ATLANTIC
SOUTH PICKLEBALL
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
March 15, 2013
A Message to all our Readers:
I
want to extend a very sincere Thank You… to my fellow ambassadors and to all my
fellow pickleball players across the region that have supported me over the
past, almost FIVE years as I served as your Atlantic South Regional Director.
Unfortunately,
circumstances now dictate that I step down from my post and pass the baton. I will remain in this position until the end
of May, 2013. Ambassadors will be
notified when a new director has been appointed.
This
newsletter has been my way of communicating the growth, the success and the
great fun that we have playing pickleball here in the ASR. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as
I’ve enjoyed sharing the stories…………. So
many of you have given us such great feedback on the newsletter that we are
looking at some alternatives to bring it back – perhaps on a quarterly basis. Until that time, continue to watch for new
ambassador news, tournaments, upcoming events and more great stories on our
Atlantic South Website! http://www.south.usapa.org . Keep Swinging!
Donna
Donald,
USAPA
Ambassador, Florida Heartland
WELCOME NEW AMBASSADORS
FLORIDA
Russell Elefterion, joins our Atlantic South ambassador family
representing the Tampa Bay area, specifically North Tampa, FL. He has been working in Parks and Recreation
for the past 34 years. He is a past USTA tennis professional who has recently
taken up the sport of pickleball.
At
the Northdale Recreation Center, pickleball went from a half dozen players to
over 60 players in just 6 months! Russell provided pickleball training
for over 30 players twice a week and takes his entire program on local field
trips one Friday a month to play other Pickleball clubs. As an advocate for Parks and Recreation and to
promote the game throughout Florida, Russell has offered to take the lead in
setting up a seminar at the annual FRPA (Florida Recreation and Parks
Association) meeting. If you are in the Tampa area and looking for
a game of pickleball – give Russell a call .
Bob Hofmann joins our Ambassador family from Davenport,
FL. In the summer of 2008
Bob and his wife Beth left the great White North of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin to
take up year round residence at Del Webb Orlando. When Bob was up North he was a Project
Engineer for Harley-Davidson with his last project being the lead for the V-Rod
Muscle. Bob also was a Motorcycle Safety
instructor for over 20 years, and he was a Weight Watchers Leader for the last
4 years he was in Wisconsin.
The
great recreational facilities at Del Webb Orland, which include 4 lighted
courts that are dedicated to pickleball, opened in April 2011. Bob and his neighbors dabbled with this new
sport during the summer and play accelerated in the fall. This led to the
forming of the Pickled Webbers Pickleball club in the Dec. 2011, of which Bob
was a charter member. The Pickleball bug
was alive and well at Del Webb Orlando.
Bob became president of the Pickled Webbers in January 2013.
Bob
saw the value of Pickleball ambassadors in 2012 when his club contacted Larry
Judd from Lake Ashton and asked him if he could come to Del Webb to give
pointers and basic instruction about the game.
Larry and some of his pickleball players made the journey up to Del Webb
and spent a morning teaching and coaching the Webbers about this great new
game. Bob and his players were truly
impressed by Larry’s skill and love of the game. Larry must have done a great Job because when
Bob and Del Webb played his club in the South Central Florida Pickleball
League, (SCFPL), Del Webb almost pulled off an upset, but Lake Ashton pulled
out the victory in the final match.
Bob
looks forward to sharing his love for pickleball with all the new people that
will be moving to Del Webb Orlando in the coming months. He also looks forward
to continued participation in the South Central Florida Pickleball League and
for any opportunity for he and his fellow Webbers to go and help a community
get a new program going just like Larry Judd did.
Bob
also would welcome other Pickleball clubs to arrange a play date with the
Pickled Webbers. Bob said, “Playing
with other communities has many advantages. The Del Webb players thought they
were playing OK until they faced Tanglewood in SCFPL play. They took us to school, but because of that
match we are a better team today, and we had some great games and made some new
friends along the way”.
Verna Griffin/Sandy Hooker, Jacksonville Beach Area, FL: I found Sandy via the “Places to Play” on the
website. I was thrilled to discover she lives just a few blocks from me. Our
partnership will truly benefit the promotion of Pickleball. I am retired and
Sandy is only off on weekends. We are setting up play time during the week and
weekends.
With
our list of player interest by way of their emails, what could be better than
sending them the Atlantic South newsletter? Along with demos, clinics, open
play, we are in the process of writing an article for our small local beach
newspaper, The Beaches Leader. The newspaper is always looking for
interesting news involving the residents of our community.
