Meadow Pointe Pickleball

Hey Don Bass................

2012-01-16T08:43:00.001-05:00

WE ARE ALL...........

AND SENDING YOU WISHES FOR A QUICK RECOVERY!!!

Everyone Brings Home a Medal

2012-01-15T21:52:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, January 14th, Meadow Pointe Picklers Pat and Suzi, Chris, Karen and Zachary and Rich and Donna headed out early for the Winter In Paradise Pickleball Tournament which was held at Kings Point in Sun City Center. We've all been there before, and we keep coming back. It's always a great time and some very good competition.

Louann Dubendorf, of the Kings Point Pickleball League is the planner and organizer of this yearly event that draws people from across Florida to play. More than 70 pickleball players braved the 40 degree temperatures to play, ans some from as far away as Satellite Beach on Florida's east coast. Louann always makes you feel welcome, gives you your morning goodie bags with breakfast bars, juice, crackers, cookies or candy bars, plenty of coffee and water, and a guaranteed good time.

Below the group arrives and prepares for the day - passing the awards table and hoping they go home with at least one, checking out their competition and scheduled play, setting up their chairs for the day behind court number three and then settling in to watch the competition.

Below Rich and Chris take to the courts in the Men's Doubles. In the upper left corner is Louann - who partnered with Chris in the afternoon in the mixed doubles. Chris and Louann finished Second in the Competitive Round of Mixed Doubles.

And the ladies played some great games as well. Karen and Suzi partnered up in the recreational round of woman's doubles and finished in Second Place. Karen teamed up with her son Zachary in one recreational division and finished in FIRST place while Suzi teamed up with hubby Pat and they took Second Place! Way to go!!

And I don't need to tell any of you what a great little player our 12 year old Pickler is. Pat and Zachary teamed up in one draw of the recreational play and finished in 4th place behind Rich and his partner Art, and 80 year old from down in Wauchula. Zachary also played in another draw with a gentleman from Sun City Center and they took First Place. I (Donna) was taking pictures most of the day - but I did finish in Third Place in the ladies doubles competitive draw. Don Bass and I were scheduled to play in the mixed - but we all know that Don is recovering from his recent injury. We all missed having him there today.

Anyway - Rich and I have not been to play with you folks in a while, so it was really extra special to meet up with some of the players on Saturday. And, Pat now has all the paper work on how to set up another round robin tournament for all you guys there at home!!!

All the Meadow Pointe Picklers are winners - but for today CONGRATS to all the Winter In Paradise Medal Winners!

2011-10-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION/REGISTRATION

Register Now for Florida Senior Games

2011-07-23T13:49:00.000-04:00

KISSIMMEE/
ST CLOUD
SENIOR GAMES

Single elimination
Best 2 of 3 games
Eleven points

Registration is now open for the Kissimmee/St. Cloud Senior Games. It's been a few years - but we're so glad to be able to enjoy these games once again.

Venuue

Solivita

295 Village Drive

Poinciana, Florida

Tournament Director: Mike Holtzclaw - 863-427-4056

Dates

Mens and Ladies Doublies - Monday September 12, 2011

Check In Time - 8:00 am

Start Time - 9:00

Mens and Ladies Singles - Monday September 12, 2011

Check In Time - 1:00 pm

Start Time 2:00

Mixed Doubles - Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Check In Time - 8:00 am

Start Time - 9:00

Registration Deadline

Postmark by September 7, 2011

For Registration Form and additional event information

CLICK HERE

Single Elimination
Best 2 of 3 Games
Eleven Points

Venue

Vickrey Community Center

2130Summit Blve

Pensacole, Fl

Senior Games Coordinator - Bill Kimball, 850-912-4056

Dates

Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

Friday, September 23, 2011

Start Time : 10:00 am

Check In: 9:30 am

For Registration Form or additional information

CLICK HERE

----------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY SENIOR GAMES

OCTOBER 5, 2011

1910 PEBBLE BEACH BLVD
SUN CITY CENTER, FL

Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles Competition
Single Elimination
Best 2 of 3/Eleven points

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

Deadline for registration - September 23, 2011

Meadow Point Players Medal at Mid South Regional

2011-04-13T11:57:00.006-04:00

MP Picklers Rich and Donna Donald competed in the doubles and mixed doubles competition at the Mid South Regional Pickleball Tournament. This was a USAPA Sanctioned Tier 3 Tournament that took place on April 8th and 9th in Mandeville, LA. Nearly 200 players competed in the tournament from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona and New York. (May have been others - that's all I can remember!) Donna and Rich enjoy the Pre-Tournament Social on Thursday evening. Great food, and a Good Cake!

Rich and his doubles partner, Paul Coletta from Flat Rock, NC went undefeated and took the Gold. Donna and her partner, Diane Ramsdell from Arkansas lost their very first game, but then went undefeated in the remaining round robin games in their split. They lost the first medal match 21-15, but won the second 21-18 for the Bronze Medal.

Rich and his mixed doubles partner (center) from LaFayette, LA also went undefeated in their round robin split. They then had to play three medal round games to 21 points. The second game was a nail biter! They were down 0-10, and then came back for the win 21-15. They took the third match without a problem and brought home the Gold.

"Getting the opportunity to meet and play with so many players from across the country was a wonderful experience, and one we hope to be able to enjoy again real soon"

MP Pickler Brings home the Gold Medal again

2011-03-15T22:57:00.002-04:00

The Heartland County Senior Games were played at the Tanglewood Community pickleball courts in Sebring on Friday and Saturday March 11, and 12. MP Pickler Rich Donald competed in both the doubles and mixed doubles competition.

Rich and his partner Linda Kramer from Sebring took 1st place in the 60-64 age division in the the mixed doubles, and he also took first place in the men's doubles with his partner Roger Carson. It was a great tournament! Even Rich and Roger's friends Silly Willy and Fluffy ( Pickleball playing Bob, and Lavern_ came over from Peace River to watch them play, and managed to get themselves in the picture when Roger and Rich were awarded their medals.

Meadow Point Brings Home The Gold Again

2011-03-04T08:50:00.003-05:00

The Lee County Senior Games took place at the Wa-Ke Hatchee Recreation Center in Ft. Myers on Saturday and Sunday, February 26th and 27th.

More than 100 players participated in Men's and Ladies Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Singles competition in the two day double elimination event. Rich Donald and his partners Gary Shinderle and Linda Kramer took fist place in the 60-69 age division.

Great Job!

CLICK HERE for the photo album of the two days.

Swing into Summer Shindig

2011-03-04T08:35:00.001-05:00

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

Rich brings home the GOLD

2011-02-24T23:53:00.002-05:00

On February 11th and 12 the Collier County Senior Games were played at the East Naples Community Park in Naples, Fl.

More than 90 players competed in the two day event which included Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles. This was a double elimination tournament, best two out of three games in the winners bracket and gold medal matches, and one game to 15 in the consolation bracket.

Rich partnered up with Gary Shinderle from Avon Park and Linda Kramer from Sebring. He competed in the 60-64 age bracket in the Doubles and took first place. In the mixed doubles competiton the age bracket was 60-69.....and he and Gary also took first place.

Rich will be playing again for Meadow Pointe on February 26th and 27th, with the same partners in Ft. Myers for the Lee County Senior Games.

Hiedi- Hi-Ho takes 1at place

2011-02-06T22:28:00.002-05:00

Pickleball players....................and their pets are #1.....

Message from Ruthann.........

Hi, Thought you would get a chuckle from this picture. We were at an RV rally and show in Brooksville Florida this past week. We were in a parade and the theme was "Go Western". AND I HAD A GRRREAT TIME!!

Love ya,
Heidi Hi ho.

Heide won 1st Place.........I think Mom, Ruthann deserves honorable mention, don't you?

Meadow Point Picklers Sweep Mixed Doubles!

2011-02-01T22:38:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, January 29th, MP Picklers, Chris, Karen and her son Zachery and Rich and Donna participated in 5th Annual Winter in Paradise Pickleball Wing Ding at Kings Point in Sun City Center.

Above are some pictures of Rich and Chris who partnered together in the men's doubles competitive draw.

Above are pictures of Chris and Karen who partnered together in mixed doubles, and of Zachary.......YES ZACHARY! He went with his mom to watch the games, but one of the ladies was in need of a partner in the recreational draw of the competition - so Zachary got to compete!

All of us came home winners! Karen and Chris took 2nd place in the mixed competitive, Rich and Nadine took 3rd. Zachary and his partner, Val took 3rd place in the recreational draw, and Donna and her partner Dean took 1st place in the mixed doubles competitive draw.

It was a long day. We started at 8:00 am and didn't finish until after 4:00 in the afternoon. But we all had a great time representing Meadow Pointe in the tournament.

There is going to be another one in April - so practice up- and let's get a bigger representation!

PICKLEBALL WING DING IN SUN CITY CENTER

2011-01-06T15:19:00.002-05:00

Louann and the Kings Point Pickleball Club is holding another Pickleball Wing Ding. Some of you went to the last one, had a great time. Come again!!!! And encourage more of our MP Picklers to come and join in!!!.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

Sweet Sport with Sour Name

2010-12-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

Shout out to The Pickleball Community --

A CBS news reporter and crew visited The Villages approximately 1 month ago, met with many resident players and observed how the sport is taught and played in The Villages. They filmed various pickleball activities to be aired on CBS

Below is the segment that aired on the CBS Early Show on Friday December 17th.
Sweet Sport with Sour Name - Inside the Pickleball Craze -

MP PICKLERS ENJOY RALLY TALLY IN SUN CITY

2010-11-14T14:49:00.007-05:00

What an absolutely perfect day for a pickleball tournament. John and Bonnie, Chris, Karen, Cindy and Rich and Donna represented Meadow Pointe at the Rally Tally Tournament held at Kings Point in Sun City Center. Don was registered to play, but as you all know a recent alergic reaction put Don in the hospital instead of at the tournament. We really did miss having him with us, especially his partners John and Donna!!

Because of the extremely large number of participants and only three courts, the game scoring was changed from the traditional 11 point win by 2, to rally scoring to 13 points win by 2. Rally scoring means that a point is won on every volley regardless of whether you serve or not. Chris thought it would be a good thing to implement at home to reduce wait time between games when there was a large turnout to play.

That is Louann,in the green shirt welcoming players as they arrive to check in.

Each player received a goodie bag upon check in complete with a fruit drink, granola bar, crackers and other goodies.........

Each player/team wore their name tag with their team number. Above is the team play rotation for the opening doubles event. Men's and Woman's doubles were played in the morning, followed by mixed doubles in the afternoon. John, Karen and Cindy only played in the doubles, while Rich, Chris and Donna stayed to play mixed in the afternoon. Donna had to find a new partner!

Above, John waits for his number to be called and Bonne (who was our cheering spectator for the day) settles in. She will soon shed the sweatshirt and work on the "suntan" as she enjoys some really good competition today.

John and his partner take to the court. John and Don were supposed to be partners, but Louann found Mike, a Kings Point player to partner up with John. Both of these guys played some very good, close, competitive games!

Karen and Cindy take to the courts and prevail over Kings Point playes Ellen and Shirley.

And Rich and Chris take to the court for their first game. Both of them started out a little shaky - but had no problem pulling out a win!

Here's Donna playing doubles with her partner, Sally from Torrey Oaks RV park in Bowling Green. They lost their first match - ending up the day with 2 for 5....... No medal today - but lots of fun trying!

Rich and Chris - on their way to the Gold (Blue Ribbon). They won 4 of their five matches. The only loss? Tell you ...........in a minute.

Karen's son Zachary came along today and had a ring side seat to watch the competition and cheer on his mom..........

Meadow Pointe against Meadow Point..........Rich and Chris next have to face John and his partner Mike for their only loss of the day. John and Mike prevail in this game!!

Another shot of some of the spectators/players waiting to play.

That's Chris looking on in the back as John goes for a tough shot and makes a great return.

Rich and Chris win the final game to take the Gold.

Karen and Cindy show off the Blue Ribbons they took for first place in their woman's doubles draw. Great Job!

Rich plays in the afternoon with his mixed doubles partner, Nancy Meyer from Ft. Myers. They took the Bronze (Third Place-White Ribbon). Congrats!!!

Chris and his mixed doubles partner, Louann, win the gold (Blue Ribbon) against second place winners Bruce (Wauchula) and Jane (Kings Point). This was the playoff game for the gold.

Donna teamed up with Don (from Kings Point) and took the gold in their recreational draw.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE MEADOW POINTE PLAYERS. WE ALL HAD A GREAT PICKLEBALL DAY!.

2010-11-14T14:13:00.004-05:00

TO OUR PICKLEBALL FRIEND , D O N

YOUR

HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE COURTS SOON!

A Little Refresher on the Rules

2010-10-31T19:52:00.002-04:00

Pat Zwloenski sent this to most of us and I thought it was worth posting for everyone to see. We all know the rules - but these may be a couple that we forget when we bring in new players. Thanks for sending this Pat!

