North Myrtle Beach Pickleballers

North Myrtle Beach Pickleballers The North Myrtle Beach Pickleballers is a group of avid pickleball enthusiasts that reside or winter along the Coasts of North and South Carolina.

Our purpose is to promote the game of pickleball and to encourage others to participate in this fun and exciting sport. Pickleball in the Grand Strand Area started first in North Myrtle Beach in 2009 and quickly spread to other venues along the Strand. Joe Gallo with the help of Fran Jenkins taught a small group of people to play the game on the outdoor tennis courts. From a group of less than 10

players we have grown to over 700 people we currently have on our contact list. We play Monday through Friday inside or outside at the J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, North Myrtle Beach, SC. Play is also available on the lighted outdoor courts any day of the week, weather permitting. We have six courts available inside and four courts available outside and there is no cost to play outside and a nominal fee for play inside. Indoor play is from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to come and play. We have a variety of skill level players and we all are willing to teach the game to newcomers. So if you stumble across this page on Facebook, come to Possum Trot and play pickleball. If you are new to the game and wonder how the game got its peculiar name, it was not named after a dog named Pickles.

03/29/2020

good information from the Carolina Coastal Pickleball Club...

I hope you and your family are staying safe and virus free. Hopefully, we'll be able to get back to playing pickleball sooner rather than later.

I did want to update you on a bit of news on the tournament front. As you know, the virus shutdown has caused us to postpone our Cabin Fever Round Robin and it is now tentatively scheduled for May 19th & 20th. We'll know more in the coming weeks if that may be possible.

The Waccamaw Games has also been pushed out and we do not have new date at this time.

The Kingston 78 Fitness Round Robin has not been canceled or postponed but I believe it will probably be moved.

We do have a bit of good news on the tournament front. The USA Pickleball Mid-Atlantic Region Championships which we held last year and was moving to Virginia Beach in 2020. It is now coming back to Myrtle Beach this year! There were some issues getting the tournament planned in a new city and venue, and the shutdown was making matters worse. We had discussions with the USAPA and they asked if we would host the event again this year. Sharon MacKenzie, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director is very relieved and pleased that the tournament will be here again. This is due to how successful we have been in the past 2 years and the great group of volunteers we have here. We checked with the Sports Center, found an acceptable weekend and agreed to host it again.

It will be held from Thursday Sept 24 through Sunday Sept 27th. Registration is not open yet so we have time to make these adjustments. Also, since we will be hosting the Mid-Atlantic Regional, we will cancel our planned Seaside Classic which was scheduled for Oct. We could not do two large tournaments in such a short time frame.

We are forming a planning committee and have a couple of roles that we need volunteers for.

Social Planning - Work to find someone to cater the player social and plan the event.
Raffle/Vendor Coordinator - Coordinate all product donations for raffle table. Raffle items could pickleball related from sponsors or gift cert, etc. Also work with vendors to plan space.
That's all for now. We will keep you posted as we know more. Stay safe.

03/27/2020

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all are avoiding the virus.

I received a call several minutes ago from John Bullard, Director, NMB Parks and Recreation. Apparently there was a substantial number of players (more than 10) that were at the outdoor courts this morning. Unfortunately, someone from the City Administration drove by the courts and noted the number of players in attendance, observed that the players were not practicing “Social Distancing”, and as a consequence John received a call from the City Administration.

The purpose of this email is let you know that if you play at the outdoor courts, you are required to follow the “social distancing” guidelines that are currently in place throughout this Country. In addition, on March 24, the SC Governor signed an executive order limiting social gatherings to no more than three people. Please do not email me that it takes four to play doubles. Federal, State, and Local authorities are all encouraging you to limit your contact with other people to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. John indicated that he wants to keep the outdoor courts open, but if you as a player chose not to adhere to the State and Local orders, he will be forced to close the outdoor courts.

Whether or not these courts remain open is up to you as a player. If you choose to not follow State and Local orders and guidelines, NMB Parks and Recreation will be forced to remove the nets as other communities are doing.