Our
goal is to provide public courts for players. Right now the Isle of Palms court
is the only public court in our area. We want to change that status to more.
The city of Neptune Beach will be approached to utilize their lighted tennis
courts for dual purpose. One by one, we will approach the other two communities
for courts. (Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach) It is a matter of timing.
Wish us luck!
Samey
Noori has been appointed as our ambassador for Pinellas County, FL. Sammy
is a recently retired Security Officer He is a tennis instructor with a
classification of 4.50 and is a certified bridge instructor and director for
the City of Dunedin. “I have played
tennis both personally and competitively for about 30 years. About one year ago I was introduced to the
game of pickleball and soon became very passionate about the game. I quickly
mastered the game, and am constantly trying to recruit players. The benefits of
this sport cannot be disputed both physically and socially.”
Samey
is currently the Operations Manager of the Sunrise Pickleball Club at the Countryside
Recreation Center, in Clearwater, FL and is also very involved with the
pickleball club at the Long Center in Clearwater.
“I recently contacted The
City of Dunedin and the City of Palm Harbor to establish pickleball as part of
their activities. Both cities showed a great deal of interest and are actively
pursuing possibilities. In the city of
Dunedin we have organized an outdoor venue on the tennis courts with an attendance
of 12 people. The city has committed to permanently mark the outdoor tennis
courts for pickleball use.”
NORTH
CAROLINA
Mike
Hargett
joins our ambassador family from Salter Path, North Carolina. Salter Path is
located on a barrier island in Carteret County,
bordered by Bogue Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. After graduating from the
University of Alabama in 1970, he served in the US Army for twenty six years
followed by starting and owning a Department of Defense Consulting Firm in the
Washington D.C. area. He retired in 2009 and remained active in sports through
Cycling, Basketball, Kayaking and any other games he could find to play given
the limitations of growing older, but not up.
A
North Carolina native, he returned to the Tar Heel State in 2008 on a part-time
basis and served on the Pine Knoll Shores, NC Parks and Recreation Committee.
The committee’s main focus was the Annual Hope for the Warriors Kayaking Event
designed to raise funds for the Hope for the Warriors Foundation. In addition
to working on the Kayak event, the group started an annual Bicycle Race named
Le Tour de Bogue Bank’s to raise funds for Hope for the Warriors. Last year
these events raised $46,000 for this great cause which was organized by a town
with only 400 (+ or -) full time residents.
He
found pickle ball last year while playing tennis in the Carteret County Senior
Games- they had a demonstration court set up and invited Senior Games
participants to give it a try. It was love at first “Volley” and he has been
playing twice a week since and encouraging anyone he meets to give it a try.
Carteret County has its first local tournament beginning on April 4, 2013.
SOUTH
CAROLINA
Darcy Hayes joins our ambassador
family from Lake Wylie, SC : I
am an empty nester. My husband works hard and I play hard. Our two
boys, 23 and 26, live in Philadelphia, PA. I am an avid tennis player and
golfer, in season. I'm learning bridge and love pickleball now! I
need a few more hours in the day!
I
found out about Pickleball at the end of December 2012, from a Christmas card I
received, noting a friend's love of the sport. I googled it, watched the
videos, and found out where they were playing it. I went to watch, got to
hit, played three games and I was hooked! I knew I needed to get this
sport in my neck of the woods.
We
have moved around a lot with my husband's job and have told my friends in
Pennsylvania, California, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Canada, Texas, Georgia,
North and South Carolina about pickleball. I posted it on Facebook so any
of my friends from all our moves (16 in 30 years!) will see it and maybe look
into it.
I
feel like an Ambassador at Large!
RECENTLY
IN THE ATLANTIC SOUTH NEWS:
Delray
Beach Senior Games: This year the 23rd Annual Senior Games took place
in Delray Beach, but on February 14, 2013, pickleball was included in the games
for the very first time at the Delray Beach Community Center (DBCC).
According
to Bill Jordan - There were 22 registered
players, two from out of town and the rest local players. The brackets were set up in three age groups,
50-59, 60-69 and 70 and up. It was double elimination, with the losers
going to a loser bracket with the chance to work up to play the top of the
winner’s bracket. I chaired the event but had great help from my committee
Steve Gerus, Mike Thaler, Aileen Tuckman and Sharyn Rosenberg along with many
volunteers and great support from Tom Kwiatek from DBCC.
.JPG)
Charmaine
Daniels shared some great photos from the day. In heated competition in the top photo, Pam Garcia and Sam Cialdella
took on Sharon Rosenberg and Stu Hausberg during the mixed doubles play. And
talking home the gold in the Delray Beach Senior Games Mixed Doubles draw is
Mike and Sue Thaler. CLICK HERE for all the tournament
winners.