The latest Rules are found at the following cite: http://www.usapa.org/officialrules/pbrules.html

Among the rules of interest to me were:

Serve Under hand defined: Rule 4.A. 1. "Arm must be moving in an upward arc and the paddle head shall be below the wrist when it strikes the ball.

Rule 4.D.Serves foot fault:
"When the ball is struck the servers feet shall not:
1. touch outside the extension of the outside lines;
2. touch outside the extension of the center line
3. touch the court, including the baseline.( notice this says "when the ball is struck" it appears that after the ball is struck, your momentum can carry you into the court. He is absolutely right!! Once you hit the ball you can move inside the line - but most players know that to stay back after the serve is the best practice.

Non-volley Rules that clarify my erroneous prior understanding: Most of us refer to the non-volley area as "The Kitchen". Rule 9.C. " momentum carries hitting player into the "kitchen" even after the ball is dead(bounces twice on opponents side.)
I always thought that once the ball hit twice on the opponents side you could let go and fall into the kitchen. Rule clearly say "No".Simply can not fall into "zone" even after the ball is dead.
Rule 9 D. Can't be in the "Zone" jump up after a return ball , hit it in the air and land out side the "zone"(acrobatic ability). Both feet have to be outside the zone , on the ground, prior to hitting a return volley.

Rule 12 J. 2. Hitting ball between top wire of the net and the bottom wire is a fault( ball must go over the net, but this seems in conflict with the following rule:

Rule 12. K. If a ball hit at an angle bounces in to the receiving court and the receiving player can hit it around the post, BELOW the net level into the opponents court, it's GOOD.( what happens if you hit it on the near side of the post, but between the net wires? doesn't sound fair, but...)

(Just think of the space between the top and bottom wire as an extension of the net - may help to better understand the rule)

I didn't note the rule number, but its specifically stated that it is a Fault when your ball hits the POST and bounces into the opponents court. Your fault.

Some very good reminders!

Monday night at MPII -

2010-10-19T08:32:00.003-04:00

A good goup of players out on the courts for Monday night play under the lights at MP II.

Waiting for a court to open up are (left to right) Ken, Suzi, Steve, John, Pat and kneeling in the front - Chris and Liz. John (Gardner) was a guest player at the courts tonight, visiting from Rochester, NY. John plays with a group there and was instrumental in getting a venue for the National Senior Games Championships which were recently held at the Main St. Armory in Rochester.

The guys finish their game. Richard, Don, Rich and John. Richard is the newest MP pickler.........

And the ladies smile after their game - Bonnie, Marilyn, Penny and Rene.

Linda stopped on her way home from work to visit with the group and watch hubby, Don play.

And Mark stopped by to harrass the group, or may just his wife Renee!! Just kidding! We miss seeing Mark on the courts playing - but the knees just don't want to cooperate

Good Games and lots of fun tonight!

GRAB A PARTNER AND HEAD FOR SUN CITY CENTER PICKLEBALL

2010-10-17T12:36:00.005-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

AND TO REGISTER

Seating is limited, so bring along your lawn chairs.

Doubles and Mixed Doubles Round Robin Competition.

Register By November 10th

Video from Wall Street Journal

2010-10-17T12:29:00.004-04:00

VIDEO:Move Over, Tennis, Pickleball Is Here!
2 min
A fast-growing sport, pickleball is taking active-adult enclaves by storm. WSJ's Anne Tergesen got a look at how the game is played.
online.wsj.com -

We Will Miss You - Bill and Judy!!!!!

2010-09-12T15:19:00.003-04:00

Rich and I got an e-mail recenly from Bill Wilcox and Judy Paul. It was good news and bad news.

The GOOD news is that Bill and Juday are still in NY, but recently bought a place at The Villages According to Bill - "it's nothing fancy or expensive. We bought in Orange Blossom Gardens We played a lot of pickleball there in March and April and decided we needed to try this place and see what we think. Almost kind of silly to buy a house just to play pickleball, but that's what we did!.......Almost all the people we met were very friendly and were fun to play with.

Everyone at Meadow Point looks for these two to be back and playing in December (AND THIS IS THE BAD NEWS!), but this year they will be playing at The Villages. Bill says that driving an hour each way to MP three times a week was kind of a killer - but " a nice group of people to play with."

Bill and Judy - congrats on the new place - enjoy your pickleball at The Villages. We Will Really Miss You!! Hope you come and visit some time!!!

Update on Support Our Troops

2010-09-12T09:52:00.005-04:00

Following is a response from Ruth Ann on our recent shipment to our troops. Don thought it a good idea to share with all of our generous pickleball players!!

Thanks Don, just a little tidbit for you. I was at the warehouse on Saturday helping with Christmas boxes to be sent and this fellow and his wife came in looking for Bob. He proudly said he came personally from Gainsville to thank Bob and the volunteers for the boxes of treats sent over to him and all his fellow military friends. What a treat that was for me. He will be deployed again soon, but I had to thank him for what he does for us here in the USA. It brings a big lump to your throat to meet them in the flesh.

Ruth Ann

PS if anyone wants to see what goes on at Bob Williams warehouse, they can go to http://www.ourtroopsonline.com/ there is a a great video of it.

Barbeque and Pickleball

2010-09-10T07:53:00.004-04:00

Don Bass reports (and sends us these great pictures!) We had a great cookout on Labor Day. Thanks to Renee, Mark and Penny for organizing it.

A lot of long term veteran MP Picklers in the crowd.But it's great to see some new faces. Judy ( with the visor) played with us for a short time a while back but is now a regular!!!

And this group always welcomes players of ALL AGES! That's Karen and her son Zachary. Zach has football practice most nights, so he and Mom can only join the group to play on Mondays right now. I think we should get Zach's football team on the courts - what about you??

The group moved to the pickleball courts after the barbeque, but it started to rain after just a few games. Probably a good thing! After all that good food!

The group met to play again Wednesday evening, but these late afternoon storms are putting a big hurt on play - The sky opened up before the first game! We'll try again on Friday!

Thanks for the pictures Don.

Continuing Support for our Troops

2010-09-08T10:48:00.006-04:00

To our generous Pickleball players

I just want to update you on your generous donations over the past few months.

I went to the post office today and was able to ship TWO (2) packages to our service people overseas. It was busy in there so I didn't take the time to write down the names the service people who will receive the packages this time.

I am sure they will be very happy when they receive the packages.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, whether it was pocket change or dollar bills . . . YOU ARE GREAT!

Don Bass

Labor Day Barbeque

2010-09-05T12:36:00.003-04:00

Hello Pickleball Players,

It was Penny's idea to get together for a labor day barbeque at Meadow Pointe Two.

Enter the same gate as you would to go to pickleball but continue to end at playground and make a left. There are tables and a barbeque. We will meet by 4:30 PM on Monday for the barbeque and then we will play pickleball. Please RSVP if you are coming. Everyone will bring there own meat for the barbeque and rolls if you are having hamburgers, sausage or hotdogs. Also bring a drink. We all will bring a covered dish to share. Hope to see you there.
We will probably play pickleball at MP 2 on Monday. The rest of the week Wednesday and Friday at MP one at 6:30 PM.

Renee

MP Players Enjoy The Game With The Funny Name!

2010-08-15T16:19:00.007-04:00

For you MP players that do not receive the Meadow Point II Monthly Newsletter, let me share with you the article as it appeared in the August 2010 Outreach

Meadow Pointe II Community Development District - 5
AUGUST 2010

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in our country today. In 1984the USAPA (USA Pickleball Association) was organized to perpetuatethe growth and advancement of the game nationwide and the first official rule book was published. The game captures your interest because it can be played by all ages, requires little equipment or cost and is easy to learn. Pickleball is an exciting game that is played on a badminton size court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center.

It is played with a perforated plastic ball, similar to a whiffle ball, andwood or composite paddles. While easy for beginners to learn, it can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for the experienced player. There are three unique facets of the game not found in any other racquet sport; the underhand serve, the doublebounce rule and the non-volley zone. Like tennis it can be played as a Singles or Doubles game, but points are earned only when serving. The game is played to 11 points. Rich and Donna Donald are Meadow Pointe Residents and Local Ambassadors for USAPA. Back in 2007 they With everyone’s the game had attracted more than 50 players to our courts ranging in age from 17 to 70! At first we had to bring our chalk or tape and put lines on the tennis courts before we could play. But the popularity of the sport was quickly recognized by our Board Members who agreed to have permanent lines painted onsome of the tennis courts.

Our Meadow Point Pickleball players have fun both on and off the court and you can often find
them at the local Pizza Parlor, once they finish playing on Friday nights. They play every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings rotating between the courts at MPI and MPII. Our players range from 14years old, to Senior Citizens, so everyone is welcome. Anyone reading this article can play - and we would love to have you come and join our group. We get exercise,
have some friendly competition, make some great new friends and have a lot of fun. However, we must caution you THE GAME IS ADDICTIVE !!

If you are interested in learning to play or learning more about the game, please contact Renee Glassman at 813-907-7521 / rglassman@tampabay.rr.com or Don Bass at 813-907-5562. They have extra paddles and balls to get you started.

To see how popular pickleball is inFlorida and the Atlantic South Region,visit: http://www.south.usapa.org/

Play Pickleball in International Waters

2010-08-04T16:16:00.002-04:00

First Annual Picklecruise to Bermuda.
May 15-22, 2011
Holland Ammerica Cruise Lines

A very special THANK YOU to San Diego County, CA Ambassador, Audrey Phillips, for coordinating this '11 PickleCruise to the Magic Isle of Bermuda

8 Days/7 Nights on the Deluxe Holland America

ms Veendam

Up to three pickleball courts will be available day and night for your pickleball playing pleasure!

Tell all your pickleball friends that Pickleball is going International!

CLICK HERE for more information and Registration Form

Support the Troops - Update

2010-07-18T09:40:00.004-04:00

An Update from Don on our effort to collect postage money to "Support the Troops".

AND---------------- Send in your group Name Suggestions!!

As many of you know one of our members personally contributed (for her Dad) $100 to Support the Troops, Inc. So, she helped to send about 4 or 5 packages all by herself. I found out she also volunteered at their packing facility one day. We have some great people in our little group!

We have been collecting loose change (and bills) these past few weeks and it totaled enough to ship a package so I went to the post office and picked the box on top of the pile and paid the shipping. We paid to have a package shipped to Jeanne Braswell at the Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

Thanks to all of you who contributed . . . I am sure Jeanne will appreciate it.

Also, on the box there is a place to put the name of who paid for the postage. So, I proposed a contest to see who can come up with a name for our group, so I can put it on the next boxes we ship.

I Found Rich and Dee!!!!

2010-07-17T09:25:00.004-04:00

Looks like our friends are having a great summer. Here they are playing in the 4th of July tournament at the Thousand Trails RV Park in Chesapeake, VA. And here the Championship Winners showing off their coveted prizes!!!
There is a nice story and pictures of the tournament on our friends blog. Click Here and check it out.

Randy and his group get Pickelball Started at Beacon Woods

2010-06-30T10:24:00.004-04:00

Remember Randy and his friends from Beacon Woods that came to play with us here in Wesley Chapel? Well -They finally have a pickleball court to play on........Read more below. Found this in the Suncoast News.

By: CARL ORTH The Suncoast News
Published: June 29, 2010

Pickleball fan Randall Schaeffer whacks the ball in a game at Beacon Woods in Hudson.

HUDSON - Pickleball, anyone? A small group of dedicated pickleball players at Beacon Woods hope to popularize that phrase, much like "tennis, anyone? "

Pickleball is sweeping the nation and a few Beacon Woods residents are playing the hybrid game of tennis and badminton. But a few tennis enthusiasts don't much care for the blue court stripes painted on top of the white tennis boundaries on one of the four courts at the Beacon Woods clubhouse.

.....Ryan, a former Beacon Woods board member, took to pickleball even though he had been an avid tennis player most of his life and the father of a tennis champion. Pickleball can appeal to men and women players alike, as well as people of all ages and abilities, Ryan wrote in a note.

Click here for more pictures and to read the whole story:
Pickleball sparks community controversy

How To Get To The Net After Serving

2010-06-22T09:58:00.006-04:00

Coach Mo's Pickleball Tip of the Month

The serving team is at a disadvantage because the returning team will be at the net before the return of serve is touched by the serving team.

the serving team must get to the net as fast and as safe as possible to level the playing field.

There are three methods to get to the net:
Click Here to Find out which method is the best!

Pickleball Group to Support Our Troops

2010-06-18T07:58:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone

Last night we had a brief discussion about a voluntary fund raising project for the men and women serving our country overseas.

Bob Williams a local business man accepts donations of various treats that our military people enjoy, but are not available to them because of the area they are deployed to. Bob has a web site at www.ourtroopsonline.com
where you can learn more about what he does. There is even a video from a local news station about what he does. By the way his organization is a 5013C operation.

