Atlantic South Region

Pickleball -From Sadie Hawkins Day to the Greek Isles

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Sat, 26 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Submitted by Steve Arlen,
Solivita Smashers Pickleball Club
Poinciana, Fl

The Sadie Hawkins Event in Solivita encouraged all of the female members of our club to ask a male member to be her partner. On Saturday, May 19, there were 90 participants and about 50 spectators.

The "partners" were placed into nine groupings of five pairs of equal ability. The advanced, intermediate, and beginner players competed against each other in a round robin format within their own "grouping". Each team played 4 games and we did not reward the "winners" because of our desire to make it a social event. Lunch consisted of a hero sandwich, salad, chips and a beverage which was provided by our Pickleball Club.

It was great but we should have had it in April to include more of our members that are snowbirds - next year. It was a fun day for all!

On another note, a few weeks ago I went on a cruise to the Greek Isles on the Oceania with 102 other residents in the Solivita Travel Club.

I found out that they had a paddle ball court on their top deck and I asked permission in advance if we could add one line (NVZ) with tape to convert it to a Pickleball court. They gave us permission and 14 of us brought our paddles and balls. Pictured are five of the seven pickleball couples...............

Pickleball was officially listed as a recreational activity on the ship's daily published program schedule for all passengers..............

Below the Solivita crew all get to play pickleball for a few afternoons aboard the Oceania Marina Cruise Ship in Monemvasia, Greece.

Alabama Senior Olympics Pickleball Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:13:00 +0000

Submitted by Bob Huskey,
USAPA Ambassador for Lee County, Alabama

The 1st ever Alabama Senior Olympic Pickleball tournament was held in Auburn, Alabama, on May 19, 2012, at the Indian Pines Golf Club tennis courts. Two months previous to the tournament, the City of Auburn, redid the worn out tennis courts at the Indian Pines Golf Club and added pickleball lines to the courts.

The tournament drew players from Louisiana (including Rayne Ambassador, Sharon Richard), Florida (including Ft. Myers Ambassadors Nancy Meyer and Cindy Eddleman), Georgia ( including Pine Mountain Ambassador, Cindy Moore) and Alabama.

The tournament was a qualifier tournament for the 2013 National Senior Games to be held in Cleveland, Ohio. All players who played in our tournament were able to qualify for the summer games next year. We had a total of 19 players with men making up 12 of the players and women making up 8 of the players.

Women's Doubles 50-69 - 1st - Nancy Meyer and Marsha Fres (center) , 2nd - Cindy Moore and Cindy Eddleman (right) and 3rd - Crystal Guthrie and Dee Scott

Men's Doubles 50-59 (Pictured)1st - Sam Bailey and Jeff Hudson, 2nd - Byron Freso and Lee Washam, 3rd - Ken Riorden and Bill Hess.

Men's Doubles 60-74 1st - Bob Huskey and Bob Stauffer, 2nd - Tom Earley and David Baron

Mixed Doubles 50-54 (Bottom in photo) - 1st - Lee Washam and Cindy Moore, 2nd - Jeff Hudson and Nancy Meyer, 3rd - Sam Bailey and Crystal Guthrie.

Mixed Doubles 55-59 - 1st - Byron Freso and Marsha Freso, 2nd - Tom Earley and Ann Earley. Mixed Doubles 60-69 (Top picture in photo) - 1st - Bob Huskey and Cindy Eddleman, 2nd - Bill Hess and Sharon Richard, 3rd - Charlie Scott and Dee Scott.

Winners of the Singles competitions:
Men's Singles 60-74 - 1st - Bob Huskey, 2nd - Bob Stauffer, 3rd - Bill Hess.

Women's Singles 50-59 - 1st - Nancy Meyer, 2nd - Crystal Guthrie.

Women's Singles - 1st - Marsha Freso, 2nd - Cindy Eddleman, 3rd - Sharon Richard

Special thanks to Mr. Sam Bailey, head of Parks & Recreation in the city of Opelika, Alabama, who provided tents and hospitality for the event. Everyone had a great time, and the weather was very accommodating

New Port Richey duo take second swing at pickleball record

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:21:00 +0000

May 24, 2012,
New Port Richey, FL www.tampabay.com

Justin Lawrence, left waits to return a serve from Jeffrey Baker during their Guinness World Records attempt.

