Palmetto Indoor Pickleball Doubles Invitational

Hi to all Pickleball Players,

The Palmetto Indoor Pickleball Doubles Invitational will be held in Aiken, South Carolina on Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18, 2013. A free social will be held on Friday, August 16, 2013 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum. Registration will also include lunch on both Saturday and Sunday.

The format for the tournament is Skill Level/Age Combination. Men's and Women's Doubles will be played on Saturday, August 17 and Mixed Doubles will be played on Sunday, August 18.

This will be a sanctioned Tier 4 Level tournament. It will be played on 8 indoor courts and the Jugs indoor ball will be used. This is a double elimination tournament.

We are attaching a flyer with further information including a link to hotels/lodging. We are also attaching a registration form. Mailed entries must be postmarked by Saturday, August 3, 2013. On-line registration closes on Wednesday, August 7, 2013.

We hope that you will come and participate in this great tournament in the beautiful and quaint city of Aiken! There is plenty to see and do, Aiken is the home of the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, Farmer's Market, Living History Park, Aiken Center for the Arts, Hitchcock Woods (the largest Urban forest in the US-yes, larger that New York's Central Park), Equestrian Center or visit chic shops or experience wonderful dining. Experience all of Aiken's charm and elegance with a guided tour on a climate controlled trolley!

We hope to see you there!

Nancy Meyer
Cindy Eddleman
Tournament Directors

Blue Ridge Mountains Pickleball Club news

Submitted by Nancy Falkenstein, Ambassador, Franklin, NC

The Blue Ridge Mountains Pickleball Club members have been on the move in June, visiting other area clubs for inter-club play.

On June 11, Don and Judy Wirth and Mike and Nancy Falkenstein visited the Chickasaw Point Pickleball Group in Westminster, SC.  Chickasaw is a gated community on the shores of Lake Hartwell.  The Chickasaw Group has been playing since late fall 2012 and recently added the Pickleball Court Lines to the 2 existing Tennis Courts.  They all have had limited exposure to other Pickleball players so it was a morning of friendly and social play.  After the matches several of us went to lunch at the Grill at the golf course.  Lynn and Sheila Holley were our hosts and the organizers  for the event.  Several of the players also play tennis and golf but safe to say all who participated have been "pickled-pink" by the game! (Chickasaw Point is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Franklin, NC.)

On June 22, six of us traveled 1.5 hours to play Keowee Key Pickleball Club.  John Lumpkin, Irma Mason, Jan Sharp (USAPA Ambassador), Paul Baillargeon, Mike and Nancy Falkenstein made the trek.  Keowee Key has just completed 4 dedicated Pickleball Courts at the Fitness Center/Racquet Club complex.  They have a growing group of PB players (over 100) at all levels of play.  With the dedicated courts and such a large group they have designated playing times according to level, i.e. A, B, C ; and also hold introduction and clinic events.  The courts are lighted so night play is a very nice option in the summer heat and humidity!  Richard Webster is the "Picklemeister" and he is doing a great job.  They plan to have a "Men's Play Day" soon and Ladies will follow.  After a couple of hours of competetive play, the Blue Ridge Group headed home with a stop for lunch at Lighthouse Point on Lake Keowee. Great time was had by all and future play dates are a certainty.  CLICK HERE to see more photos.

On June 18, the Franklin USAPA Ambassadors, Jan Sharp, Mike and Nancy Falkenstein presented a program on Pickleball to the Rotary Club of Highlands (NC).  The invitation to speak and present was arranged by Joyce Baillargeon, Director of Fitness and Recreation at the Highlands Country Club.  The Highlands Director of Parks and Recreation was in attendance and it is hoped tha Pickleball will soon be a part of their program.  

 

How Pickleball got its name - or so they say

Published June 28, 2013 - www.hernandotoday.com

Some people dispute the story behind how Pickleball got its name and chalk it down to an urban legend.

But, the USA Pickleball Association recounts this origin which many believe is factual:

After playing golf one Saturday during the summer of 1965, Washington State Congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell, returned to Pritchard's home on Bainbridge Island, Wa., to find their families sitting around with nothing to do. The property had an old badminton court so Pritchard and Bell looked for some badminton equipment and could not find a full set of rackets.

READ MORE...

Sour-named game

Published June 27, 2013 - www.hernandotoday.com

BROOKSVILLE - Just don't call it tennis.

The lovers of the sport of pickleball wouldn't relish it.

Two or three times a week, about 24 "regulars" don shorts and light shirts, hit the courts at High Point off State Road 50, but not to hit a tennis ball over the net.

Rather, they plop their sports bags on one of the courtside tables outside and take out their whiffle balls and oversized paddles.

READ MORE...

