2013 Geezer Meister Tournament

This annual event took place from January 17-19 at the beautiful pickleball courts at the Del Webb Spruce Creek Community in Summerfield, Fl.   Over 200 players participated in this USAPA Sanctioned Tier 3 tournament which featured doubles, singles and mixed doubles competition.  A double elimination event that  brought out some of the very best players across the state and beyond.    

According to Jim Claycomb:  We had 203 players this year -- a new record.  A little rain and wind that pushed us to the third day.  Even with 12 courts used for match play and 3 portable nets for warm up on the tennis courts, we played well into the evening.   

Check the USAPA Results page for tournament winners.

CLICK HERE for more action shots from the tournament!

USAPA Grants supporting Pickleball growth in Estero, FL

The following was sent to us from Jane Niehause, President of the Corkscrew Picklers Pickleball Club.  The pictures are from their recent Activities Fair.

Every year Corkscrew Woodlands in Estero, Florida has an Activities Fair early in January to showcase all the sports, dancing, card, book, and garden clubs and dozens of other activities in our very active park.  Pickleball, by far, was the MOST attended booth - a constant flurry of activity, with new players signing up anxious to learn the game.  14 signed up that day, and dozens have joined since. Thanks again for the support and encouragement provided by USAPA!

Jane

This letter was sent from Jane to  Dan Ellsworth, who works on the Grant Program for USAPA.

January 22, 2013

Greetings Dan!

On behalf of The Corkscrew Picklers, THANK YOU to USAPA for the generous grant of $250.00. We have formed a club and play 4 days a week in Corkscrew Woodlands in Estero, Florida. We are a 55 and over park, and have players spanning three decades.
We share the courts with tennis players, so we have to dismantle nets each time we play and "tape" the courts on Thursday. We remove the tape each Sunday.

We proudly displayed our USAPA banner at a recent Activities Fair, and streamed your instructional CD during the event. We distributed the literature provided by USAPA and used your rule book as our guide.
We also post the banner at the courts during play.                                                        

We have designated Friday afternoon as "Beginner's Play" and the more experienced players patiently introduce "newbies" and work with novice players. We use the "How To Host Beginner Demo Clinics: Sample Beginner Clinic Instructors Checklist" and are very happy with the results. We are initiating name tags this week, as we now have close to 50 players!
Enclosed please find highlighted receipts for equipment purchased for Pickleball start-up in our park.
We are grateful!
Corkscrew Picklers
C/O Jane A. Niehaus, President Estero, Florida 33928

No, they don’t hit pickles with paddles
The Clayton News Star, www.newsobserver.com, January 23, 2013

"It’s a lot of fun and great exercise but is easier on the body than tennis, which is why it appeals to a lot of senior citizens,” said Joe Vartanesian, ambassador for Wake Forest in the USA Pickleball Association. “One of the great things about pickleball is that it can be played on a tennis court, in a gym or any place where we can put a net up.”

The group is looking to expand and is inviting anyone who would like to participate. Newbies can borrow paddles to make sure the game is a good fit for them before making the $30 to $60 purchase. The Triangle has other pickleball groups, including those that meet at Optimist Park and Brier Creek Community Center.
Read more here: 

Pickleball Leagues at The Long Center in Clearwater, Florida

At The Long Center, in Clearwater, Florida, in addition to our regular open play time, we have established two, three hour sessions per week that we call “Pickleball Leagues” or “Mini-Tournaments”.

We have League play every Monday and Wednesday. The League sessions start at 11:30am and end at about 2:30pm. The Leagues are designed for players who desire a more competitive level of competition during the week, without spending long wait times between matches, or having to spend an entire day as in a conventional tournament. We have both advanced Leagues and Intermediate Leagues for players to choose from, depending on the player’s skill level.

One does not need a partner to play in our Leagues. We use what is called the “Wiseman Mixer” format, which consists of seeded round robin groups, in which each player partners with each of the other players in his group once, and opposes each of the other players twice. In League play, there is very little wait time between matches. A player will be actively playing about 80-90% of the time in a typical 3 hour League session.

