Pickleball Ontario

2010-08-15T05:31:00.001-07:00

Results of the Ontario Senior Games Actifest - 2010

2010-08-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

Ontario Senior Games - Actifest 2010

55+ Men

- Gold district 14 Carter, Dennis and Seaman, John

- Silver district 13 Werry, David and Wilson, Roy

- Bronze district 26 Gruhn, Peter and Robins, Morgan

55+ Women

- Gold district 28 Allard, Mary and Talacko, Susan

- Silver district 26 Lee, Merrie and Weber, Carol

- Bronze district 3 Majerus, Caroline and Van Camp, Margaret

55+ Mixed

- Gold district 3 Hall, Helen and Hall, Dave

- Silver district 20 Ascah, :Phyllis and Brassington, Lloyd

- Bronze district 30 Alway, Nancy and Hlodan, Frank

65+ Men

- Gold district 14 Alberga, James and Lee, Benjamin

- Silver district 28 Furse, Bill and Pauls, Walter

- Bronze district 16 Castanheiro, Joseph and Cheng, Kuan-Yu

65+ Women

- Gold district 28 Baker, Noreen and Furse, Linda

- Silver district 14 Akhavan, Aghdas and McGuire, Jeannette

- Bronze district 16 Cheng So-Chien, and Ng, Angela

65+ Mixed

- Gold district 13 Harrison, Marnie and Horn, Hugh

- Silver district 14 Rawlins, Myrna and Sequeira, Charles

- Bronze district 3 Groenevelt, Anke and Simpson, Robert

Medal Winners and Support Staff

2010-08-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

Official Rules and Referee Duties of Actifest 2010

2010-07-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

So that I do not have to take too much time at the beginning of the tournament on August 11 going over the format and rules, I am providing you with the sources of the rules, a few local conditions imposed by me, and the duties of the referees.

First, I would like to explain that the overall rules for the sanctioning of Pickleball at Actifest are contained in a document entitled OSGA Summer Games Technical Manual. This document outlines eligibility rules, format of play, tournament setup, awards, rule source, event requirements and officials. As covener I must follow all of these requirements to make Pickleball a sanctioned event. A copy of this document will be available at the scorer's table for players to examine.

Further to the above there are the rules for Pickleball outlined on the OSGA website at http://www.ontarioseniorgames.ca/summer/pickleball.html.

I have, also, outlined the duties of the referees and what they will be calling. I know this may be something new for many players and it may take a little adjustment. The server must wait for the referee to call the score. I know players feel this changes the pace of the game, but on the other hand it makes sure everyone is ready before the ball is served and that the score is actually announced. The referee is also recording the score so this is a benefit to players who can never remember.

Not only is this a first for many players, it is a learning process for the referees as well. The referees have received training and many have practised during recreational times and at district games. They have worked hard to "get it right" and I can not thank them enough for their efforts. We could not have these games without them, the Actifest rules state this.

However, none of us are perfect and I ask for your cooperation in politely correcting a score if called incorrectly before you serve. You may question a line call through the referee but make sure it is polite and remember, "The referee can only call what he or she clearly saw and their decision is final." Line calls are the responsibility of the players not the referee.

Please click here and read carefully.
Official Rules of the Pickleball Event for Actifest 2010

Note: Click on this link to find a more condensed Schedule of Day 1 to make it easier to follow. Thanks Ed.

Day 1 Schedule in Condensed Format

Actifest/Picklefest 2010 Day 1 Schedule Condensed Version

2010-07-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Day 1 Schedule in Condensed Format

Again to provide players with the most information I can ahead of time, you will find the DAY 1 schedule posted at the link below. Remember this is a round robin schedule so you will be playing one match against all other teams in your DIVISION. I know some of you are going to ask, "Why not category?" and the answer is, "We would love to have done that!", but given the round robin format mandated by the rules committee of Actifest, the number of courts we can safely use and the later 10:15am start time, we can't.

The first and most important consideration was a safety issue of making sure we used as few courts as possilbe to insure the safety of all players. When you see the gymnasium, you will have a better appreciation of why using all courts would be a safety hazard.