While Bob is very successful in getting the “goodies” and packaging them, postage is a large expense and he seeks help with it from the community.

In the Wesley Chapel branch of the US Post Office on Boyette Road they have packages all ready to be shipped they just need someone to pay postage. I sent one this week that cost a little under $21.

So, going forward I will bring a collection jar to our games for anyone to donate loose change if they want to. There will be NO pressure or obligation to donate, but if you look at the "Thank Yous" on the web site you, will understand how much these men and woman appreciate these packages.

So, each time the collections total near $20, I will go to the Post Office and select a package and ship it from us.

Just another thought, the opening in the collection jar will actually be large enough to accept bills as well as coins :).

Don Bass

2010-06-06T13:27:00.001-04:00

Twelve members of the Meadow Pointe group got together today . . . with their street clothes on instead of pickleball gear. . . . boy everyone looked different!!!

Suzi and Pat organized the gathering at a nearby restaurant called Dunderbox.

Everyone had a great time.

Celebrating Pickleball in our State

2010-06-06T13:03:00.011-04:00

Both our Florida Governor and our Tampa, Florida Mayor helped us to celebrate and promote this great game. Both of them signed and issued proclamations declaring June 1st through June 7th

International Pickleball Week

Click Here to Read Proclamation Issued by Florida Governor Charlie Crist for International Pickleball Week.

Click Here to Read Proclamation Issued by Mayor Pam Iorio for International Pickleball Week

International Pickleball Week

2010-04-13T12:18:00.003-04:00

Fast Growing Sport Celebrates Worldwide with Week of Activities

Seattle, WA (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 13, 2010 -- The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) is pleased to support International Pickleball Week, June 1-7, 2010. A court game of angles and strategies, of position and speed, pickleball is enjoying huge increases in popularity with seniors, school kids and families. During the week starting June 1st the USAPA will be holding events throughout the United States to celebrate the sport and introduce it to new players.

The sport of pickleball is really catching on across the world and is particularly popular with seniors. We intend to celebrate the growth of the sport with our fellow players throughout the world, including locations in Canada, Mexico and India.

Start making your plans now for National Pickleball Week - Get out the USAPA Banners and your camera's and share your celebrations!!!

Click here to read the full release:
International Pickleball Week - June 1-7, 2010

Good Questions From Players

2010-03-25T12:21:00.004-04:00

Quite often Rich and I get questions about the rules of the game of pickleball. We thought these particular questions we recently received from a friend of ours were worth sharing.

Have you encoutered this before - and did you know how to handle ??

Faye: I was playing doubles, the other team was serving to me. The non-server had his back to me walking toward his position on the baseline when the server went into his service motion. I raised my non-paddle hand and said wait. He was already in the process of serving and continued the serve. The serve was good but I did not return it. He questioned why I stopped the point. I explained that his partner was not in position and it distracted me and I had called a let. (I didn't actually call "Let" but "Wait".)

He had several questions after the game -- just wanting to learn the rules.

1. If I had not stopped play, would his serve have been a good serve? (Even though his partner was not in position.)

Answer: Yes his serve would be considered good. The server only needs to make sure that the person receiving the serve is ready. His partner and the partner of the receiver can be anywhere on the court they want to be.

2. My question: Was I entitled to call the let since his partner was not in position?

Answer: NO. If his partner was distrating you BEFORE he started his service motion, you could hold up you hand to let the server know you were not ready. There is nothing in the rules that says his partner must be back at the base line. His partner can be anywhere on the court, so you can't call a let for him not being in the proper position. The server only needs to make sure that the RECEIVER is ready. If you put your hand up AFTER the service motion began - his serve continues.

3. Pertaining to a different game: He was playing doubles on court A when a player fell on court B. He called a let because of the distraction of the player falling. Was that a legitimate let??

Answer: NO - It would not be a legitimate let even if it was on the SAME court. Play continues even if your partner falls.

MP's Pat Zwolenski brings Boy Scout Troop to our Courts

2010-03-11T15:45:00.005-05:00

Story and pictures submitted by our very own Pat Zwolenski....Thanks Pat!!!

Here is a picture of Boy Scout Troop 180 having their Tuesday night meeting at the Meadow Point I Pickleball Courts.

The previous Tuesday, USAPA member and former Scoutmaster Pat Zwolenski, spent time at the troop meeting explaining the history of Pickleball and the rules of the game. Then the next Tuesday they met at the courts and under the watchful eyes of Suzi Zwolenski, Pat Zwolenski, Steve Long, and Chris Atkinson played Pickleball.

There were a few boys who really excelled and challenged Steve and Chris to a game after the other Scouts had left. Although they played very well, they ended up losing to Steve and Chris. Steve and Chris will be presented Troop 180 paperweights to thank them for their support.

Here is a pictue of Boy Scout Troop 180 with their Meadow Point Pickleball Friends. Steve is the one hidden behind one of the boys and holding paddles up like Mickey Mouse ears over two boys.

Sounds like some of these guys are pretty good players- Please invite them back to Meadow Pointe any time......Keep them practicing and we'll set up a Troop 180 Round Robin!!!

Meadow Point Players Medal in Heartland Games

2010-03-08T15:49:00.002-05:00

On Friday and Saturday, March 5th and 6th, the Heartland Senior Games were played at the Tanglewood Community in Sebring, Fl. Rich competed in both the Doubles and the Mixed Doubles competition. He played with Stan Michalski, an RV'er at Torrey Oaks in Bowling Green. They won there first match easily, but then lost. This was a single elimination - so they did not medal.

In the mixed doubles - Rich and his partner Linda Kramer, from Tanglewood were the favorites to win. Their medal match was great - a real nail biter. They lost the first game, but came back and took the next two. Here they are with their Gold Medals.

Donna did not play in the mixed doubles, but finished with the Bronze Medal in the Ladies Doubles competition, with her partner Karen Wolf - an RV'er from Peace River in Wauchula. This was Karen's first time competing in a tournament.

It was a great tournament. We all had a great time. Here is a link to more about this Tanglewood Event!!!!

Heartland Senior Games

Rich will be playing again in the Fit for Life Games in Punta Gorda, and both of them will be competing in the Good Life Games later this month in Seminole. Watch for results!!!!!

Meadow Pointe Takes the Gold in Lee County Games

2010-02-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of pictures taken of Rich playing in the Lee County Senior Games at the Wa-Ke Hatchee Rec Center in Ft. Myers.

Rich with his mixed doubles partner, Linda Kramer. They won every single game they played - and took the Gold Medal. Awesome!!

Here is Rich playing with his doubles partner, Bruce Whitehead. They played some pretty tough matches - but took home the Bronze Medal.

Rich and I are both scheduled to play at the Heartland Senior Games in Sebring next week.

2010-02-26T22:34:00.001-05:00

Disney opens re-branded ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando
by Leigh M. Caldwell (RSS feed) on Feb 26th 2010 at 9:50AM

.....Potrock says while no plans have been announced, there are more than 250 acres set aside for new development at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. And this spring, while dozens of softball, baseball, golf and soccer teams travel down from the Northeast and Midwest to thaw out and train, Potrock's staff is working on bringing down an event for a fast-growing, new sport: Pickleball.

Click on Title to read the entire story!

Hello - From Rich and Donna

2010-02-22T20:18:00.002-05:00

Rich and I have been very busy this month. We held a beginner pickleball workshop at the Lake Magic Encore RV Park, not too far from Disney on SR 192. There were about 13 new players that showed up. Then we did a beginner pickleball workshop and demo over in Ruskin, Fl. This was at the Riverside Club, where more than 40 people showed up.

Then we got to play a little bit at the Winter in Paradise Wing Ding down in Sun City Center. Pictures above are the medal winners. Rich took the Gold in the mens doubles, and Silver in the Mixed Doubles, with Louann (in the pick shirt). I took the Gold in the Mixed Doubles with Gary (the guy standing behind me). It was a real fun day.

We are in Ft.Myers now for the Lee County Senior Games

See you all soon.

Wednesday Night Pickleball

2010-01-15T19:42:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday night we had a great group out playing along with two new guests. Tim Hatzenbeler returned and Gary Ball from Sun City Center came over to play. Tim, Gary, Rich and Chris got their a little early to play some competitive games before the rest of us arrived. But then they joined the rest of us for some really good, and really fun games. Here's a few pictures of the group.

This is Gary Ball playing with Rich in one of the early rounds against Tim and Chris.

And here is Chris and Tim. These four played three or four games together. Chris said later how great it was to play with these guys and experience some different and varied speeds to the game.

Steve and Suzi - Always a tough team!

Here is Don and Pat - WOW - Way to go - Pat!!!

Here's a really good game going on with Tim and Liz (far court) against Judy and Suzi.

Here's Chris back on the court; this time partnered up with Renee.

Tim and Liz - Ready for the next shot!

There's Suzi again!!! This time teamed up with John.

And Rich back on the court playing with Bill.

a Good Volleyer Uses Good Bowling Technique

2010-01-12T16:25:00.004-05:00

Coach Mo's Tip of the Month

A bowler first PAUSES to aim the ball at his target--- steps toward his target--- and follows through toward his target.

A good volleyer PAUSES to aim the face of his paddle at his target--- steps toward this target (if possible)--- and follows through toward his target.

Whenever possible PAUSE to aim (set the proper angle and direction of the face of your"

Tim Hatzenbeler Visits MP Players

2010-01-12T10:23:00.003-05:00

On Monday night MP Players welcomed Tim Hatzenbeler. Tim hails from Stanwood,WA , but a business trip brings him to the Tampa area. He was looking for a place to take care of his pickelball twitch while away from home and we invited him to Wesley Chapel to play with the Meadow Point Players.

Rich and Donna called to warn everyone he was a good player and to bring their best game. Despite the cold weather about 10 players welcomed him to the courts and I understand Steve brought the hot chocolate! I wonder what Tim thought of us fussing about the weather. He showed up in SHORTS!!! Must be he had a good time with the group though - he said he'd be back on Wednesday!

Front Row: MP Players Judy and Cris, Back Row: Tim Hatzenbeler ( Stanwood, WA) with MP Players Bill, Steve and Renee. Also playing that night, but not shown in the pictures was MP Players Pat, Suzi, Liz and Don (taking the photo)

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!

2010-01-10T10:26:00.005-05:00

Despite the frigid temperatures a few brave pickleball players made it to the courts on Wednesday evening. Here is Don, Steve, Bill, Judy, ( I thinks that's Pat behind that furry hood!) Suzi and Chris with his whole family out to watch!! Don even brought along hot chocolate to help keep everyone warm!

2010-01-05T08:41:00.001-05:00

Collier County Senior Games

Pickleball Doubles and Mixed Doubles

Wednesday, February, 24, 2010

North Collier Regional Park

15000 Livingston Park

Naples, Florida 34109

Time 9:30 am

Registration Fee $12 or $15 for late registration

Registration Deadline January 21, 2010

Contact Number 239 252-4000

for more information and registration forms.

Picklers Out on Sunday!

2009-12-27T21:59:00.006-05:00

Rich and I just want to thank all of you who came out to play on Sunday. We were in Meadow Pointe today for a Holiday Dinner with the Bass's. Dinner with Don and Linda is always a good time, but we want you to know how much we enjoyed having you all come out and get in a few games on this chilly afternoon.

Here's few pictures of the group. (Donna is behind the camera!)

Ruthann - Doing great after knee surgery. She was so excited that she was able to play FOUR good games today. Rich and I hope to see you on the courts in Clermont or Peace River.

Mary and Renee - Mary - I think you actually made it through the day without landing on the groud. (I know you went down ducking from the ball one time - that doesn't count!) But those fingers sure do sting when it's cold and they get hit with the ball. Ouch!!!! And Renee - the very first MP resident that Rich and I taught the game to - I know that ball to the nose brought some tears to the eyes...........and Mark better have had dinner ready when you got home.

OK - now what's that saying "The family who Plays Pickleball together............. Bill and Judy have only been back in Florida for a couple of weeks, returning snow birds for NY State. Misty is Judy's daughter - and you would never know it's been nine or ten month's since she's been out playing!! That's her significant other - Al.

And here's Don - "It's up - so we get to server!@!" Don - another of the original MP Picklers - declared himself the winner of the Don Bass Invitational today. It's best not to argue about these things - so Don - Congratulations on getting everyone to shake their heads...........and agree with you!!!!

I don't know Bill - Did he get that ball back or not? The forms' not too bad for an old man who just finished dinner - and chocolate cake!!! And remember Don - Bill is there to back you up if you would just let some of those body shots go!!!

Mary and Renee - Playing against Judy and Misty. But it looks like Renee survived the ball in the nose - and Mary -if you play Bowling and Boxing Wii, like you do pickleball - I ain't playin! And where was Steve today?

Here's Mom (Judy, in the pink) and Daughter (Misty ) showing their pickleball skills agains Renee and Mary. Now Mom is really a good player!!! And Misty - there is no way it's been 10 months since you've been on the courts!!! No one can play that good with a wooden paddle!!!