Marcus
Jewish Community Center of Atlanta – Pickleball Tournament: On Sunday, March 3, 2013,
the MJCCA Mature Adults hosted their second Pickleball Tournament. The tournament as host to 42 players from all
over Georgia – Chateau Elan, Lake Oconee, & Dunwoody ranging in age from 16
– 99. A great day of pickleball was had by all.
Grandfather Jerry Schwartz & Grandson Jared
Cohen both players from MJCCA, finished
in First Place.
Organizers are hard at work on a Tournament date
for August. The August tournament date will be announced the week of 3/18
and early bird pricing will be available.
CLICK
HERE for more photos and to read more about pickleball
at MJAAC.
Gulf
Coast Senior Games: Scott Jalwan, Manatee
County (FL) Parks and Recreation Supervisor and Senior Games director reports: the Gulf
Coast Senior Games Pickleball was held at the Englewood Sports Complex in
Englewood, Florida on February 19 and 20, 2013. Doubles was held on Tuesday the
19th and Singles and Mixed Doubles were held on Wednesday the 20th. We had 10
men in the singles, 17 men double teams, 9 women double teams and 13 mixed teams
competing in different age groups. CLICK HERE for tournament
winners:
Tournament
Directors Nancy Meyer and Cindy Eddleman were pleased with both the turnout and
the level of play.
The City of Fort Myers was thrilled to see pickleball come to their venue. City officials were impressed with the level of play during the tournament and were totally amazed at the number of participants who came to Ft. Myers to play. The Skatium has open play Monday-Friday from 8-noon. CLICK HERE for tournament winners. CLICK HERE for photo gallery
The City of Fort Myers was thrilled to see pickleball come to their venue. City officials were impressed with the level of play during the tournament and were totally amazed at the number of participants who came to Ft. Myers to play. The Skatium has open play Monday-Friday from 8-noon. CLICK HERE for tournament winners. CLICK HERE for photo gallery
The
morning qualifying round started at 9am.
Players’ scores were used to seed them into the afternoon
double-elimination bracket tournament. Players
were matched with others who had equal or similar scores and were paired as
partners for the afternoon. All 24 players then played a standard
double-elimination tournament for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. Play
concluded at 3pm after some very exciting finals-round matches. All
24 players enjoyed a wonderful day of vigorous competition and camaraderie.
Pickleball
is gaining steam every month at Cypress Cove, where we play at least
five mornings a week year-round in a tropical garden setting next to a
private 80-acre lake. Contact Mike Sullivan at pickleball@me.com for information
on visiting and playing Pickleball with the fun, friendly folks
from Cypress Cove! CLICK HERE for full story and more
photos!
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
- 2012 Good Life/Pinellas Senior Games, March 11 – 12, 2013, (Doubles) Seminole, FL. April 1-2, 2013 (Singles and Mixed Doubles) Clearwater, FL
- Capital City Senior Games, March 15-16, 2013, Tallahassee, FL
- Charlotte County Senior Games, March 15-17, 2013, Punta Gorda, FL, USAPA Sanctioned (Tier 4)
- Heartland Senior Games, March 15-16, 2013, Sebring, FL
- Pickleball Open House, March 16, 2013, Nano Sports, Matthews, NC
- 3rd Annual Riverbend Resort Classic, March 23-24, 2013, Labelle, FL – Skill Level Tournament open to ages 16 and up.
- Gardens Senior Games, March 27, 2013, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
- 2nd Annual Englewood Pickleball Tournament, March 29, 2013, Englewood, FL
- Exhibition and Learn To Play, March 29, 2013, Wake Forest, NC
- Pickleball Skills Clinic ( all levels of play), March 31, 2013, Raleigh, NC
- Pickleball Demo/ Brunswick County Gator Senior Games, Opening Ceremonies – April 3, 2013, Winnabow, NC
- Pickleball Demo/Clinic, April 5, 2013, Oakland Park, FL
- East Naples Skill Level Tournament, April 5-7, 2013, Naples, FL
- Carteret County Senior Games, April 11, 2013, Moorhead City, NC
- Inaugural Hillsborough County Indoor Pickleball Championships, April 11-12, 2913, Tampa, FL
- Greater Greenville Senior Sports Classic, April 15-19, 2013, Greenville County, NC
- The Villages Senior Games, April 18-20, 2013 The Villages, FL
- Cherokee County Senior Games, April 19, 20132, Waleska, GA
- North Florida Spring Pickleball Challenge, April 20, 2013, Ocala, FL (Del Webb Communities Only)
- Macon County Senior Games, April 22-24, 2013, Franklin, NC
- Pickleball Demo/Clinic, April 25, 2013, Pine Island Park, Davie, FL
- 2013 Pickleball Doubles Tournament, April 26-27, 2013, Hilton Head Island, SC
- Pura Vida Pickleball Adventure, May 2-9, 2013, Westin Playa Concha, Costa Rica. (Registration is Full – Closed)
- Mid-South Regional Tournament, May 30 – June 2, 2013. Mandeville, LA
- National Senior Games Association (NSGA) Pickleball Tournament, July 21 – August 5, 2013, Cleveland, OH
- Lake Lure Olympiad Sport Festival, Pickleball Tournament August, 23-24, 2013, Lake Lure, NC
- 1st Annual Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament, November 1-2, 2013, Myrtle Beach, SC
REPORTING IN FROM ACROSS THE REGION:
FLORIDA
One of our goals is to acquire courts with lights.