The second criteria is making sure this is a fun event and ensuring that all players get more than one match and every team will be in the hunt on Day 2. I know of tournaments where players have travelled two hours to play one match and be eliminated. I have guaranteed this will not happen at Actifest.

I do not want to take the risk of any females showing up on the courts looking like the lady on the left.

In my opinion, there is plenty of pickleball for everyone and then time to socialize and relax. This event is more than just Pickleball and I hope you take advantage of that.

Day 1 Divisions, Districts and Schedule of Matches

Meet Your Friendly Competition for Actifest/Picklefest 2010

2010-07-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

The numbers have been tallied and the final count is 66 competitors for the first ever Pickleball Event at Actifest, 2010. Players are arriving on the OUIT campus from Chatham-Kent in the West, Manitoulin Island in the North and Cornwall in the East. Just by the numbers alone, I have already deemed this event to be a success.

The numbers have been changing as the submissions were received from the districts but thanks to the efforts of the planning committee, we feel we have everyone accounted for. We do have one less team in the 55+ mixed group so these teams will play as one grouping. To get the games in with a reduced time slot, see change below, all other categories will be divided into an A and B division as previously planned.

Click on the following link to meet your friendly competition from across Ontario Pickleball Particpants Actifest, 2011.

If you notice any errors in this list, such as the spelling of names, please e-mail me at rwroswell@gmail.com.

Information on District numbers is located at http://www.ontarioseniorgames.ca/complete-list-of-40-districts-listed-by-district-number/ .

I was notified yesterday that the start times on both the 11th and 12th have been delayed until 10:15 am. This is to allow athletes such as golfers to get breakfast first and get to their 7:00 am tee offs. Lunch plans have changed so that all participants at the university will go to the new resident cafeteria for a buffet lunch rather than the box lunch previously suggested.

I have asked that we have a separate 1:00 pm lunch break so you do not have to line up. This means our lunch break will be from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. The afternoon sessions start at 2:15pm. We still plan to finish by 3:30 - 4:00pm by using more courts.

A voluntarty meeting will take place at the end of Day 1 to discuss future Pickleball Tournaments, location in the double Gym area, unless I can find a better location where glasses are sold with various liquids in them.

All districts should be working on their cheers. I warned you that I do things differently. We can not take this sport too seriously, folks. Ladies and guys start working on the pom poms.

Louise, on the left, is into the pickle spirit at the 2009, Invitational Tournament in Tanglewood, Florida.Lousie on the left is into the true spirit of the game.

Picklefest, Picklefest, RAH, RAH, RAH!

Further Updates

2010-07-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

As a tournament chair for Pickleball tournaments in the past, I am always conscious of the fact that players like to know the format well in advance of the tournament. They do not want to find out they have gotten up a 4:00am., drive 3 hours to find on arrival it is a single elimination event and they may get 2 games.

I am providing you with an outline of the format below. Of course the danger of doing this is complaints from players. I will take the risk for the benefit of all players. Of course you could e-mail Ed at edspam@gmail.com.

As I have mentioned earlier, the tournament will take place in the Wellness Centre of OUIT/Durham College. The venue is within a short walk or crawl of your room.

The planning committee of Actifest have come up with the final numbers for us. Here they are

55 +                                                                            65+
Men's Doubles   12 players or 6 teams                   Men's Doubles   12 players or 6 teams
Ladies Doubles  12 players or 6 teams                    Ladies Doubles 12 players or 6 teams
Mixed Doubles    8 players or 4 teams                    Mixed Doubles  10 players or 5 teams

We have 68 players coming to this first ever even. You all deserve a round of applause for being part of both Actifest and the Picklefest event.

The first Day will be a round robin format to determine seedings for Day 2. Matches will be best two out of 3 win by 2. To get the games in and use fewer courts for a safe playing environment, the larger divisions will be divided into an A and B division. A decision is pending on the mixed 55+ category due to a registration error. Please bear with us as the numbers keep changing but some errors did occur in the registration process.

Day 2 will be the medal round with all teams involved in an elimination format of one game to 15 win by 2. That schedule will be determined by the Day 1 seedings.

