Georgia Pickleball / Club 4.0

Published www.georgiapickleball.com

 

In developing the 2016 Summer invitational tournament, we sought to bring a new team effort to Pickleball competitive play. Rather than a round robin format we selected to use the example of team rosters. Where a team of 8 top tier players from their home locations would come compete head to head with other teams of the same caliber in the Atlanta area. We wanted to partner with an indoor climate controlled environment to allow Pickleball players the ability to play competitively during extreme mid-summer and winter conditions. We were excited in partnering with the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta to host this advance level of Pickleball play. This beautiful facility currently houses 9 indoor Pickleball courts that will allow us to continue to grow and invite additional teams to participate. When we opened up the tournament registration the rosters were full in less than a week. This was a clear example for the demand of advance play in the Atlanta area. Our plans are to grow this as an ongoing event twice a year in the months of early February and mid-August to not interfere with most outdoor tournaments being held in the spring and fall months. This year the teams represented were the YMCA Lawrenceville / Athens Team / MJCCA Center of Atlanta /& YMCA Norcross. We will be expanding to allow additional advanced teams for the 2017 Winter Invitational.

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Pickleball starts making inroads with younger players

Published August 24, 2016 - www.news-press.com

Kyle Yates is proving that pickleball isn’t just for the 50-plus crowd.

Yates, 21, a Fort Myers native, is ranked No. 1 overall in the world and No. 2 in singles. He recently returned from playing in four tournaments in Washington and Oregon. He won gold in eight of nine events. At the U.S. Open in Naples last spring, he won gold in the men’s pro and 19-plus doubles divisions while earning the silver in men’s pro singles.

Pickleball has been around since 1965 but didn’t make much of an impression until 2008 when the game hit the senior market. Studies show 68 percent of the players are 60 and over.

About 2.5 million are playing the sport now in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, India, England, Australia, China and Spain.

In the next two years, participation is expected to triple, according to the USA Pickleball Association.

Yates said a pro tour may start as early as 2017 and that USAPA has been working on a variety of programs to get youths ages 11-17 involved.

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Special Pops organization to host pickleball tournament fundraiser

Published August 21, 2016 - www.wtvm.com

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - Pickleball players will soon have the opportunity to compete and help a good cause.

The first Special Pops Southern Motors Pickleball Tournament is looking for participants.

The two day competition will be September 17th and 18th at the Landings.

The tournament benefits the Special Pops organization, which works with intellectually disabled people and gives them tennis lessons.

Organizers came up with the pickleball tournament when thinking of ways to raise money.

"Instead of every year, begging for money, we should start a program that would have ongoing capabilities, and we came up with pickle ball," said Special Pops Executive Director, Ralph Ferrone.

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Grand Opening of a New Venue on the Florida Space Coast

The first day of Pickleball play at the Max K. Rodes Park Community Center in West Melbourne, FL will be August 22, 2016.  The session will run from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Park management is very excited about the prospect of Pickleball play at the Center.  However, before they jump in with both feet, they’d like to know that their commitment will be rewarded by the players' commitment.  In other words, if they see that we will be there ready to play, they will reward us with more courts to play on and more times to do so.

So...on Monday, August 22 between 9:00 a.m. and noon, PLEASE stop by Max K. Rodes Park, even if you don’t play that day. Check out the facilities, and before you leave, make sure you let them know that you will come back!

Max K. Rodes Park Community Center
3410 Flanagan Avenue
West Melbourne, FL 32904
(321) 952-3215

 

Wake Forest embraces pickleball

Published August 16, 2016 - www.newsobserver.com

WAKE FOREST (NC) -  By 9 a.m. on a recent Tuesday, the wait to play pickleball at Flaherty Park’s gymnasium had stretched to nearly a half-hour.

Aaron Cooke, 22, sat on the bleachers and watched three simultaneous games being played while he waited his turn. When he started playing the sport two years ago, Cooke said, the gym wasn’t nearly as busy.

“Now you come here and have to wait 30 minutes to play a match,” he said.

Wake Forest has embraced the growing popularity of pickleball, which is similar to tennis but is played on a smaller court with a paddle and a Wiffle-style ball. The town will build four outdoor permanent pickleball courts at Flaherty Park in the coming year, a $122,000 project.

Now, players gather at 26 basketball and tennis courts throughout town where crews set up pickleball nets and paint lines.

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Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/north-raleigh-news/article95911287.html#storylink=cpy

Pickleball continues growth in the area

Published August 13, 2016 - www.aikenstandard.com

Aiken is now the place to go to play the game of pickleball, and it’s getting pretty big.

Whether someone is from the area or elsewhere in the state of South Carolina, for the past two years especially it has been the up and coming sport thanks to the folks at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center and the club team Pickledillys.

Odell Weeks hosted its fourth annual pickleball tournament this weekend, featuring doubles tournaments for men and women for 22 different skill and age groups. Several Aiken residents participated again this year, and people from ages 19 to 90 have been playing.

“It’s really expanded the last two or three years. We now have about 300 people who play pickleball here regularly,” said Aiken resident Marian Garcia, who took bronze in the 3.5:50+ Women’s Doubles tournament Saturday. “I want to thank the City of Aiken for making two gyms available to us. It’s really been fantastic and helping us to grow pickleball.”

 

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Atlantic South Region Featured in Pickleball Magazine