
CAROLINA BEACH — Being told you can’t play on the same court as someone else might sound like middle-school drama, but in Carolina Beach, it’s not the children who are fussing over a game.
According to town emails between a resident and Parks and Programs Superintendent Tim Murphy, there has been some tension on the pickleball courts.
Recently the town decided it would be best to remove advanced and intermediate pickleball hours from its schedule, instead opting for an ‘all-levels’ open play due to some disputes amongst players.
“The past several weeks we have been having some folks who were told they were not allowed to play in the intermediate sessions. They considered themselves intermediate players but were having their paddles moved and told they were not allowed to play from other players,” Murphy said in an email.
“Taking this into consideration, and the new influx of people who have joined and are interested in playing, Eric, myself and the front desk staff think the best way to schedule moving forward is to make open pickleball for all skill types. I hope you understand this decision and still enjoy participating. We love seeing the gym full of people playing pickleball,” he concluded.
The resident acknowledged there has been some so-called “pickleball drama” between “warring factions” but said he has not experienced someone telling another player they cannot play.
“If I may add a variation to the pickleball drama. Yes, there is a level of angst between the warring factions, please understand my tongue in cheek. However, I am there mostly every day and I have never heard any player say that others can’t play. Is there mumbling and grumbling, oh yeah, by both sides.
“In fact, I have discussed that levels are self-regulated as they are at the Y where I play weekends. Do paddles get moved, yes by both sides. If I don’t want to play with a person(s), I’ll hold my paddle out for the next group or grouping that I want,” the resident said in his email.
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