Here's Rich with Al. There was a whole lot of laughter during this game. Al is officially dubbed the "Instant Replay Guy" Only at the Don Bass Invitational!!

Thanks Guys - You're the Best!!!!

2009-12-22T08:57:00.005-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

TO ALL OUR MEADOW POINTE

PLAYERS

AND THEIR FAMILIES

Burn Calories with Singles Pickleball

2009-12-12T13:49:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone

I found this very good article out on racquetnetwork.com and thought you might enjoy it.
I seldom see articles there about pickleball - but found this one to be very intereting. Click on the title below to read the entire article.

Singles Pickleball Burns Calories
Written by Brent Johner
on December 1, 2009 – 1:59 pm

When two athletic players face each other on a pickleball court, they both get a good cardio workout. Like squash, pickleball played at a high level requires a lot of lunging, a lot of volleying and a lot of fancy footwork. Therefore it is not uncommon to see player heart rates rise into the 150 to 175 range.

.............The quality of the workout depends a great deal on the ability of the players to keep the rallies going, of course. But two skilled players can easily sustain rallies of 15 to 20 strokes each or more.....

Meadow Pointe PB at the National Tournament

2009-11-14T19:59:00.003-05:00

The USAPA National Pickleball Tournament was held the first week in November in Buckeye, AZ. There were about 700 participants in the tournament and from everything we've heard it was extremely successful. We spoke with a couple of people from Ft. Myers who played in the tournament, and had nothing but good to say about it.

One thing that was kind of exciting is that "Coach Mo" had a banner at the tournement advertising his website: www.pickleballcoach.com. On the banner were five of the clubs/blogs or sites, that promote his website. MEADOWPOINTE WAS ONE OF THE FEATURED CLUBS. HOW COOL....................MEADOWPOINTE PICKLEBALL ADVERTISED IN BUKEYE, AZ!

It's hard to see in the first picture. We are the second one from the left, and this is what it looked like.

BE PROUD MEADOW POINT PICKLERS!!!!

TIP OF THE MONTH FROM COACH MO

2009-11-08T18:18:00.000-05:00

PLAY PICKLEBALL LIKE A SMART BOXER

A boxer always jabs with his left hand waiting patiently for an opening to connect with a K.O. swinging right hand.

A pickleball player should jab at his volleys [extension at the elbow joint] waiting patiently for the ball to be the proper height [12 inches or higher above the net] and proper speed [not to fast] before hitting a K.O. swinging
Volley shot.

If a boxer used his powerful right hand too often he would probably be knocked out cold.

The same thing applies to a pickleball player who does not work the point with his jab volley waiting for the proper time for a swinging volley.

COACH MO

Check out all of Coach Mo''s tips at http://www.pickleballcoach.com/

Wednesday Night at the Courts

2009-10-29T13:01:00.004-04:00

We had a total of 13 players on the courts last night. The air was heavy, not a hint of a breeze, but everyone had a great time. Here's a few pictures of the group playing.

Don and John with Penny and Ken - Must be a questionable call?

Don and Marilyn - and that's Rich in the back trying to convince that tennis player to graduate to a bigger ball!

Penny and Chris

Good Game Everyone! Ken and Paula with Renee and John

Marilyn and Paula

Penny and Liz

John and Don

Steve and Rich

And everyone ready to hit the showers - calls it a night - John, Paula, Chris (almost hidden), Josh, Don and Steve

See you all on Friday!

A Great Article on Injury Prevention for our Picklers

2009-10-28T10:41:00.002-04:00

Common sports injuries can be avoided with a little planning

By CAROLINE KLAPPER, DAILY SUN

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:13 AM EDT

THE VILLAGES — Retirement is the time when people finally have the chance to do the things they love, which for many, includes playing sports.

And while playing a sport can be a fun, healthy way for people to enjoy themselves, it also can lead to painful injuries if people forget to take things slowly and listen to their bodies.

Read the Entire Article.......Common Sports Injuries

Welcome Back Pat and Suzi - and where are Rich and Dee?

2009-10-22T16:11:00.010-04:00

Well the summer is winding down and those northerners are starting to head back to the "sunny south" for the winter. If you've been watching the weather reports, it's none too early. In some places the temperatures have dropped significantly and the cold and snow has already started to show is ugly face. If you can't play indoors - you have to head for the south, where the pickleball courts welcome you year round!

Pat and Suzi are back from Washington - where they continued to practice up on the pickleball skills with their group in Bellingham. We're glad to have their smiling faces and competitive spirits back with our Meadow Pointe Picklers. WELCOME HOME Pat and Suzi.

The Pagliaro's, ( or Piscatelli's, or Pagianos?) - anyway - Rich and Dee made it back from Main before Pat and Suzi - but..................off they went again? Where did they go? Well we found them just south of here at the Peace River Campground in Wauchulla, where Rich and Donna are. Here they are on a chilly Monday morning playing their favorite game. As you can see the courts here don't begin to compare with our courts at home - but we still have a great time. They played for about three hours that morning and then made it back to the courts around four in the afternoon for a couple more hours of play. And here they are, enjoying Happy Hour at Rich and Donna's site with some of the other Pickleball players.

Now, we're waiting for Bill and Judy to return from Red Hook, New York. We hope to see them back with our group sometime in November..........Hurry Back Guys!!!!

Tampa Bay Senior Games

2009-10-15T20:06:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Rich and his partners taken at the Tampa Bay Senior Games which were played just down the road in Sun City Center.

Rich and partner Mark Telfer - great play at the non-volley line.

Rich and Mark getting their Silver Medal (Actually they only give medals for 1st place) So they are getting their second place ribbons. Paula Jory, tournament director and Meadow Point resident in the middle.

Rich and Linda Kramer effective at the non-volley line.

Rich and Linda with their second place ribbons.

Meadow Pointe Picklers - Medal at National Games

2009-10-06T00:22:00.001-04:00

Click on picture to enlarge - use back arrow to return to this page

Rich and Donna Donald participated in the National Pickleball Championship Games, sanctioned by NSGA. The Senior event was held in the Ft. Lauderdale area; pickleball was played at the CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. This was a four day event, starting with pool play on Thursday and Friday to determine seeding for the Championship matches on Saturday and Sunday.

Rich took the Gold Medal inthe men's doubles 55-59 age division partnering with Bob Huskey the USAPA Ambassador from Opelika, Alabama. He also took the Silver Medal in the 60-64 age division, partnering with Roxanne Ware from Texas.

Donna took the Bronze Medal in the ladies 55=59 age division partnering with Nancy Jordan from Arizona. She also took the Silver Medal in the mixed doubles 55-59 age division, partnering with David Jordan from Arizona.

For the complete story, pictures and all results click this link to the USAPA Atlantic South website.

National Senior Games Championship

Pictures from Pat and Suzi - They'll be back at MeadowPointe Soon!

2009-09-23T12:42:00.004-04:00

Click on Picture to enlarge - use back arrow to return to this page

Here are pictures of our regular pickleball players here in Bellingham. The
first couple of shots shows us playing on our court in our complex (Sunrise)
and the last one is a steak dinner we had for the group at our place. We
leave Sun morning and home on Oct 15th.

The people are:
Suzi and I with our USAPA shirts
Anne Kauffman - the woman
Jack Kaufman - the shorter, balding guy; not related to Anne
Jim Trowbridge - the taller guy with glasses
Kerry Helm - the other tall guy without glasses.

Pat

Pickleball Tip of the Month from Coach Mo

2009-09-22T15:54:00.001-04:00

"NEVER SACRIFICE PLACEMENT FOR POWER. A SLOW BALL AT YOUR OPPONENT’S FEET IS BETTER THAN A VERY FAST HIT TO THE WAIST.

NEVER SACRIFICE BEING IN THE READY POSITION FOR A BETTER POSITION ON THE COURT. ALWAYS STOP AND BE IN THE READY POSITION AT THE POINT OF CONTACT OF THE BALL TOUCHING YOUR OPPONENTS PADDLE.

THE TEAM WITH THE LEAST UNFORCED ERRORS USUALLY WINS, NOT THE TEAM WITH THE MOST WINNERS.

A GOOD VOLLIER WILL USUALLY BEAT A GOOD GROUND STROKER. THE GROUND STROKE IS JUST MEANS TO GET TO THE NVZ LINE AND WIN THE POINT.

YOUR BEST POSITION ON THE COURT SHOULD BE EITHER ONE FOOT BEHIND THE BASELINE OR ONE INCH BEHIND NVZ LINE. STAY OUT OF NO MAN’S LAND.

THE TEAM HITTING DOWN INTO THE COURT MOST OF THE TIME WILL WIN MORE POINTS THAN THE TEAM ALWAYS HITTING UP,SO KEEP YOUR HITS LOW TO THE FEET. IT WILL PROBABLY BE THE DIFFERENCE IN A CLOSE GAME.

NEVER EVER MISS YOUR SERVE OR RETURN OF SERVE.

MOST OF YOUR SHOTS SHOULD BE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE COURT, OVER THE LOW PART OF THE NET, GIVES YOU A LOT OF LEEWAY RIGHT AND LEFT, AND CAUSES CONFUSION BETWEEN YOUR OPPONENTS.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE WHEN DINKING. DO NOT TRY FOR A WINNER UNLESS BALL IS MORE THAN 12’’ ABOVE THE NET.

NEVER TRY AND HIT A WINNER OFF A VERY DIFFICULT SHOT. JUST PLAY DEFENSIVE AND TRY TO RETURN THE BALL LOW INTO THE COURT."

Read Coach Mo's Strategy Guide for more great pickelball tips. Click here for great pickleball information from Coach Mo - The Pickleball Coach.com

Meet MP Pickler Bob Koryus

2009-09-18T17:55:00.001-04:00

Bob was born in Greenwich Village in NYC during WWII. His early yrs as a youth was spent playing stickball, stoopball, American and Chinese handball, baseball, boxball, horseshoes, botchiball, bottlecaps, some football and some basketball. His youth saw him as a Sea Cadet that elevated him to 1st Class Petty Officer. In JHS he completed in the citywide athletic competition at Randalls Island and won 4 bronze and 2 silver badges in the two yrs he competed... After JHS he went onto skin diving, archery and rifle shooting at Kings Pointe Merchant Marine Academy. After HS joined the US Army National Guard and spent his first 6 months on active duty and 7 1/2 yrs on active reserve. He was deployed during the Bay of Pigs conflict, the Brooklyn Riots and the US postal strike. Bob's full time employment career began in Aug 1962' with IBM and ended with his retirement in Jan 2009' from the IBM Corporation. While employed in his the 1st five yrs in IBM Bob attended nite classes at NYCCC, Queensboro CC and then Queens College. Bob and his wife Lorraine, son and daughter moved to Temple Terrace, Fla in the early 1970's. While a TT resident for 24 yrs Bob was on the TT Citizens Advisory Comm, the TT Optimist Club and Youth Director and was an avid racquetball player and always involved with youth sports with his children. Bob and Lorraine have been residents of MP1 since 1995. Bob and Lorraine have two wonderful grandchildren that reside in MPII and occasionally you'll see the (12) yr old playing Pickleball. Bob enjoys playing Pickleball "nice and easy" and enjoys the fellowship of the other regular players

New Atlantic Soouth Ambassador

2009-09-08T19:22:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Donna Donald for taking on the postion of Regional Ambassador for the Atlantic South Region. Donna replaces Dick, "Greenie", Greenfield in the position.

............................. Donna has worked diligently to produce an excellent monthly ambassadors' letter so that all areas in the Atlantic South have been both recognized and informed. She is individually responsible for the Atlantic South Blog and its content. She is a leader at her home club at Meadow Pointe.

Click here to read the complete article as written by Wayne Roswell on the Tanglewood Blog: Regional Ambassador

2009-09-08T17:02:00.007-04:00

Hi Everyone,

Wish you all could have made it to the Labor Day Jamboree at Kings Point in Sun City Center. It was a great time. We all received our temporary tattos; either the pickleball bug, or the Pickleball Fever Paddle. There were some really good players that came from Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Poincianne (near Orlando), as well as the neighboring Sun City Center Pickleball Club.

Wish you guys could have been there.

Thought we would share a few pictures from the day!

These were the medals that were awarded to the first three place finishers. She gave the pickle ball fever pins to the highest scorers.

This two guys in the front are Clyde and Don and play with the Sun City Pickleball Club. The rest of the people in the picture did not play, but came with signs and pom poms to cheer on Clyde and Don. They were funny!

Rich and I were late to register, so we kind of filled in where partners were needed. This is Rich with one of his partners, Tom, and that is Mary in the back, who is the lady that I played with for the day.

I usually catch Rich with his paddle at his side......or with his back to me. Thought this picture came out pretty good. Here he is playing with Dino.