I have been told that the Minister of Health Promotion, The Honourable Margarett Best, (picture on left) is being asked to present the medals for the Pickleball Event. What an opportunity for press coverage for Pickleball!

Count Down to Picklefest, 2010

2010-07-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Note. I have taken the liberty of changing the event name from Actifest to Picklefest, 2010. Why you ask? Because Pickleball is going to take over and upstage all other events at Actifest.

We are a first ever event with 60+ participants. We are giving the games organizer fits because he did not predict our success. He has to come up with more court space. I have given him solutions such as move the opening and closing ceremonies outdoors. Take all the chairs down and put them backup. "What the heck, there are only 1300 of the suckers." He does not seem to be responding to my suggestions. Seriously, John Mathers, the games convener, is doing a fantastic job considering all the demands of the various events, many of which he has never been involved with. Pickle what? I want to thank John and I know we have the space to pull off a great Pickleball Extravaganza.

Some brief details of what I can tell you. We do have an odd number of players in 4 categories and that is being followed up on at the district level. To date, there are 66 players registered and four more are needed to give single players a partner. I hope the late registrants are found so these players have a legit partner. I can substitute a local player but the team is disqualified from a medal if this happens.

The format is a round robin, two out of 3 matches to 11, win by two, tie-breaker, to determine seating for the finals. The computer tells us this is 86 matches or a possible 258 games. Each team receives 2 for a win and 0 for a loss. Why 2? Because.

Players will switch after each game and at 6 in the tie-breaker. The 5 serve rule is mandated for this tournament only. Again, this means that if a server wins 5 consecutive serves, he or she must turn the ball over to their partner if they are the first server or to the other side if they are the second server.

If two teams are tied after the round robin, the winner of the head to head match will be declared the winner. I want to make it very clear that total points will not count so the winning teams gets 2 points whether the score is 11 - 9 or 11 - 0. I hope all players follow my reasoning for doing this and take appropriate actions to make this a fun event.

Once the seating is determined, the first and second place teams in each category will play for gold and silver, the second and third teams will play for silver and remaining teams will play for fun. The final round will be a best two out of 3 to 11, win by two.

The draw is being computer generated so there will be no human bias in the draw format. If you do not like the way your first match works out, you can blame big Blue or little Ed. Beside all teams have to play each other once regardless.

The games will start August 11and 12th at 9:00 am and run no longer than 4 pm each day. There will be a one hour break for lunch so that everyone has time to enjoy their lunch and to give our referees a well deserved break. Depending on how quickly matches are over the end time is flexible. The last games maybe played out at the student lounge.

Pickleball will be held in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre, G and F on the interactive map, right on OUIT Campus in one of the gymnasiums. These are regulation badminton courts on hardwood flooring or basketball surface. You will be a short walk away from your room for added convenience. We do ask that players make sure they know when they are up to play next and not leave the area at that time.

I am hoping the courts will be setup so that teams that can start to warm up by at least 8:00 am n August 11th. Introductions and opening announcements will start at 8:45 am on the first day of play. I will be taking time before the games start to go over the rules and explain what the referees will be calling and the tournament format. This may be tedious, so I apologize in advance, but it will save the referees from doing it before each game and hopefully explain all details of the tournament. I am told members of the RED HAT Ladies will be there to welcome you that morning. Red and Green together. Sounds like Christmas. Maybe they are giving our gifts.

This going to be one Picklelicious Event. If you don't win on the court, you can always get pickled afterward it is a short crawl to bed.

Pickleball Equipment Suppliers

2010-07-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

Pickle-Ball Inc

Sponsors of the Ontario Senuor Games

Pickleball Central

Pickleball Specialties

www.pickleballspecialties.com

The Pickleball Bug

www.thepickleballstore.com

PICKLEBALL STUFF

www.pickleballstuff.com

OK Pickleball

all Canadian, eh!

www.okpicklepickleball.ca

www.marchants.com

Links To Other Websites

2010-07-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

Live Sports Events.com http://www.livesportsevent.com/sports-articles/badminton_live.html

http://www.ontarioseniorgames.ca/osga-news/regional-meetings.html

http://www.racquetnetwork.com/

http://www.tennisontario.com/

http://www.ontariobadminton.on.ca/

Community Event - Pickleball In Cornwall

2010-07-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Stories Behind the Name Pickleball

2010-07-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dog or Boat?

