ATLANTIC SOUTH PICKLEBALL
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
February 15, 2011
The Newsletter is distributed on the 15th of each month to all ASR Ambassadors. this newsletter is intended to keep all of you apprised of what is happening in your Region, and to consolidate our news into a once/monthly communication. Please forward this information to all USAPA members, all pickleball players/clubs in your regions and post to your local pickleball Blogs or Websites.
Welcome New Ambassadors:
Robert Dean joins us from Ponte Vedra, Fl. Robert served on the planning committee for the Tellicao Village Pickleball Club in London, TN before moving to Ponte Vedra in December of 2010. At Riverwood at Nocatee eight pickleball courts are now under construction and will open early this summer. Robert will be heading up the pickleball program there.
Sylvia Fletcher joins us from Warrenton, NC. Sylvia is very active at the Senior Center in Warrenton and served with Healthy Carolinians of Warren County for several years. She is new to the game of pickleball but already this year she has pickleball up and running at the John Graham Gym where she has held three beginner workshops. She plans to seek sponsors for equipment and mark off under used tennis courts for outside play, and will contact the Chamber of Commerce to promote pickleball as a way to draw tourists to her little town.
Welcome - both of you, to our Atlantic South Ambassador Family.
Pickleball Growth:
By the USAPA Board of Directors: ( February 2011, USAPA
e-pickleball news)
We all talk about how the USAPA and our sport in general is growing. Here are some statistics to support those assertions.
Let's start with USAPA membership. Total membership has grown the four years from the end of 2006 through the end of 2010 from 422 members to 2636 - a 625% increase!!
As of January 20,2011, the number of Places to Play has expanded incredibly. We have identified 954 Places to Play. That number includes 1331 indoor courts and 1450 outdoor courts, for a total of 2781 courts. Extrapolating from actual counts of players at reported locations, we estimate that based on an average of 20 players per court, there are now approximately 71,455 pickleball players in the U.S. and Canada. We believe that number is conservative.
The USAPA website traffic has also shown considerable increase. In May of 2006 there were 616 unique visitors to the site per day. As of December 2010, there were 3,225 visitors per day. You have only to look at the usapa.org home page from time to time to see the regularly updating new print and video articles on pickleball from all around the country on an almost daily basis. The sport is getting lots of press and seems to be popping up everywhere.
That's all good news! Your USAPA organization does its part in supporting and promoting pickleball through its training grants, Ambassador program, rules standardizations, marketing and media relations. And thanks to all of you, formal Ambassadors and informal ambassadors who carry the love of the game wherever you go and get more and more new people 'hooked'.
Keep up the good work!!
Recently in the Atlantic South News:
Florida Geezer Meister Tournament - Back in 2007 these games were called the Geezerjocks and in 2008 the Master Athlete event. Since 2009 its been known as the Geeezer Meister and in January of 2011 it was USAPA Sanctioned for the first time. Congratulations to Tournament Director, Jim Claycomb and the SCC Pickleball Club in Summerfield. The tournament drew players from across the State, the Region and beyond. 45 Men's doubles, 32 ladies doubles and 55 mixed doubles teams competed in this four day double elimination event. For stories, pictures and tournament winners, CLICK HERE
Pickleball for Paws, Benefit Tournament: Ambassadors Rich and Donna Donald were the event coordinators for this event on January 25th at the Thousand Trails RV Preserve in Wauchula, Fl. The tournament was a huge success and raised nearly $750 in cash and a multitude of donated items for the homeless animals. Jill and Barry Edgley of H.A.R. T wrote:
"We cannot thank you enough for your efforts and wonderful caring nature. Everything you have raised in donated food, toys, cleaning materials, bedding has gone to some animals already. I have some very appreciative cats running around with their new toys, they love the old pickleballs." For story, pictures and tournament winners CLICK HERE.....
Benefit Senior Pickleball Tournament, Jacksonville, NC - Staff
Cypress Cove -Third Annual Pickleball Tournament= Sixteen players and many more spectators came out on a beautiful Saturday for this Fun Tournament at Cypress Cove Resort in Kissimmee, Fl. With players coming in from as far away as Nashville to compete against the best players from Cypress Cove, the competition was spirited and friendly for the double-elimination tournament. Everyone had a great time playing in perfect weather conditions, with a superb picnic lunch served afterwards under the warm Florida sun. Another Cypress Cove pickleball fun tournament is coming up in March.
Upcoming Tournaments/Events:
For more information and registration links go to our Atlantic South Website: www.south.usapa.org
- Collier County Senior Games and Open Tournament, Naples, Fl., February 12-13, 2011
- Lee County Senior Games, Ft.Myers, Fl., February 26-27, 2011
- Emergency Squad Benefit Jamboree, Kings Point, Sun City Center, Fl., March 2011
- Bonita Bay Pickleball Club Winter Social, Bonita Bay, Fl., March 2, 2011
- Saturday Drop In tournament,Cane Bay Pickleball Club, Charleston, SC., March 3, 2011
- Spruce Creek Senior Games for Charity, Del Webb, Spruce Creek, Summerfield, Fl. Feb.22 - March 4, 2011
- Polk County Senior Games, Poinciana, Fl., March 8-9, 2011
- Heartland Senior Games, Sebring, Fl, March 11-12, 2011
- Charlotte County Senior Games, Punta Gorda, Fl., March 19-20, 2011
- Peace River OPEN (ages 35-49), Punta Gorda, Fl, March 19-20
- Good Life Games, Seminole, Fl., March 21-22, 2011.