"This time we started in the a.m., which meant people were here for the bulk of it throughout Friday, so it made you want to play more, being that we were in front of people. The hardest stretches are when nobody is around. READ MORE

Mid South Regional Tournament - REGISTER NOW

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:55:00 +0000

A message from Joe Harkins..............

Last year we had a pretty good group of players from the Atlantic South Region represented at this Regional event............Let's show them what a great group of players we have..................and they'll just have to come visit us at our Atlantic South Regional in February!!!

To all you competitive pickleball players! The registration deadline for the Mid-South Regional tournament is June 15th, just about 3 weeks from now.

The tournament will be held July 13th thru 15th in Mandeville, LA, a short drive from New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is close to many tourist attractions and fine music, including Bourbon Street, casinos, and beaches.

Tournament and registration information is attached to this email. Please sign up soon, and come for a great time.

For more tournament and motel information and a link to online registration, go to http://midsouth.usapa.org/ and look on the right hand side of the page.

Or if you just want the link to register online, CLICK HERE

Joe Harkins 985-796-5717

James Smith - USAPA Ambassador NC

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Please extend a warm Atlantic South welcome to James (Marty) Smith who joins our ambassador family from Leland-Brunswick County, NC. Originally from Alexandria VA and then Leesburg when he married, Marty spent about 40 years in sales (tire and auto) before retiring in 2010. After several visits to Myrtle Beach and Wilmington NC, he and his wife decided to move NC. They found a great community in Brunswick Forest, had their house built and made it their home in December of 2012.

He started playing pickleball in May of 2011 with just 8 or 9 other people. After spreading the word and with the help of the tennis instructor who gave pickleball clinics they now have as many as 22 playing on any given Sunday! First on his agenda as an ambassador is to provide a pickleball presentation at Water of the Carolinas this month. Marty says he’s starting with the senior population first; “since 10000 baby boomers are hitting retirement age daily!

Meet Jayne Rogers - Atlantic South Ambassador

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:59:00 +0000

MEET JAYNE ROGERS
USAPA AMBASSADOR
NAPLES, FL

Jayne just joined our ambassador family representing the Naples, Fl area. Please extend her a very warm welcome!

"I retired in 1995 and during my retirement years have enjoyed playing tennis and golf about every day. One day while golfing, I mentioned to the existing club President, Bruce Warren, that we needed to get some activity on our underused hard tennis courts. Like myself, most players were playing on har-tru courts and no longer wanted to play on hard courts. I told Bruce that I had seen this game called Pickleball at the Villages, and it might be a good idea to start it at our club, Lakewood Country Club of Naples. He encouraged me to give it a try, and the rest is history.

I went on line, learned how to play, and then contacted Bob Taylor, ambassador from Anna Maria Is/Bradenton, FL , who sent four experienced tournament level players from Anna Maria, (Bill and Val Wilson, Jim and Toni Teasdale) to our club to do a demonstration for us. That was three years ago when we had one taped court that I personally taped, and about six inexperienced players. Since then, the Board of Directors has approved the painting of four courts and the purchase of nets and equipment. We now have 30 plus players in season, some of whom have already won medals at local tournaments. Pickleball has breathed new life into our club!

This past season we had "open" play every weekday at Lakewood CC and "scheduled" play on the weekends. We also hosted two Invitationals with club members from Silver Lakes, Naples and the Marco Island Racquet Club coming to Lakewood CC to enjoy several hours of arranged play for fun and friendship. We invited the 3.5-4.0 ladies tennis group from The Lely Players Club and Spa to an "Introduction to Pickleball" afternoon. We plan to have many more interclub events in the upcoming season. In addition to playing at the Lakewood CC , I'm also a pickleball member at the Marco Island Racquet Center and recently was instrumental in helping the players there convince the city to install two more much needed courts with nets.