Pickleball Comes to Nocatee Kids

Submitted by Bob Dean, Ambassador, Ponte Vedra, FL

Bob Dean, Ambassador for Ponte Vedra, FL, offered pickleball to the youth at the Nocatee Sports Camp on June 11. With the help of his good friends and avid pickleball players, Sally Morrill, Terry DePriest, Sally Kirkpatrick and Linda Kracker, the event turned out to be a favorite as indicated by the pictures!! Two mini courts were set up in the parking lot where 30 children took turns serving and volleying short games. Everyone enjoyed the enthusiasm of the children and quite a few are hooked on the sport! More play is scheduled for the upcoming camps on July 2 and July 23.

CLICK HERE to see more photos.

Bob Dean
Ambassador USAPA

Grand Opening for the North Georgia Pickleball Club New Courts

Submitted by Ann Earley, Ambassador, North Georgia

Saturday, June 15, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. we held our "Grand Opening" for our new Pickleball Courts. Approximately 75 people attended the event, including Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood, State Representative Edward Lindsey, and Post One County Commissioner Harry Johnston. Players came from Knoxville (TN), Vonore (TN), Houghton (GA), Acworth, Cartersville, Marietta, Woodstock, etc. Scott Boys BBQ catered the event with desserts and drinks being contributed by the Pickleball players. The Hickory Flat Boy Scout Troop 465 Color guard Cody Lamanac, Devin Scott, Kyle Lamanac, and Evan Wagner presented the flags. Laurel Smart, Junior vocal performance and church music double major at Reinhardt University sang the National Anthem. Mayor Hobgood and Commissioner Johnston said a few brief words about the new courts. Dr. Tom Earley made a presentation thanking Outdoor Expressions owner Richard Marks for the landscaping, and Signature Tennis contractor Bill Osterhold for the court resurfacing and turning two tennis courts into six beautiful Pickleball courts. He also recognized USAPA North GA Ambassadors Steve & Pat Dunn/Cartersville and Bill & Carol Hess/Lake Arrowhead. Last but not least, he acknowledged Jim & Dottie Frassetto, neighbors and friends who when necessary are the "gate keepers", opening the farm gates for the players and
shutting them daily at the end of play.

Instead of a ribbon across the entrance to the courts, blue painter's tape was used to signify the seven long years of taping off the court lines. As Tom Earley stated in his speech, "The cutting of this tape frees us from the bondage of the Painter's Tape forever. Free at last, free at last. And as a Sweet Street Philosopher put it, Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!" Everyone enjoyed a great meal, socializing, and pool time. Players were playing on the new courts until 8:30 p.m.!

CLICK HERE to view more photos.

Reader Essay: Pickleball, y’all

Published June 2013 - www.wakeliving.com

Pickleball? What’s pickleball?” I asked back in February 2010, when my wife, Lyn, and I were vacationing in the Florida sun. Our friend Dede, visiting us from Kansas City, explained that pickleball was a wonderful racquet game created in 1965 by two friends living in Washington state. Searching for an active game that could be played together by all ages of their family members, they considered net sports. The game they created on their driveway used a wiffle-type ball and incorporated key elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. READ MORE...

Pickleball: New trend in Cherokee

Published June 12, 2013 - www.ledgernews.com

Pickleball — it’s a recreational yet competitive racquet sport that combines the elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis into one. As one of the fastest growing games in America, Cherokee County resident Ann Earley and her husband, Tom, decided to bring the action to their back yard by transforming their tennis courts into the largest pickleball facility in the state.

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Local pickleball players get more space

Published June 9, 2013 - www.cherokeetribune.com

Tom and Ann Early were introduced to pickleball while traveling in Arizona.

Avid tennis players, they quickly fell in love with the sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis.

The Earlys soon began playing pickleball on the tennis court in the backyard of their home in the Macedonia community of Canton. They began promoting the sport, and over the past seven years, the number of players making use of their facility increased so much that they began putting up temporary nets. With 30 regular players, and 50 more who would occasionally play, the temporary courts soon became too much work to maintain.

Read more: Cherokee Tribune - Local pickleball players get more space

Reader Essay: Pickleball, y'all

Published www.wakeliving.com - Raleigh, NC

Pickleball? What’s pickleball?” I asked back in February 2010, when my wife, Lyn, and I were vacationing in the Florida sun. Our friend Dede, visiting us from Kansas City, explained that pickleball was a wonderful racquet game created in 1965 by two friends living in Washington state. Searching for an active game that could be played together by all ages of their family members, they considered net sports.

READ MORE...

Welcome New USAPA Members

Submitted by Jerry Eamer, Ambassador, North Myrtle Beach, SC

Jennifer and Trey Honeycutt

 Trey and I moved to Myrtle Beach in 2011. We discovered pickleball from a neighbor who played and loved the game. We went to give it a try and have been hooked ever since. We started to play in November 2011 and have had so much fun meeting all of the wonderful people at many different locations. It is a great form of exercise and we hope to continue to play for many years to come.

Jennifer is heading one of the committees for North Myrtle Beach's first USAPA Tournament in November.