ATLANTIC SOUTH PICKLEBALL
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
November
15, 2012
The
Atlantic South Region (ASR) E-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
From FLORIDA
Please extend a warm Atlantic
South welcome to Larry Neely, our
ambassador representing Land O Lakes,
Florida, located in the Tampa Bay area – just north of Tampa.
Larry and his wife Lynda make
their home in the beautiful premier gated community of Cheval, and are the
proud parents of two children, Daughter- Robin and Son Larry. His education includes: Bachelor Science
Ed.-Central Methodist College and Master of Education-University of Missouri. He retired in 1997 after 28 years in Sporting
Goods as a Manufacturers Rep.
Both he and his wife are new to the game of
pickleball, but are ready to introduce the game to residents of Cheval and
anybody else in the surrounding Tampa area that wants to learn to play. School
groups also come to Cheval to play tennis – and Larry sees this as an
opportunity to get the local high schools involved. He’s already purchased the nets, and paddles
and tape to set up the courts, and with help from fellow ambassadors from Port
Richey and Hudson, will be doing his first Pickleball Start Up at the Cheval
Athletic Club in Lutz, FL on November 18th. Pickleball at the Athletic Club will be open
to the public, and to players of all ages as well as the residents of the Cheval
community.
Also from Florida
Also joining our ASR ambassador
family from the Tampa Bay Area is Lee Boerchel of Hudson,
FL. Lee’s work experience in teaching, sports,
public speaking, management and marketing will serve him well as a spokesman
for and teacher of our great game of pickleball. One of his favorite sayings: “Most
important, I never met a stranger in my life.”
From 1970 to 1989 – Lee worked as
a Treasure Diver and then taught Skiing in Utah. It was in St. George Utah, home of the
Huntsman Games, four years ago that he was introduced to pickleball. He and his wife have now made their home in
Hudson, Fl. Lee hopes to get local businesses and their
employees involved in the game, to get children and parents playing together as
family units, and to invite more of those tennis players with a little less
mobility back up and on the courts.
“The
first night went well. We had 17
players, mostly new. The gym made an over booking and we only had half the
space but from this time forward it’s all ours. I received the grant
from USAPA and now have 3 nets. The Gym will be closed for the elections
on Tuesday, but we’ll start back up on November 12th
RECENTLY
IN THE ATLANTIC SOUTH NEWS
2012 Kissimmee – St.
Cloud Senior Games: (Submitted by Tom Leva, Pickleball Director) The
event was held in Solivita, located in Poinciana, FL, on October 15 and 16.
There were
about 250 competitors from various parts of Florida, with the oldest being 86
year old Tom Hylas of Solivita.
Participants
competed in Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles, and also Singles play. The weather cooperated over the two days
where we had typically sunny Florida days.
CLICK
HERE for complete
results.
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.
The
Beaufort Jasper Active Adult Challenge (BJAAC) (Submitted by Bob Grueser) 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. The 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.
*Carol Donile/Mark Constantine "Bronze
Medalists in Advanced Mixed Doubles 65-69" *Randy Buldoc/Marilyn Booher "Gold
Medalists in Intermediate Mixed Doubles 70 Plus and Charlotte Gelinas and
Charlies Demers as Silver Medalists".
*Roxie Holub/ Tom Rinehimer
"Gold Medalists in Advanced Mixed Doubles 55-64". *Maria Reale and Darlene Abshier -
"Bronze Medalists in Intermediate Ladies 50-59". *Lorraine
Scott/ Chris Cherrington "Gold Medalists in Beginner Ladies Doubles 50-59"
Fall Piedmont Plus Senior Games – (Submitted by Laura Patterson) It
seems just yesterday 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.
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. (CLICK HERE to read Winston Salem Journal article)
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.
Veterans Day Invitational Pickleball Tournament/Benefit Hope
for Warriors (Submitted by Jane Harvery) Sun City Carolina Lakes
Pickleball Club Raises Over $15,000 for Hope For The Warriors!
Tournament
Fundraising chairperson, Donna Maguire, set the bar high this year when she set
a goal to raise $10,000 for Hope For the Warriors. Maguire organized a 5k fun run, pickleball
marathon, and silent auction, and sold souvenir t-shirts and string backpacks.