Let’s set a good example.

Rick

03/19/2020

Hi Everyone,

I received an email from Caroline this afternoon at approximately 4:30 advising that indoor pickleball has been cancelled at JBF until further notice, effective immediately. With this cancellation there are no indoor pickleball venues in Horry County that are open for pickleball. This closure does not impact the outdoor courts which are available for play, weather permitting.

Also, Darry has cancelled the Pickleball Golf Outing which was scheduled for March 29.

Rick

03/18/2020

Update on Facility Closures

Here is the latest update on the pickleball closures in the area. There is only one, Possum Trot, that is still allowing pickleball play, but they are limiting the number of players allowed in the gym to 12 at a time.

I want to emphasize that we are just giving you the status of gyms in the area. We are not promoting that you should be playing during this period. There are places that you can find to play over the next 2-3 weeks. But It is also clear that the President, CDC, and our state government are asking that we refrain from doing anything that would put small groups together during this period. This is to limit the exposure of everyone to this virus so our hospitals are not over run. This is what happened in Italy and the hospitals could not treat normal patients much less people that had the virus.

The Grand Strand was free from victims, but now we'd have a few cases. One in Cresswind, which is just around the corner from me.

I would advise you to stay isolated for the next few weeks as much as possible. Go out for items or things you need to do. But really reconsider other activities like dining out, shopping and even pickleball. Most, if not all of the pickleball events for the next month or two, have been canceled. I will be sending out a note about canceling the Waccamaw Senior Games for now and probably the Kingston 78 Fitness tournament.

Here are some updates to the facility closures in the area.
This could change at any time.

City of Myrtle Beach Gyms:

Crabtree Gym and Pepper Geddings: Both closed indefinitely.

Horry County Gyms:

South Strand, North Strand, Carolina Forest: All closed indefinitely

North Myrtle Beach:

J Floyd Rec Center - (Possum Trot) - Pickleball by reservation and only 12 players for a hour.

Surfside Methodist Church - Closed till at least end of March

Beach Church - Closed indefinitely

Pawley's Island - Closed indefinitely

Sports Center - Closed indefinitely

03/18/2020

HI Everyone,

Many of you probably are already aware that Horry County has closed its Recreation Centers until further notice. To my understanding, this includes North Strand, Carolina Forest, and South Strand.

Although all programs at JBF have been cancelled, pickleball is still open. However, a new reservation policy with respect to governing play in both gyms will be implemented until further notice. The purpose of the new policy is to limit the number of players in the facility to no more than 24 at any one time.

General Information



· The limit per gym will be 12 players.

· No spectators are allowed in the Gymnasiums.

· There will be no night pickleball.



Making A Reservation



· Each player will be responsible for calling the J. Bryan Floyd Community Center at (843)280-5584 to sign up for an available time slot.

· Times will run as follows; 9:00 AM-10:00 AM, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM.



· Players are able to request which Gym they would like to use for play.

· When a person calls, they are able to reserve for themselves, up to a foursome.



o One person will not be able to call and book an entire gym and monopolize play time.



· Time slots can be reserved up to two days in advance but only one booking can be made at a time.

o If you call tomorrow morning (Wednesday), you can book for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday but only one time slot during that phone call.

o If you reserve a slot for Thursday when you call on Wednesday, you will have to wait until Thursday to reserve a spot for Friday. No double bookings to give everyone a chance.





Walk Ins



· If someone comes in to the Recreation Center to play pickleball, they will be placed in the next time slot available and notified of the phone reservation process for future bookings.

· We are trying to diminish as much foot traffic into our building as possible.



Check In



· Please do not come into the center more than 5 minutes before your reservation time.

· Before signing in stop at the Front Desk to show your pass,and/or pay your daily fee.

· The reception will also confirm your reservation for play at that time.

· The sign in sheet will be located on a card table between Gym 1 and Gym 2.