My husband Harry and I had split our time between Naples, FL and York, ME before becoming year round residents in 1998. Although Harry, as yet, doesn't play pickleball, he's an active supporter of the game and assists me in every effort and event that I get involved in. We have three sons and six grandchildren, and hope someday they all will be pickleball players.

My goals for the 2012-2013 season are to increase our player numbers by offering more times for organized play. I would like to schedule three to four clinics, with local area teachers, at LCC to help all players improve their skills and knowledge of the game. I would very much like to get more players involved in participation/attendance at local pickleball tournaments. Intergenerational play involving seniors and our local school age children is also one of the projects on our agenda. In my new role of official ambassador, I will encourage all players to become USAPA members in order to take advantage of all that's available through the organization. Greater USAPA membership means more support for this game we all love and enjoy.

Starting a pickleball program has been so incredibly rewarding. It's been worth all the hard work, and watching everyone have so much fun and get great exercise at the same time is just simply the best!!! "

Connestee Falls Pickleball Complex

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Submitted by

Deb Richter, Connestee Mountain Picklers
Brevard, NC

Wow—It’s done and fantastic!!!. The Connestee Falls Pickleball Complex was completed just in time to host the 2012 Transylvania County Senior Games. http://www.connesteefalls.com/outside_home.asp About 30 teams competed in the event.. Everyone commented how wonderful the new venue is and complimented Connestee Falls for developing such a beautiful complex.

Our club's journey began about 1 1/2 years ago when some intrepid people offered a pickleball clinic in our community. Since then, following the recipe offered by USAPA, and with amazing support from our community, we have built a club of about 150 people. We have offered lessons, had social events, sponsored our first tournaments, encouraged outside players to come play with us and visited other clubs as we travel. We even have our own website.

For a year, we shared one of the community's tennis courts but in the past 3 months, the court was transitioned to four full time pickleball courts. Now, we have players on the courts every day, lessons for new people, skill development for those who want to hone their skills, ladder leagues," Pickles and Beer", and did I mention just good old fashion play?

We will be hosting our 2nd Annual Scholarship Fund Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14. This event will benefit our local colleges and students with scholarship money. Reserve that weekend, fill out the form and come join us in Western NC at our new pickleball complex. Let's have a great tournament.

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:11:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Don Wheeler, Anbassador - Hilton Head Island, SC

“By now you have probably read the article from the Island Packet.
NO? Click here to read….

John Dreier, mentioned in the article, is a pickleball player from Connestee Falls, NC (near Brevard, NC) and has spent the winter here on Hilton Head Island. He is adept at convincing people like newspaper reporters that they should print articles of interest in a community newspaper. He succeeded and the article in the Island Packet is the result. Thanks go to John for that accomplishment.

Last month we had a visit from Ambassador Jane Harvey and her husband Fred, from Carolina Lakes, Sun City, SC and enjoyed their contributions to our program during their visit. This month we are currently enjoying a visit from Ambassador Linda Scott and her husband David from Richmond, VA. Linda is supposedly on vacation here on Hilton Head Island. She has already done an introduction to pickleball here at Hilton Head Plantation, Hilton Head Island, SC and a clinic for beginners on the courts and an additional clinic Friday, May 4, for new pickleball players as a result of the article in the Island Packet.

Pictured is David Scott displaying the "ready" position at the net during play and another is Linda Scott doing her "down and dirty" serve. I swear she digs it out of the court surface. We have all taken many skills from their visit. Thanks you two and we certainly hope to see you this fall.

Pickleball is ever expanding here on Hilton Head Island and the contributions from other ambassadors and players as they either pass through or vacation here is very heart warming. Our e-mail roster of pickleball players is now approaching 150. You may remember that my wife Mary and I were playing singles about 18 months ago."

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:56:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Mike Walsh, AmbassadorCary, NC

We held our first tournament at the Bond Park Community Center and had 14 participants (pictured). Everyone involved had a very enjoyable time and we learned a lot about running a Pickleball tournament. Future plans call for running our first sanctioned event. The group playing at that location continues to expand and we are now working with the Town of Cary on identifying public courts to be painted for outdoor Pickleball play.

