Friday, May 26, 2017

Another Passionate Pickleball Person

"Rubia Boyd may have heard the voice telling her to “build it and they will come.” But it’s not a baseball field in an Iowa cornfield she’s building. She is building Pickleball courts in a rural area of North Florida and spreading the love for this fun and fast-paced sport."

So ends this fine article about another person fueled by pickleball passion.

It is people like Rubia who are singularly responsible for picking up the paddle and carrying forward their torch for pickleball.


We just absolutely LOVE stories like this one.

Read Rubia's full story here:
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/active-living/2017/05/15/ambassador-encourages-experience-pickleball/101730910/

Pickleball Growth Trend Thoughts

Graphic courtesy USAPA "Places To Play" http://www.usapa.org/places-to-play-pickleball/
"Can Pickleball keep growing?"  This is a common question we hear often.   Our answer is always a uniform and emphatic "YES!"

Let's use a recent news article and some personal speculation to discuss the question and answer.

First and foremost, Pickleball participation is predominantly fueled by Baby Boomer Retirees (BBR).  The BBRs have time, money and enough physical fitness left to provide the core of pickleball's explosive and continuing growth.  At least 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring each and every day.  This 10,000 figure is well documented and a truly rock-solid number.  If only a small fraction of those 10,000 catch "pickleball fever" there will easily be enough incoming fresh faces to keep the pickleball rolling.

There are essentially three categories of pickleball courts: private HOA courts; private club/church courts and municipal courts of all stripes.  All three categories appear to be experiencing continued robust growth as evidenced by the USAPA chart shown below.

 This type of trendline growth in court numbers can only be underpinned by a corresponding growth in the actual number of players.  Courts typically aren't converted or constructed on the "build it and they will come".  If anything, an arguable case could be made that growth in court numbers is actually lagging growth in player numbers.

On May 26, we found an article about a private HOA converting courts in a Knoxville, Tennessee suburb.  Although purely anecdotal, some of the quotes in this article are instructive with regards to the growth of pickleball.

Here's the article: http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2017/05/6233.php

“It will build camaraderie in the neighborhood and competitiveness,” Fox said. “People are already asking if we’re going to have a league or a guy’s night and these people are getting excited about it and have yet to pick up a paddle.

“We already have people from Fairfield Glade wanting to come down with eight to 10 people to challenge our neighborhood, and the same thing in Tellico Village, Chattanooga and Nashville,” he added.

Note those words, "these people are getting excited about it and have yet to pick up a paddle."  This is a very telltale phenomena taking place in real time with pickleball.  Interest in the sport is growing just as much in the periphery as it is on the courts.

It could very well be a classic symbiotic relationship.  As more courts are converted or built, more players will appear just as those baseball players came out of the cornfield in"Field Of Dreams".


Ultimately, the growth of pickleball WILL slow down.  No sport grows unabated forever on the steep trendline pickleball is now experiencing.  However, we feel certain the explosive growth curve has quite a long run left in it.  It shows no signs of stagnating or tapering off.  As long as potential players continue to see, understand and embrace the physical, mental and social benefits of pickleball, the sport will grow.

While there is absolutely no way to know what the future holds, America's retiree demographics coupled with growing youth interest in pickleball virtually guarantees a bright future for the sport.

High School pickleball tournament


Now this is something you don't see or hear of very often:  Two hundred kids in a high school pickleball tournament!

Southern Columbia High School is located in Franklin Township (Population 600) of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, very much in the Heart of The Keystone State.

It's obvious from the 1:53 video included in this news story the finalists in this tournament were playing with a lot of skill and passion.  If the number of kids sitting in the bleachers is any indicator, pickleball appears to be very popular in this unlikely nook of Pennsylvania.

The participation of 200 students represents half of SCHS's enrollment of 407 students.

Oh, and by the way, somebody needs to help these kids get real nets for their next tournament!

Here's the story: http://wnep.com/2017/05/25/pickleball-tournament-at-southern-columbia-high-school/



Wednesday, May 24, 2017

18 new courts in Albuquerque

 Albuquerque's Manzano Mesa Pickleball Complex is officially open. The complex near Eubank and Southern features 18 courts, with LED lighting and seats for spectators. The facility will be used in the statewide Senior Games this year, as well as the National Senior Games in 2018 and 2019.
City Councilor Don Harris (2nd from left) said it’s a great addition to Albuquerque. “What I’ve heard from all the pickleball players here who travel all over to find nice facilities, is that this facility is as good or better than any facility they’ve ever seen, and that’s just amazing. That’s a tribute to Albuquerque and all the great things that we do,” Councilor Harris said.


