July 2009

Thank You to Mark Friedenberg
by Bill Booth
President, USAPA

After 4½ years as president of the USAPA, Mark Friedenberg has stepped down as president. In early 2005, Mark and a group of enthusiastic players had the foresight to create the "new" USAPA to replace the original organization which was not well organized at the time. They created the original board of directors, shown here on the history page, to promote the sport and direct the policies and objectives of the USAPA.

In the following years, under the direction of Mark and the board, there were many achievements for pickleball and the USAPA.

• The USAPA has become recognized as the governing body for pickleball.
• Training material for players and referees is on training.usapa.org (free for all players).
• Rules were thoroughly reviewed and revised. The first rulebook was published in 2008 and a second printing and revision was published in 2009.
• Many marketing materials have been produced for sale and to promote memberships.
• An Ambassador program was created to spread the word about this exciting sport throughout the U.S. and Canada. The sport is truly growing at the grass-roots level.
• The membership base is currently well over 1500 members and growing rapidly (up over 120% in 12 months and 54% in the first 6 months of 2009).
• The national pickleball tournament in November will be the largest tournament ever attended.
• We have been successful at getting pickleball into the winter games of the National Senior Games Association and are working hard to get into the summer games.
• Coverage in the media has been increasing with newspaper articles and televised features as enthusiastic players tell their stories.
• Pickleball has become America’s fastest growing senior sport. Conservative estimates put the number of players at close to 40,000 and growing. That number is based on our Places to Play database with the actual number of players where known and conservative estimates where the number of players per court is not known.
• Our non-profit organization has grown monetarily to the point where we can finance activities important for the growth of pickleball. We are in the second year of financing assistance to players starting new programs to bring people into the sport. Plans are well under way to finance promotional efforts at the regional and local level to promote pickleball among the general public and recreation professionals.
• The website has become the best comprehensive source of information about pickleball including tournament schedules, tournament results, tournament software, ladder/league software, sanctioning information, featured news articles, places to play, official rules, rankings points, training for players and referees, player forum, and more.
• Young players are being introduced to the sport through an increasing number of programs in middle schools, high schools and colleges.
• Paddle testing procedures and specifications have been developed to preserve the character and integrity of the sport as we have all come to know it.
• Pickleball is growing internationally with the formation of Pickleball Canada and players in Kenya, Cyprus, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, India, England, Australia, and New Zealand.

Mark, thank you for your vision and dedication to promoting pickleball. The sport would not be where it is today without your leadership. Mark will continue to help promote the sport by serving on the board as Past President.

New Florida Ambassador

Meet Tom Gardner -
USAPA Ambassador
The Villages, Florida

"My wife Janet and I moved to the Villages on a part time basis in August, 2004 and made it permanent in December, 2007. We are both native Illinoisans and lived there our entire life until moving here. We have three children and 3 1/2 grandchildren.

I spent my professional career of 35 years at State Farm Insurance working in the investment dept. My wife was a homemaker(she claims this as the priority) but also had her own interior design business.

I have been active in sports all my life including baseball and basketball on the varsity level as an undergraduate at the Univ of Wisconsin. When my children were growing and involved in sports I was involved coaching various youth teams and also was one of four gentleman involved in the creation of the PONY baseball program in Bloomington, Il. This involved creating leagues for youth from the age of 5 to 18 and at the time I left included nearly 1000 kids.

With our background, it was important that we find an active community when we retired. The Villages fit the bill and it was here that we were introduced to pickleball. I have been playing it for nearly 5 years. It is on the courts where we have established many friendships. It is a great sport and one that we know can be enjoyed at many different levels "

Liz Velazquez

USAPA Ambassador

Great Smokey Mountains, NC

Liz Velazquez is a naive of Columbia, South America. She and her family immigrated to the United States in the early 70's. She attended the University of California, Davis, majoring in social/cultural anthropology and in her last year at the University she was awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to participate in a study of the migration to the United States by Mexicans and the effects immigration had on a family and their socio/economic conditions. She worked in social service assisting Cuban refugees and in real estate assisting financially challenged families. Her dream was to create a sanctuary for struggling children and their families, to provide educational, spiritual, motivational and recreational activities. And her dream became reality.