The weather was wicked - but we kept drinking the fluids. I hope you all will consider joining in on this event next year. Yes - you are all very good players!!!!! And you would have had a great time.

One Night at the Courts -

2009-08-30T10:40:00.003-04:00

Click picture to enlarge -

Use Back Arrow to return

These are just a few of our MP Players enjoying an evening of Pickleball....and stopping for Don's camera to say HI! We hope to introduce them up-close and personal, one by one, real soon. What a great looking group!!!

Meet MP Picklers, Ken and Penny Kauffman

2009-08-25T19:08:00.006-04:00

............at the MP II Courts

Ken and Penny are two of our newest MP Picklers. Residents of Meadow Pointe II, they have one son, still single, who lives in Tampa.

Ken and Penny read our feature article in the St. Pete Times about our Annual Spring Pick-nic and Round Robin Tournament. (How could they resist not joining all those smiling happy faces??)

Pennyis a native Floridian, born in Tampa and then moved to Doylstown PA as a child, then on to Reedsville, PA where she met Ken. She retired from Time Warner/Comcast Cable as a Customer Service Representative - Reedsville PA after several years of working for J C Penny as the Sales Auditor - Lewistown PA. Ken retired first from CNH (Case New Holland) in Belleville PA as Production Manager in 2004 and then again in 2008 from LAMesa RV in Tampa as a driver delivering and buying motor homes all over the country. She and Ken also lived in Washington, DC, (during the tent city affair, for those of you who are old enough to remember what that was) where Ken completed his military service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after a tour in Viet Nam and in Nebraska for three years after being transferred from Belleville, PA.

When not playing pickleball, some of their favorite past times include: Quilting, Reading, Home Improvement Projects and Traveling. Both of them are former tennis players, and it wasn't hard to tell. They both picked up the game very quickly, purchased their new paddles, and come back most every night for some competive games and good fun with their fellow MP Picklers.

We asked them what they liked about Pickleball : "It is easier on the body than Tennis and the people we have met are great."

2009-08-17T06:50:00.002-04:00

Pickle Ball Successs >> A New PickleballBook -

We have decided to combine our two existing books, “Drilling for Success in Pickleball” and “Teaching for Success in Pickleball”. Our new book, “Pickleball - A Guide for Teachers”, will consist of 110 pages - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 - and include........................Click the title above for more details on this great training tool

Learn more about the authors: Mary Littlewood and Sandra Stultz as well as more great training tools on their website Picklebll Success.

Meet MP Picklers, Judy Paul and Bill Wilcox

2009-08-13T11:25:00.003-04:00

Judy Paul

Judy, along with Bill Wilcox, joined our group in January 2009. A native of Atlanta, Georgia and graduate of West Fulton High in Atlanta, she moved to Florida in 1964 and now spends part of the year in Spring Hill, Florida and the remainder of the year in Red Hook, New York. Judy has one daughter, Mistie (who also is a MP Pickler) and two grandchildren. Derek is 14 and Alyssa is 9. Oh my, how fast they grow up! Just the right age to be introduced to Pickleball!!

An Alumni of the Sun Coast Beauty College, she was formerly the owner of cosmetology salons and has now been retired for 10 years. Her favorite hobbies include gardening and horseback riding. Definitely not a novice at racquet or paddle sports, she enjoys playing tennis, racquetball and paddleball. When not on the courts she enjoyed waterskiing and softball. Judy and Bill have enjoyed a lot of racquet sports together and it was Bill who introduced Judy to the game of Pickleball. Like most of us, she gets a lot of exercise playing the game, and likes meeting new people. She also enjoys the competitive nature of the sport. She had the opportunity to play once at The Villages, Florida and about 10 times in New York. Maybe we’ll see her on the courts, showing that competitive nature, at the next Florida Senior Games………

Bill Wilcox

Bill grew up in Baldwin, LI, NY and moved to New Port Richey, Fl from Copiague, NY in 1970. In 1988 he built a house in Red Hook, NY where he now spends about 7 months of the year. The other 5 months are spent in Spring Hill, Florida. Bill is the father of 2, daughter Diana and Tina and the proud grandfather of 2, Dax who is 20 and Alyssa who is 17. (Now they are prime pickleball candidates Grandpa!) He was a body shop owner, and also worked as a carpet installer and a builder. He’s been retired from all of that for 28 years.

He loves playing sports, and has played softball, racquetball, tennis, squash, paddleball and handball…. and 55 years ago, stickball and stoopball....and now he plays pickleball. But this is what he has to say when asked about his hobbies!! “100+mph 18’ inboard flat bottom V-drive race boats, (I have two of them), 1955, 1956. 1957 Chevys (I have 4 of them, 2 convertibles and 2 Belair 2 door sedans)…”

He and Judy Paul have spent the last 10 years of their retirement together playing all kinds of racquet and paddle sports. He heard about pickleball when he read about it being played at The Villages. So, like Judy, he’s played there once and about 20 times in Red Hook, New York.

Why does he play pickleball? “IT’S FUN!! It's a very competitive game and I like going to different places meeting new people."

WE MISS YOU GUYS! Bill and Juday are up in Red Hook, New York right now for the summer. They travel periodically to the Albany/Scotia area for a little pickleball and they have shared a few pictures and a few of their adventures. Hurry back your two - we've got some new players for you to challenge!!!

Friday Pickleball and Pizza!

2009-08-11T07:43:00.009-04:00

Can't believe I'm so far behind in updating this BLOG!!!! Need to go back to Friday..........where once again the rains held off and allowed us to play - Well almost!

First off, we need to officially welcome two more of our newest players.

This is Penny and Ken. They are MeadowPointe I residents who saw our article in the St. Pete Times, contacted the group and are now regular players. Both of them play a great game.........I think we have them hooked! Yes, that's an umbrella. About mid way through the night, we got a light rain. Didn't last long, and we were able to get back on the courts quickly.

Friday usually brings out a pretty good group of players. Tonight we had, Ken and Penny along with our previously introduced new players, John and Bonnie, Chris, Don, Steve, Mary, Renee, Ruthann, Marilyn and Donna. After some mixed doubles play, the guys and gals split up. We had a great group and a few close competitive games.

Ken looks pretty confident that Renee has this backhand shot covered. Bend the knees and follow-through!!!! Great

Don is ready, just in case Penny misses this groundstroke. No problem for Penny.

Here's John and Mary - What form Mary!!! It's always hard to get a picture of Mary - she covers that court sooooooooo fast!J

I think Chris and Bonnie are celebrating after one more winning shot!! Well, for Chris they come pretty natural!!

The four ladies take to the courts. That's Mary and Bonne (far side) returning the shot to Ruthann and Renee.

This is Don and Penny (left) with Ken and Renee, ater the game. Nice game!! Great playing tonight.

Let's go for PIZZA!!
And, continuing with Friday night tradition, here we are at our favourtite Pizza Parlor - Marcos! Rich and I are joined by Don and Linda. Linda does not play pickleball, but always joins the group for pizza!! Next is our new players Penny and Ken, followed by Renee and Mark . Mark had some recent knee surgery, so pickleball is on the back burner right now. And finally, way back by the wall is Mary and Steve.

Good Friends! Great Pizza.........and PICKLEBALL!!!

Wednesday Night Pickleball - Welcome, Ken, Liz, John and Bonnie

2009-08-06T21:58:00.012-04:00

On Wednesday, we played at MPII.........Once again you cut just about cut the air with a knife - the humidity was wicked. But we had a great time. Rich and I were home tonight and were excited about seeing everyone and especially about meeting some of our newest players and we had brought home Coach Mo's new DVD for many of our MP Picklers.

Thanks Bob and Lorraine Koryus ...........we understand you had something to do with getting us a few of these new players.!!! It was great seeing you guys - even if you didn't come to play tonight.

We had a nice group of players out tonight. Rich and Donna, Chirs, Don, Marilyn and Steve and four of our five newest players: Bonnie and John, Ken and Liz. Penny.........hope you can make it Friday!!!

Enjoy some pictures of the group playing tonight.

WELCOME John and Bonnie............ These guys are sooooooooooo nice and picking up the game very quickly. John is definately picking up the game quickly and I'm sure enjoyed some good games with the guys tonight. We had a great time with Bonnie tonight........... stay back when your partner is serving - let it bounce......move to the line........Yes, she heard it all tonight - but kept a smile on her face. We had a couple of really good ladies games tonight. You can be my partner any time, Bonnie!!! And...........fellow picklers ..........Bonnie told me she takes picturs. So we might have a new face with a camera following you all on the courts when I'm not there!!!!

WELCOME LIZ!!!! SUCK IT UP!!! It took a while to get Liz out on the courts. She is not a lover of tennis, so hesitated putting a pickleball paddle in her hand. But it's not hard to tell that she is thououghly addicted to the game now!! And she's playing great - definately better than you would expect after just a few weeks. Marilyn and I had a great game against Liz and Steve. Great vollies, Great Shots.............Great Finish 12-10, Marilyn and Donna!!

OK - What are they all looking at? Where's the ball? Look up, over the trees, just to the left of the light pole.........Chris and Rich keep looking as Liz gets ready for the next shot!

Here is Rich and Liz playing against Ken and Chris. I know you haven't met Ken yet. WELCOME KEN........... Look below and you'll get a good look at Ken's STYLE on the court. Ken - hope your wife Penny can join us on Friday. Part way through the night Ken's back was bothering him............so all of us hope you're feeling better and can get back on the courts on Friday.

Here's our two newest guys, John and Ken partnering together in this game.

Steve and Chris(far side) compete against John and Marilyn. Oh!!! Steve!!!! The ball has to go OVER the net! But looks like John and Marilyn are ready for your return.

Look at that FORM..............and to think Ken is a new player!!!! Marilyn looks pretty confident that Ken will retun this one with NO PROBLEM!!!

Talk about form!!! Here Rich and Steve watching closely to see if Chris is going to pull this one off. Don looks pretty confident that his partner will get this one back. What do you think?

Hope we see you all out again on Friday, weather permitting of course! AND .......LET'S GET A GOOD GROUP OUT FOR PIZZA AFTER PICKEBALL ON FRIDAY!!

SEE YA!!

Pickleball at Highland Lakes

2009-08-01T13:58:00.007-04:00

Hi Everyone!!!

We are having a great time, playing pickleball everyday here at The Villages........but we had the opportunity to visit another community recently, so we wanted to share a few pictures with you. As you know I feature a pickleball club each month in our monthly USAPA newsletter. This past month it was the Highland Lakes pickleball group in Leesburg, Fl. Manny and Marie Cardoza who are the Chair Person (s) invited Rich and I over to meet their group.

They actually made us feel like a couple of celebrities, and had invited players from Legacy, which is another active adult community which neighbors theirs. This is a picture that Marie posted on their home blog. She is so creative. Here is a link to the article that Marie put on their website complete with some really awesome pictures. Hope you enjoy it. Rich and Donna at Highland Lakes

In the meantime........Here are a few pictures of your Meadow Pointe friends, so you don't forget us!!!

This is the pickleball arena at Highland Lakes. As you can see they can set up four courts.

Here is Rich (yes.......our Meadow Pointe Rich!) with Nancy Custard, who is from Legacy
And here is Meadow Point's Donna........playing with Bob Miller who resided at Highland Lakes
We lsot this game.............We were playing against RICH!

Rich Helps Coach Mo at Villages Clinic

2009-07-12T14:11:00.008-04:00

You all know that Rich likes to give "pickleball clinics", so when "Coach Mo" called and asked him if he would help out with one of his clinics Rich jumped at the opportunity. Every time he works with Mo, he learns something new, so it took him about 1 second to say YES! I went down to take pictures, but also got a chance to participate. Now I just have to practice, practice, practice!!

Here's a few pictures from that night.

Mo always has enough instructors there to help him on all the courts. Here is Rich working with his group on lobs.
Having good instructors there to help him, gives Mo the ability to demonstrat a lot of the techniques that he teaches. This is Mo, on this side show the group some of the practice drills with Gold Medal winners Paul Kelley and Peter McNamara

An of course ........here's our Meadow Point Pickler, wearing his favorite "" T-shirt!!

For those of you who may be interestd. Mo's new DVD will be for sale on his website starting on July 13th, and you can pay using Pay Pal. We have our copy already and Rich has watched it at least three times. He does 21 different clinics on the DVD, so if you want to improve your game, it really worth getting. His website is: http://www.pickleballcoach.com/

And by the way - When you join his website you get newsletter every month. It's a great newsletter. ............MeadowPointe Competition showed up on his newsletter..........Now you all areWe were very surprised when the pictues of our winners from our Meadow being seen across the country!!!!

Here's a link to this last newsletter: July Newsletter

Meadow Pointe Picklers -Mark Your Calandars!!!!

2009-07-10T19:35:00.003-04:00

KINGS POINT LABOR DAY JAMBOREE

The Kings Point Pickleball League will be hosting its annual “renowned” Labor Day Pickleball Jamboree on September 5th, 2009 (rain date September 12th ). Registration will be available on the http://www.gotpickleball.com/ website, at the courts during morning open play, at the South Clubhouse receptionist’s desk or by calling Louann at 813-944-8626.