At this point, nothing is certain. At least we are the one activity at JBF that is being allowed to continue. That speaks volumes for pickleball, but that can change. Let’s be thankful that we are still able to play and work with the new policy. I am certain there are going to be questions regarding this policy. We will address them as they come.

Stay healthy!!

Rick

03/15/2020

Hey Everybody,

It would have been a glorious day for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Damn the CoronaVirus!!!

Well in keeping with the last email that was sent out, it is with profound sadness that I have to announce that the Third Shot Drop has cancelled their engagement at 810 Bistro on Thursday, March 19. I was really looking forward to another great performance and fun time. Once this problem passes I am sure that they will play again at the Bistro.

Stay healthy everyone!!!!

Rick

03/13/2020

Hey Everyone,

Here are the latest happenings:

Paddle at the Beach:

If you were planning to play you may have already received an email from Matt Gibbons advising you that the Paddle at the Beach has been cancelled. This was a very difficult decision for us, but in deference to the health of all of you that signed up to play, it is the right thing to do. The vast majority of the players were over age 55 which is the most susceptible age for the virus.

The Thursday Night Happy Hour and performance of the Third Shot Drop is still on, so plan to attend and listen to the great band.

We thank each of you who had agreed to work at the tournament. We really appreciate your willingness to help. Thank you!!!!

We will now start to work on another tournament for this Fall.

St Patrick’s Day Parade:

I just received notice that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival has also been cancelled. A big Thank You to all who had agreed to participate.

Stay healthy everyone.

Rick

sock wars continue !!!!!
03/12/2020

sock wars continue !!!!!

sock wars !!!!!
03/11/2020

sock wars !!!!!

03/11/2020

Greetings Everyone,

Here are some important things to know:

Gym Hours:

JBF will be closed for pickleball this Friday, March 13 because of a basketball tournament. The weather looks great for Friday, partly cloudy and a high in the low 70s, so we should be able to play outside for a change starting at about 9:00. Talk to other players to make sure there are a sufficient number of players willing to play.

New Check-in Procedure:

As you may know NMBP&R has changed from an wrist band to a STICKER. Caroline has requested that you please put the sticker chest high on your outer most shirt. The sticker needs to be visible so that she can see it and not have to interrupt play. Your cooperation in placing the sticker on your playing shirt will be greatly appreciated.

In addition, pickleball starts at 9:00 am. Please do not show up at JBF more that a few (five) minutes before the start time. Some players are showing up 15 – 20 minutes early.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade:

The parade is on and the weather looks good. The parade starts this Saturday at 9:00 am. We are 14th in the parade and will be staged at the North Myrtle Beach Museum which is located across from Lowe’s Home Improvement on 2nd. Avenue North. We have again been selected to carry one of the helium balloons (kind of like the Macy’s parade, but not nearly as big). We were supposed to do that last year but the balloon never got off the ground. We NEED four to six players that are willing to hold the lines to the balloon as well as several players that are willing to play pickleball over a banner that is carried. If you would like to participate in the parade this year, please show up at the museum by 8:30 am at the latest, dressed in your finest St.Patrick’s Day attire and with your paddle. You can park in the Lowe’s parking lot and walk to the museum. Please LET ME KNOW that you want to participate by responding to this email. Walking in the parade is fun and good exercise. Come on out.

All for now.

Rick

03/03/2020

A couple things to let you know about:

Gym Hours:

I received an email from Caroline this morning indicating that both gyms will be closed this Thursday and Friday, March 5 and 6 for a basketball tournament. We will play outside weather permitting. As always, it is suggested that you talk to others to find out if there will be a sufficient number of players.

Attendance:

The attendance in 2019 was 17,591 players. The attendance for 2018 was 16,179. The increase in attendance of 1,412 is an 8.7 % increase over 2018. We need more courts!!!

All for now.

Rick

Address

1030 Possum Trot Road
North Myrtle Beach, SC
29582

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

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