The story behind the name Pickleball is no different than any other story of folklore behind a children's game As with all stories, things get embellished over time and a good story is made even better.

There are two basic versions of how the game Pickleball got its name. The first and most popular is the fact that Joel Pritchard and his buddy Bill Bell had spent too much time golfing on that Saturday in 1965 and came home to unhappy spouses who suggested they had promised to spend time with the children rather than golfing all day.

Pickles

That prompted the two inventors to come up with a game that would keep the children happy and pacify the wives. They proceeded to cut the poles of a badminton court down to waist height, borrow a whiffle baseball from teenager Jim, next door, and to fashion paddles larger than ping pong paddles in the wood shop.

As the the game progressed with made up rules, errand balls were chased down by the family cocker spaniel, named Pickles, but hidden under bushes as great doggie fun. Of course the kids would yell, "Pickles took our ball." This got shortened to Pickle's ball and then Pickleball. Cute story and the one the usapa wants to keep.

Click to read the history of the game on the usapa website History of Pickleball.

A picture of the first Pickleball court

The second story was written after Pickleball appeared on Good Morning America in the summer of 2008. Joan Pritchard, the wife of late Congressmen Joel Pritchard, wrote a different version of how Pickleball got its name in her column in the Ohio News and Sentinel, July 28, 2008.

In her story, she indicated that Pickles was not even adopted until 2 years after the game had been invented and that the dog was actually named after the game. She indicates that she named the game after the term pickle boats. Joan says, " The name of the game became Pickle Ball, after I said it reminded me of the Pickle Boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats."

My research suggests that pickle boat is a nautical term for the boat that comes last in a race. In early boat races, if a team got way behind they stopped racing and started fishing and pickling the fish for sale, thus the term pickle boat

For more information on the name of the game and the people involved read Pickle Ball featured on Morning show By JOAN PRITCHARD, Local Columnist.

I think we all agree the dog version is the better story and should remain as the reason the game is called Pickleball. You may have wondered why it is spelled as one word when spell check says it should be two. The is one of those "because" stories. Because the usapa, said it will be spelled as one word and is copyrighted. Maybe in Canada, it becomes Pickle Ball.

Ontario Representatives - Pickleball Canada

2010-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Donna and Morgan Robin

Board of Pickleball Canada - Chair Rules Committee

Tony Sequeira

Ambassador - Scarborough

Leslie Choo-Wing

Ambassador Durham District

Rudy Niessink

Ambassador Ballantrae, Whitchurch-Stouffville

James Alberga

Ambassador - Newmarket, Aurora

Ed Lew

Convener Scarborough Malvern

Durham Senior Games Awards Ceremony

2010-07-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Participants in the Durham Senior Games, Pickleball Event, received their medals at the awards' ceremony held Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

Ladies Doubles Winners left to right

Christine Wise and Marnie Harrison

Mixed Doubles left to right

David Werry, Roy Wilson. Aleen VanCamp, Hugh and Marnie Harrison

Men's Doubles left to right

David Werry, Roy Wilson, Hugh Harrison. Wayne Roswell, David Cho Chu and Jimmy Chung

Mixed Doubles

Christine Wise and David Cho Chu

Good luck to all players participating in Actifest in Oshawa, August 10 - 12.

Can a Badminton Court be used for a Sanctioned Pickleball Tournament?

2010-06-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

You might be surprised to find out that the answer is No. If the tournament chair of a usapa sanctioned Pickleball Tournament used an indoor badminton court, he would be in violation of rule 2.A. of the USAPA Official Tournament Rule Book.

Official Dimensions of Badminton Court

“What? I thought you said a badminton court and a Pickleball Court were the same size.” Yes they are. The outside dimensions of a badminton court are 20 feet X 44 feet and so are a Pickleball Court (see diagram above). However, the front (short) serve line for badminton is only 6.5 feet from the net. That same line becomes the NV-Line for Pickleball.