Registration will be open until August 25th.

Event fees are $5.00 per player and will be collected the morning of the event at the sign in table. Kings Point’s residents and non-residents/visitors, at both the recreational level and competitive level of play, are invited to participate and/or cheer on players.

Games in the men’s, women’s and mixed divisions will be included in the day’s events. Players needing a partner are encouraged to register early to allow proper match ups in their category.

Lunch specials will be available for players and spectators.

More details and player/partners listings will be available at the http://www.gotpickleball.com/ website throughout the registration period.

Any questions may be directed to: louann@gotpickleball.com or by phone at 813-944-8626.

This is one of the best fun events in the area......It would be great to have a group of our members there!!

Courts Are Ready

2009-07-08T22:07:00.003-04:00

A Message from Bob Koryus...............

The re-surfacing of the MP1 courts are completed... The lines have been painted red as per Rich's diagram and memo... The tennis players were already making use of court 3 playing singles this evening... Bob K.

P.S. Thank you Keith Fisk (MP1 Ops Mgr) for providing the Pickleball Players with use of these courts...

Meadow Pointe Pickler - Mary Jones

2009-07-04T22:06:00.003-04:00

Meet Mary D Jones

When you meet a Florida resident, one of the first things you ask them is "Where are you from?" It seems that everyone is from somewhere else.......generally up North! But Mary Jones is a native Floridian, 2nd generation, Tampa, Florida. A Budget Analysis for USF, Mary is single, but shares her home and much of her time with her four furry canine companions.

Her job keeps her very busy, but when she can find time between work, her dogs and pickleball she enjoys bike riding, kayaking, crafting and doing volunteer work. She can really move on the court, and that is most likely because of the stamina required when she's playing softball or vollyball.

Good friend Steve Long introduced her to the game of pickleball. We wish her job would allow her to play with us more often. She did find time to play at the Labor Day Pickleball Jamboree with some of our group down in Sun City Center. If you ask her what she likes about pickleball, she'll tell you. "Exercise. Meet new people. I can actually play it!! It's fun, and everyone is so nice."

More recently, Mary competed in our First Annual Pickleball Round Robin here at Meadow Pointe and finished 3rd in the ladies competition. Congratulations, Mary Jones (or is it Long!!)

2009-07-03T22:11:00.004-04:00

WELCOME TO MEADOW POINTE PICKLEBALL KEN AND PENNY KAUFFMAN

Ken and Penny saw our recent article in the newspaper and came to play with our group. We want them to know how welcome they are and invite them to keep coming back. Renee has already added them to our weekly distribution list.

Thanks Don for sharing the good news.

AND ........fellow Meadow Pointe Picklers - I sent a note off to Pat and Suzi to see if they had made it to Washington yet, and to see if they had gotten a chance to play pickleball when they stopped in Las Vegas...........We know you all like to hear about what our fellow players are up to........so here's the note we got back from them.

"We got to Bellingham on the Sat before Father's Day, via Tallahassee to see Jeff, Austin to see Suzi's brother and his wife, Santa Fe, Bandolier Natl Monument, Las Vegas to visit friends from high school, Death Valley, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, and Mt Hood. We didn't get to play PB in Vegas. .............the only times they played out there was in the morning and we were busy then. Their courts were also indoors.

We've played here 3 times with our old group of regulars (5 of us). We play for about 2 hours and seem to get more playing time as you only sit out for one game. Anne seems to win no matter who is on her side. I think she has only lost one game so far. It seems like the games are faster here and more smashing.

Our court here did not have the back line painted so today we painted it and it should be ready for tomorrow. The lines here are painted a light green and are easier for me to see than the red lines at MP1. I think Bob was going to get them to paint the lines blue there. They show up the best.

Suzi's mom flew in on Monday and will be here for 4 weeks. Sunday we are leaving to go to Glacier Natl Park in Montana for a few days, and then back home thru the Canadian Rockies for a few more days.

It sure is nice playing in 70 degree weather with no humidity. I hope to have a few more people playing as we go along and will take some pictures for you. Take care and we'll see you in October"

Coach Mo's DVD - Preview

2009-06-27T16:12:00.002-04:00

Coach "Mo" (aka Dick Movsessian) will be releasing his new DVD which includes 21 pickleball clinics. A preview of what will be included on the DVD is now available on YouTube. Any of you who are serious about wanting to improve your game should not miss the opportunity to get the DVD when it comes out in mid- July. For more great information about the game, visit his website at http://www.pickleballcoach.com/

I have placed a link to the "Preview" that is on YouTube here on our site. Go to the right side of the screen and scroll down - You'll see "Pickleball Clinics DVD Preview" - Click on the picture and the video will begin.

Louann Dubendorf Thanks Rich and Donna for Pickleball Clinic

2009-06-26T16:21:00.002-04:00

Rich and I had a wonderful time doing the recent clinic for the Kings Point Pickleball League down in Sun City Center. I know that we already shared what we did and some photo's from that day, but it's always nice to share what other people write about our Meadow Pointe Group.

Here is a link to an article that was posted on the Kings Point Pickleball League's website. Thank you Louann for you kind words.

Kings Pointe Pickleball Clinic

Monday -Two new Visitors and Some great games

2009-06-23T21:27:00.014-04:00

We had a nice group out playing on Monday. If I remember correctly we had twelve of us out playing. Regulars - Chris, Renee, Don, Steve, Mary, Marilynn, Al, Rich and I. Rick came over to watch for a while and chat with those waiting to play. He pulled a muscle in his leg the last time he played........so all he could do was watch.

WE ALL WISH YOU A QUICK RECOVERY AND HOPE TO SEE YOU BACK ON THE COURTS REAL SOON!!!

Randy Schaeffer, who visited us last Friday returned to play with the group today. We learned tonight that Randy was the one who started pickelball in his home community. He found and printed the rules of the game on USAPA, put out some flyers to recruit players and together the group learned how to play. Tonight he brought two more of those players with him. WELCOME MARY MANNING AND JOANIE KELLER!!!

Randy had asked Rich if he would meet the three of them at the courts before regular play for some training on the main points and strategies of the game. Rich worked with the the three of them for about 45 minutes before the rest of the crew showed up to play.

The level of play tonight was great!!! I know that I was in two games where the final score was 14/12 and 12/10! Like Randy - Mary and Joane were very good players.

That's Rich working with the three of them on the "dink" shot.

Meadow Poine Picklers really enjoyed our visitors tonight. We know Randy will be back and we want him to know he's welcome any time. Wish we could get Joanie and Mary to come back more often. Mary will be travelling with her Soft Ball All Star team. She playes second base.....and sometimes plays shortstop. Then she's off to Washington, DC and then to Texas. Maybe we'll see her again in August? As for Mary.....we hope she can make it back before then. She is the athletic trainer for Pasco/Hernando Community College so will be back to work full time in August.

We managed to get in a couple of guys games and ladies games.......Here's Steve and Chris playing against Randy and Don. I wonder if that ball was out!

And here are the ladies. Another very good game. This is Joanie and Mary (far side) against Marilynn and Renee.

AND BY THE WAY..........I HEARD A RUMOR THAT ONE OF OUR MP PICKLERS HAD A BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK.........TUESDAY???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTHANN!!

New Courts at MP1

2009-06-23T20:37:00.006-04:00

THANK YOU BOB KORYUS!!

While we might be delayed for a little bit from playing on the courts at MP1, it will be worth the wait. Bob Koryus sent an e-mail to all of us with news that plans were underway to resurface the courts this week. Initially, we were not sure that with the resurfacng, that the lines would be re-painted on the courts, and so Bob encouraged our MP1 residents to attend an upcoming MP1 meeting to voice our concern.s

But Bob got back with us today indicating that we would DEFINATELY have our pickleball lines back on the courts!! Great news!!! Being able to alternate between MP1 and MP2 had worked very well, gives us more flexibility and pretty much ensures we have a place to play.

We made sure that Bob was equipped with the correct court dimensions to share with the crew!!

Thanks again Bob.............. from all your pickleball buddies!!

Rich Gives Pickleball Clinic

2009-06-21T23:59:00.007-04:00

On Saturday, Rich did a pickelball clinic for the Kings Point Pickleball League in Sun City Center. Another really hot day even if it was 8:00 in the morning. There was a nice group that attended, from beginners to seasoned players.

The picture to the right is the display case near their courts. Louann is so creative - she always has a great display for the group.

Here are a few pictures from our day in Sun City:

There was really a good group. About 16 or 18, which was a good size for just three courts. Some of the people had only just learned to play. Here's Rich going over the ready position.

The group really had a good time practicing the dink shot. Like most people, once you learn to play you tend to try to hit hard and slam the ball. It really takes practice to master the great placement shots and the ever so effective "dink" shot.

After the clinic, Louann gave both Rich and I a "Pickleball Bug" T-shirt. Louann has a couple of T-shirts on her website http://www.thepickleballbug.com/ that we really like and this is one of them.

The clinic went very well, we had a great time and we got to play a few games before it got too hot!! One of these days we should do a pickleball challege!! Our group against Kings Point!!

Here's a link to more pictures Kings Point Pickleball Clinic

Randy Schaeffer Visits our MP Picklebal Group

2009-06-19T23:00:00.008-04:00

We tried to play on Wednesday, but unfortunately the rain put a damper on that idea! Rich and I took a ride down to MP 1, because it was just sprinking a little in MP2............And you know how it can be raining on one side of the street and not the other!! Steve was there ready to play as well, but the courts were wet and it was still raining, so we took off for home to wait for Friday.

We had a few calls from people looking to play the game after reading about our PB Group in the St. Pete Times or in The Laker. Tonight, Randy Schaeffer drove over from Bayonette Pointe, near Hudson to play with us. There is a small group near his home, but a few have them have taken off to go back north for the summer, which leaves just him and two ladies left to play. Here's Randy out on the courts at MP1 playing with Al Rivera. It was a real pleasure meeting him and welcoming him to our group. AND........he's a darn good player. Randy is bringing the ladies with him to play next Monday....... We love welcoming new players to our MP group.

There were 12 of us on the courts tonight. That's a great number for the summer. There was Renee, Ruthanne, Steve and Mary (Long?), Chris, Brad, Don, Al and Mistie, Rich and I and Randy. It was a very hot, sticky evening.........but we played on.

Here's Don and Brad........Looks to me like their questioning a line call?

I can never seem to get Mistie looking toward the camera.........Looks like she's just trying to stay out of Rich's reach here!!

Steve and Don enjoying a good match.......Great shot Don!!

Yes, the ladies did play tonight! Where are the pictures? Would you believe the batteries in my camera died?? Yes it's the truth. But I'll get them on Monday, along with our new visitors.

Meadow Pointe Picklers Featured in The Laker

2009-06-10T17:05:00.008-04:00

Following is the article as it appeared in the The Laker-The News, sports section in the June 10, 2009 addition. Thanks very much to Steve Lee, the reporter for the Laker who graciously printed this for us. Since it was not available on-line, Steve e-mailed the article to me.

Men's pickleball winners:The top four winners were: (left to right) Pat Zwolenski, Jeff Zwolenski, Chris Atkinson and Brad Finch Special to the Laker.

PICKLEBALL
Meadow Pointe II hosted inaugural round-robin tourney

By Donna Donald
Special to The Laker
WESLEY CHAPEL — They came from neighboring Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, as well as Tampa, Lutz and even New Port Richey for the inaugural round-robin pickleball tournament last month at Meadow Pointe II.

Meadow Pointe II residents Richard and Donna Donald, who also are members of the United States Pickleball Association, organized the tourney. Richard has medaled in pickleball events throughout the state while Donna manages the USAPA’s Atlantic South Region website.

Pickleball is played on a tennis court with players near the net, similar to badminton. The net is 34 inches at the center with wooden or composite-type paddles used to hit a perforated whiffle-type ball.

Numerous families participated in the tourney with players ranging from teens to men and women in their 60s. Each player took part in at least four games before winners advanced to playoff rounds.

The men’s champion was Chris Atkinson of Meadow Pointe I. Rounding out the top four were: runner-up Brad Finch of Meadow Pointe II; Jeff Zwolenski, a Florida State senior who took third; and Pat Zwolenski of Lutz.

In the women’s division, Suzi Zwolenski of Lutz took the title. The next three finishers included: runner-up Donna Donald; Temple Terrace’s Mary Jones, who placed third; and Meadow Pointe II resident Marilynn Howell.Even more impressive about Jones's finish is that she completed a 40-mile bike ride the morning before the tourney.