Each event moved the Club closer to its goal. In addition, sponsors generously
gave money and gifts in kind, including delicious snacks for the Tournament.
Months of planning and hard work paid off.
When all the money was counted, members of the SCCL Pickleball Club had raised
over $15,000. Accepting the check at the tournament banquet, was Duke graduate
and former NBA star, Jack Marin of the Baltimore Bullets. Marin, who is a
member of the Board of HFW, expressed his appreciation and admitted he had
never heard of pickleball before. He promised to give it a try.
When it
was suggested the Club participate in the Lancaster, SC Veterans' Day Parade,
we realized it would be a great opportunity to promote pickleball as well as
support our veterans and foster goodwill in the community.
We
quickly rounded up an enthusiastic group
of marchers and two decorated vehicles. Local ambassador, Jane
Harvey, with help from USAPA member, Martha Burgess, created mini pickleball
key rings to pass out to the crowd. Attached was a business card with the
tournament logo, information about Hope For the Warriors, and instructions for
finding out more about pickleball at the USAPA web site. The key rings were
very popular, and with many folks asking “What is Pickleball??” and promising
to check it out.
Carl Clous died of cancer this year and was
remembered by his fellow club members and Carl also served as our
representative to the USAPA. So this year’s tournament was “The 2012 Carl Clous
Halloween Tournament and Team Smashers
Kick-Off Celebration for the American Cancer Society's 2013 Relay for
Life.”
The Smashers
also had a raffle for three quilts made from various Pickleball
tournament shirts. The proceeds went towards a $750 scholarship for a needy
student from our local high school. A
great two days of pickleball and fellowship was had by all.
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 Lori Koplin,
the Coordinator for the Community Center sent along this message. 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)
UPCOMMING
TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS
Additional
information and all links to registration forms are available in the Upcoming
Tournaments/Clinics/Events section on our Atlantic South Website: www.south.usapa.org
·
Great Pumpkin Tournament, November 17-18,2012 , Canton, GA
(Entries
full/Registration Closed)
·
Pickleball Start Up – Open Day, November 18,2012 - Lutz, FL
·
Free Beginner Clinic, Hope Mills, NC (Cumberland County Residents
only) November 27, 2012
·
Florida International Senior Games and State Championships,
December 3-5, 2012, Lakeland, FL
2nd Annual
Riverbend Resort Classic, December 8-9, 2012, Labelle, FL Skill level
tournament open to ages 16 and up. (Tier 4)
·
Smile if You Love Pickleball Week, December 10-15, 2012, Kings
Point-Sun City Center, FL – (Kings Point residents only)
·
Annual Winter In Paradise Pickleball Wing Ding, December 15th,
2012, Kings Point-Sun City Center FL - OPEN to non –residents!
·
The Villages Toys for Tots Tournament – December 17-21, 2012, (TV
residents only), The Villages, Fl.
2012 Tanglewood Winter Classic, January 5-6,
2013, Sebring, FL – Skill Level tournament (Tier 4)
·
Geezer Meister Pickleball Tournament, January 17-19,2013,
Summerfield, FL
Atlantic South Regional Pickleball Tournament,
February 1-3, 2013, Naples. FL (Tier 4), Registration Deadline – Postmark
1/12/2013, On-Line – January 14, 2012
·
3rd Annual
Senior Pickleball Tournament, February 8-9, 2013, Jacksonville, NC
·
Daytona Beach Senior Pickleball Tournament, February 8 -10, 2013,
Daytona Beach, FL
·
Lee County Senior Games, February 22-24, 2013, Ft. Myers, FL
City of
Ft. Myers Skatorium Classic – March 1-3, 2013, Ft. Myers, FL Skill Level
Tournament open to ages 16 and up. (Tier 4)
·
Polk County Senior Games, March 5-6, 2013, Poinciana, FL
·
Heartland Senior Games,
March 8-9, 2013¸Tanglewood, Sebring, FL
Charlotte
County Senior Games, March 15-17, 2013, Punta Gorda, FL, (Tier 4)
·
3rd Annual Riverbend Resort Classic, March 23-24, 2013,
Labelle, FL – Skill Level Tournament open to ages 16 and up.
