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 "
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