Pickleball is played at the Meadow Pointe I and II courts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. For more local information about the sport, visit ww.meadowpointepickleball.blogspot.com

Woman's pickleball winners: The top four winners included: (left to right) Suzi Zwolenski, Donna Donald, May Jones and Marilyn Howell Special to the Laker

Meet Meadow Pointe Pickler - Rob Houghton

2009-06-05T00:04:00.000-04:00

Rob is a Native Floridian, (Yes Another One!!!!) currently residing in Tampa. He is an Alumni of the University of South Florida, married to Betty Anne and the father of one. (We know that Betty Anne has been on the courts before – we hope she comes back!)

Before meeting the group on the Meadow Pointe Pickleball courts Rob has his day job. He reads and scores Standardized Tests. He has also been a disaster Assistance Employee with FEMA for the last five years (2004), but wants all our readers to know that he was NOT involved with Katrina!!!

When not playing pickleball, Rob enjoys reading, golf, tennis, sailing and motorsports, especially vintage auto racing. If not for the high cost of racing, he would probably still be actively involved in enjoying that sport today.

Meadow Point Pickler Steve Long introduced Rob to the game. That was back in 2008, but he finally got him on the court this year. Not only is pickleball a great sport Rob says, "On the court I only focus on the game, I don’t think about work or the economy. Pickleball is a panacea for my mind.”

To Steve Long he says “Thanks Big Guy.”

Pickleball - Likened to life-size Pingpong - offers serious competition

2009-06-04T00:18:00.005-04:00

By Mike Camunas,

Times Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL
Think of it as life-sized Pingpong.
Pickleball. A sport that's been around more than 40 years now has a local following, helped by the Meadow Pointe Pickleball group that meets at the courts in the subdivision Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 6:30.

We were a little dissapointed with the results of this article. Because of rain, we waited for weeks for a photographer to come and take pictures, and they never even showed the game being played! Unfortunatley some of the inforamtion on USAPA, tournaments and the game was not exactly accurate. But, Click the link to read the complete article as it appears on tampabay.com and in print in the St. Pete Times.
Pickleball - Likened to Life-size Pingpong

Al and Misty Play tonight - before we get rained off

2009-06-03T23:41:00.002-04:00

Had not planned on taking any pictures tonight, but always try to keep it with me just in case.

Rich and I and Chris were the first to arrive, then Marilynn, so we had enough to play. Not long after Steve and Rick arrived. Small group, but that's OK. Four people came and were playing tennis on the other court.

Then along came Al and Misty.........Good thing I had the camera, cuz Misty needs to get her picture here on the BLOG!!! Unfortunately, like last night, the clouds moved in......... Al and Misty got to play a couple of games anyway before the rain started.

Glad to see you guys back on the courts!!

See ya'll on Friday - weather permitting!!

Welcome Back Rick, Bob and Lorraine. We'll Miss you Pat and Suzi

2009-06-02T07:28:00.015-04:00

Last night we played at MP 1 and it was a night of mixed emotions. June 1st is the beginning of the Hurricane Season here in Florida which of course implies that nasty four letter word - RAIN!!! On the other hand we're very thankful that that welcomed drought reliever stayed away just one more night for us to play.

But more important than all of that.......

It was great to see some old faces back on the courts. That's Lorraine Koryus sitting with Rick. If you remember, Lorraine took a pretty bad fall here on the courts last November. We checked out the scars on the wrist where they had her bolted together for a while. Seriously though, it was great to see her smiling face again, even if she did come only to watch.

And we all remember Rick.........Steve brought him to the courts a long long time ago to play with the group. Rick's hours at the Hard Rock have kept him busy in the evenings. But now that the hours have been changed we expect to see him back playing on a regular basis.

Speaking of Steve............here he is! Those knees are working pretty good. He and Bob are beaming after having just one their game. It was great seeing Bob back playing with the group tonight and now that he's on a winning streak he's not going to stay away so long. Now I haven't been around for a while, but Bob told me this was the first game he won in 17 months!!! With that finness on the court?

One of the final games of the night........and a good one as Chris and Don take on Rich and Mary, playing their new strategy where Rich plays the net and Mary covers the back. Mary can run the full court in about a half second........

So we had Bob and Lorraine, Rick, Steve, Mary, Marilynn, Ruthann, Renee, Chris, Rich and I and of course Jaden the ball boy. WHERE ARE PAT AND SUZI? They were supposed to be here tonight to say good bye!

On Wednesday the Zwolenski's leave Florida for Bellingham, Washington where they reside from June through September. If you all remember, last year they took pickleball back to Washinton with them and got a great group started. Hope the've been practicing!! Have a great time with your family and friends this summer, and send us lots of pictures!!

We'll Miss you Guys!

So You Think You Know The Rules?

2009-06-01T14:18:00.005-04:00

The information below was inclued in this month's USAPA member newsletter. Rich and I had to share it with all of you.................Good Luck........Hava Fun!!!!

The Official Rules which are maintained by the USAPA can be found at http://usapa.org/officialrules/

Don Ritter, SE Michigan Referee Corps Manager, has developed a quiz that is sure to test your knowledge of the Rules. Bob Northrop, Ambassador for Kalamazoo, has placed Don’s quiz online. So now you can try this fun quiz on the Kalamazoo Pickleball website (http://www.where2pickle.org/) by clicking on Try this fun quiz.

Thank you Don and thank you Bob for this outstanding example of creativity and collaboration.

FIVE ON TWO? THAT'S FAIR!

2009-05-29T23:10:00.006-04:00

There was just a small group of us out to play tonight. Rich and I and Chris warmed up for a while waiting for a fourth player. Steve and Don came along so we played a few games with just one of us sitting out. Then along came Pat and Suzi.........dressed alike tonight with their brand new USAPA shirts!!

We were just one person short of having two courts going so three of us would sit out, chase balls and catch up on what's new while the other four played. It seemed that either Rich or Chris played every game and unless you played with them as a partner you probably lost.

Well enough of that. That's right folks check this picture out. We had had just about enough, so to make things a little more FAIR, we (or maybe it was Pat?) decided we should play 5 on 2. I know...........there is only four in the picture............but I had to step out temporarily to take this picture, you know.

We would for sure have a good match. Well, if you ever tried to put five people on one side of the court, then you know it takes a little getting used to. Who serves? Stay out of the way of the return of serve..........you have to let it bounce. Don't hog the court, stay in your own space.... Well we lost the first game 11-3. Now that we figured out how to do this, we planned our strategy, and we would now get five serves to their two. Ready? The score this time was 11-1.

Who won? Who do you think? We'll never tell.

News from the Pagglionies..........

2009-05-27T08:55:00.006-04:00

OR IS IT..........THE PISSCATELLIES? Anyway, you all know who I mean.

Yes..........news from Rich and Dee !! Travelling in their Motor Home they are now in Wilson, NC.

".......... for the last week and a half, we were in Poinsett Park in Sumter SC., with no cell or internet service. We leave tomorrow for Chesapeake Bay TT, and keeping our fingers crossed, pickleball players...... Well too say we are missing everyone is a understatement, we really miss the pickleball play, you don't realize how much you like it till you can't play. Tell Pat and Suzi to travel safe and tell everybody else to have a wonderful summer...."

Send us some pictures guys..........we miss your smiling faces.

FINALLY, A DAY WITHOUT RAIN! BACK ON THE COURTS!!

2009-05-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

The last time that our picklers could get out and play was Monday May 10th; that was 15 days ago. For the past two weeks, if you opened your front door, this is what you saw. The roads and sidewalks covered with rain................

But on Monday May 25th, the rain stopped early in the day, and the sun came out. The sun was hot, and the air was heavy, but we packed our pickleball bags and went back to the courts.

Pat and Suzi are leaving for Washington in another week and wanted Rich to do a training clinic before they left. Last summer they introduced the game to a lot of new players in Washington, and this year they want to do a clinic for them and maybe a fun tournament.

Pat, Suzi, Don, Chris, Steve, Renee, and Jeanne came for the clinic at 5:00 before open play started at 6:30. Normally rich does his clinics in one hour sessions over several weeks. Tonight he would do a condensed version for the group. He talked about the importance of serving deep and returning deep. He talked about optimum positioning on the court when serving and returning the serve. He talked about the importance of controlling your shots, concentrating on placement and not so much on power. The group practiced punching shots back from the non, volley line, and lined up for practicing dink shots. Rich covered a little on both the offensive and defensive lobs, and reinforced the need to not just come to the courts and play games. Practice and doing drills before or after playing every week will help improve our game. Time was limited, but he covered a lot of good information.
Here's Don and Rich playing Steve and Chris, practicing a little of what they learned tonight.

And tonight, Pat and Suzi came bearing gifts. For Steve, just returning from knee surgery, they presented him with a skeleton KNEE (key) chain. Perfect!! And Rich and I, the Happy Campers.................. thank you both for the Happy Camper wine. Absolutely Perfect!!!

It's now Tuesday, 7:30 in the evening, and guess what? Yes. It's been raining for a couple of hours. Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow.........The photographer from the St.Pete Times is supposed to be there!!!!

Meadow Pointe Picklers Stumble on NY Pickleball Courts

2009-05-23T06:02:00.007-04:00

Heard from our Meadow Pointe "Snowbirds" back in New York for the summer! Bill and Judy found some courts to play on in Scotia, NY the other day. It's a pretty long drive from where they live..........but looks like they might get to play a little bit this summer.

Yesterday after a VA doctor's appointment in Albany, they drove to Collins Park in Scotia. Here's what they had to say about their visit:

"We managed to make one wrong turn and got lost, so by the time we got to the park we only got to play one game. It was with Pete Briscoe and another very good male player. We lost 11-9. Judy played such a good game, so I guess it's my fault. (I never play a good first game).

After the game Pete was telling me that he has 12 victories and no losses at the NY State Empire Games for the last 4 years, even some with his wife in mixed doubles. He was the Gold Medal winner in 2008 men's singles 60-64. This year he will move up to the next age group.

They have six courts, full of polly noses and little twigs that we kept slipping on. Thursday there were only 5 people but he said on Tuesday there were 22 with 5 courts going. The courts are dirty, most nets at the wrong height, bad shadows from the trees and unbelievable amount of background noise from passing cars and trucks, ......but it's pickleball! ....Bill & Judy"

Bill and Judy have contacted Pete and his wife again to see if they might be able to set up a mixed doubles match (and even out the competition a little bit!) when he returns for his next doctors visit. Bill did mention that Pete and his wife had plans for a movie that night, so couldn't stick around to play. I think they miss us MP players who like energizer bunnies just "keep on playing and playing and playing."

Glad to hear you found a place to play. We miss you guys!

GOOD BYE, RICH AND DEE.....HELLO RAIN - UGH!

2009-05-17T20:46:00.007-04:00

Well, it's a darn good thing we planned our picnic and tournament for last weekend, because this weekend would have been a complete wash!!!!!

We played on Monday following the tournament and had about 10 of us out that night. Wednesday would have been a pretty good group, and the last night that Rich and Dee could play before they took off for the summer. By now they are on the road in their Motor Home with several stops planned before they end up in Maine.

Rich and Dee we will miss you guys.........Have a great summer and let us know where you are and what you're up to..

Friday the St. Pete Times reporter and photographer were supposed to join our group. Well, we all know what happenned. Even our friend Travis drove 70 miles from where he was camping to play with us that night. We went to the courts about 6:10, and not long after, Don pulled in. AND THEN IT RAINED AND THEN IT HAILED..........and then I called the reporter and told him not to come.

And while we didn't schedule play for the weekend we all know it RAINED on Saturday evening, and it's raining now as I write this. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we can play tommorrow evening............and the photographer from the St.Pete Times gets some great shots of our group playing.

First Annual Spring Pick-Nic and Pickleball Round Robin

2009-05-10T07:46:00.030-04:00

It was supposed to be a SPRING pick-nic, but with the temperatures soaring well into the 90's, it felt more like one of those sweltering Florida mid-summer days, where you prayed that an afternoon shower would cool things down. But today, the pickleball play on the courts would get hotter than the sun, and the tournament and festivities would rate high on the 'FUN-o-stat'. As for the showers, well, you could have that too if you wanted, before a dip in the pool.

Players and their families started arriving at the courts just after 3:00 pm to sign in, pick up their tournament goodie bags, draw for their rotation number and get in little practice before the games began. Rich Donald wasn't playing today; he agreed to manage the table, set up the draw, keep the games moving and track the results. He found a nice shady spot, but came prepared to perch himself on the chair under his Florida beach umbrella if necessary!

Today would include both a men's and woman's round robin event. USAPA Rules would apply. Each player drew their position number and would play a minimum of four games. Then the top four players would play the 'gold medal' match. (In our case -the "blue ribbon" match) . Everyone lathered on the sun screen and the games began.

Just a note here fellow players: As you know, Brad and his son Tyler, both played in the tournament today. Now.......... we saw Tyler out mowing the yard this morning!! We think this was Brad's strategy to even out his competition????

This is Brad and Jeff (far court) in one of the early rounds with Steve and Pat.

The ladies play in the one of the first rounds. This is Mary and Marilyn(front) and Ruthann and Jeannie on the far court.

