Friday, October 28, 2016

Englewood Price Reduction and Registration Deadline Extension


Due to increased sponsorship, the Englewood Classic III Tournament price has been reduced to $40 and the registration deadline has been extended to November 13, 2016!  (For those who have already registered at $45, you will receive a $5 refund.)

So let's review the details:

Tournament registration deadline:  Sunday, November 13, 2016

ProLite Skills Tune Up registration:  Sunday, November 27, 2016

Where:
Englewood Sports Complex
1300 S. River Road
Englewood, Florida

When:
Thursday, December 1st –Sunday, December 4th, 2016

Times:
Thursday, 9am-6pm:  ProLite Skills Tune Up Day
Thursday, 9am-5pm:  Skinny Singles/ Practice Play
Friday, 9am-4pm:  Ladies Doubles
Friday, 6-8pm:  Free Social and Cookout
Saturday, 9am-6pm:  Men’s Doubles
Sunday, 9am-7pm:  Mixed Doubles

To register, click HERE.
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Pickleball, pet parks popular perks in Southwest Florida

Published October 16, 2016 - www.news-press.com

It used to be that things like tennis courts and bocce ball were a must have in Southwest Florida communities, but now the popular perks are pickleball and pet parks.

Not only are new communities putting them into the plan, but older developments are adding them to their list of amenities.

When Neal Communities put together its new Watermark community it added pickleball and a pet park and many other Neal communities are adding those amenities.

“Pickleball is growing in importance,” said Leisa Weintraub, vice president of marketing for Neal communities. “As people start to include it in their communities, people will look all the way from Tampa to Naples at different housing options and they will start asking about it.”

CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

‘Cool’ pickelball now played at Genesis Center (FL)

Published October 13, 2016 - www.yoursun.com

LAKE PLACID –– The game called pickleball has swept the country. It’s a game often referred to as a mix of tennis, ping pong and badminton. It’s most popular with seniors, as it is easier on the knees and ankles compared to tennis.

Until recently, if you live in Highlands County you could only find outside courts and usually had to play early morning or evening to avoid the heat.

That all changed in mid July when First Presbyterian Church in Lake Placid opened its new Genesis Center to pickleball players. Making it even more attractive is Lake Placid residents no longer have to travel miles to find a court. And the biggest plus: It’s inside and air conditioned.

Sam Klatt, who manages the center, was approached by former tennis player Bill Putmam, along with Sam Lindskoog and his wife, Cindy.

“We sat down and worked out a plan to bring the sport to town,” said Klatt. “We hold many youth activities at the center, namely basketball and volleyball. We wanted to find a sport to serve the seniors. We purchased the nets, balls and paddles. Now we have 20 folks coming each week.” The players rotate so all get a chance to play.

CLICK HERE to read more.

City of Auburn (AL) adds pickleball courts

Published October 13, 2016 - www.auburnvillager.com

Over the last couple of years, one sport has been spreading rapidly in the United States — pickleball.

The U.S. Pickleball Association calls the game the fastest growing sport in North America. That growth trend was recently recognized by the city of Auburn, which opened two new regulation pickleball courts last week.

The new outdoor courts are located next to the Frank Brown Recreational Center, where a shuffleboard court was also built.

While many still don't know what pickleball is, they usually remember it by its peculiar name.

"The guy who developed it, his dog was Pickle," said Debbie Rusk, Auburn resident and pickleball player. "It's hard to tell what it is when you hear the name, but the guy who made it named it after his dog."

CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

New pickleball, shuffleboard courts open in Auburn

Published October 11, 2016 - www.oanow.com

Tucked behind Frank Brown Recreation Center and the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center, extra space for a quickly growing sport is open for play in Auburn.

Two pickleball and two shuffleboard courts opened to the public last week, inviting players young and old to test out and enjoy the sports every day of the week.

Becky Richardson, Auburn parks and recreation director, said the idea for the courts was birthed out of brainstorming ways to get more seniors in the area involved in programs offered through Auburn’s parks and recreation department. With pickleball’s popularity and national growth, Richardson said the courts have been used almost every day since they were opened.

“Our vision when we built the facility and did the fitness center and were on the same site with the arts center, is that, let’s say somebody wants to come and they can play pickleball, then they can go play bridge, then they could take an art class—there’s something that they could do pretty much any time of day. So that’s the idea behind it,” Richardson said.

CLICK HERE to read more.