Englewood Sun Coast Pickleball Classic

Hi to all Pickleball Players,

We are pleased to announce a brand new tournament in Englewood, Florida on Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7, 2014. The Englewood Sun Coast Pickleball Classic is being held at the Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Rd, Englewood, Florida where they are going to showcase their 6 brand new dedicated pickleball courts (the grand opening is October 25). These dedicated courts are located next to the tennis courts. We will convert 4 of the tennis courts to make a total of 14 pickleball courts for this event.

The Englewood Pickleball Club is anxious to host their first tournament. We have attached the Flyer and Registration Form to this email for your convenience. This will be a Skill/Age Tournament.

We hope to see all of you there! It will be a great weekend for pickleball!!

Sincerely,
Cindy and Nancy
Tournament Directors
PickleballSpecialties.com

 

Pickleball courts open in Englewood (FL)

Published October 24, 2014 - www.heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA COUNTY - Shattering stereotypes about how retirees enjoy themselves, a new sports craze is sweeping the area.

 The game is pickleball, a vigorous hybrid of badminton, pingpong and tennis that makes shuffleboard look about as exciting as, well, shuffleboard.

“Anybody that's played a racket sport can pick up this sport quickly,” said John Foard, 71, North Port's ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association. “If you've played any of them and get out on a pickleball court, you'll be hooked.”

CLICK HERE to read more.

Kings Point Pickleball Brings Home Senior Games Medals

Submitted by Louann Dubendorf, Kings Point, FL

Through the tough Pickleball competition, 95% humidity of Friday, downpours of Saturday and below 60 temps of Sunday, Kings Point’s Pickleball players took to the courts to again bring back pride and medals to their community. Every year Kings Point’s dedicated players pull out all the stops to practice each morning to prepare for tournament season. Hillsborough county Senior Games are the first games of the tournament season and Kings Point’s Pickleball players always put forward their best efforts to represent Kings Point in their home town.

This year Kings Point Pickleball tournament results included medals earned in all of the age groups that Kings Point’s players represented.

GOLD-Jane and Lynda

GOLD-John and Sam 

SILVER-Kelly and Louann

SILVER-Jack and Vinnie 

SILVER- Lewis and Jane 

BRONZE-Nadine and Connie 

BRONZE-Greg and Kelly 

BRONZE-Artie and Lynda 

BRONZE- Walter and Diane 

BRONZE-Irv and Nadine

Congratulations Kings Point’s Pickleball players!

Players drive from The Villages for Pickleball Competition in Sun City Center, FL

Published October 18, 2014 - www.photonews247.com



SUN CITY CENTER, FL – The Pickleball Tournament in Sun City Center attracted players all the way from The Villages, Florida for a chance to win a medal and say hello to friends. The competition was part of the 34th Annual Tampa Bay Senior Games 2014.

The video features three teams that include Lewis & Jane from Kings Point. And from The Villages there is Mark & Kandy and Diane and Mark Bock.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Englewood pickleball courts to open

Sarasota County (FL) Parks and Recreation will host a grand opening celebration for its newly designed outdoor pickleball courts at the Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Road, at 10 a.m. Friday, October 24, 2014.

This free event will showcase the six permanent pickleball courts and feature demonstrations by the Englewood Pickleball Club. Loaner paddles and balls for recreational play and light refreshments will round out the event. The recognition ceremony is planned for 10-10:30 a.m., followed by open court time until noon. 

This event, open to the public, is a great opportunity to see this one-of-a-kind facility in Sarasota County, learn about this popular game and discover all that the Englewood Sports Complex has to offer.

For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000.

Davie renovates and improves pickleball courts

Published October 16, 2014 - www.sun-sentinel.com

Pickleball continues to grow in popularity, and Davie has taken notice.

The town recently renovated and improved the courts at Pine Island Park. The courts received a sports surface coating, each now has a tennis-style net attached to permanent posts, and the work expanded the number of courts from five to six.

"The courts were concrete gray with white court lines," said Phillip Holste, the town's development administrator. "Three of the courts were laid out east/west, and the afternoon sun is a problem with players. The courts will now be blue with white lines, and the surrounding area between and around the courts will be green. This color scheme adds a look of professionalism to the courts. In addition, all courts are laid north/south, which will eliminate any problems with players looking directly into the sun when playing."

CLICK HERE to read more.

Connestee Pickleball Tournament Raises $8,000 – Connestee Falls NC

Published www.transylvaniatimes.com

On Sept. 26 and 27, pickleball players from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia participated in an Advanced and Intermediate round robin tournament at the Connestee Falls pickleball facility. This was the fourth year of the tournament and funds raised have increased every year.

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the country, is a hybrid of tennis, racquetball, and ping pong. The court is about one third the size of a tennis court, the paddle is the size of a racquetball paddle, and the ball is similar to a Wiffle ball. The fast-paced game has become very popular with seniors because it provides lots of exercise but involves shorter running distances than tennis, and is consequently less strenuous for aging knees.

 

The $8,000 was raised through sponsorships by local businesses, registration fees for players, donations from Connestee Falls residents, and a raffle. The tournament was part of the Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program that raised approximately $60,000 for Transylvania County students this year.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Pickleball in Peachtree City, GA

Pickleball demonstrations and free lessons will be given on October 12, 2014, at 2 p.m., at the Peachtree City Tennis Center on Planterra Way. Pickleball, the great game with the funny name, is coming to PTC. Members of the “Sun City Pickleball Club” will give demonstrations and free lessons. Pickleball is a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping pong and is easily played by all ages, indoors and outdoors. Peachtree City resident Joel Kinsman has been appointed Ambassador for the “PTC Pickleball League”. Any inquiries or to RSVP, contact Joel at PTCpickleball@aol.com or call 770-487-0071.

Pickleball taught at the NC Recreation and Parks Annual Conference

During Sept. 21 – 23, the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association held their Annual Conference in Wilmington, North Carolina. Parks and Recreation directors, program leaders and staff from across the state gathered for this three day event. Calvin Vaughn, Guilford County Ambassador conducted two “Pickleball for All” sessions at the conference. Session One focused on how to start, fund, sustain and provided an introduction to the fundamentals of a Pickleball Program. Session Two was a hands-on demo of the game. The demo session was set up in the vendor main hall where 100s of parks and recreation staff, vendors and convention staff got to watch and participate. One NC Recreation and Parks Board Member said, “Pickleball was the highlight and one of the more exciting parts of the conference.” Many were excited about implementing Pickleball into their programming. Joe Borrelli, the NC Eastern Regional District Ambassador was a great help in providing support to Calvin and teaching beginners during both sessions.