Neptune Beach has 3 tennis courts at Jarboe Park. Ambassador George Catalano of
Jacksonville is joining forces to help with a presentation to the city of
Neptune Beach along with their request to allow the center court to be painted
with two Pickleball courts. By offering the game at night, it will provide the
opportunity for even more players to join in the fun. ,. There is a charge of
$5 per player per day. There will be
three indoor Pickleball courts set up in the gymnasium. Anyone interested can
call the center at 561 742 6550,
or contact me directly 561 758 1281,
or pickleballbob@gmail.com
Dick Freshley, Palm
Beach County, FL
I was one of the loyal Pickleballers that attended
the first day of play at the Hester Center in Boynton. It was a smashing
success. I counted 42 people! Bob and Eileen did a great job
coordinating and getting everything set up. Tod, the Hester
Manager, was amazed, and of course pleased, at the turnout. There were
already twenty players waiting at the door when he arrived to open the facility.
We can now play Pickleball somewhere, every day of the week (except Sunday), in
Palm Beach County.
My wife and I were invited to play
at Poinciana with some people we met at Hester. We had a good time
playing there, under lights, last night. Poinciana is a huge senior
development. There must be thousands of residents and the game will surely
take off there as well.
Russell Elefterion, Tampa, FL: A reminder to the pickleball players
in the Tampa FL and surrounding areas:
Hillsborough County Parks and Rec and the Northdale Owls will be hosting
their Inaugural Indoor Pickleball Doubles Championships on April 11 and 12,
2013 at the All People’s Life Center in Tampa, FL Registration is limited to the first 24 teams
in each division so register now and join in on all the fun! CLICK HERE for links to the tournament flyer and registration/waiver
forms.
Jayne Rogers, Naples, FL: The
first, and hopefully annual, Foxfire-Lakewood Country Club Jamboree was held on
Wednesday, March 6th at the Foxfire Community located on Davis Blvd. in
Naples.
Thirty plus players convened for two hours of social
pickleball play. The sound of laughter
was ever present and despite the cold and strong wind everyone had a great
time. Following the playtime, the
members of Foxfire hosted a delicious buffet of snacks and hors d'oeuvres and
all the players mingled and got to know each other better. Many found that the world is indeed a small
place as players were from the same hometowns, and paths had crossed before.
Thanks go to Arland "Mud" Waters, and
Cathy Connors, along with the entire Foxfire group for hosting such a wonderful
event. Perhaps next season these groups
will be able to have some competitive interclub play!
Cindy
Eddleman/Nancy Meyer, N. Ft. Myers, FL:
Our last tournament of the 2012-13 season will be the East Naples Skill Level
Tournament at East Naples Community Park on April 5,6,7 2013. We are
excited to offer a new format which will include skill level and age
level. The 2.5 skill level will have ages 35+ and 65+. The 3.0, 3.5,
4.0, 4.5 skill levels will have ages 35+, 50+, and 65+. The 5.0 skill
level is open to any age level.
There will be 16 lighted courts. This is a
double elimination tournament. If there are 4 or fewer teams in a
bracket, a Round Robin format will be used in those brackets. This is a
USAPA sanctioned tournament. You do not have to be a USAPA member to
participate, but must be at least 16 years old or older by December 31,
2013.
We would like to thank all of you for your
participation in all of our South Florida tournaments this year. We
appreciate all the support for the tournaments and we have been absolutely
thrilled with the level of competition in these tournaments. It has been
fantastic! We hope to see all of you at
The East Naples Skill Level Tournament! Please encourage all your friends
to participate; this will be a great event for all levels of play. CLICK HERE
for links to the Tournament Flyer and Registration forms.
