Pickleball – Apparently Balls Are a Juggling Act

I have worked with quite a few beginning pickleball players and they usually find it interesting that there are different indoor pickleballs and outdoor pickleballs. Generally speaking, indoor pickleballs are made of a softer plastic and have somewhat larger holes. The design was developed to enhance play on gymnasium floors in an atmosphere basically free of nature’s elements.

An outdoor ball is made of somewhat harder plastic to work well on cement/concrete or composite outdoor courts. They have smaller holes which will not catch as much wind and ostensibly provide a better game in the elements because of those modifications.

According to the USAPA, any approved ball can be used on any surface. Players, however, do prefer certain balls over others.

I play in one location that has a very light wooden floor and the light greenish-yellow balls are hard for me to follow. While the white balls are a bit better on that court, they too get lost in the reflection of the lights from time-to-time.

Pickleball has grown so much in recent years that enterprises are now creating new styles and colors of pickleballs. Of course these need to be “approved” by the IFPA/USAPA for sanctioned play.

The USAPA defers to the IFP (International Federation of Pickleball) regarding balls that qualify and this is what the IFP has to say about Pickleballs:

“All balls are approved in any color at the discretion of the tournament director. The large-hole balls are customarily used for indoor play and the small-hole balls are customarily used for outdoor play. However, all balls are acceptable for indoor or outdoor play.”

Here are the current Pickleball options taken from the IFP website:

While those pictured and listed above seem to offer many options, there are other contenders waiting in the wings…

The three pictures (above) of colorful JUGS balls are courtesy of Pickleball Central

There are a lot of balls in the air here and who knows where they will land? Of course we await their approval so we can play with those colors and materials we feel will deliver the best game under the conditions we wish to compete.

STATUS QUOtes — 20150924

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.” — Stanley Horowitz

“The constant happiness is curiosity.” — Alice Munro

“Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Class Reunion: A gathering where you come to the conclusion that most of the people your own age are a lot older than you are.” — Anonymous

 

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STATUS QUOtes — 20150922

“We all have our time machines, don’t we. Those that take us back are memories…And those that carry us forward, are dreams.” — H.G. Wells

“It is better to play than do nothing.” — Confucius

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” — Madeleine Albright

“There’s ‘Fantasy Golf’? Apparently, there’s a level of boredom I’ve never experienced.” — Paula Poundstone

 

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Loki the Wolfdog

Loki in 2012 as a Puppy
**Loki in 2012 as a puppy

Loki full-grown bundle of joy
**Loki full-grown bundle of joy with owner Kelly Lund

Loki -  Hammock Happy
**Loki – Hammock Happy

**Photos above are from Loki’s Facebook Page

If the truth be told, and why not, I like cats, but I love dogs. In my experience dogs have personalities with depth. When I say I love dogs, I mean dogs like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Huskies, German Shepherds and other similar large breeds. I love to look into their eyes when you can actually visualize them “thinking.”

The Internet has had several articles about Loki recently and I wanted to share his story with visitors to JBRish.com.

The UK’s Daily Mail has an article which will fill in some of the details, but the real story is told through the multitude of photographs. As you look through the pictures you will see that Loki looks very happy?!

If you want to see more photos that weren’t in the above article, you can check “Loki’s” Instagram Page

The short clip below shows Loki enjoying some Colorado winter fun, watch the YouTube video below; smile!

STATUS QUOtes — 20150921

“The future has a way of arriving unannounced.” — George Will

“Purpose will reveal itself to you only while walking your own path.” — Brendon Burchard

“When you live a life with no boundaries, there’s less joy.” — Tom Hanks

“He was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages; so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on.” — Benjamin Franklin

 

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How Dangerous is Taking a Shower?

The question above, “How dangerous is taking a shower?”, seems almost laughable at first glance, but if you watch the video below, you will gain an understanding that risks are not always what they seem. As we live longer and longer, the odds become stacked against us and we must maintain our vigilance to avoid mishaps. The video below shows how scientist/author Jared Diamond learned this lesson from the tribes of Papua New Guinea.

If you want to read more about this, check out the post from Brain Pickings , Jared Diamond on the Root of Inequality and How the Mixed Blessings of “Civilization” Warped Our Relationship to Daily Risk, where I first encountered this concept and video.

The Risks of The Everyday – with Jared Diamond from The Royal Institution on Vimeo.

Below is the quote from the Vimeo website:

“Jared Diamond shares what he learnt about risk and everyday life from the tribes of Papua New Guinea. This was taken from a 2013 conversation, ‘The world until yesterday’. Watch the full discussion here: youtu.be/ceLuaf7low4

Pullitzer Prize-winner Jared Diamond discusses how insights from the lifestyles of far-removed cultures can impact the way we think about our own lives. Is it worth worrying about the risk of everyday actions like falling in the shower or tripping on the street? Each time you do these things, the risk of mishap is low, but we do them every single day. Over time, does that mean these tiny risks accumulate to become almost inevitable?

This animation was produced by Andrew Khosravani, thanks to generous support from the Sfumato Foundation.”

STATUS QUOtes — 20150920

“There are certain times when public opinion is the worst of all opinions.” — Nicolas Chamfort

“Sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.” — Ellen DeGeneres

“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.” — Olin Miller

“In a house where there are small children the bathroom soon takes on the appearance of the Old Curiosity Shop.” — Robert Benchley

 

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