Story:

http://krqe.com/2017/05/23/new-albuquerque-pickleball-complex-officially-opens/

See Also:

http://krqe.com/2016/07/12/albuquerque-selected-to-host-2019-senior-olympic-games/

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Sierra Vista Courts GO LIVE!

The new courts are open to anyone for free 24-7. Lights are on from 4 a.m. to sunrise, and again from sunset to 10 p.m. 
Leisure and Library Services already has three indoor courts at the Rothery Center, and hosts pickleball there three days a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) for three to four hours at a time. The problem, though, was demand. Players were waiting in the wings for up to an hour there on site, says John Healy, City of Sierra Vista Leisure Service’s recreation coordinator for sports.

“It’s a great thing to be able to provide this to the community,” Healy said Monday, looking over the new courts.

http://www.svherald.com/free_access/new-pickleball-courts-open-for-business-in-sv/article_98ad590e-3fd9-11e7-9f1d-8fd6be1d7a42.html

Pickleball video news reports


On May 23, we happened to stumble into an excellent compendium of various YouTube pickleball news videos.  Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOD89c4nt4hTyEXKHOwocVrzurWrKtLix

The creator of this fine & informative video buffet appears to be Jack Olmsted, Port Townsend, WA.
Thanks, Jack, you're doing some great pickleball public service!!!

We found the above link via The Pickleball Forum, a Facebook group with over 7,400 members:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1340630926008388/

From rink to dink? Maybe Not.


Here's an odd story from Michigan.  Good News.  Bad News.  First the good news: Local leaders wisely decided to convert an unused roller rink to pickleball courts.   Now the bad news: Over 1,300 people have signed a petition to preserve the roller rink even though no one  uses it and repairs could cost as much as $80,000!

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/05/community_petitions_against_tu.html

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Sierra Vista Success Story

Chuck Borozinski (left) is another one of what we call "A Pickleball Pied Piper"  Chuck has an uncanny, ever-expanding ability to lead people onto the pickleball courts and almost instantly turn them into avid players.

As pickleball spreads like a prairie wildfire across America, The Pickleball Pied Pipers play a special role in growing the sport's popularity.  Chuck is unique in that his "territory" encompasses a hug swath of Southern Arizona roughly bounded by 1-19, I-10, the New Mexico state line and the Mexican border.  Chuck runs the Southern Arizona Pickleball Association (SAPA) and keeps up a relentless schedule of beginner workshops, clinics and special events.  Beyond Chuck's Energizer Bunny schedule, perhaps his biggest contributions to the incessant spread of pickleball are his instructional dealings with various communities, RV parks and, yes, even a military base.

Chuck single-handedly converted Sierra Vista into a pickleball boom town.  Just one year ago, he reached our to recruit collaborators in Sierra Vista.  On May 17, 2016, he put up a poster on SAPA Facebook and the rest, as they say, is history.
A huge turnout June 18 surprised everyone and pickleball proceeded to take off.  One year later, the Sierra Vista Pickleball Community marked a major milestone when a former tennis court was professionally converted into four top notch pickleball courts.

We've said this before and we'll say it today and again in the future.  One single pickleball passionate person can make a huge difference in the spread of the game.  But it's more than the spread of the game--it's about bringing the people out onto the courts and engaging them to personally embrace pickleball.  By carrying the pickleball flame far afield, people such as Chuck Borozinski are providing the spark to bring lifelong enjoyment, physical activity and social rewards to countless people.

As Chuck said on the SAPA Facebook May 21: "Sierra Vista Pickleball players are growing like crazy! On June 18, 2016 SAPA, working with a local Sierra Vista resident Tammy Ward put on the 1st Pickleball Clinic in their area. Talk about people taking a ball and running with it, They had some temporary courts on a basketball court in a very short period of time. A few months after that they obtained an indoor place to play. Now, they have a tennis court converted professionally to 4 pickleball courts. And these are Public. The players in Sierra Vista have proved they are growing and will utilize the courts. I know some of the players that have been involved in getting this accomplished and just want to say "Congratulations". I'm sure a big 'Thank you' should go out to Sierra Vista Leisure Services! Now, I'll have to get down there and play!"