That means the NV-Line is six inches closer to the net than it should be for a legal Pickleball court.

I e-mailed Denis Dacey, the chair of the usapa rules committee, asking that they make a comment in the rules to accommodate the use of an indoor badminton court for sanctioned Pickleball Tournaments. I know more and more tournament play is happening in the Northern States of the US, especially Michigan and New York State.

Here is the reply I received,

“Wayne

Thanks for the below. It has been considered moving the non-volley line from 7' to 6.5'. At the present time there is no intention of making this change. For the players with a longer reach it gives them that much more of an advantage at that line. With good players the dynamics of the game changes considerably when the line is moved to 6.5'. With that said any sanctioned tournament needs to play on courts with the 7' line. Most are doing this by putting down masking tape at this 7' line for Pickleball play.

Regards

Dennis Dacey

USAPA Rules Chairman”

I am not sure about you, but with the number of lines you find on a badminton court, life is already difficult, and now we have to add a new line 6 inches back from the short serve line, for 6 inches because it might give an advantage to a player with long arms.

I am hanging from an overhead bar in the basement as I write this, so I can have longer arms to take advantage of that extra 6 inches.

Well, since we do not have any usapa sanctioned tournaments in Ontario, this is really not a concern and I have no plans to tape an extra line for Actifest, 2010. However, it seems that a very short comment under Section 2.A. allowing a shortened NV-Line to be used for indoor play would be a simple solution to accomodate the rapid growth of indoor Pickleball.

I hope the rules committee of Pickleball Canada will consider doing so if the usapa does not. I understand that the majority of the play in the US is still outdoors on either dedicated Pickleball courts or tennis courts painted with proper Pickleball lines so they have no pressing need to change.

Just another one of the concerns that I see we need to address for Canadian play.

Legal Serve, Ilegal Serve, Sneaky, or just plain Cheating

2010-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

One of the most controversial rules in pickleball is, "the serve". The rules seem clear to me,
"4.A. Serve Motion. The serve must be made with an underhand stroke so that contact with the ball is made below waist level.
4.A.1. Underhand Defined. The arm must be moving in an upward arc and the paddle head shall be below the wrist when it strikes the ball."

The serve has to be underhand, contact with the ball has to be below the waist, the arm moving in an upward arc and the paddle head below the wrist. It is obvious the rule was designed to take the slice or chop out of the serve. I maintain that if the arm is moving in a true upward arc there is no way you can put spin on the ball or enough spin to have it kick right or left.

However, my definition of an upward arc varies from that of a competitive player. The argument these players pose is that as long as the arm is moving upward that is legal. The dictionary defines arc, "As part of the circumference of a circle." It seems to me, some players intreprete a circle in a very different way than I do.

I feel the rules should be clarified by the usapa to clearly state that there cannot be any side arm motion at all and that all players follow a straight upward arc. It may change the game for the ace server but at least the rules are clear for everyone and should eliminate any doubt.

I have seen players in tournaments purposely try to cheat to gain what they think is an advantage on the serve. They defy the referee to catch them. "Cheating is okay, as long as you don't get caught", appears to be their attitude. For a referee to determine if contact was made at, above, or below the waist is impossible to determine on players who try to get the side arm motion. The only way to be 100% sure would be instant replay slowed down to slow motion. This is not going to happen so change the rule.

Any opportunity to do this should be removed from the game. There should be one set of rules for all and if they follow the way the founders intented the game to play, all side arm motion would be eliminated

I would like to draw your attention to an article written by the person that I think is the best writer on all things Pickleball, Gale Leach. She is the author of the best selling book on Pickleball,,"The Art of Pickleball". Here is an article on the above topic, that she recently posted," The Underhand Serve:Does it really mean "sneaky" when it comes to interpreting this rule?"

Gale admits that if she is playing in a tournament her serve will change. If the rules allow it and other players are doing it, why shouldn't she. She suggests two sets of rules, one for competitive play and one for recreational. I believe there should be one set and they should be enforced for all play.

Lastly, this may be an area the new Rules Committee of Pickleball should consider.