East
Naples Skill Level Tournament, April 5-7, 2013, Naples, FL
2013 US
Open Senior Doubles Championship at the Villages, April 18-21, 2013, The
Villages, FL
·
Pura Vida Pickleball Adventure, May 2-9, 2013, Westin Playa
Concha, Costa Rica. (Registration is
Full – Closed)
·
National Senior Games Association (NSGA) Pickleball Tournament,
July 21 – August 5, 2013, Cleveland, OH
·
1st Annual Myrtle Beach
Invitational Tournament, November 16-17, 2013, Myrtle Beach, SC
Do you have a
tournament/round robin or social event that should be listed here?
REPORTING IN FROM ACROSS THE REGION
ALABAMA
"A few great ladies I played with at The Summit at Central
Park in Grand Prairie, TX"
FLORIDA
Palm
Beach County – Ambassadors Josh Kalin and Dick Freshley are starting to spark
some pickleball interest in Palm Beach County. One location was at a private
active adult community in Delray Beach. We had quite a crowd at our
Saturday morning pickleball game at Huntington Pointe this morning. Eleven
people, four who had never played before. The 4 newcomers were just
walking by and stopped to see what this strange activity was. We encouraged
them to give it a try. Two were veteran tennis players and picked it up in a
jiffy. Soon they were holding their own with us "pros."
Huntington
Pointe has a large tennis complex with eight counts and one paddle tennis
court; almost perfect for pickleball. We put down a piece of blue masking tape
for the non-volley line and we are good to go. We used the paddle tennis court
and two adjacent tennis courts.
As of November 7th Josh
(pictured, bottom right) reports that they have their first official
public location; the Delray Beach Community Center.
Additionally Josh and Harriet tell us: We are
trying to promote the game in individual communities. If this takes hold, perhaps there will be more
Clubs interested in playing at various Clubs on a rotating basis or developing
a public location in the Delray Beach area for everyone. We are in the process
of scheduling a demonstration within our gated community. We'll see how it
develops since we only have Har Tru tennis courts. We have set up our portable
net on an unused street in a local park and have been introducing some friends
to pickleball.
Rich and Donna Donald We have not
been back to the Wesley Chapel area in quite some time , but had the
opportunity to play with the Meadow Pointe (MP) Picklers recently for a couple
of weeks.
We first introduced pickleball to this community back in the fall of
2007 when we were lucky to get four players on the court at one time. Today the players enjoy four lighted tennis
courts permanently lined for pickleball and they play three nights a week. Players range in age from teens to seniors…
and they are very well known in the area for welcoming players of all ages and
all skill levels. Visitors to the Tampa
area often find their way to Meadow Point in Wesley Chapel, Fl. While we were there MP Picklers welcomed
Larry and Sharon McCarty, players from Lakeland, FL and our new ambassador from
Land O Lakes, FL, Larry Neely and his wife Lynda.
MP Picklers have helped some of the neighboring
communities introduce pickleball and most recently the students at the John Long
Middle School thanks to MP player, Donald Bass. The following is from Don:
Recently,
I did a brief demo for one of Ms. Como (PE Teacher at JLMS) PE classes and it
was well received. She had about 9 nets set up, and paddles and
balls for the students, so all of the students got to try it. Ms. Como was very pleased with the student's
participation……. .so she considered this demo to be a success. She would like for a group of us to come one
day during the Great American Teach-In week. If we can, we will be reaching out
to about 500 students if we are there all day. In order to volunteer for this event each of
us will have to do a short online application for security purposes. Once
completed, we could volunteer at any Pasco County school. Ms.
Como envisions us doing a brief demo in the gym and then going out to the
courts to help students try the game with each of her classes that day.
These
are all children from our community, so our time will be well spent.
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.
Larry Judd. Ambassador, Lake Ashton
(Lake Wales/Winter Haven Fl.): Competitive
players at Lake Ashton are gearing up for the 2013 season of the South Central
Florida Pickleball League. Played from
Jan.-March, this league consists of teams from the communities of Lake Ashton,
Solivita, Del Webb (Davenport), Highlands Ridge, Tanglewood and Riverbend going
head to head, culminating in a tournament in March to determine league
champion. This is the third year of league play. The league is organized by
Dave Majick of Highlands Ridge. (Avon Park, FL)
In
other news from Lake Ashton, small cautious steps have been taken toward the
planning of dedicated courts after three years of fundraising.