Here are the winners of the Men's draw: From Left to Right: Pat Zwolenski, Lutz ( 4th Place). Jeff Zwolenski, senior at Florida State in Tallahassee (3rd place) Chris Atkinson, Meadow Pointe I,(1st Place) and Brad Finch, Meadow Pointe II (2nd Place). Congratulations Guys!!

Here are the winners of the ladies draw: From left to right: Suzi Zwolenski, Lutz ( 1st Place), Donna Donald, Meadow Pointe II (2nd Place), Mary Long, Temple Terrace, (3rd Place) and Marilynn Howell, Meadow Pointe II (4th Place) Just so you know folks, Mary came to the tournament after a 40 mile bike ride this morning!!!

The Proud Family Photo!!!! Mom takes first, Son takes second and Dad takes third!!!

Following the tournament, players and families left the pickleball courts, went to their vehicles and exchanged pickleball gear for Pick-nic coolers. We fired up the grills and while the hot dogs were cooking ( That's Steve and Rich at the grills!) the tables were lined with an array of delicious FOOD!!! Everyone was hungry, thirsty and a little tired from the sun, but you could still hear the pickleball chatter among the players. Everyone was already talking about plans for another such event in the Fall, when our Snow Birds return,

At the end of the day........everyone had enjoyed a great day of pickleball, good food, great company and the winners would go home happy and show off their Ribbons to friends and family.

But in our group.......every one's a winner. So Rich and Donna presented all participants in the round robin event with the coveted Meadow Point Trophy, complete with their own individual pickle!

It was a fun day......but we can't forget to say thanks to the people and business's who supported our first event by helping us fill our 'goodie bags" Thanks ,Renee Glassman, for getting our event advertised in the MP II newsletter and for reserving the courts. MP player Don Bass, provided all the bags and Rich and Donna Donald solicited businesses in the area to fill them. They included USAPA Atlantic South Flyers and membership information along with Pickleball Word Find and Crossword games to entertain players between the games. Special Thanks to the following:

Regions Bank- Wesley Chapel
Don Bass of Future Home Realty
Any Time Fitness - Wesley Chapel
Bank of America - New Tampa
Southwest Florida Water Management District
State Farm Insurance, New Tampa
The Eye Doctor of New Tampa - Dr Samual J. Teske

Our First Place Winners, Chirs and Suzi.....Rate the Day a First Class Event!!!
Thanks from Everyone for making our First Annual Pickleball Round Robin Tournament and Spring Pick-Nic a Great Success.

Check out the Slide Show of our event to the RIGHT!

Click Here To See All Our Pictures

Pickleball this Week

2009-05-09T08:11:00.005-04:00

Friday was a busy picklebll day. About 5:30 in the morning Rich was headed to The Villages to participate in The Villages Sr Games competition. His partner was Gary Ball, a player from Sun City Center. There were 19 men's doubles teams in the 60-64 age division with some of the best players from the area. Rich an Gary played 3 really great games, but did not make it to the final round.

Friday evening is a regular pickleball night for the Meadow Pointe players. Not too many came out to play but it was nice to see Pat and Suzi back on the courts. Brad, Chirs, Mary, Ruthann, Rich and Donna were also there.

Thursday was knee surgery day for Steve and everyone was asking about him on Friday. Hope all went well Steve and that we see you back on the courts soon.

It was great to see Jeannie out on Wednesday. Haven't seen her in a while. Always smiling and having a good time! Rob was there Wednesday and gave us an update on Betty Anne. Glad to hear she's starting to feel better. And Tyler (Brad's son) ...it was great seeing you on the courts again this week. Tyler and Pat and Suzi's son, Jeff will both be joining our round robing this weekend.

See you all on Sunday. And to all the MOMs in our Group. A Verry Happy Mother's Day

Meet Meadow Pointe Pickler, Marilyn Howell

2009-05-07T09:57:00.004-04:00

Marilyn Howell, like most folks here. is not a native Floridian. She moved to Florida from New York, New York…. (you all know that song, right?) She resides in Meadow Pointe and is the proud mother of one daughter and grandma to one grandson. You've all seen Jaden on the courts running and collecting our stray pickleballs.

Marilyn spends a lot of time with our youth as a high school math teacher and computer systems manager. She is an Alumni of Queens College/Iona College. She’ll tell you “we need to get this younger set interested” in pickleball and “I’m working on getting my daughter to play.”

When she’s not teaching or playing pickleball, Marilyn enjoys playing cards, cooking, reading, crocheting, movies and dining out! Where does she find the time???

Marilyn read our article about pickleball in the Meadow Pointe newsletter and decided to give it a try. Her experience in racquetball, and tennis made her a natural for pickleball and she is definitely one of our better competitive players. You’re sure to see her at one of our local events/tournaments real soon.

Why does Marilynn play pickleball? I “like the exercise, competition and social interaction.”

Spring Arrives in Florida and our Snow Birds Head North

2009-05-01T22:32:00.003-04:00

Friday night at Meadow Pointe is Pickleball and Pizza Nite. The group was a little smaller tonight than Wednesday, but Don, Renee, Steve, Chris , Bill, Judy, Rich and I were all there again, and tonight Mary joined us. Most of the time it's mixed doubles play, but tonight we got the chance to play a lot of ladies doubles and men's doubles. Most all of us watched as Rich and Chris played singles. After pickleball it's relax, chill out and enjoy some PIZZA!!

Unfortunately as Spring arrives in Florida we have to start saying good-bye to many of our players who head north or west for the the summer. Tonight we had to say good-bye to Bill and Judy as they head to their home in Red Hook, New York for the next seven months. Both of them are great players and a lot of fun. We're really going to miss them.

Have a great summer Bill and Judy. See you in November!

Wednesday Night Pickleball

2009-04-30T01:13:00.017-04:00

Rich and I are back home and out playing with the Meadow Pointe group for the first time in a long time. We had a great turnout tonight. Played at the MP II courts. Who was there???

Renee, (and Mark stopped by to say hello..) Don, Steve, Brad, Chris, Bill, Judy, Ruthann, Al and Marilynn. Jaden ( Marilynn's grandson, was also there. He loves to run and fetch the balls!)

Met Chris for the first time tonight. Great guy; Great Player. And the group has really been working on their game. We had some good close games tonight and lots of fun. Everyone seems to be looking forward to our upcoming tournament and pick-nic. Mark brought a copy of the article that was printed in the monthly Meadow Pointe News Bullitin. Great Job Renee!!!! We need to check in with Rob and Betty Ann to see how they are doing. Betty Ann had a pretty bad fall on the courts a few weeks back and everyone is hoping she is feeling better. Hope to see some more of the crew out to play on Friday.

Brad and Ruthann seem to have the game under control. Brad's son will be joining in the competition at our upcoming round robin tournament.

Don (left) and Steve. I guess Steve cant' believe he missed that shot. Looks like Don can't either!! Good luck with the knee surgery next Thursday, Steve.

There's Jaden. Resting for a second after chasing our stray balls. What a cutie!!!

Rich and Bill (front) in a great match with Chris and Judy.

See ya'll on Friday.

2009-04-19T14:59:00.003-04:00

1ST Annual

SPRING PICK-NIC AND

PICKLEBALL ROUND ROBIN

WHEN: SUNDAY MAY 10, 2009

WHERE: MEADOW POINTE II COURTS

SCHEDULE:
3:30 pm – WELCOME AND REGISTRATION

4:00 PM – ROUND ROBIN TOURNAMENT BEGINS

6:00 PM – PICK-NIC/POTLUCK AND AWARDS CEREMONY IN THE PICNIC AREA BEHIND THE COURTS/POOL. BRING YOU SWIMSUIT AND COOL OFF IN THE POOL!

e-mail for more inforamtion: rddonald2@verizon.net or rglassman@tampabay.rr.com

CHECK OUT WHAT'S NEW WITH COACH MO

2009-04-12T08:47:00.001-04:00

Coach Mo is back with his tip of the month and he now has four new training videos.

This month he'll tell you how to win 20% more games without learning any new hitting techniques. Just learn how to tell when your opponents ball is going OUT!!!

While you're out there, check out his four new training videos...............

The Overhead

Vollies

Backhand Groundstroke

Forehand Groundstroke

For this and MORE..............just click on

THE PICKLEBALL COACH

Decision Made by USAPA on new APIKE Paddle

2009-04-07T16:09:00.000-04:00

I hope that all of you will take the time and read the article on the USAPA website regarding the new APIKE Paddle. Please note that USAPA does not feel that the paddle is compliant with official USAPA Rule 2.E , regarding the ability to put additional spin on the ball.

What this means is :

It is not a USAPA approved paddle
It can not be used in any USAPA Sanctioned Tournament

USAPA has also posted all comments received from individual players across the country. I hope you'll take the time to read both the article and the link to individual comments.

MORE ON THE APIKE PADDLE

2009-04-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago, I posted the information from the USAPA regarding the APIKE paddle. At this time there has been no further information released from USAPA that I am aware of, however other sites are forecasting that the paddle will have some sort of ban.We did send our comments to USAPA regarding the safety of the paddle and it's impact on the game.

Here is a link to a similar article on the Tanglewood website.

APIKE PADDLE

So that everyone in our group is aware of what is being said about the paddle, Meadow Point player Pat Zwolenski asked that we share this article with our group.

APIKE PADDLE CAUSING CONTROVERSY

written by Ron Farra

A controversy has ensued with the recent introduction of a new Pickleball paddle called the APIKE Paddle. The new paddle according to reports circulating among many players nationwide may drastically change the game of Pickleball. Some have called for it to be banned!
Apparently the paddle is constructed quite differently from others paddles on the market using foam in its core rather than the now typical composite materials. The new paddle is reported to help players apply a great amount of spin to the ball giving an unfair advantage to the users. It has also been reported that the ball comes off the paddle at a very high velocity such that it is very difficult for even elite players to return the ball successfully. It is this speed which has caused many players to appeal to the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) to ban the new paddle from senior games and official tournaments. Some injuries have been attributed to the use of the APIKE Paddle and fear is being expressed about injuries to the head and eyes when players are hit by a pickleball traveling at such high speeds.
“I played with an APIKE Paddle for about 2 weeks,” said Jim Plotnik, formerly a Capital District USAPA Ambassador. He reported that balls hit by the APIKE Paddle come off the paddle silently. “Whereas players now can hear the struck ball and can sense how hard or soft it has been hit, the new paddle makes no noise when a ball is hit. This can be a little intimidating,” admitted Plotnik.
Wayne Tucker and Pete Briscoe have agreed to use and evaluate a sample APIKE Paddle loaned by Barney Myer of Pickleballstuff.com. They are expected to involve others in a two week trial and report their findings to the USAPA Board of Directors before the next USAPA meeting (April 5, 2009).
Those interested in participating in the APIKE Paddle trials may contact Pete Briscoe (346-3132) or Wayne Tucker (399-9888).

Meadow Pointe Pickler - Steve Long

2009-04-01T19:12:00.000-04:00

Meet Steve Long

You will always recognize Steve when you come to see us play. He is that single guy with both knees wrapped for support. Yes, his knees give him some problems, but you wouldn’t know it when you see him on the courts. Steve is originally from Hammonton, NJ, an alumni of Richard Stockton State College of New Jersey and the father of two sons. He has had one of his son’s out on the courts to play with our group. Like father, like son……..they both play very well.

Steve spends his days working as a Contracts Manager, and when he’s not playing pickleball, he enjoys boating, and playing poker. He enjoys most sports and plays or has played golf, tennis, basketball, volleyball and racquetball. But we have him hooked on pickleball now!!

Meadow Pointe pickleball players Pat and Suzie Zwolenski introduced Steve to the game, and in turn Steve invited his close friend Mary Jones. Steve rarely misses a chance to play. He enjoys both the social side of the sport and the challenge of the game and has joined other Meadow Pointe players in fun pickleball events with the Kings Point Pickleball League in Sun City Center.

Steve just recently had surgery on both of his knees. Nothing can keep him off the courts. I think he was back out playing within just a few days!!!!

Donna to perform The Pickleball Crawl

2009-03-27T00:40:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys,

Tomorrow night, March 25th, is the Variety Show here in Tanglewood. We understand that it is done every year before the snowbirds and RV'ers head north. As you know, pickleball is really really big in this park. One of the gentlemen who plays pickleball, Patrick Hotchkiss, rewrote the words of the popular "Watermellon Crawl". It is now The "Pickleball Crawl". I was asked to choreograph a dance, complete with pickleball paddles to go with the song. There are six of us pickleball players performing the dance on stage tomorrow night!!!

They tell me that a video will be made and put out on UTube. Oh My !!!!!!

Anyway here is a link to the Tanglewood Blog, and a funny article that our friend Wayne Roswell wrote, along with all the words to the Pickleball Crawl!!

http://tanglewoodpickleballclub.blogspot.com/2009/03/tanglewood-pickleball-crawl.html