Welcome to the Pickle Madness Weekly!

The ins and outs of being a USAP certified referee, a limited edition Halloween surprise, and more!

God and the Devil arranged a football game between heaven and hell.

“We’re going to win,” God said. “I’ve got all the best players on my team up here – Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Dick Butkus, and many more.”

The devil smiled an evil smile. “I wouldn’t count on that,” he said. “Down here, we have all the referees.”

Okay, we’re obviously having a laugh here, but there’s also no denying that referees are sometimes on the receiving end of less light-hearted criticisms – or flat-out vitriol. The referee endeavors to ensure that the rules of the game are followed but often disappoints or angers one side that is on the unfavorable end of his or her judgement. We don’t remember all the calls that referees got right, but we sure remember a terrible call that goes against our favorite team.

Just as in other sports, referees play a vital role in pickleball (along with line judges!). Pickle Madness caught up with one of these unsung heroes to better understand the life of a pickleball ref. Ron Ponder has been a USAP Certified Referee since March, 2019. He’s called more than 4,000 matches (1,500 pro level) and is a regular on PPA, APP and MLP pro tour stops. He’s been a member of the IFP rules committee, and currently serve on the Referee Advisory Committee. He’s also currently Director of Officiating for DUPR as well as serving as head referee for several international tournaments.

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Spooky season is here! After nearly selling out of our special edition 4th of July Pickle Madness shirt, we are back with a Halloween surprise.

Our special Halloween shirts are made of a high-quality, moisture-wicking material that keeps you dry during intense gameplay.

There are only a few shirts left of each size so get them quick before they run out! For today only use code HALLOWEEN for 10% OFF these Pickle Madness exclusive shirts.

Rule Review of the Week

Need one of pickleball’s confusing rules cleared up? Let us know and we’ll include it in next week’s issue.

The ball hits the top of the net but continues over to the opponent’s side but then hits the horizontal bar – is the ball dead, is it good, or is it a fault? (This situation is for net systems that have the horizontal bar or a center base or both.)

 Rule 11.L.5. This rule explains the answer to this situation.

 11.L.5.a. Before going over the net, if the ball hits the horizontal bar or the center base it is a fault.

11.L5.b. Except on the serve, if the ball goes over the net and hits the center base, or any part of the horizontal bar, or the ball gets caught between the net and the horizontal bar, a replay will be called. Other than on the serve, if the ball goes over the net and bounces on the court and then performs any of the three above listed actions, a replay shall occur.

11.L.5.c. On the serve, if the ball hits the horizontal bar or the center base or gets caught between the net, it is a fault.

11.L.5.d. Any malfunction of a net system during play shall be considered a hinder.

The answer to the question is if the ball goes over the net to the opponent’s side, whether it’s a serve or not, but then hits the horizontal bar, the call is for a replay. If the ball does not go over the net to the opponent’s side, it is a fault on the player that hit the ball.

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See you next week!