Stay Out of the Kitchen!

One of the ambassadors up in the Jacksonville Beach area posted this in their recent PickleGram that she sends to the local players.  I thought it was a good write up and wated to share with our players.


A clip from a Pickleball website in regards to the Kitchen:

 “Recently watching a match where a player, (the world famous Jim Hackenberg)

while returning one of those aggravating net-nippers, literally went into the kitchen and laid down during a point.

 His opponent, Josh Grubbs, then tried to hit a dink shot into the kitchen, intending to land it on the now-prone Hackenberg. However, the dink landed successfully in the kitchen, but missed Jim. Jim calmly sat up, while still in the kitchen, and hit the ball back over the net for a winner.

The bottom line is, you can start a point in the kitchen if you want. It's your kitchen. Use it whenever you like. Yes, you can go into the kitchen any time you want and stay as long as you like. Just don't hit a ball out of the air while you are in there.

 And remember, when you leave the kitchen, both feet must be on the ground outside the kitchen before you can hit a ball out of the air”.

Hi to all Pickleball Players ,

We would like to announce some upcoming dates for tournaments in and around our region.  We are proud to be the tournament directors for these tournaments and we hope that you will all make an effort to support these tournaments as players and/or volunteers.

Tournament information and registration sheets will be available on the USAPA website, the Atlantic South Region website,  and on www.pickleballspecialties.com after May 1, 2013.  We are working on a couple of more tournaments that will be announced as soon as the details are all set.

June 15, 16 2013 :        Orlando ClearOne Doubles Invitational, Orlando, Florida

                                                     Sanctioned Tier 4 Skill/Age Combination (Indoor)                                                                                                          

                                                            

August 17, 18 2013:     Palmetto Indoor Pickleball Doubles Invitational, Aiken, S.C. 

                                                       Sanctioned Tier 4  Skill/Age  Combination.                                                                

                                              Social meet and greet on Friday evening August 16.                                                                                                 

                                                

Sept 13,14,15 2013:     Battle of Franklin, Franklin, Tennessee  

                                                Sanctioned Tier 4   Age Level Tournament

Oct 25,26,27 2013:       Tampa Bay Senior Games, Tampa, Fl  

Nov 1, 2, 2013:              Myrtle Beach Seaside Classic, Myrtle Beach SC,

                                              Sanctioned Tier 4 Age Level Tournament

                                     Dinner Dance on Thursday night, October 31

Dec 14, 15 2013:          4th Annual Riverbend Classic, LaBelle, Fl  

                                             Sanctioned Tier 4 Skill/Age Tournament

Jan 31, Feb 1,2 2014:   Atlantic South Regional, Naples, Florida  

                                             Sanctioned Tier 3 Age Level Tournament 

                                     Social dinner Thursday, January 30, 2014                                           

March 21, 22, 23 2014:  East Naples Skill Level Tournament, Naples, Fl.    

                                            Sanctioned Tier 4 Skill/Age Tournament

Registration forms, flyers, and on-line registration will be available after May 15  for the June, August and September tournaments.  Check back often for additional tournament forms.  

We look forward to seeing all of you!!

Cindy Eddleman

Nancy Meyer

Tournament Co-Directors

USAPA Ambassador from Wesley Chapel

Don Bass,
Ambassador, Wesley Chapel, Fl

Our very own Meadow Pointe Player, was recently appointed as the USAPA Ambassador for Wesley Chapel, Fl.   The following appears on the USAPA Atlantic South Region Ambassador Profile page................  He joins more than 50 other ambassador who represent the State of Florida.

Don was born in Brooklyn, New York and af  ter living most of his life in Carmel, New York, was transferred to the Tampa Bay area in 1990 by AT&T along with his wife Linda. He is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University and is now actively engaged in his second career, this time as a Broker Associate selling residential real estate throughout the Tampa Bay area. Don was introduced to Pickleball by our current Regional Ambassador Donna Donald and her husband Rich (ambassador, Florida Heartland) back in the winter of 2007 and fell in love with the game. He continues to help organize a group in Wesley Chapel that plays in the Meadow Pointe (MP) community. He has encouraged new players in the surrounding community and taken part in demonstrations at local schools and neighboring communities helping them get their groups started. He plays 3 nights a week with his group in MP and wishes he had the time to play more. He hopes to take a few of the MP players with him to the upcoming tournament in New Port Richey, FL and then to Temple Terrace, FL to help introuduce pickleball at another new pickleball facility in Tampa Bay.

Congratulations, Don!

MP Players on the Road

Submitted by
Don Bass


 On Saturday, January 12th, eight of our local players from Meadow Pointe (MP) took part in the Warm Up to the Geezer Meister tournament doubles competition in New Port Richey

Congratulations to our winners! Karen Hinnen and Marilyn Howell - First Place in the Ladies Doubles,

Chris Atkinson and Zach Hinnen - First Place in the Men's under 55 Doubles -

Tom Saxton and Ernesto Diaz - Second Place the Men's under 55 -

....... and on Sunday four of us competed in the mixed doubles.
Karen Hinnen and Zach Hinnen won 2nd Place in the under 55 category.

 Below is a group photo!

 On Monday January 13th, five members of MP joined me and Hudson, FL ambassador Lee Boerckel, in presenting a pickleball demonstration at the Temple Terrace Family Recreation Complex.

Special thanks to our MP volunteers  that joined me :Renee Glassman, John Hutton and Suzi and Pat Zwolenki. The turnout was light as seen in the photo, but several more ladies attended later in the two hour session.  While it was not very well organized by the  Recreation Center, our  hope is that a few of the employees at the Recreation Complex learn to play the game, in order to be available to guide anyone new coming to learn to play in the future.