Local pickleball club expanding interest in sport

Published May 31, 2015 - www.wrgarome.com

A new sport club is helping to spread the interest of pickleball throughout Rome, Floyd County and Northwest Georgia.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, according to Bob Hood, the president of the newly formed Coosa Valley Pickleball Club.

Pickleball is described as a combination of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton that uses oversized wooden paddles and wiffle ball. While the court is a similar setup to tennis, the court is smaller and the net is slightly lower.

The Coosa Valley Pickleball Club was formed a few months ago and currently has over 30 members ranging from eight years old to 81.

 CLICK HERE to read more.

Free Pickleball Clinic

Carolina Courts in Concord, NC will be hosting a FREE pickleball clinic on June 10, 2015 for anyone interested in learning the sport of pickleball as well as picking up a few pointers from experienced Pickleball players.

This is a great opportunity to network and meet different pickleball players. This is also a great time to bring your friends who are not as familiar with the sport to learn the fundamentals so they can play with you anytime.

CLICK HERE to sign up for the free clinic. Simply click Sign Up in the evening time slot for the FREE Clinic, then click Submit and enter your name.

For more information visit, www.carolinacourts.com.

Pickleball hits UCF's IM courts

Published May 27, 2015 - www.centralfloridafuture.com

Pickleball originated as a game played on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Fast forward 50 years, now it is defined by its Wiffle-ball-sized bright green perforated ball as a sport.

A mix between pingpong and badminton, pickleball is played on a 20-by-44-foot court with a 36-inch tall net dividing the two sides.

"You have to be able to have a good eye and good judgment. You have to be able to think while you play. Serving is really stressful," said Teesha Monroe, a junior sociology major and employee of UCF intramural sports. "This game is really different."

Combining the coordination of tennis players, delicacy of badminton and swiftness of table tennis, it didn't take long before UCF players immersed themselves into the IM tournament, discovering the intricacies of the new intramural sport.


CLICK HERE to read more.

Naples, FL: Home of the National Pickleball Championships

Published May 22, 2015 - www.naplesherald.com

Naples locals will find themselves in a bit of a pickle by the time next April comes around. Collier County has been selected to host the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships for 2016, 2017 and 2018. The 2016 tournament will be the first of its kind and is projected to bring more than 1,000 athletes to the area.

Chris Evon, the executive director of the United States Pickleball Association (USAPA), estimated that there are more than 400,000 active pickleball players in the United States with pickleball facilities located in all 50 states. Although it is more popular among seniors, it is quickly becoming a widely-known sport among athletes of all ages.

“The culture is growing,” Evon said. “The sport has been around 50 years and it is really starting to take off. The average pickleball player is between 60 or 70 years old. The reason is because it is a great sport where you don’t have to cover a lot of area. If a player has an injury problem in their hip or shoulder, it’s easier on their joints then other sports. There is lots of technique and strategy involved and is very challenging, but the younger community is starting to grab on and there are very good high-level players.”

CLICK HERE to read more.

Fast growing sport of pickleball to be on display at rec center

Published May 20, 2015 - www.greenvilleonline.com

Pickleball on display

Pickleball, a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis, will be on display at 6:30 p.m. May 28 and June 2 at the Tryon Recreation Center tennis courts on Oakland Avenue. Instructors will provide lessons and play games. The Greer Recreation Department invites area residents to come out and give it a try.

CLICK HERE to read more.

 

Registration underway for pickleball tourneys

Published May 13, 2015 - www.tbnweekly.com

SEMINOLE (FL) – Seminole Recreation and St. Pete Beach Recreation have partnered for two upcoming pickleball doubles tournaments.

The first will be held Thursday, June 4, 9 a.m., at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Dr. Deadline for registration is Friday, May 29.

The second tournament will be held at the Holland G. Mangum Recreation Complex, 9100 113th St. N., Thursday, Aug. 27, 9 a.m. Deadline for registration is Friday, Aug. 21.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Want to learn to play pickleball?

Published May 20, 2015 - www.islandpacket.com

The Hilton Head Island (SC) Pickleball Club is hosting free public clinics at the Island Recreation Center at 20 Wilborn Road behind Hilton Head Island High School.

The clinics will be 9 to 10:30 a.m. June 1, 3 and 5, or 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 2 and 4. People can also come any weekday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon.

CLICK HERE to read.

Copyright 2015 The_Island_Packet. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Register for Englewood (FL) Indoor Pickleball League

​SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources will host an indoor, mixed doubles pickleball league at the Englewood Sports Complex Gymnasium, 1300 S. River Road, each Monday from June 1 through July 20.

This fun, call-your-own league is open to players age 18 and older using USAPA rules. Cost is $30 per player and participants must register with a partner. T-shirt uniforms will be provided to each doubles team with awards given to first- and second-place finishers. Games will be played weekly between 12:30-2:30 p.m. along with practice times every Friday. The league is limited to 12 teams, so register now. The deadline is Wednesday, May 27.

This is a great opportunity for players to compete indoors and gain doubles experience in an organized setting. For more information, contact the Englewood Sports Complex at 941-861-1980.

Youth Pickleball Camp

Ages 10-15 will learn the basics of Pickleball from some of the best players on the Emerald Coast. The camp will run June 9-11 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Destin (FL) Community Center. The fee is $15 per resident and $20 per non-resident.

Register early, as space is limited, at www.cityofdestin.com or at the Center. Call 850-654-5184 or email recreation@cityofdestin.com for information.

Registration underway for pickleball tourneys

Published May 14, 2015 - www.tbnweekly.com

SEMINOLE – Seminole Recreation and St. Pete Beach Recreation have partnered for two upcoming pickleball doubles tournaments.

The first will be held Thursday, June 4, 9 a.m., at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Dr. Deadline for registration is Friday, May 29.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Register Now for Adult Pickleball Clinic

Published May 12, 2015 - www.wakeforestnc.gov

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will sponsor an adult pickleball clinic on Monday evenings from June 1 through July 6.

Designed for anyone who wants to learn or improve their pickleball skills, the clinic will be offered each Monday from 6-8 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Pickleball Courts, 1226 N. White St.

The clinic is free and open to anyone ages 18 and older, but space is limited to the first 32 registrants.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Duo serving Tallahassee pickleball to national audience

Published May 11, 2015 - www.tallahassee.com

Larae Donnellan and Judy Lyle are competing at the 2015 National Senior Games in an effort to put Tallahassee on Florida’s Pickleball map. With a women’s doubles medal to their credit from the 2014 Florida International Senior Games & State Championships, they qualified for the 2015 National Senior Games in Bloomington/Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota and will play in the crowded and talented 65-69 age group.

“It will be interesting,” said Donnellan, speaking between games at the Lafayette Park Sue McCollum Center. “Judy and I are training like crazy. We play six or seven days a week.”

Donnellan and Lyle come from creative backgrounds. Larae Donnellan recently retired as a journalism and public relations professor at Florida A&M after a career in higher education that began in 1975. Judy Lyle is an artist who made and sold her own pottery.

Since their retirements, the duo exploded on the Florida Pickleball scene and are taking steps to shape Tallahassee as the next hotbed of the sport in North Florida. Donnellan started playing pickleball while still working at FAMU but her schedule only allowed her to play once or twice a week. Once she retired on June 30, 2014, there has been no looking back.

CLICK HERE to read more.