News

Dear all, 

As we are now in the busy spring/summer pickleball play time, we wanted to remind everyone of the open play and etiquette rules established by the Annapolis Parks and Rec department and adopted by Annapolis Pickleball Club. These are now posted at Truxtun Park courts as well.  

Pickleball Etiquette/Court Rules — Have fun… it’s just a game. 

— Profanity, verbal/physical abuse and rude/obnoxious  behavior will NOT be tolerated. 

 — No chairs or animals on the courts; bags must be  hung on the fence.  

— When entering or leaving the courts, please: (i) wait until  your entire group is ready; (ii) wait for a break in play; (iii)  travel to/from your court as quickly as possible as a group;  and (iv) close the gate!  

— Do not enter (or run behind) another court to retrieve  your ball when a point is in play - wait for a break in play.  

— When returning another court’s ball, please pick it up and  make sure you return it to someone who is expecting it. DO  NOT kick or swipe the ball back without looking first. 

FOR TRUXTUN SPECIFICALLY

Printed March 2023  

COURTS 1 to 6 (Dedicated)  

Courts 7 and 8 (Shared)  

—These courts are for OPEN PLAY ONLY anytime  players are waiting to play. Open Play games are  games to 11, win by 2.  

— When people are waiting, please use the  whiteboard and add your general skill level (A, B, C)  to facilitate playing with players of equal skill.  

— If the courts are not full when you start playing, but  then fill up, Open Play rules apply and you must exit  the courts at the end of the current game. If you wish  to continue to play, please join the Open Play rotation  or use courts 11a/b & 12a/b for private games.  

COURTS 7a/b & 8a/b: Follow posted  

Tennis/Pickleball sharing rules.  

COURTS 11a/b & 12a/b: These courts are prioritized  for private games and drilling. Players must supply a  net and balls. (Only APC members have access to  locked Pickleball equipment). Please limit court time to  60 minutes if others are waiting. Also available for  open play. Please use whiteboard and a note level of  play (A, B, C)

The revised bylaws were approved at tonight's membership meeting specifically for that purpose.  Thank you to everyone for joining the meeting and for your approval of the revised bylaws.  These are now posted on the Governance section of the website. 

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081257674/americas-fastest-growing-sport-pickleball

Read the full rulebook

SIGNIFICANT RULE CHANGES FOR 2022

Spin Serves (4.A.5)

In 2022, the server shall use only one hand to release the ball to perform the serve. If the ball is visibly spun by the server during the release, the part(s) of the hand contacting the ball must be bare.

The Drop Serve (4.A.6)

No changes were made to the drop serve other than to remove its Provisional status.

Wrong Score Called (4.K)

The rules concerning what happens if the wrong score is called by a player or a referee have changed. If a player thinks a wrong score has been called, a player may stop play to ask for a correction before the ball is served. If it has been served, the rally is to be played out and the score correction (if any) is made before the next serve occurs.

A Dropped Ball (7.N)

In non-officiated matches, it is not uncommon for a player to carry an extra ball. If an extra ball is carried, it must not be visible to the opponent. If a player accidentally drops an extra ball during a rally, it will result in a fault. This does not apply in an officiated match because the referee is responsible for removing any extra pickleballs from play.

Medical Time-outs Called by a Referee (10.H.2.a)

If a referee, in the interest of player safety, determines that either medical personnel or the Tournament Director should be consulted for a player health issue, that time-out is not chargeable to the player as a medical time-out. The player retains the right to call their own medical time out later in the match, if needed.

 

USA PICKLEBALL & IFP Official Rulebook (2022)

III

Verbal Warnings (13.G.1)

A referee may now issue verbal warnings for more than just profanity. Any situation that could result in a Technical Warningmay instead be addressed by the referee as a verbal warning. Only one verbal warning per match, no matter what the infraction, may be issued to a team, or player in singles.

Calling the Score After a 15 Second Warning (10.A.5)

Instead of a referee calling the score immediately after the 15 second warning expires, the referee will call the score after the players are ready, or should be ready.

When to Assess a Technical Warning or Foul (13.G.3.e)

Referees are empowered to issue Technical Warnings or Technical Fouls for various reasons but it has been unclear exactly when a technical should be announced. The 2022 rules now make it clear that a referee will not stop a rally to call a technical warning or foul on an offending team. Any technical warnings or fouls will be assessed after the rally is over.

Earbuds (11.P)

While some sports allow coaching during active play, pickleball does not. Since it is possible that a player could receive coaching via earbuds, earbuds will not be permitted on the court during tournaments with the exception of hearing aids.

Tournament Score for a Retirement (12.F.6.a)

The score recorded for a player or team that elects to “retire' from a match has been revised to allow the actual score of the match for that team to be recorded. A team retiring may play additional matches in their bracket if any are warranted.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/01/connor-pardoe-pickleball.html

https://www.capitalgazette.com/photos/ac-cn-wildart-standalone-pickleball-winter-vg-20220113-hpd2q4yafrg23bffrbjisrvrea-photogallery.html

PPA/Design: Alex Brooks

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is uniting two of the major organizations behind a growing sport: pickleball. The NHL team owner’s Dundon Capital Partners is buying the Pro Pickleball Association and Pickleball Central. The deal for Pickleball Central includes the company’s retail business and the professional event tracking site. “The sport of pickleball grew by 20% last year and now counts over 4 million participants in the U.S.,” said Pickleball Central CEO and co-founder David Johnson. “The investment also provides a multi-million dollar commitment to enhance and extend the capabilities of the Pickleball Tournament’s state-of-the-art technology platform,” the company shared in a statement. The paddle sport exploded in popularity during the pandemic, particularly among players 65 and older. Cities have been building dedicated pickleball courts or allowing players to repurpose tennis courts. Pickleball is played on a 20-by-44-foot court (a tennis court is 36-by-78-feet and can accommodate multiple pickleball games).

https://www.facebook.com/groups/405576986201162

If you had gym class in school, the teacher probably told you there are life lessons to be learned from playing sports. You learn how to succeed or fail with grace, the value of humility, the benefits of sharing, how to build your confidence, and so on. (Although, what getting hit in the face with a dodgeball is supposed to teach, other than pain, is hard to say.)

What about money? Does the ability of sports to impart knowledge extend to investing? In the game of pickleball, it just might.

https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/602541/what-pickleball-can-teach-you-about-investing

If you've ever dinked in the kitchen, you probably already understand the allure of one of America's fastest growing sports. And if you haven't, you'd better paddle-up because sooner or later somebody is going to invite you to join a game of pickleball.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56324048

Rapidly becoming a racquet sport favorite, pickleball serves up various physical,  mental and social benefits.   Click here to learn more. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-powerful-play-of-pickleball