- First Annual PB Tournament, March 26-27, Key West Florida
- Annual Mid South Regional Pickleball Tournament, April 8-10, Mandeville, LA
Do you have a tournament/round robin or social event that should be listed here?
An INVITATION... to all Atlantic South Region Pickleball Players!!!
Players from the Mid South Region will be meeting up in Mandeville, LA on April 8-10 for the Annual Mid South Regional Pickleball Tournament. Tom Burkhart, Regional Ambassador for the Mid South Region has extended an invitation to all of us here in the Atlantic South to join in on the fun and competition in Mandeville, LA, less than 30 miles north of New Orleans.
Meet and Compete and have a great time, with players from AR, LA, MS, AK, TN, TX and beyond, in this USAPA Sanctioned Tier 3 Round Robin. USAPA members get into the social free and also have a reduction in their registration fees. 15 AC courts with lunch on Fri & Sat provided!! Call your partner now!!!! CLICK HERE for more information about the tournament, lodging and registration.
Reporting in from the Region:
Florida
Bob Taylor,Ambassador-Anna Maria Island, Fl. Bob reports that in just 10 weeks, the number of pickleball players at Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Bradenton Florida has grown to over 50. More than 40 of them had never played the game before and with so many players and just three courts they are working to get at least one more day added to the scheduled play time. One of our players at the Anna Maria Island Community Center (AMICC), Beppie Bongers, has been the driving force behind the start of pickleball at Peter and Paul.
One of the other pickleball players at the AMICC, Richard McGowan, has been trying to get GT Bray Park, also in Bradenton Florida, to “sponsor” or provide time for pickleball. Over 20 of AMICC and Peter and Paul players, using the three AMICC portable nets, went last Thursday to put on a pickleball demonstration in a brand new gymnasium completed last November. A repeat demo took place on Thursday, February 3. Unlike Peter and Paul Church there will be a cost to play at this location.
Longboat Key residents who play pickleball with AMICC also made the news recently trying to bring pickleball to their town. READ MORE
North Carolina
Earl Cunningham, Ambassador, Gastonia, NC - An "introduction to pickleball" tournament was held at the Bessemer City gym in Gaston County. Congratulations to the winners of the double elimination tournament, Kim Queen and Furman Higgins. These two went undefeated!!
On January 31st, Earl, along with the Bessemer City Recreation Director instructed 10 senior citizens in the game of pickleball. This was a part of the Gaston/Lincoln County, NC Senior Games program. The official Senior games in N.C. start in March, 2011 and they have included pickleball this year.
South Carolina
Jane Harvey, Ambassador - Indian Land, SC - players from Sun City Carolina Lakes competed in the Benefit Senior Tournament in Jacksonville, NC. " We had a great time ........ and Rick Laskey made sure all of us had our picture taken with the (USAPA) banner. We'll have those photos on the Sun City website shortly." Back at Carolina Lakes,, the pickleball club has set up a competition committee in an effort to encourage some friendly competition with groups outside the community. Jane has also been in contact with the marketing director for the city of Rock Hill. There is a great recreation program there and Jane is confident that pickleball can become a part of that program.
Rena Grant, Ambassador- Myrtle Beach, SC - reports that again this year she is working with the Choose to Lose program at the Pepper Geddings Recreation Center and in just three weeks has introduced 48 people to the game of pickleball.
On January 7th and 14th, four fellow players joined Rena at the St. Andrews School where they taught 145 children from 4th through 8th grade. "It was a little difficult with just ONE portable net, but they loved the game and had a great time."
Rena was also recently notified that the South Carolina Sports Classic will officially include Pickleball in their Senior Games. The demonstration that the group put on last year paid off. 2012 will be a qualifying year for the National Senior Sports Classic so Rena is hopeful that pickleball will be offered in the National Games in 2013.
And 14 players from Myrtle Beach entered the tournament in Jacksonville, NC. "We have no one at my age, so I am playing with a 67 year young man in mixed and a 72 year young woman!!! "
Jim Hisman, Ambassador, Summerville, SC - South Carolina Ambassadors were all just recently notified, that pickleball has been added as a sport in their State Games this year in Florence,SC and Jim has already recruited around 10 players from his Del Webb Cane Bay community.
He and some the other players are planning a trip to Mt. Pleasant Senior Center the first week of March for a demo and beginner workshop. They are hopeful that a weekly play schedule will be implemented for players in that location. He has also generated some interest at the Cane Bay High School in Summerville and the Summerville, YMCA.
Jim also reported that he is headed out for a cruise on the "Radiance of The Seas" for Del Webb's 59th anniversary cruise and all the Del Webb communities involved have been notified to pack their paddles because he's got the portable net for pickleball at sea. Have fun....and we want to hear all about it when you get back!!!
If you have any news/information from your area that you want to share with our readers please send it to Donna Donald at: rddonald2@gmail.com