Two courts at the Weatherstone sub-division have now been painted (I did this myself in order to save cost) and play there has begun. Next month we'll be scheduling another training session in order to get more residents involved.

Special Friday night pickleball events continue to be held at the Brier Creek sub-division. The winners of the April round robin event are pictured here: (Vince Tumminello & Mike Walsh, (#1) and Win Farin & Bubba Grant (#2). The May event will be a pot luck/Pickleball event with round robin play.

The Raleigh/Wake Senior Games demonstration event is now slated for May 10th. Eight players from the Cary Bond park group will play the demo games with Mike Walsh providing coordination and program promotion.

Mike and Lyn Walsh traveled to Pinehurst NC and working with Matt Downing (Tennis Club Pro) and Rudy Van Zanten (supportive resident) initiated Pickleball with a kick off clinic, which resulted in a further commitment for play at the Pinehurst Tennis Club. Since then paddles and balls have been secured and identified trainers are now in the process of launching a Pickleball program.

Pickleball Demo - Auburn, AL

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Bob Huskey, Ambassador - Opelika, AL-

A pickleball demonstration was held on Saturday May 5, 2012, at the Indian Pines Golf Club tennis courts in Auburn, Alabama. The courts have pickleball lines painted on them.

These courts will be the place for the 1st ever Alabama Senior Olympic pickleball tournament to be held on the 19th of May. There were eight people, so I was happy.

The people that came were divided into 2 groups - those who had some experience and those who had no experience. The newbies were sent through a group of drills from dinking, volleying, serving, to hitting ground strokes.

Players were instructed on how to line up for doubles, scoring, and moving on the court. There were 2 instructors - Bob Huskey, USAPA ambassador for Lee County Alabama, for the beginners, and Sam Bailey, an experienced player, worked with those who had some experience. All agreed that pickleball is a very fun game!

Waccamaw Sports Classic - and more Pickleball in SC

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Submitted by
Rich and Diane Skovran,
Bill McElyea

Waccamaw Sports Classic, Conway, SC: “Rich Skovran, Rich Brown, Frank Nicolio and Jim Connery headed to Coastal Carolina University to get the courts layed out and ready for the 4th Annual Waccamaw Senior Classics on April 20th.

Approximately 25 players from Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach participated in Pickleball. The Sports Classic is for adults age 55 and older who compete in various categories including basketball, track and field, spin casting etc. in addition to pickleball. It was a big day for seniors. JoAnn Williams & Audrey Connery did an outstanding job keeping the courts moving, and Bill McElyea volunteered to take all the pictures. He has saved the day many times with his computer and his camera. A BIG Thanks to all these wonderful people for their time and energy. It was a fun day!

The Choose to Lose program ended with a bang! Rich (Skovran) ended up introducing about 55 new players to pickleball. Tuesdays and Thursdays were designated for beginners; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the more experienced players. Many left saying they were going to find a place to play in their home state or were going to start something new in their area. Rich provided help to get things started and also gave new players a list of “Things you should Know about Beginning Pickleball." On March 22, there was a Round Robin for any new player that wanted to sign up and a luncheon followed. It was a huge success. The Most Improved Player Award went to Irene Mertly from Michigan. T shirts were also given away. A fun time was had by all.

For International Pickleball Week We started off with a Women’s Round Robin and luncheon on April 17th. The women always have a good time and we held a drawing for some give-a ways. The food was great as always. We have a super bunch of women who always come together to spread some joy at the table and on the court.

On April 18, Ambassadors Rich Skovran, Ambassador, Rena Grant (pictured) and friend Frank Nicolio went to Burgess Elementary to teach 50 students how to play pickleball. This was quite unique in that the teacher loves to teach her students sports that they can continue to pursue in their later years. Everyone had a great time and it is very likely that pickleball will be on their agenda in the future.

Rena! Great to see that you've recovered and are back on the courts enjoying the game!

On April 19 Rich held a men's Round Robin at Pepper Geddings in honor of Pickleball week. These men were some of the best. They played hard for almost 3 hours. They loved it! Following the games the guys enjoyed some ham sandwiches, potato and macaroni salads and fruit! Some shirts were given away as well as some water bottles. A good time was had by all.