Liz is the founder of a 30 acre campground in the Smokey Mountains of Western North Carolina called the Mountain View School Campground and Sanctuary. Additionally, she founded Light On The Mountain, ........."a not for profit organization whose purpose is to empower, educate, nurture and love abused, neglected and disadvantaged children and adults........ We offer several programs for the youths and one of those is pickleball. We feel it is a great way to bridge the gap between adults and young people and also to help them build self esteem, confidence and fitness. We are sponsored by private as well as public donations. We appreciate donations, so if you know of anyone interested they can contact me at 828-498-2999."

Memorial Day weekend was her official Grand Opening of the Campground and Light on The Mountain with Pickleball demonstrations scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. "It was a smash (sort of speak). We had lots of adults and children playing pickle ball, in fact, even the band members joined in to play. It was incredible.! We had lots of visitors and most of them went back home to tell their friends about pickleball. Most of them had never heard of the sport. One person from Portland, Oregon, commented, "I can't do tennis but I can definitely do pickleball". One of the band members was from Louisville, Kentucky and he said he had never heard of the sport either and was going back to contact the Louisville group."

"As you will see from the pictures, we have a great facility and are looking forward to sponsoring tournaments from this area".

""Kids played with adults and asked us if they could come over every weekend. The place was alive with energy, laughter and fun".

" I love pickleball and the benefits it brings to community and specifically kids, so I will do as much as I can to promote it..................we look forward to creating a large pickleball group. The news of pickleball at our location is spreading and there is another community center that heard about it and will probably put courts in and start promoting it. We are looking forward to having tournaments here also and with that group. I look forward to being an active member in the pickleball community".

For more information on programs and the campground you can visit: www.thelightonthemountain.org and www.camponthemountain.com. We invite any pickleball players who may be visiting the Smokey Mountains to come to our campground and enjoy a zesty game of pickleball.

Swing On,

Liz

More pictures of the Grand Opening available in our Photo Gallery.

Atlantic South Ambassador teaches Pickleball in the Empire State

Hey all you pickleball players down in Venice/Sarasota, Florida....want to know what your local ambassador is doing up north?

Jack Beck, who spends his winters with us down here in the Atlantic South Region, is back in his home town in New York State. But he's still playing pickleball and spreading the word about our great sport.

Yes........Jack made the news again! Here is a link to a recent article in The Saratogian, the newspaper serving the Saratoga Springs, NY region. Enjoy the article.



Reader's View: From ‘Pickles’ to the game of pickleball
Published: Friday, June 26, 2009

Kings Point Pickleball Clinic

On Saturday June 20th, the Kings Point Pickleball League hosted a training clinic for their members. League leader and event coordinator Louann Dubendorf encouraged both the novice and the advanced players who wanted to improve or take their game to the next level to participate. She posted the information to her website as well as in the display case that everyone passed on the way to the courts each day.

When you live in Florida, summer time weather can play havoc with your pickelball schedule. You do what you can to play between the sweltering heat and the afternoon thunderstorms. Today, despite the forecast for temperatures soaring into the high 90's with the heat index well over 100 the serious pickleball lovers showed up for their training!

A few players showed up early and took to the courts for a few games before the clinic started, but just shortly after 8:00 am, the instructor Rich Donald, USAPA Ambassador, New Tampa, Fl, took the group to the courts. Rich did a great job adjusting his material to make sure everyone could benfit, as the group was very diverse as far as skill levels.

Here, Rich talks to the group about the importance of the "ready position" and the benefits of making a habit of returning to this position after every play.

Rich talked about the differences in hitting ground strokes and volleying at the the non-volley line. After covering the proper stance and proper paddle position he showed them how to return the ball when volleying at the non-volley line showing them how to "punch" the ball instead of "swinging" at the ball as in a groundstroke. After working with each one individually, the group took to the courts for a little practice.