New information is now available for reduced hotel
rates AND a special presentation by
Greg Gott, Vice-President and Operations Manager for Pickleball,
Inc. in Seattle, Washington who will be attending the tournament.
Pickleball, Inc. is the Gold Sponsor for this tournament. CLICK
HERE
GEORGIA
The Hospitality Room at the Cleveland Pickleball Tournament
not only had water and fruit for the participants, but also a large bowl of Almond Granola. Small Dixie cups were available for scooping a little energy food. Everyone loved it - so I thought it would be something good and unusual for the newsletter, so I am sending the recipe from Tennessee club member Kristin Beasley. I changed it somewhat by adding an additional cup of roasted Texas pecans and increased the amount of golden raisins to 3 ½ cups. I also used 1 cup shredded natural coconut. Tweak it to fit your own taste! CLICK HERE for your recipe for Almond Granola Pickleball Snacks!
NORTH CAROLINA
Joe
Borelli, Raleigh, NC: A reminder to the Raleigh players or players
visiting the area. A Pickleball Skills
Clinic will be held and all level of players are welcome. The facility includes
3 indoor courts. Instruction for beginner players will include rules
overview, equipment, serving, pickleball strokes, volleys, dinks.
Intermediate instruction on shot selections, game strategy, court
positioning. Saturday, March 30th, 9:30 am to Noon. Brier Creek Community Center, 10810 Globe
Road, Raleigh, NC (919-420-2340)
Marty
Smith, Leland-Brunswick County, NC: Brunswick Forest now has
over 30 residents playing pickleball, what a joy to see. I've been asked to put
on a demonstration of pickleball at the opening ceremonies, to the Senior Games participants on April 3rd
by Khrystye Haselden, 55+ programs coordinator, Brunswick County Parks and
Recreation.
Coming soon are 4 new
courts, raising their court total to 5.
Bailey’s Glen hopes to sponsor a tourney sometime later this year if the
courts are completed on time. Check the
web site and visit them should you be in the area. Visit us at http://www.baileysglen.com/
Two
pickleball clinics were held this month.
The first was March 7 at the Aquatics & Fitness Center, 921 Staton
Rd., Greenville, NC
This
picture was taken during the Greenville
clinic and below is a note from John
Barrow, the Center’s Recreation Assistant,
Thank
you so much for coming last Thursday. We thought the event was a complete
success. We had 23 people attend with the majority of them non-members to
our facility.
Several people commented
on how much they enjoyed the event and the sport. We also had many people
interested in us starting open play for pickleball. Per that interest, we
are moving forward with purchasing the equipment needed. Hopefully we
will have day and time set by end of April for open play. This would not
have been possible without your help. Thank you again.
And
here are a few pictures from the second clinic on March 8th, at The
Bobby Andrew Recreation Center, 231 E. 7th St., Washington NC. The
contact there was Frank Rhem of the Washington Senior Center. This one was also a great success. There were
23 senior participants all from Beaufort County.
Mike and Nancy Falkenstein, Franklin, NC Blue Ridge
Mountains Pickleball has welcomed 4 new players! Two are
"old-time" tennis players and two are "newbies".....the
tennis players were hooked immediately!
It has been a little
cool up here in Western North Carolina....Presidents Day a group of hardy souls
braved 22 degree weather and played outside as the Armory was closed for the
holiday. Would you believe it took about 4 cracked balls before we
realized the darn things were frozen! So we sat on them like eggs and
that fixed it! (just kidding).
Our Senior Games are
closed but we will be playing Pickleball April 22, 23 and 24, in the Armory.
When the tournament is completed we will move outside using the Armory
only when the weather is bad. Our Parks and Recreation Department
promises to have 2 Tennis Courts lined in paint for Pickleball (the tape didn't
hold up very well) giving us a total of 4 Pickleball Courts. The two
tennis courts are lighted and the nets up all the time so our folks will be
able to play any time!
Don and Judy Wirth, Naples.
FL residents in the winter and summer Franklin, NC, residents report that their
group has grown to over 30 players.....they picnic often after play...and they
have added another court for a total of 4. We are so proud of them for
getting this so well underway in Naples.
As always, the welcome
mat is out should anyone be in our area and want a game!
SOUTH CAROLINA
We gave a short talk on the history of the sport, court
layout and equipment, and rules of the game. We played a couple of games,
and then spent time playing with interested players.
Dena will identify one or two people, possibly staff
members, to train the other players and get the program up and running."