Pepper Geddings is in full swing and they are getting a new floor in the 2nd gym. This new floor should be done by June. We will have 2 new pickleball courts in this gym for a total of 5 indoor and 2 outdoor courts. It’s a great time in Myrtle Beach!

Rich Skovran will be working with the Pepper Geddings Recreation Center who will be sponsoring a non-sanctioned tournament on December 13-14-15, As soon as the entry form is ready we will post that along with all the other information you will need to get ready to play! Rich would like to thank all the volunteers and pickleball players for their support of the game and for the support given to him as the ambassador. We have a great bunch of players who help one another and they all deserve great big THANKS!

MIRC Pickleballers Were Host to Some Very Special Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:38:00 +0000

MIRC Pickleballers Were Host to Some Very Special Visitors
(May 9, 2012 Marco Island, FL, www.mmdnewswire.com)

Thursday afternoon the MIRC was abuzz with excitement as 14 pickleball players faced off for competition with some very special visitors. In a rather serendipitous turn of events four traveling pickleball competitors found their way to the Marco Island Racquet Center.

Meanwhile word of these top players being in town buzzed through the Marco pickleball gang and word reached traveling pickleball ambassador, Jim Barry. Both Chris Thomas and Ken Kiurski volunteered a free clinic for our local Marco pickleballers. Jim Barry and Dan Kiurski played along with members and offered tips. All four men challenged the locals to highly competitive games.

CLICK HERE for full article...........

Continued pickleball growth in Brevard County, FL

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Scott Nelson
Ambassador, Florida's Space Coast

"This is a good story of why the sport is growing the way it is, it has to do with “ambassadorship;” every person that plays this sport is an ambassador, some more than others. Byron Bentley took the bull by the horns approaching and soliciting condo owners and administrators of a local condo association until they said yes to putting lines for a Pickleball court on an underutilized tennis court.

Much work went into this and the first Pickleball match/clinic was held last Thursday morning at the Indian River Club Condo and was a great success! There were approximately 16 people (10 residents and 6 guests) that turned out for the event. The guests were from the local Space Coast Viera Pickleball group. The clinic began with Pickleball instruction and demonstration by the Space Coast Viera group, followed by games which included IRC residents. It was perfect weather for this inaugural event.

Thanks to the Space Coast Viera Pickleball group for coming to Indian River Club and making the clinic a success. Thanks also to the residents who came out to watch and learn the game. Hopefully Pickleball will be wonderful addition to the IRC community. Thanks to Byron Bentley for leading this push and to Phil McGibney for the help painting the lines on the tennis court and the being the lead for the clinic.
The Space Coast has many ambassadors growing the sport- Congrats to all !!

At this point we have about 97 players that currently play in Brevard County.
There are FIVE public facilities that are currently hosting open play access and I am aware of FOUR other private pickleball facilities that will have been converted from tennis courts now or in the near future.

As the summer arrives and some of our northern friends leave, we are approaching a record number of pickleball players at the Space Coast. Satellite Beach Recreation Center will start hosting Pickleball again starting May 19th, on Saturdays at 7pm. We had a great turnout last year and hope that many of the same players and more can join us this year.

In effort to promote our sport we will be conducting free beginner clinics at different host facilities in the area and I will also be asking for any volunteers that would like to assist in these clinics that will take place on Saturdays.

We finally got a printer lined and are ready to order our Space Coast T-shirts. The first order will be white T-shirts with a black and green print of a paddle on the back and a smaller black print of a Pickleball on the left chest with the spaceship. Thank you Suzan Griarml, a local artist and pickleball player, for coordinating this effort” An thanks to fellow pickleball player Byron Bentley for putting together a spreadsheet of all the Brevard public facilities' pickleball play schedules for all our players."

Racket over pickleball

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:28:00 +0000

April 30, 2012, Ft. Meyers, Florida www.newpress.com

Pickleball at Pelican Preserve. Pelican Preserve residents play pickleball on the community's new courts. Video by Amanda Inscore

“The first time I played I thought, ‘This game looks a bit silly,’” said Hank Worley, 74, a part-time Pelican Preserve resident who began playing pickleball about six years ago at his summer home in Waynesville, N.C. Once Worley got the hang of the sport, though, he was hooked. He and other in-the-know residents led the push for Pelican’s three side-by-side pickleball courts, complete with lights for evening play. The resident committee offered two weeks of instruction to introduce new players to the game.