GEORGIA
Tom
and Ann Earley, Canton, GA:
It was a cold and
windy night"...... Really! That
being said, we had 20+ Pickleball players on the courts and several spouses
taking to the courts from the sidelines.
Next week I think we will have several new players!
The Morneau men gave everyone a tough
match and Ke Kai Ruckstuhl came from Tennessee with an assortment of new and
unique paddles for everyone to purchase.
The $50.00 grand prize winner was
"Big Buck Chili" by Donna Goodall.
Kathy Brown exhibited a small art show
in the piano studio, and everyone enjoyed tasting and eating, and
today despite the cold temperature and gusty wind, there will be players back
on the courts at 10 a.m. for more Pickleball!
Thanks to all who came and
participated! Brrrrr - back to the fireplace!
Jodi Pree – ambassador from Marco Island, FL is now back in SW
Florida but reports on some recent news from her summer home in GA. As for
the wonderful peeps at the Village of Deaton Creek (VDC): 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 pickleball
teams from both communities competed at VDC. The weather was glorious with plenty of
sunshine and a comfortable 74 degrees.
The VDC teams
Alan Geller / Saul Levenson
Jim Kreh / George Tzompanakis
Chuck Pierce / Carole Greer
Herb Silverman / Bob Fox
Ed Kay is first alternate
The Peachtree teams
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!
NORTH CAROLINA
Mike
and Nancy Falkenstein, Franklin, NC:
The Macon County Pickleball Group has moved inside to the Armory whilst
waiting for Spring! We love having the indoor venue for our winter play.
We have 3 courts, newly lined, and so far this year have had all 3 in
play with folks waiting! Since being introduced to Pickleball by Jan
Sharp about 4 years ago, the group has enjoyed continued growth and we now have
about 50 folks on our e-mail distribution list.
Recently we decided
we needed a name for the group. Several had ventured out to area
tournaments and we noticed many of the players had shirts identifying their
group and location. It was fun to see the different areas represented and
so we pressed on.
After receiving many
really good suggestions for a name, Blue Ridge Mountains Pickleball was selected. It seemed to capture best our
location as many of our players are from outside of Franklin, and we have many
summer folks who live elsewhere. Then a logo was designed and our local Gooder
Grafix put it on silk screen and the result is about 1/2 of the group ordered
shirts and most, more than one! We can also get ball caps and visors with
the logo without a minimum order.
The shirts were
delivered to the winter group and proudly worn during our Monday play November
5th as the pictures reflect!
We had guests in
October; Renate and Steve Hess from Deaton Creek in northeast Georgia.
They came up on a Sunday and stayed overnight and played with our group
Monday. The play was friendly and spirited competition! Renate and
Steve went on to a tournament in South Carolina and won Bronze in mixed
Doubles, Bronze in Men’s Doubles, and Gold in Women’s Doubles. We think
we must have done a really good job of "warming them up" for the
matches!
We welcome new
players and guests so when visiting Franklin, NC, give us a call and we'll see
you on the courts!
Joe Borrelli, Raleigh, NC: We’ve been told that this is basketball
country, so while the folks here have enjoyed pickleball at the Brier Creek
Community Center since July, basketball has taken over the courts for the
winter. However, knowing the popularity
of the sport, the Center is doing their best to find players some “pickleball time”.
In the meantime Joe
is working with Brier Creek Country Club (which just painted new pickleball
boundary lines on the two hard courts) to see if they will allow some type of
guest privileges at the facility. On November 5th players
were encouraged to show their support
for the promotion of the game at Open Pickleball at the Herbert Young
Community Center in Cary, where a
demo/clinic was done for the Town of Cary Parks and Recreation Department
Advisory Board Members.
Pickleball in The
Triangle now has its own Facebook page!
