The #1 source for pickleball news in New York's Greater Capital Region. Written by a journalist and pickleball player.
518: A new league connects four Capital Region pickleball clubs
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#083 Oct. 1, 2026 | Read on the web Want to sponsor Thanksgiving at Emma tournament?Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 5th annual Thanksgiving at Emma Pickleball Tournament in Troy. A big thank you to ShinePro Window Cleaning and Worthington Flowers (owned by pickleball player Sam Swart), who have already signed on as sponsors! If you own a business— or know one that would like to support a fun local event while reaching the Capital Region pickleball community—I 'd love to hear from you. Interested? Email me at cathleen@pickleball518.com and I'll send you the details.
New inter-club league brings four Capital Region venues togetherA new inter-club pickleball league will launch this fall, giving players from four Capital Region facilities a chance to compete against one another on their home courts. The inaugural Capital District Inter-Club XPL League, powered by VAIR, will include True Pickleball Club in Latham, Xtreme Pickle in Amsterdam, FryeGuys in Clifton Park and Picklers in Menands. The eight-week season runs Sundays from Oct. 18-Dec. 20, with playoffs included. Matches will generally be scheduled between noon and 6 p.m. Teams will compete in four divisions — 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 — using a combined team-rating cap. Four players compete each week, with teams allowed up to two substitutes. During each match, players will play two games to 11 with each teammate, for 12 games total. A rotating mixed doubles game to 11 will serve as the tiebreaker. The team fee is $60, with captains playing free. Players will also pay the participating facility's court fee each week. Players without a team can register as free agents and organizers will try to match them with a team. Registration closes Oct. 8, with payment due Oct. 11. For registration and general information, contact Bart Metzold at 518-701-6520.
Two USSP tournaments comingPlayers have two US Senior Pickleball-certified tournaments coming up. The End of Summer Smashdown runs Oct. 2-4 at FryeGuys. With play beginning tomorrow, consider this your last-minute reminder if you were already thinking about jumping in. https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/end-of-summer-smashdown Looking farther ahead, the Support Our Heroes Tournament will be held Nov. 6-8 at the Southern Saratoga YMCA. It includes senior and all-ages divisions, with singles on Friday. Players who register for Support Our Heroes by Oct. 9 receive a free tournament T-shirt. https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/end-of-summer-smashdown Guilderland YMCA tournament returns Oct. 17The Guilderland YMCA will hold a mixed doubles pickleball tournament from noon-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Divisions will be offered for novice, intermediate and advanced players, with prizes and raffle items planned. The tournament will be held at the Guilderland YMCA, 250 Winding Brook Drive, Guilderland. Registration: True Pickle-Brawl crowned its championsTrue Pickleball Club hosted its True Pickle-Brawl Tournament this past weekend, with six divisions competing across men’s, women’s and mixed doubles. Champions were crowned in each division following a weekend of tournament play. Mixed Open: Matt M. and Ashley M. took first place, followed by Mike T. and Kate T. in second and Mike S. and Raisa G. in third. Mixed 3.75+: Abhijeet I. and Cathleen D. finished first, Jeong O. and Dawei L. took second, and Kevin D. and Kathleen B. placed third. Mixed 3.3 & Under: Maulik Z. and Emily G. earned first place, Kim M. and Abby M. finished second, and Rob L. and Kayla D. took third. Women’s 3.5 & Under: Amanda M. and Alexis C. finished first, Jill P. and Izzy P. took second, and Elsa M. and Holly P. placed third. Men’s Under 4.0: Jason G. and Gio D. earned first place, Eric G. and Aaron S. finished second, and Zahir A. and Dazy S. took third. Men’s 4.0+: Stephen M. and Michael L. took first place, Chris F. and John T. finished second, and Charlie C. and Christopher C. placed third.
Four chances to grow your skills at TrueTrue Pickleball Club is expanding its Grow Your Skills program with four two-hour clinics Monday, Oct. 12, covering players from beginners through advanced. Each clinic combines instruction, drilling, ball-machine work, guided play, skill development, shot selection and strategy. 8-10 a.m.: Beginner/Advanced Beginner with Mary Rose Parisi 10 a.m.-noon: Low Intermediate/Intermediate (3.0-3.5) with Mary Rose Parisi 2-4 p.m.: Intermediate (3.3-3.6) with Veronica Alteri and Will Saulon 4-6 p.m.: Advanced (3.7+) with Veronica Alteri and Will Saulon The clinics will be held at True Pickleball Club, 195 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham. https://truepickleballclub.org/
Picklers rolls out unlimited fall open playPicklers Pickleball Club has added an unlimited open play option for October through December. The three-month membership costs $510 and runs Oct. 1-Dec. 31. It is limited to 35 players and includes unlimited participation in regularly scheduled open play, balls and the ability to reserve open play up to 14 days in advance. Gold members receive 20% off the package. Picklers says a player who attends one weekday open play every day would average about $2.89 per hour over the three months. More information: https://www.picklerspickleball.club/ Lock in your court for the winter at SportimeIf your pickleball group spends every fall trying to figure out where everyone is going to play once the weather turns, SPORTIME Capital Region is offering another option: reserve the same court, day and time throughout the 2026-27 indoor season. Seasonal courts are available to SPORTIME members and associates and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. A 50% deposit is required, with the amount initially based on the captain's membership type. The final cost depends on the mix of members and associates in the group. Groups that aren't quite complete can also ask SPORTIME for help connecting with other players. Register for a seasonal court: https://seasonal.app.sportimeny.com/pickleball/register-sch?dm_i=18XQ,9B8OQ,VRS6WX,1359KF,1,0,0,0 Questions can be directed to General Manager Robert Coleman at rcoleman@sportimeny.com.
One last thing …Thanksgiving will be here before we know it — and so will Thanksgiving at Emma. The fifth annual tournament returns to Emma Willard School in Troy in November. The tournament benefits two Troy organizations: Joseph's House and the Mt. Ida Food Pantry. Some divisions are close to full. And yes, there will be those new custom medals waiting for the winners. https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/2026-thanksgiving-at-emma-willard I hope to see you on the court, Cathleen
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Pickleball518: Pickleball news from Upstate New York
The #1 source for pickleball news in New York's Greater Capital Region. Written by a journalist and pickleball player.
#084 Oct. 15, 2026 | Read on the web Albany seeks volunteers to bring pickleball to more players The city of Albany is looking for pickleball enthusiasts willing to share their love of the game and help expand opportunities for residents to play. Volunteers are needed to help run open play sessions at Albany West Community Center, 520 Livingston Ave., and to introduce children to pickleball during weekday morning programs. The city also hopes to connect with other community centers (JCC, Boys...
#082 Sept. 17, 2026 | Read on the web Pickleball518 takes on table tennis Last night, Pickleball518 players and friends gathered at All+ Table Tennis in Menands for a free night of ping pong — and we had a blast. We also introduced the table tennis crowd to a little piece of pickleball culture: the after-match paddle tap. It’s such a familiar part of pickleball’s sportsmanship and community that we barely think about it. The table tennis players thought it was a little strange, but hopefully...
#081 August 13, 2026 | Read on the web FREE* signups for the "Thanksgiving at Emma" tournament Tournament registration has become a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. Players wait to see who else signs up before committing. But when everyone waits, divisions look empty, players get nervous about registering — and sometimes events that could have filled never get off the ground. So for this year’s Thanksgiving at Emma Pickleball Tournament, Nov. 21-23, I’m trying something different. For the...