CLICK HERE for complete article:

Gaston/Lincoln County Senior Games

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:52:00 +0000

The Pickleball Doubles competition took place on Thursday, April 5 at the Phillips Center in Gastonia, NC. Pictured below are left to right are Anita McBride and Lois Stewart, 3rd place Ladies 65-69 age bracket, and USAPA Ambassador Earl Cunning (Frank Zimmerman not shown) - Men's 70-74 age bracket.

Tournament winners:

Ladies

60-64 – Gold – Janice Summey/Betty Hamilton, Silver – Gayla Green/Harriett Lethermon.

65-69 – Gold - Ann Helms/Lois Merritt, Silver – Dee Newman, Sue Jane Sides. Bronze – Anita McBride, Lois Stewart.

75-79 – Gold – Betty Kerby/Billie Martin.

Men’s -60-64 –Gold - Russell Adams/Andrew Davis, Silver – Anthony Dogan/Gordhan Patel, Bronze – Hal White/Richard Sides.

70-74 – Gold – Frank Zimmerman/Earl Cunningham, Silver – Danny Jones, Lloyd Clinton Beaver

Pickleball News, Macon County, NC

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Wed, 02 May 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Mike and Nancy Falkenstein
Ambassadors, Franklin, NC

The Macon County Senior Games kicked off with Opening Ceremonies and Luncheon April 23. The games are closed except for the “fun events” which includes Pickleball.

The Pickleball Tournament was held over three days with 20+ participants ranging in age from 64 to 87. The tournament format was Double Elimination for all events and was not age-bracketed. For the first time we had an entry for Mixed Doubles from outside of Franklin (Macon County). Lin Kolb and Larry Formichella came and took the Gold in Mixed Doubles

It was fun having Larry and Lin come to the games, even though they snatched the gold from Mike and I. We have played very little outside of our local group. Even though we lost in the finals, it was 7-5 and 8-6, so we gave them a run for their money! Both are accomplished players and Lin competes in tennis as well as a USTA 4.5 rated player. We hope to go and visit them and play some to improve our games!

Medal winners in the Men's Singles were:

Gold- Ron Schott (Center)
Silver- Larry Noyes (Left)
Bronze- Michael Falkenstein.

Ladies Singles were:

Gold- Nancy Falkenstein
Silver – Milly Hunnicutt
Bronze – Pat Zilbauer.

Men's Doubles winners:

Gold –Jim Bost and Ron Schott
Silver –Paul Ballargeon and Larry Noyes
Bronze – Vince West and Ken Bush
(not shown).

Ladies Doubles winners:

Gold – Judy Wirth and Nancy Falkenstein
Silver – Milly Hunnicutt and Pat Zilbaurer
Bronze – Irma Mason and Karen Campbell. (not shown)

Mixed Doubles winners:

Gold – Lin Kolb and Larry Formichella ( Brevard and Hendersonville, NC respectively); Silver – Mike and Nancy Falkenstein; Bronze – Irma Mason and Jim Bost

Pictured: Jim Bost, Larry Formichella,Lin Kolb, Mike and Nancy Falkenstein

With the coming of Spring and Summer and warm weather, we will be playing on our outside courts at the Macon County Recreation Park beginning May 7th. In case of rain we do move inside to our courts at the National Guard Armory.

We welcome all Pickleball Players and look forward to having some visitors come to play when they visit Franklin.

Active residents take a swing at pickleball

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:04:00 +0000

May 1, 2012
Hilton Head Island, www.islandpacket.com

"It gets me off the rocking chair," Wheeler said.

