THE RULES GURU
The
Rules Guru
RULES Q AND A
You can submit your questions to rules @ thepickleballmag . com for consideration in an upcoming column .
BY CHRISTINE BARKSDALE , USAPA MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION
Q : I would like to remove the grip and wrap lead tape around the handle to add weight . Is it also OK to do this on both the handle and the head of the paddle for balance ?
Guru : To answer this question , we would take into account the following IFP rules : 2 . E . 4 - “ Weight . There is no restriction on paddle weight .” 2 . E . 5 - “ Alterations . The only alterations that can be made to a commercial paddle are changes to the grip , adding an edge guard ...”
Those rules lead to the answer that , yes , you can add lead tape in both places as long as it does not overlap onto the face of the paddle . The rule is designed to prevent players from making any changes to the playing surface of the paddle or in some way making any modifications to the inside of the paddle that would affect its playing characteristics in terms of deflection , roughness , etc .
Q . When playing a sanctioned tournament match , the referee called the wrong score . I knew it was the wrong score but the other team served the ball and my partner returned it even though I was yelling , “ Whoa , whoa .” I stopped the play after the other team hit the ball back to let everyone know the ref had the score wrong . He said I committed a fault . Why did we lose the rally when the ref called the wrong score ?
Guru : IFP Rule 4 . I . 4 states : “ If the referee calls the wrong score , any player may stop play at any time before the return of serve to ask for a correction . A player that interrupts play after the return of serve will have committed a fault and shall lose the rally .” Since you stopped play after your partner returned the serve , you committed the fault .
For the future , the best thing to do is to play the point out and then bring it to the referee ’ s attention that he / she may have given the wrong score . Another reason to do so is also stated in Rule 4 . I . 4 : “ A player that interrupts play after the serve , when there was not an error in the score , will have committed a fault and shall lose the rally .” So , if you were wrong and the score was accurate , you would have lost the rally as well . If you can ’ t get a clarification of the score BEFORE the serve , your best option is to play the point out and then get it rectified .
Q . At open play today , my partner and I were near the baseline in defense mode . Our opponents dropped a short ball landing in the kitchen . I ran forward with all my speed and made a desperation hit at the ball . Lucky for me , my ball hit my opponent in the shoulder . However , after my hit , I stumbled forward and grabbed the net to support myself . My opponents said that my touching the net was a fault .
Guru : According to Section 7 - Fault Rules , Rule 7 . E ., “ A player , player ’ s clothing , or any part of a player ’ s paddle touches the net or the net post when the ball is in play .”
So , in your scenario , once the ball strikes your opponent ’ s shoulder the point is over and the ball is “ dead .” Since you touched the net AFTER the point was over , you won the point .
JULY / AUGUST 2017 | MAGAZINE 27