickleball while attending the Huntsman Volleyball Tournament in Utah. I willingly signed a petition to make pickleball a National Senior Olympics event. And then I forgot about it for five years.

I started playing at the YMCA in Rehoboth and then moved on to organizing our own program along with June Fortney calling ourselves Delmarva Dills.

Currently we play twice a week - Mondays at Shields Elementary and Tuesday nights at Rehoboth Elementary School. Once spring arrives and our "snowbirds" return fortified with new skills we will be playing 3 and then 5 days a week arranging different times of day for players who still work.

Our goal is to promote play throughout the state. Many of our players travel to Delaware Stare University to support Dana Aultman's program and to Ocean Pines in Maryland. There is also a group that plays in Middletown. We'd like to challenge "Upstate" to pick up the paddles and get started. You'll love the game.

To further promote pickleball I would like to organize "fun " tournaments like Dudley Sluder ran last fall. Partners were put together by picking names out of a hat. Special play dates for women's doubles, men's doubles and co-ed matches could be arranged between groups from different communities.

We want senior citizens to be made aware of the fun to be had, and the friends to be made. Come on out. Right now we are a small, but tight knit group.

- Georgia

Contact Information:

Georgia: 302-227-9210 Phone: Email: gojoe57@gmail.com

June: Phone: 863-512-0333, Email: jgfortney@msn.com

Training Opportunities:

Kent County

Dana's group is currently playing indoor Pickleball at the Milford Boys and Girls Club (M, W, F).

CONTACT INFO: Dana C. Aultman dana.aultman@comcast.net

Ocean Pines (Maryland Delaware Border)

All players interested in winter pickleball at Ocean Pines. Starting Monday 1/2 the play time will be 2:30 to 4:30. The Thursday. time will remain 10:00 til Noon. The Sunday time is to be determined. The new PH# for the rec center is 410-641-7052. This is the # for the front desk.

CONTACT INFO: Dudley Sluder snowbirds77@yahoo.com

Sussex County

An active Pickleball group plays several times a week at several venues.

CONTACT INFO: Georgia Billger at 302 -227-9210 or gojoe57@verizon.net, or June Fortney at 302-644-9693 or jgfortney@msn.com.

Wilmington

Indoor pickleball will be played and taught at the Mid-County Senior Center in Sherwood Park, Wilmington, Delaware 19808 every Friday from 1 to 2:30.

Outdoor pickleball practice to be held weekly on Tuesdays from 10 AM to Noon at Sherwood Park tennis court on Milltown Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Wilmington PAL Center - Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 to 11:30.

CONTACT INFO: Peggy Olivero p.olivero@comcast.net or 302-388-2705.