He said pickleball is not only a great form of exercise; it's also a great social outlet. Players have a good time and meet new friends. And it's not just local residents who show up to play. Visitors from all across the country stop in for a game of pickleball while on Hilton Head. Wheeler said in addition to the recreation center and Sun City, groups play pickleball in Palmetto Hall Plantation and Shipyard Plantation on Hilton Head, and in Belfair in Bluffton. Best of all, Wheeler said pickleball is easy to learn. "You won't be a beginner very long," he said.

Read more here:

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:11:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:13:00 +0000

Ave Maria neighborhood pickleball paradise

April 28, 2012, Ave Maria, FL, www.news-press.com

Residents of Del Webb say pickleball makes their community special and unique. They love the sport and the friendships they have made on the court.

“It’s a great game,” said Joe Rivera, a Del Webb resident. “It’s just a game for everyone. I think it’s going to be the dominant game before long.”

READ MORE

Pickleball makes the news in South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:10:00 +0000

The "Pickleball" Craze!
(Apr 27, 2012 Sun City Hilton Head, SC, www2.wsav.com)

Sun City resident Tom Kopytko and Sun City Pickleball Club president Michael Wallick say it's a sport the almost anybody can play. It's played on a court the size of a volleyball court, with a ball that resembles a wiffleball.

Del Webb Ponte Vedra Spring Tournamant

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:23:00 +0000

Submitted by:
Bob Dean, Ambassador
Ponte Vedra, FL

"I wanted to send you photos from our in-house Spring Tournament April 21, 2012 from Del Webb Ponte Vedra, FL.

We had 6 mens teams, 6 womens teams and 10 mixed teams. The round robin format proved to be very popular, as it allowed every team to play every team and kept the tournament moving fast.

We enjoyed great snacks, camaraderie, and wonderful weather completing the last game just as the rain sprinkles started!

The First and Second place teams are as follows:

Mens First place:

Larry Hutton / Don Kracker

Mens Second place:

David Herring / Ken Lanifero

Womens First place:

Gwen Iyobe/ Beverly Lovings

Womens Second Place:

Pam Herring / Pamela Peters

Mixed First place:

Michael Harris / Judy Dean

Mixed Second place:

Harlan Barbe/ Beverly Lovings

Pickleball at the Long Center

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:19:00 +0000

The Long Center is one of the newest places to play pickleball in Florida and is located in the Tampa Bay area in the city of Clearwater. Susan Forget, of Ontario Canada is one of the main reasons that pickleball was introduced to the area. She winters here in Florida and wanted a place to play and the information reported below was submitted to us by Susan.

"On March 12, we held our FIRST TOURNAMENT. By just spreading the word around among players we know, we had 54 players registered; 10 women's double, 15 men's double and 20 mixed double. We did not expect such a crowd, even though we were very pleased with it. The tournament lasted all day. Everybody was tired, but all the players were pleased with our facilities and enjoyed the double elimination format.

Here are the winners of our March 2012 tournament:

Men’s Doubles: Stu Kennedy and Keith Reynolds

Mixed Double : Keith Reynolds and Cheryl Kinnebrew

Women’s Doubles : Cheryl Kinnebrew and Mitsuko Onisihi

We are now playing 4 days a week : Monday, Wednesday and Thursday morning from 9:00 to noon, Friday afternoon from 3:30 to 6:00 pm and STARTING MAY 22ND, we will play TUESDAY NIGHT from 6:00 to 8:30 pm .We will keep that schedule all summer.

Players who join our group are added to our e-mail list and when ever something comes up and we can't play we send out an e-mail to everyone. We also have a player, Alan Butler who just started an Advanced League for 4.0 players and up. This league plays a round robin format once a week on Wednesday from 11:00 to 1:30 pm.

It has been a great winter for us at The Long Center. For the summer Bob Cicetti will be the person in charge and keep Pickleball going. Bob and I love the game so much, we want to keep it here at The Long Center."

The players at the Long Center were fortunate to be interviewed on Fox news, and hope that more and more people who listened to the show will come and try the game. And Susan has this to say to those of you tennis players wondering if you should learn to play:

"for those who used to play tennis, THIS IS THE 2nd GENERATION OF TENNIS!"

. For those of you who missed the FOX 13 segment on Good Day Tampa Bay

CLICK HERE

Cherokee County Senior Olympics comes to Lake Arrowhead, GA.