First Official District 8 Pickleball Tournament

2010-06-15T05:30:00.001-07:00

Prescott, Russell & Glengarry Pickleball Tournament

From left to right

Frank & Lorraine Tomita, Monique Dawkes, Claude Lapierre, Jim McKay, Susan Forget, Carolin Snetsinger, Lyanne Poirier

Congratulations to the winners of the first official district 8 ( Prescott, Russell & Glengarry ) Pickleball qualifier.

The weather was excellent but a bit breezy!

Ladies Doubles :
Gold : Lyanne Poirier and Susan Forget
Silver : Lorraine Tomita and Carolyne Snetsinger

Mixed Doubles :

Gold : Frank Tomita and Lorraine Tomita

Silver : Monique Dawkes and Robert Peladeau

Men Doubles :

Gold : Claude Lapierre and Jake Villemaire

Silver : Doug Anderson and Jim McKay

Best of luck to those going on to the Ontario Senior games August 10 - 12 in Oshawa .

Susan Forget is on the left & Lyanne Poirieer on the right

Monique Dawes and Robert Peladeau

Questions Related to Actifest 2010 - Pickleball Event

2010-06-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

I am receiving many questions about the Pickleball Event in the Ontario Senior Games, Actifest, 2010. I would like to point out that this is the first time Pickleball has been a sanctioned event at the Summer Senior Games. This means there is no precedent to go by and I have the honour of being the first convener or tournament chair. Many members of the volunteer committee planning Actifest have had little or no involvement in previous Actifest events. In summary, this is a steep learning curve for all of us. Here are some answers to general questions that I can answer from meetings and information I have receiv
General Answers
. players generally qualify by winning a category at the district level. Players that live in districts that do not have a pickleball event may qualify in another district if there is room and the district president gives his or her okay. You still maybe able to qualify if a district needs a player to complete a category.

. all registration and collection of fees is done at the district level and that the deadline is June 28, 2010.

. there are no refunds if participants do not want the accommodation - you pay the same amount, $150, if you stay elsewhere or return home each day. No discounts period.
. if you wish to bring a spouse that is not competing the registration fee goes up to $250. There is a limited amount of accommodation and they are expecting 1100 plus participants for all events.
.the events will take place on both August 11 and 12th. You are guaranteed to play pickleball on both those days. The closing ceremonies will take place on the 12th and medals awarded to each event so play will end early that day.

. pickleball has to be a round robin best 2 out of 3 matches to 11 points. That is not my decision but was made by the rules committee. Until I know the number of teams and the scorer and I have a chance to run the numbers through the computer, we will not know the exact schedule. We have to make sure we get the allotted games in.
. pickleball will take place at the University of Oshawa Institute of Technology, UOIT.
. I will be following the Pickleball Canada/usapa official rules book. The two exceptions are the 5 serve rule and all paddles will be allowed as long as they meet the 24 inch circumference rule
. all games will be referred but no lines people will be used this time. Anyone interesting in referring, contact me at rwroswell@gmail.com or 905 985-5022. I am trying to get as many non participants to referee as possible.
. I cannot give you the exact hours of play each day because that will depend on the number of participants and the format laid out by the planning committee. If I have the final decision, we will start early and end in a reasonable time, so players have free time in the evenings to enjoy the sites or socialize, another word for party.
. I know some districts offer sponsorship for participants but that is up to the district and how their funding is arranged. This has nothing to to with the Ontario Senior Games Association. Clubs and centres may want to consider some fund raising to help players defray some of the cost in the future. Most of us did not expect the registration fee to be this high but this is an expensive event to run for any city. The other thing players must remember is that this is covering accommodation, meals, entertainment, transportation, and a jacket for two full days.
Sorry if I do not have all the answers but I am really only involved with the Pickleball event.
For more information and general information go to http://www.actifest2010.com/Welcome.html. You will find a list of the people in charge of different functions under Contact Us.

Pickleball Websites and Blogs

2010-01-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

Abbey Pickleball

GTA - Malvern an Milliken Park Recreation Centres

Port Perry Pickleball Club

Pickleball Quebec

All India Pickleball Association

Great Lakes Pickleball