Congratulations and HUGE Kudos to Chuck for his dedication to this awesome sport!

Here are some links:

SAPA Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SAPApage/

SAPA Website: http://info.sapa.club/

The USAPA "Places To Play" info on Sierra Vista (as of May 21, 2017):

http://www.usapa.org/places-to-play-pickleball/


Incline Village Tennis Center embraces pickleball

Some pickleball people seem to think there is an "us vs. them" situation when it come to "tennis vs. pickleball".  That might be the case in some areas but the trend appears to be a blending of the two sports.

Case in point: the trendy Lake Tahoe area Incline Village Tennis Center has fully welcomed and integrated pickleball into the its facility.  Not only does the Tennis Center offer 8 courts co-striped onto tennis courts, but there are lessons, clinics and social as well.

See: https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/parks-recreation/tennis-center/pickleball-programs

In addition, the Tennis Center Staff even writes up occasional pickleball advice for the local newspaper!

See: http://www.sierrasun.com/news/local/ivgid-tip-of-the-week-talk-more-to-improve-your-pickleball-score/




Saturday, May 20, 2017

Club's nets & gear total loss in arson fire


A Florida Coast pickleball club was sent reeling when all their equipment was destroyed in an arson fire. The fast growing pickleball success story known as "Pickleball By The Sea" in Neptune Beach near Jacksonville lost 10 nets and all their loaner paddles, balls and related equipment when their storage structure burned after a park gazebo and two toilets were set on fire by three teenage arsonists.

The large five-year-old club's many members and supporters immediately rose to the challenge.  "The distributor that the club bought its nets and some of the paddles and pickleballs is lending the club new nets. Two people have donated matching funds of $500 each towards the club’s new equipment," according to the news article linked here:

http://jacksonville.com/shorelines/2017-05-19/local-pickleball-club-suffers-complete-loss-jarboe-park-fire

Pickleball By The Sea is yet another one of the many nationwide success stories sparked by the pickleball passion of just one dedicated, relentless individual: Verna Griffin.  The Pickleball Central blogs tells the story of the club's first year growing from that  one player to 200 players in 12 months. The news article states the club now has 800 people on its email list.

https://blog.pickleballcentral.com/2013/12/13/how-one-pickleball-club-grew-from-1-200-in-twelve-months-the-power-of-one-person-sharing-what-they-love/

Here's is the club's website: http://www.pickleballbythesea.com/

And here is the club's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pickleballbythesea/

Friday, May 19, 2017

How & Why Pickleball grows

We're hoping to get a better photo of  Lyle and Bonnie Kruegel to go with this post.
Here is a classic article about "how & why" pickleball's popularity proceeds to grow throughout America.  It boils down to passionate people.  People who care enough to step forward and get in the swing of bringing new players onto the courts.  People who care enough to help raw beginners become active addicts.  People who care enough to bring energy, education, enjoyment and excitement to their local neighborhoods and communities.

This is a story about a Snow Bird couple who winter in The Grand Canyon State's Pickleball Capitol, Surprise, Arizona.  They are very active members of their summer home, Spring Valley, a small community of less than 3,000 people located in historic Bluff Country in far southeast Minnesota.

Here's the link to the full article:
http://www.hometown-pages.com/Content/Spring-Valley-Tribune/SVT-area-news/Article/Couple-getting-regular-pickleball-sessions-going-in-Spring-Valley/11/94/68135

Blog author mentioned in news article

Yours truly, John Parsons (shown with his wife Susun McCulla)  was actually mentioned in a pickleball news article found by Google this morning.  That may be the one and only time such a coincidence will ever happen here on the Pickleball News Digest.

https://www.cvbugle.com/news/2017/may/18/what-pickleball/

For more information about Arizona's Camp Verde Pickleball see:

http://campverdepickleball.blogspot.com/

How we find pickleball news

Ever wonder how we find the stories we post here?  Well, it's EZPZ and you can do it, too.  First we go to Google News.  Then we simply type in the word "pickleball" in the News Search field.  (Omit the quote marks, of course.) Voila, Good Ol' Google will roam the whole wide world looking for the latest pickleball news.

