Pickleball Comes to Corporate America

Southwest Florida Ambassadors Nancy Meyer and Cindy Eddleman were recently invited to the corporate headquarters of Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy in Flint, Michigan.  They were asked to introduce Pickleball to the IT Department as a team building activity on December 12-15. 2011.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy set up two pickleball courts inside the building, using painters tape and the USAPA portable net systems. This company has grown significantly in the past two years and they have many employees who do not really know each other. We were asked to do a clinic one day, and allow a practice timee after work hours, for those who were interested and then set up a round robin tournament for Wednesday.

Diplomat paired the employees into teams for the tournament, pairing employees who did not work closely together on a day to day basis.  For example,  a software specialist with a hardware specialist.  This formula seemed to work out perfectly as employees played together and helped each other out duringboth  the clinics and the open play.

The first day, Tuesday, was an introduction to Pickleball since not many of tthe employees had ever heard of it before. One and one-half hour clinics were held during the day to teach basic strokes, scoring, etc. Everyone seemed to have a great time so we invited them to practice with us  after work hours on Tuesday night. We did four one and one half hour clinics on Tuesday and several half hour “quick clinics” and the open play was from 5:00 pm to ??? on Tuesday night. We had no idea how many would actually stay after work for open play, but we were stunned when both courts were full and 12 more people were waiting to play. Wow!! Finally, after a very long day, at 8:00 we had to initiate closing up shop for the day.

On Wednesday, we had two round robin tournaments that included all the clinic participants from the day before. The winners from each tournament played in a finals at 2:30 on Wednesday. The company awarded gift cards and prizes for the winners. The IT Department had been promised a Pizza Party for all participants that scored at least two points during the tournament. Needless to say, they all scored two or more points during the competition.

The IT Department used this as a team building and fitness event. Other departments in the company were invited to several “quick clinics” during the day on Tuesday so that they could be introduced to Pickleball. All of the company executives participated in the clinics and really enjoyed seeing their employees compete and work together as a team.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy has left the two courts set up for employees to use during lunch, breaks, and after work. The IT employees have been teaching other departments how to play, and they are now working on organizing a league on Tuesday and Friday nights.


A congratulatory email was sent to all the executives at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy by Jeanne Ann Stasny, Vice President at Diplomat and the visionary who thought that Pickleball might be the one thing that would bring her team closer together and produce positive work results for  the company. 

Submitted by: Cindy Eddleman, Ambassador, Ft. Myers, Fl

Lee County should give pickleballers a fair break

Many of us across the Region - from North Carolina to Florida enjoy playing pickleball outside..............If you have any ideas that can help our folks in Lee County, Fl........please pass them along.


Guest Opinion
Written by: Julie Yates
News-Press.com, January 11, 2012

Pickleball in Lee County has exceeded the capacity of the two Lee County facilities presently available. Although we very much appreciate the Estero and WaKe Hatchee gymnasiums, they are mostly filled beyond capacity whenever pickleball is made available, with at times over 80 people vying for the few courts the few hours available for pickleball. It is difficult for two parks to accommodate that amount of players, but having more courts available would certainly help alleviate this problem.


Lee County players compete
in Florida Senior Games Championships.

 In Lee County, as in tennis, we have a complete array of skill-level players ranging from beginner at 1.0 to top national players rated at 5.0. Most pickleball tournaments held in Florida as well as the Nationals in Arizona are held outdoors. However, Lee County Parks and Rec has refused to allow pickleball lines be installed on any public tennis court, saying they have no money, even after being offered $2,000 to paint a few courts. 

CLICK HERE to read Julies complete OPINION.

Meet Marcia Bingham - North Carolina's newest Ambassador

"Pickleball became my game in February 2011 in Sarasota,FL.  My husband and I were staying at Sun n Fun Resort while he played in senior tennis tournaments in the area.  While I had been an avid tennis player earlier in my life, I had not played in a long time and had lost interest.  Pickleball was just the answer; I was immediately addicted.  The question was where would I play after Sun n Fun?  I had never heard of the game before and had no idea where else it was played.

Fortunately, the USAPA has an excellent website which identifies places to play all over the country. I am from Wilmington NC and found two places to play there on a regular basis. In addition, I petitioned the Board of Directors of our Homeowners Association to line one of the two newly resurfaced tennis courts for pickleball.

Rick Laskey, Ambassador from Jacksonville, NC, came down and gave a clinic for residents. Since then, we have lined the other court and held a playday for nonresidents as well as residents; it was a lot of fun and very successful.