Another area that the group spent a good deal of time on was the "dink" shot. Rich made his way down the line, coaching individuals , demonstrating the proper arm movement to achieve the ideal height and drop of the ball close to the net.

Rich also spent some time on both the defensive and offensive lob and " the third shot", or the return of the return of serve. He also stressed that to improve your level of play it was important to set up a schedule to practice and not just play games. He shared with them drills for practicing dinks, offensive lobs and "the third shots" that they could do either before or after daily game play.

Here's the Kings Point crew with Rich (front row, white shirt) posing for a group picture after finishing their training session. What a great goup. They worked hard today......but I think they had a good time too!

And as a "Thank You", Rich went home with a new T-shirt!

For more information on the Kings Point Pickleball League go to http://www.gotpickleball.com/

and for this T-shirt and more visit http://www.thepickleballbug.com/

Click Here for more great Pictures of The Kings Point Pickleball Clinic

Sometimes it's better to read about the success of a pickleball clinic when it's written by the people who attended.......Read this article on the Kings Point Website

Kings Pointe Pickleball League Clinic

Freeman and Harrison Finish First

No. 1-seed wins mixed doubles
The Villages Daily Sun - Sunday June 20, 2009
By STEVE DAY, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — Bill Freeman and Deb Harrison did what a No. 1-seed is supposed to do in winning The Villages Advanced Pickleball Championship mixed doubles Friday at Bacall Recreation Center.

Click the article title above to read the full story:

Below are additinal links to tournament and player articles by Daisy Moon, Daily Sun.
Pickleball mixed doubles championship begins

Playing in tournament with cast on one hand

Villages couple are partners in life and pickleball

No. 4-seed pickleball team upset

A Message from Our Regional Ambassador

South Atlantic Region - Alabama, Georgia, N & S Carolinas & Florida


Update and State of the State:

Most have not herd from me that much! That is too say USAPA is still in it's infancy and growing. I believe we all are working to grow the great game of pickleball in our own locales - building players, hosting demos, clinics, teaching, volunteering in school recreation classes, social and entertainment events etc. etc.

The remainder of 2009 and looking ahead 2010 & 2011 should prove to be banner years not only for the growth of the game itself but also for USAPA. With the advent of new and broader leadership within our organization, I foresee the coming together of a great pickleball nation. Lead by those who produce, tabulate and communicate (e-news letters, blogs, web sites, THE COMPUTER AGE) we begin to read and get to know each other and how we are all attempting to achieve similar goals together.

Most importantly, we need to THANK - our current Board of Directors and the many volunteers that got us to where we are today, THANK YOU!

The time is now, "Changing of the Guard" to step forward, bring to the table or let me interject a thought - take the table to the players. My thoughts, with the economy being what it is and the finances slim, we need to become more creative in our efforts (ie: pull together - CO EVENT, PLAN GEOGRAPHIC EVENTS CONJOINTLY TO CUT COSTS AND TRAVEL EXPENSE, DO MORE OVER THE NET, AND USE EACH OTHER FOR IDEAS AND EXPERIENCE)

We can do this and it will be both fun and challenging. Observing how we operate today, we need only to capitalize on getting to know each others strengths, where, how and when we should reach out to support each others efforts thus making our tasks simpler and cost effective.

My message: "In these times, may we do away with ceremony and titles and all work together growing this great game of pickleball, taking care to see we meet our neighbors needs and become more independent. One of the keys to all this is communication! Todays technology makes it a breeze. Contact Richard and Donna Donald (rddonald2@verizon.net) and I am confident our future will take off. Experience and Good People make up this sport."

Bye & Bye, I ask that we all give Dick Manaserri our complete support and attention for all he is attempting to do for USAPA. His selfless efforts and talented organizational mind should prove well to serve and unite this wonderful pickleball USAPA organization which we are!


Proud to be your regional - Greenie

MIXED DOUBLES IN PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS THURSDAY

By MEGAN BLAKELY, DAILY SUN
Wednesday June 17, 2009

THE VILLAGES — Thursday marks the beginning of mixed doubles competition in the second annual Villages Advanced Pickleball Championship.

