MP Players Enjoy The Game With The Funny Name!

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

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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