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Submitted by
Bill and Carole Hess,
Lake Arrowhead, GA

On April 20, 2012, Pickleball became the first Senior Olympic event to be held in Lake Arrowhead. Twenty three senior players from north Georgia braved a wet morning to play in this event held on the new Pickleball courts at the Red Cloud Sports Complex.

Competition was held in beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions. A round robin changing partner every game format was used. Division champions were: Beginners: Jim Bennet, Intermediate: William Criswell, Advanced: Dr. Tom Earley.

Back Row: John Chastain, Vic Alcott, Joe Coppolo, Jim Bennet, Steve Dun, Bob Mathews, Ken Riordon, Steve Conner, William Criswell, Chuck Fahn, Tom Heppel, Ken Terrell, Bill Marshall
Front row: Bill Hess, Carole Hess, Ann Earley, Judy Vonesh, Jill Conner, Pat Dunn, Tom Earley, and Wayne Page.

North GA Pickleball Club player Ann Earley adds: "This was the first time a tournament was held at the Lake Arrowhead Pickleball and Tennis Courts. Despite the morning rain, I think it was a success.... Special thanks to tournament organizers, Bill & Carole Hess who did the lion’s share of the work."

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:22:00 +0000

PICKLEBALL PICKS UP AT RACQUET CENTER April 19, 2012, Marco Island, FL, http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/

While the pickleball group at the Racquet Center has certainly grown close, they encourage anyone to come out and bring their paddle. “The beauty of this game is that pickleball players travel with their paddles. So we have a lot of visitors from other states who come in and play while they’re here,” states Rodgers.

Pick up a paddle today and head to the Marco Island Racquet Center at 1275 San Marco Road. For questions about rates and play give them a call at (239) 394-5454. READ MORE

Pickleball thrives at Sun-N-Fun RV Park

noreply@blogger.com (DDonald) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Submitted by
Marcia Bingham,
Ambassador, Wilmington, NC

Pickleball thrives at Sun-N-Fun (SNF) RV Park and Resort in Sarasota, FL. John and Roberta Hirth, affectionately known as Mr. and Mrs. Pickle, are the driving force behind the tremendous growth.

PB was initiated at SNF six years ago when Jack

Koenig, a retired physician, rigged up some nets, put down some chalk lines on the cement floor of the pavilion and encouraged folks to give it a try.

The Hirths, who spend 6 months of the year at SNF, got behind the sport at SNF in 2008 and pickleball really blossomed. They developed schedules, organized events and just recently drafted plans for additional courts to submit to management. With a cadre of other volunteers and the support of SNF management, SNF has become a destination for pickleball.

In addition to those three original courts, which now have painted lines and official nets, there are six new dedicated outdoor courts. Volunteers hold a clinic once a week for beginners, so that new players can become comfortable before heading out to the open social play where players of varying abilities have the opportunity to play together. Open social play for all ability levels is scheduled four mornings a week; one morning a week is set aside for advanced play, one afternoon each week is reserved for ladies social play and one evening, under the lights, for social play. In addition to the scheduled play times, everyone is invited to use the courts at other times as well. Supplied by management, there is plenty of quality equipment available.

The 2008 roster had 71 names when the Hirths took over from Jack Koenig. In the four years from 2009 through 2012, 605 new players have been taught at the beginner clinic – 196 in 2012 alone. There were 272 people registered to play in 2012, almost exactly half men, half women as has been typical. In addition unofficial tournament play was initiated in 2011.

The second SNF unofficial annual tournament was held over Valentine’s Day this year with Mr. and Mrs. Pickle as Tournament Directors. Twenty-two teams played 15-point doubles matches in two divisions, each in a separate double elimination format. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the top teams in each division at a Potluck Dinner following the tournament. Interestingly, five of the twelve medalists first learned to play pickleball just this season at SNF.

While not “official” ambassadors of the USAPA, The Hirths epitomize the role of the ambassador. With the help of many other volunteers and support from management, they have created an inclusive environment for players of all ability levels that encourage sportsmanship, camaraderie, skill development and fun.