If last year’s tournament is any indication, this competition should be both fun and fierce, according to recreation facilities manager Lynda Feustel. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. at Bacall Recreation Center



Click the title above to read the complete article.

The Villages, Fl - Doubles Championships Complete- Winners Announced

Cornell, Gee take title after 3-game match
By KEITH PEARLMAN, DAILY SUN

Cornell and Gee defeated Mark Stemerman and Greg Hanson in another three-game marathon 11-5, 9-11, 14-12 to claim the title in the second annual tournament held Friday morning at Lake Miona Recreation Center.

No. 1 seeds Harrison and Bluemling defeated Mari Staun and Kathy Mantel 11-4, 11-2 in the semifinals, while No. 2 seeds Bock and Day advanced after an 11-5, 11-1 victory over Christine Crenshaw and Missy Taylor.

Click the Title Above to read the complete article from The Villages Daily Sun, June 13, 2009

Sun City Hilton Head Pickleball Club - A Club Determined

Sun City Hilton Head (SCHH) is a 4,300 acre Del Webb/Pulte Home Community in Bluffton, SC., with approximately 6,800 homes and 13,000 residents with anticipated growth to 8,200 homes. The community also boasts a 4.5 acre Community Recreation Campus featuring the multi-million dollar Magnolia Hall theater, a brand new croquet court and expanded bocce ball courts………….and 4 pickleball courts.

John Huber, USAPA Ambassador, is a resident of SCHH and the current president of their Pickleball Club. For the past 6-7 months the Pickleball Club has been directing efforts to convince the developer and their Community Association Management Board (CAM) to help with land acquisition and court construction costs for four more courts. Finding a place to play the game they love has been a long “court” battle that’s not over yet.

Pickleball was first introduced to the community by John and Darlene Prest early in 2005 on a makeshift court shared with the basketball players.

By January of 2006 club membership was up to 145 and they were still playing on the makeshift court. Club president Brad Buck began negotiations with Del Webb/Pulte Homes. They agreed to build three new courts. This was great news; membership was increasing fast. The new courts opened in December. The club continued to use the courts despite the fact that the overall court length was too short, the paint was flaking off, there was no fencing to prevent balls from running into the lagoon and after just a few months the courts were cracking from the water pressure below and from very poor construction. Before the end of the year, safety concerns resulted in permanently closing the courts. The club now had to use two temporary courts shared with the basketball players near the softball field and a short time later two more temporary courts were set up in the parking lot of the old sales center.

In the meantime the club had petitioned the builder and the CAM for four new courts; club membership had surpassed 500. They were successful, and on August 29, 2008 the four courts were opened for play.

Today, a club membership 865 strong, continue their quest, hoping for the completion of four more courts during 2009. With the current economic conditions Del Webb/Pulte Homes will not build additional courts. The club has secured the land but needs to raise $65,000 to complete the construction. A membership pledge drive has raised nearly $45,000 and the club continues with fund raising efforts for the remaining $20,000. They are even selling T-shirts and sweatshirts printed with the slogan “Four More Courts”. They continue to receive and solicit donations to complete their mission.

Despite the “court” situation the SCHH Pickleball Club was successful in getting their club chartered. They have progressed from scheduling court time manually to a web based process. Under Joe’s leadership they successfully hosted the inaugural Beaufort County Senior Games in 2007, and again in 2008. They implemented “Meet and Play” for new players and thanks to Phil Worley and his committee, the 2008 Fall League Play was organized. And would the club have accomplished all of this without some FUN!!! Kudos to Jean Paul Fauser and his committee numerous social events filled with food, music, dancing, prizes, raffles and plenty fun were planned, including Summer Socials and the inaugural League Banquet where the League Championship awards were presented.

Truly an amazing group of people – a club dedicated, a club determined.

There are so many individuals who played a significant role in the building of this club and the pursuit of courts. Here is a link to that complete story as prepared by Joe Huber.


History - SCHH Piclkleball Club