I also play with an active group in Cary, NC.  We have two sons and three grandsons in the Raleigh area so are there often. Prior to moving to Wilmington in 2005 we had lived in Cary for 35 years; I taught psychology at North Carolina StateUniversity and Duke University and actively competed with my Portuguese WaterDogs in obedience, agility, water trials and conformation.



My goals are to encourage USAPA membership, introduce new players to the game and seek additional venues in the Wilmington area for play.  I am also interested in promoting PB in Raleigh – the capital of NC – where there are no courts/programs.  They do have a very good rec program so it should be possible.  I am also recruiting players for Cary because I lived there so long and have many tennis- playing friends.

Atlantic South Players Comments on the USAPA Nationals

Jim Wright
For the second time my wife Janice and I made the trip west to Arizona. The long flight, travel, rental car, hotel... but all the work was worth it. The USAPA Nationals tournament is simply the best there is. Despite a day of rain and some wind, it ran perfectly. The level of play was just outstanding. When I was not playing, I had so many great matches to watch. I only wish I had 10 sets of eyes to watch them all. I really enjoy the feeling of comradeship that develops over the week we spend in that beautiful desert setting. People that I had not met on Monday were friends by Friday. And getting to watch those young kids (19 to 49) run and jump and hit and yell was a real treat. To sum it up, the USAPA National Pickleball Tournament just cannot be beat."
Jim, from The Villages in central Florida, played Men’s Doubles 65+ (Gold medal) and Mixed Doubles 60+

Jeff Shank
"2011 was my third Nationals and it just keeps getting better each year. I am always amazed that more players don't make this event a priority. What other sport can you go and watch and play against the best players in the world? Every year my game has improved just by watching and talking with these top players. These cream-of-the-crop players are so diehard that most evenings after already playing for 8 hours, they go play at other local venues.
The highlight of this year’s Nationals for me was not the winning a medal, but getting invited to go and play with/against these top players after hours."
Jeff, from The Villages in central Florida., played Men’s Doubles 55+ (Bronze medal), Men’s Singles 65+, Mixed Doubles 55+, Open Men’s Doubles and Open Mixed Doubles.


Laura Patterson
"This was my third year at Nationals and I think this was the best one yet. We stayed in the Del Webb Vacation Villas and that was a real treat; it was good to be so close to the courts. I only made it through two rounds in mixed doubles, but missed the medal round by one match in women's doubles. In addition to playing, the highlight of the tournament for me was being able to help out by serving as a line judge for several matches. It's a great way to see and learn from some of the best players in the game! I enjoyed my experience again this year and am very much looking forward to playing in next year's National tournament."
Laura, USAPA Board Secretary from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, played Women’s Doubles 55+ and Mixed Doubles 55+

Kelly Recreation Center, Lakeland, Fl

This photo appeared on line at theledger.com on January 8th.

The Kelly Recreation Complex was the venue (outside) for the Florida State and International Senior Games in December 2011 and is a great place to play if you are visiting near the Lakeland, Tampa, Fl area.  Check the 'places to play' page on the USAPA website for scheduled play times.


Bob Yuhas serves during a game of pickleball at the Kelly Recreation Center in Lakeland. Kelly Rec is offering singles and doubles versions of pickleball, played on both indoor and outdoor courts.

Photo by Scott Wheeler
The Ledger, January 8, 2012

 



Pickleball in Norcross, GA

Paddles Up! Pickleball has Arrived at the Y
Peachtreecorners.patch.com
January 6, 2012

"One of the good things about pickleball is you can learn it in one session,” said Peggy O'Toole, one of the Fowler Pickleball players. Come join in on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Join in on the fun at the Robert D. Fowler YMCA in Peachtree Corners

READ MORE

And the Cold Weather reaches the Space Coast

The cold of winter doesn't stop pickleball players from taking to the courts!. 

Last week the cold weather moved through Georgia.  Recently the temperatures in Florida reached well below freezing.

Scott Nelson, Florida's ambassador for the Space Coast, shares these
pictures of his group playing at their newest facility.   

"Things are rocking on the Space Coast, we currently have 70 people that are playing Pickleball on the Space Coast.

Our newest venue is our first outdoor facility. The City of West Melbourne has welcomed this new game and we are now utilizing the tennis courts at the Veterans Memorial Facility in West Melbourne. Attached are some pics of the play on the coldest night this season.

We are also scheduling a series beginners clinics to begin this month at all of the host facilities."

Frostbite Pickleball Players - North Georgia

Happy New Year!

"I thought you might like to run one of these pictures of our hardy Pickleball players (left to right) Ken Riordon, Dale Flores, Tom Earley, and  Jason Ahrens.They braved the 40 degree temperatures and 20 mph winds this morning to play for two hours while a "Blue Norther" hit North Georgia!"

Ann Earley