AND 919 Magazine did a great
two page article in the November/December edition. 919 Magazine does 4 local
magazines, 6times/year. It is delivered
to about 52,000 residents along the I-540 corridor in N. Raleigh and Wake
Counties, NC. CLICK HERE for the magazine; story is on page
24/25.
Loretta
Savary – Lenoir, NC:
Loretta
and her husband continue to work hard to get a court ready for potential players
in Lenoir. With the help of the Mulberry
Recreation Department – she found a court that needed a lot of work and they
recently finished painting, making the kitchen RED – “you know – to stay OUT!”
Morganton Recreation Center painted 2 courts
inside for us - and said they are going to take 2 unused tennis courts (in
Carbon City) and make them permanent pickleball
courts! Wow, we are so thrilled a
community 12 miles from us has the funds and we will have 3 places to play -
maybe more!” And now one more!
On Sunday I taught a new player (Barbara) and she went back to her
Mountain Crest Elementary School and asked if they could line a court in their
gym. Using the 'wellness program' the school approved it and we are now
teaching in the evenings. I'm so thrilled with the growth &
success - the more people we teach - the more the game spreads and more places
we have to play! Right now there are about 17 people playing at
our new court and plans are in the works to invite the groups from Cary and Gastonia.
Kevin
Chandler, Wilmington, NC: The Wilmington, NC Recreation Dept. has
added pickleball lines to two outdoor tennis courts at the MLK Center at 400 S.
8th St. These courts are now available to anyone at any time. These
are the first two outdoor pickleball courts open to the public in
Wilmington. The nets are a little too high; being tennis nets, but it's a
good start!
SOUTH CAROLINA
Several squad members joined in
the fun at the inaugural Triad Tournament, High Point, NC in October,
earning medals in multiple events. November
has already brought visiting teams from Gastonia, NC Ambassador Earl
Cunningham as well as Charlotte's Jewish Community Center.
Many of us have already registered for
the inaugural Atlantic-South Naples Tournament February 1st-3rd,
and look forward to making new friends at that special event.
If you enjoy inter-community
competition and would like to join us for a day of friendly play--either
at your location or here in Indian Land, SC--please contact Frank Kinder atfkinder@carolina.rr.com to schedule
such an event. We have six outdoor courts on site and have
recently arranged for indoor play at the Fort Mill Recreation Center this
winter. Hope to hear from you!
Mike
and Loretta Beckner, Aiken, SC – Report on McCormick, SC Pickleball:
On October 11th, four Aiken pickleball
players, Maggie Ward, Dick Keeler, Mike and I, went to McCormick, SC to the
Savannah Lakes Village community to give a pickleball demo.
Pam Royal, who is the Director of
Recreation, called to see if we might be interested in doing this. There
were 42 people who had signed up and it was an enthusiastic crowd!
I gave a short talk on the history of
pickleball, how the game is played, some of the rules, etc., and we followed
this with questions/answers.
Maggie, Dick, Mike and I then played a
game to show the residents what pickleball in action looks like!
Afterwards, we put paddles in the hands
of those who wanted to try hitting balls, and there was good interest.
I have since heard from Pam that Sally
Perkins, one of the residents who had played pickleball years ago, is now
giving group classes twice a week. Sixteen players have signed up for
the classes. Eventually, we would like to visit each other's programs
for some friendly competition.
Rena
Grant, Myrtle Beach, SC: A pickleball Round Robin was held on October 19th
at the Crabtree Gym in Myrtle Beach and the players from North Myrtle Beach
were invited to the competition.
Everyone had a good time and Rena would
like to thank Audrey Connery and Judy Matuszkiewicz who organized the luncheon
and all the players who made and brought the food and all those who
participated and helped to make it such a great success!
Mixed Doubles- 1st place - Deb Rae and
Trey Honeycutt
2nd place- Faye Mills and Will Young
Women's Doubles - 1st place - Tricia
Snyder and Deb Rae
2nd place - Faye Mills and Eva Diekmann
2nd place - Will Young and Herbert
Simmon.
A great day of pickleball……..Congrats
to the winners.
If you have ANY
story, news or information from your area that you would like to share with our
readers in our monthly newsletter or on our Website, please send it to Donna
Donald at rddonald2@gmail.com
