Pickleball is hybrid game of tennis, Ping Pong and badminton 
Fayobserver.com, 11/10/2012

 In small pockets across the Carolinas, pickleball has developed a devoted following. Next year, it will be introduced as a sport in the North Carolina Senior Games.

And in Hope Mills, the sport billed as the "fastest-growing sport for people over 50" has found a following.

 Why? For openers, it's fun ... occasionally confusing with its oddball paddles and a ball that refuses to go quite where you aim ... but fun. It's also a great way for older athletes to maintain, or recapture, their competitive spirit.

Want to join?
Pick-up pickleball games are Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 5776 Rockfish Road. Anyone 50 or older is welcome. Paddles and balls are available for newcomers. A free pickleball clinic will be held Nov. 27 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For information, call 425-6707.

Del Webb vs Del Webb.........

Submitted by Jodi Pree
Ambassador, Marco Island, FL

( Jodi spends her summers in GA and her winters in FL........this was the final pickleball event before she came south!

As for the wonderful peeps at the Village of Deaton Creek:

 Third time proved to be a charm...after 2 rain outs(one in the spring & one in the summer) fall proved to be the perfect time for the Del Webb communities of Village of Deaton Creek & Sun City Peachtree to have a face off.   On Tuesday, October 23rd at 10:30 am, the top teams teams of both communities competed at VDC. The weather was glorious with plenty of sunshine and a comfortable 74 degrees. 

 The VDC teams are: 

Alan Geller / Saul Levenson 
Jim Kreh / George Tzompanakis 
Chuck Pierce / Carole Greer 
Herb Silverman / Bob Fox 
Ed Kay is first alternate 





The Peachtree teams are:

Peter Phelps / Larry Lewellen 
Billy Craddock / Craig Peddicord 
Brad Wideman / Chuck Miller 
Jack Diehl / Elena Corrales 


 The teams played a full 16 game round robin with each team playing every other team, followed by pizza lunch in the downstairs clubroom at the VDC clubhouse.

 It was great that these two Del Webb communities finally got their match in!

Pickleball at Pelican Bay - Daytona Beach

Submitted by
Cathy Stansbury, Daytona Beach Ambassador

Daytona Beach pickleball players met at Pelican Bay on November 2, a beautiful Friday evening, for a fun time of pickleball, appetizers and conversation. The group was joined by a father who is an avid pickleball player and his 13 year old daughter and her friend. Those young players added another dimension to our game, easily getting each and every ball outside their reach. Play began at 5:00, breaking for some yummy appetizers and drinks at 6:00 and more play after the lights on the courts were turned on. We played until we dropped. We all agreed that we have an addiction. Everyone is looking forward to the next pickleball social.

Shores Fall Tournament

Daytona Beach Shores Fall Tournament – Players in Daytona Beach Shores held their Fall pickleball tournament on October 28th.

According to ambassador, Anita Rimler, there were 45 players participating in the tournament, primarily from Daytona, Ormond and Port Orange.

 There was a small contingency of players from nearby Melbourne and Jacksonville, FL

She reports lots of fun for all with hot dogs as a treat after the awards.

Ormond Beach Senior Games

The Ormond Senior Games offered pickleball for the very first time this year, and it sounds like it might become an annual event!

Pickleball was played at the Nova Community Center in Ormond Beach, FL and the following comments were sent to us from Lori Koplin, the Coordinator for the Community Center.

The Pickleball Senior Games were a blast. The players had a lot of fun. I counted 20 players in the tournament. The Nova Community Center is open to anyone Monday through Friday from 9:00-12:30pm. We usually have 10-15 players come in to play and at least 2 new players a week. We are just beginning to plan another tournament at the beginning of next year because the Senior Games was so successful. We also want to draw some outside players inside when it is cold.   (Pictures of Daytona Beach and Jacksonville medal winners provided by Cathy Stansbury)

Upcoming Beginner Pickleball Clinics/Demos

The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department is offering a pickleball session on Monday November 5, 2012.

Pickleball, named after one of the co-founder’s cocker spaniel Pickles, is a game played with a perforated plastic ball and wood or composite paddles on a court similar to badminton. The class will teach the rules of the game as well as offer som additional pointers.

Paddles and balls will be provided.

The session will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday November 5, 2012

The cost will be around $10 plus a daily court visit fee which is $1 per visit for members and $2 for non-members. It will be held at the H. Odell Weeks Center located at 1700 Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC

For more information, call PRT at 642-7631 or Loretta and Mike Beckner at (703) 732-3075.

 For more on the game itself, visit www.usapa.org or www.south.usapa.org.

PICKLEBALL

WHAT IS PICKLEBALL YOU ASK?

Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong and it’s one of the fastest growing sports in America. It may be a silly name, but it’s a serious sport. It’s fast paced and easy to learn, great exercise and lots of fun. Good for all ages …. Come see what the excitement is about!

OPEN DAY

 Cheval Athletic Club 4142

 Cheval Blvd

 Lutz FL 33558

Sunday November 18^th 2012

2.00pm – 4.30pm

Free instruction: come learn from current players of the game. We have all the equipment you need. Just bring yourself.

FOR MORE INFORAMTION CONTACT:

Larry Neely 813 279 5122

Also check it www.usapa.org or www.south.usapa.org

Beaufort Jasper Pickleball at Sun City Hilton Head

Submitted by Bob Grueser
 Sun City Hilton Head, SC

The Beaufort Jasper Active Adult Challenge (BJAAC) is part of the South Carolina Senior Games, and this year was a USAPA Sanctioned Tier 4 tournament that took place on October 29, 30 and 3, 2012

The BJAAC games had 109 teams participating and attracted participants from Ft. Myers, Fla., Charleston, Savannah, Hilton Head Island and other local communities. Medals were awarded in beginner, intermediate and advanced skill level as well as age groups. As a result 20 different classifications were presented awards.

These senior games are conducted annually on approximately the same dates. We welcome and encourage players from all over to join us in this very competitive and fun filled tournament.

The games are played on courts built exclusively for pickleball, are lighted for night play and provide excellent playing opportunities for the 700 plus members in the Sun City Hilton Head community.

Fall Piedmont Plus Senior Games

Submitted by
Laura Patterson
Ambassador, Winston-Salem,  NC

It seems just yesterday when we were getting ready for our Spring Piedmont Plus Senior Games. The coordinator for our Piedmont Plus Senior Games thought it would be a good idea to have a mini Fall Senior Games. He brought the idea to the Senior Games Steering Committee and we all agreed that it would be a good idea. We chose the week of October 15th and included the following events: Shuffleboard, Bocce, Corn Hole Toss, Archery, Billards, Table Tennis, Badminton and of course Pickleball!

According to Chuck Vestal, Piedmont Plus Senior Games Coordinator, “The week may have started out a little soggy with the rain on Monday forcing Shuffleboard and Archery back, but we finished strong. We had 80 individual entries for the Games. The best attended event was Pickleball! The Winston-Salem Journal was on site to take photos which were posted on the next day in an article about the popularity of retiring to the Triad. Twenty-eight people came out for a good time with a mixed doubles competition. The Fall Senior Games served it’s purpose in that it brought out both new and familiar faces to fellowship and have fun participating in different games. It also got some energy behind a few of the events such as table tennis, badminton and archery”.

 Since this was just for fun and bragging rights, there were no medals presented to the winners. However, we did have a few drawings and some of the participants received tickets to Wake Forest basketball or football games and bowling passes to Creekside Bowling Alley.