There is no long term commitment to join our Leagues. You may sign up for one session at a time, or we have what is called a “League Pass”, for those players who will be playing in a given League on a regular basis. Players with the League Pass are always guaranteed a spot in every League session. We now have about 20 active League players, from ten different cities in the greater Tampa Bay area.

The Leagues have been in existence for about nine months. We are in the process of reaching out to new players, so that we may increase the attendance in our Leagues. We now have six indoor courts, which will enable us to expand the number of players participating in The Leagues, to up to 23 players per session, and still keep the playing time within the 80-90% range.

Visit our website at: www.Pickleball-Leagues.weebly.com.

For more information, contact: 

Alan Butler 813-466-8284,

E-mail: twowing@tampabay.rr.com

For information about Clinics & Coaching contact: 

Bob Cicetti 813-363-5958, E-mail: icheech@aol.com

PICKLEBALL
www. communitynewspapers.com
Janary 23, 2013, Aventura,  FL

It’s a great sport” Mitch says, “It’s fun, challenging but not too strenuous, anyone can learn to play”. He became a Pickleball ambassador (really, there are hundreds throughout the country) and set about searching for suitable locations. He created a Meetup, www.meetup.com/southflpickleball/ and already has several members who are ready and anxious to play. The Meetup is free to join, just go to the site and register/sign-up so you can receive updated information.    
READ MORE....

We need ladies for the Regional Tournament!!

Greetings to all Atlantic South Regional Tournament Participants,

 First of all, THANKS to all of you for your overwhelming support of our first Atlantic South Regional Tournament. Registration is now closed, and we are pleased to announce that we have 226 registrations!!

The tournament is around the corner and we hope that you are getting as excited about the tournament as we are! We still need two ladies to play 65+ mixed doubles, one lady for 70+ mixed doubles, and one lady for 75+ mixed doubles. If you know anyone who is willing to play in these categories, please email us immediately. We would love to see everyone play that registered.

Players are listed on the USAPA site, so you can go there and check to see if you were matched up with a partner if you requested one. Go to USAPA.org, Brackets and Software, Upcoming Tournaments. You will see the Atlantic South Regional Tournament and click it. At the top, there is a player list.

We will be sending another email in the next few days with start times, etc. We will be playing on 16 outdoor courts and using the yellow Dura ball.

We look forward to meeting all of you!!
Cindy Eddleman Nancy Meyer
Tournament Directors

Florida Good Life Senior Games

Hello to all you former Good Life Games participants.

It's that time of year again. We are prepared and ready for a record year of participation. So, tell your friends, your nighbors, your relatives, and everyone you know that is over 50 that it is time to have a good time meeting, competing, and enjoying the company of other senior athletes.

The website has all the information and downloadable registration forms, calendars, and other pertinent information.   Pickleball Doubles and Mixed Doubles - March 19-20, 2013, Seminole, Fl.    Singles competition - April 6, 2013, Clearwater, FL

Go to http://www.goodlifegames.org/ for all the latest information. We are looking forward to see everyone again this year and meeting many new participants.

Dennis Sweeney and the board of the Good Life Games

Let's play pickleball
 TBO.com  January 16, 2012, Tampa Bay,FL

 Hillsborough County Parks Recreation and Conservation has recognized the exploding nature of the sport and is introducing programs at some of its community centers.

 "We started a pickleball club with eight to 10 players at Northdale last November," said programs specialist Russell Elefterion. "Now we have 38." Elefterion said the club was formed in response to requests from seniors there. The Northdale Recreation Center provides free lessons at 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and club members travel once a month as a group to play teams in places like Anna Maria Island, Clearwater and St. Pete Beach. They will be coming to Sun City Center in April.

Also, the Gardenville Community Center in Gibsonton is adding pickleball to its programs this month.

"It's definitely an up-and-coming sport," said Dave Ramirez, recreation programs supervisor. "Pickleball is the biggest event in our Tampa Bay Senior Games every October."