OPC Pickleball
The nation's fastest growing sport is very popular in Oxford! We have a larger group of regular participants that visit the Coach Howell Center in the mornings Monday through Saturday for free play inside the gym. Court space is on a first come, first serve basis. No reservations are taken for courts. Participants arrive between 8 and 9 a.m. to warm up and play continues until noon or 12:30 p.m., depending on the day and the number of participants.
Balls are provided for use during free play, and there are some paddles available; but we do encourage participants to bring their own.
Pickleball can be also played in the Oxford Activity Center during the afternoon and on certain evenings when youth basketball or other events are not taking place. Please contact a member of the OPC staff when arriving so they can further assist setting up dedicated court space.
There are outdoor pickleball courts for free play use located at Avent Park (120 Park Drive) that can be accessed 7 days of week. Those are also on a first come, first serve basis.
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Free play pickleball is available in the Coach Howell Center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. We will also have overflow play and afternoon play in the Oxford Activity Center until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. *We also have free play Pickleball during the evenings Monday, Tuesday and Thursday in the Oxford Activity Center from 5:30 to 8. On Saturday mornings, free play will run 9 a.m. to noon in both buildings on Saturdays. On Sundays, you will be able to play in the OAC from 1 to 5 p.m on court 4 only. Please let us know if you have any additional questions about play time. We will update changes to schedule through our social media and emails.
* — Evening Pickleball can change due to events. There is a white board in the OAC that will help outline any of those activities. Please ask a staff member for additional help or email Sam Pryor at [email protected]
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OPC Pickleball House Rules
The policies and rules are intended for use when there are individuals waiting to play.
· All players must leave the court when play is finished to give anyone that is waiting the chance to play.
· If there are more players then courts available, all courts will need to play doubles.
· Rule of nine, if there are 9 people waiting on a court, we will change from traditional scoring to: play to 9, win by 1
· The player rotation system of: all 4 players leave the court and 4 new players come from the bleachers.
· The preferred method for tracking play order of waiting players is to use the paddle bench located by the windows.
· If a group of players wish to stay together, they will allow other players to move ahead of them to complete a foursome, then they can play together.
· All levels of play are welcome at any time.
· No designated courts for level of play.
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Intro to Pickleball
Worth duPerier instructs this class offering for the OPC on a quarterly basis. His classes are for ages 15 and up and routinely have lasted 2-3 weeks. Worth provides a cross section of information on the sport, from strategy to fundamentals and more. Updates on his class schedule can be found through OPC social media platforms or through our Currently Registering tab located on the top of the website. All social media platforms can also be accessed through the top right corner of our OPC website.
Tournaments
We host indoor and outdoor events during the calendar year. They are open for all levels of play, and feature some of the area's top players. Registration for all tournaments can be accessed through the OPC website. Cost varies on the number of division a participant would like to take part in. All the balls for the tournament are provided by the OPC.
For more information on Pickleball, contact Sam Pryor at [email protected] or via his cell phone at 662-816-9613.