The #1 source for pickleball news in New York's Greater Capital Region. Written by a journalist and pickleball player.
518: Winter league info
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#049 Dec. 5, 2024 | Read on the web Handle with careWe are very lucky in the Capital Region to have new indoor venues and outdoor municipal venues with beautiful, dedicated pickleball courts. Let's protect those courts. I learned something new this week: many of these venues have cushioned surfaces, and if you put something heavy on them—especially if it is pointy, like a camp chair with the weight of a person on it—you can make a permanent impression on the surface or possibly pierce it. I’m sure you’ve noticed all the signs about wearing non-marking shoes at indoor venues. These surfaces have a sandy texture that helps the ball play true, but they can also be marked by the wrong shoes. Proper non-marking shoes are softer and tend to have flat bottoms. If you push your fingernail into them, the material bends but the dent recovers immediately. This is good footwear for our beloved pickleball courts. Marking shoes, on the other hand, are hard and do not bend to your fingernail. They tend to have deep crevices and lots of texture. The marks they leave behind can be permanent or at least very hard to eliminate. This article from a New York City tennis club does a great job explaining non-marking shoes and includes some helpful photos. https://www.court16.com/proper-footwear
Tournament newsThe Thanksgiving at Emma Willard tournament was a blast. We had just over 100 players compete in women's doubles and events for kids 13 and under. For info on winners and photos, click on the photos below. Mark your calendar...Dec. 6-8: Winter Classic Tournament @ Bousquet Sport Dec. 29: New Year, New You, Same Pickleball Addiction at Southern Saratoga YMCA 2025Jan. 11: MLP tournament at SPORTIME Schenectady Jan. 17-19: 3rd Annual Capital Center Pickleball Classic Feb. 1 & 2: Tournament at Legacy June 5-8: 3rd Annual Dink for a Cure Pickleball Tournament, Wellness Expo and Walk for A Cure June 14 & 15, 2025 Flutters of Hope (rain-date June 21 & 22) July 26-27 5th Annual Chuck Allen Memorial Tournament at Jenkinsville
How to register for leaguesMany of our local venues use CourtReserve to manage their courts. You can create a free guest membership on CourtReserve with any venue which allows you to see their schedule and sign up for drop-in sessions and leagues. Picklers put together this how-to explaining two different ways to register for a league. Open CourtReserve on your smartphone:
Please note that you must be a member (Gold or Basic/Free) to register for a league. Picklers leagues in MenandsLeague Details:
Winter League Offerings Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
League Registration: You can register for any of the leagues through CourtReserve. Legacy Pickleball Club leagues in Ballston SpaIntermediate Ladder League (Tuesday Nights)
Advanced Beginner Ladder League (Wednesday Nights)
Advanced Ladder League (Thursday Nights)
SPORTIME Schenectady leagueSportime has an ongoing beginners league on Wednesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. Southern Saratoga YMCA - Clifton ParkStarting January, the Y is offering several league: Women's high intermediate doubles, Novice, Advanced Novice, Men's high Intermediate/Advanced doubles, Ladder leagues https://cdymca.org/program-search?step=results&selectedLocations=B339&searchKeywords=pickleball
Clifton Park's Hockey Hut offering lineup of clinics and coached drill sessionsFrom Hockey Hut's Anne Snyder: I am very excited to introduce a few new instructional offerings here at the Clifton Park Pickleball Club this December! The first being a brand new weekly drilling schedule with coach Rick Caruso.
All drilling sessions are saturated with ball machine drills, proper stretching and dynamic warm up. They are 1.5 hours long and will be tailored to the players who registered into the session. I am particularly excited for the players who are looking to fine tune their technique but don't necessarily know where to start!
The second new instructional offering we are introducing is regular guided play sessions with coach David Greene. We have three different categories: Novice Guided Play, Guided Play and Skills Program, and then finally, Team Guided Play: Tournament Ready?
Our mission this winter is to really hone in on the importance of instructional work and immediate feedback for our players. We want our players to grow exponentially in their skill set and overall become well rounded players ready for all types of play.
Here are some of the scheduled sessions with links :)" Ball Machine Drilling Sessions Wednesday, Dec. 4 Monday, Dec. 9 Guided Play Options Novice Guided Play Program (Two-week program) Team Guided Play: Tournament Ready (Single sessions; must register with a partner) 5:45–7:15 p.m. Guided Play and Skill Program (Two-week program) 4:30–6 p.m. 6:15–7:45 p.m. Southern Saratoga YMCA drill classesIntermediate drill classeshttps://operations.daxko.com/programs/redirector.aspx?cid=3063&pid=11080&sid=3153243
SPORTIME Schenectady membership dealSportime is offering special membership deals all month long! For the month of December, the joining fee is waived, and for $20/month members can access all sorts of savings! Monday through Friday between 12-2pm member court rental is just $30/hour and member private lessons are just $65/hour. Complimentary court time for members is every Monday from 2-3pm. There is a Member Appreciation Holiday party on Friday, 12/20 from 6-9 with complimentary pickleball, food, and drinks!
My next newsletter will be my 50th edition!
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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.
Hello Reader, Registration is open for the 4th Annual Dink for A Cure Pickleball Tournament benefiting the Arthritis Foundation. The tournament returns to Siena University (under newly installed lights) as part of Arthritis Community Weekend. The weekend includes the Walk to Cure Arthritis, the pickleball tournament and a wellness expo, with more than 1,000 people expected to attend the weekend's activities. The pickleball tournament will have divisions for all skill levels, and age divisions...
#073 March 19, 2026 | Read on the web Dink for a Cure returns to Siena for fourth annual tournament weekend Dink for A Cure, a charity tournament to benefit the Arthritis Foundation, will return to Siena University June 5–7. More than 200 players are expected to compete across 16 indoor courts inside the Siena field house, with a full slate of team, singles, doubles and skinny singles events. The tournament continues to grow each year, with a wide range of skill and age divisions, including...
#072 March 5, 2026 | Read on the web Team competition planned for Dink for a Cure at Siena College Registration for the Dink for a Cure Pickleball Tournament benefiting the Arthritis Foundation opens next week. This year there will be both a team event (Friday night, June 5) AND a traditional tournament on Saturday and Sunday (June 6–7). The team event will take place Friday, June 5, from 5:30–9 p.m. Teams must have at least two men and two women, with up to eight players allowed per team....