Google won't, however, do what we do and that's to add the commentary,narrative, related links and other content to give more relevance to each story featured here.

This May 19th morning we are working with the four top stories as shown in the graphic below.  We don't cover every single news story found by Google. We're primarily looking for something "new" in each news story..or something with personal relevance.

Pickleball Coast Beach Blast

http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/tournament-pickleball-picking-steam-along-pickleball-coast_05_18_2017
Here's a nicely done article about Delaware's First State Pickleball Club’s Fourth Annual Beach Blast by Vaughn “The Baron” Baker. Baaker is a Senior Olympics gold-medalist in pickleball, and is public relations director for the First State Pickleball Club (FSPC) and captain of the Ocean View Crew pickleball community. He spent his career working with top tennis professionals while working for Wilson Sporting Goods and introducing the Prince Tennis Racket and Wimbledon Tennis Lines. For more information, visit PickleballCoast.com.

For more information on the First State Pickleball Club’s Fourth Annual Beach Blast see:
http://www.firststatepickleball.org/


Saturday, May 13, 2017

Hole-in-one for Zen Guy

Here's a fun one for you...


https://www.amazon.com/Pickleball-Zen-Inner-Paul-Hudanich/dp/1523434562

https://www.amazon.com/Pickleball-Zen-Combining-emotional-pickleball/dp/1541394747/ref=pd_sim_14_1

Shifting sentiments...?

Tennis People in particular and Racquet Clubs in general have been cool if not downright negative about pickleball.  It is common to hear of friction between tennis and pickleball players.  We know of one small town where the tennis players routinely vandalize pickleball court markings laid down on tennis courts!

That antagonism might eventually change with shifting sentiments among tennis players and racquet clubs.  This article from Gainesville, Florida, is a clear indicator of just how sentiments might begin to change:

http://www.gainesville.com/news/20170512/pickleball-finding-its-groove-in-gainesville


Every little town...

It seems that every little village, town and city in America is getting Pickleball Fever.  We spoke May 11 with a professional tennis/pickleball court resurfacing contractor.  His service area includes all of Montana, Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming.  He said three times, "You wouldn't believe how hot pickleball is in all the small towns of my area."

That would surely seem to be the case based on our daily roamings-'round of national pickleball news.  As a case in point, let's look at an article from the Vicksburg, Mississippi, newspaper that was published May 12.

Here's the key quote:

“We had talked about it and talked about it, how the United Methodist Men could do something with it, so earlier this year, I decided I was going to quit talking,” Holman said.

We suspect this is what is happening in countless localities large and small throughout America.  Some folks we know question whether pickleball's steep upward growth trend is sustainable.  We're of the opinion the rapid growth and expansion will continue unabated for quite some time before it levels off.  About 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring each and every single day.  The Baby Boomers are the critical mass which has fueled pickleballs phenomenal recent explosive growth.

We have excerpted the Vickburg article below.  The source link is listed at the end of the excerpt.
Mary Jane Plett, a member of Hawkins United Methodist Church, plays pickle ball in the Abundant Life Center Friday. (Courtland Wells/Vicksburg Post)
Earlier this year, members at Hawkins United Methodist Church decided to bring the game to Vicksburg and now at 3 p.m. on Wednesday’s men and women get together to play.

“We have had 12 or so come out to play at one time,” church member Larry Holman said.

Holman along with his wife were instrumental in helping bring the game to the River City.

 “About three of four years ago, my wife and I saw the game on T.V.,” Holman said, and shared the experience with church member, Bob Walters.

Holman said conversations ensued for a long time about the notion of pickleball until he was tired of talking and was ready for action.

“We had talked about it and talked about it, how the United Methodist Men could do something with it, so earlier this year, I decided I was going to quit talking,” Holman said.

Therefore, in late January or February, he presented the idea of bringing pickleball to Hawkins during the church’s Wednesday night events.

 A decision was made to go forward and equipment was purchased.

“For less than $250 you can have the net and frame, four paddles and half a dozen or so whiffle balls,” Holman said.

Currently the church has three sets, which allows three games to go on simultaneously in its Abundant Life Center.

“The game can be played with singles or doubles,” Walters said, “and has really picked up a lot of interest in communities where they have larger groups of older people. I understand it is real popular on the Gulf Coast, where they even have leagues set up.”

Even though pickleball is a game that can be enjoyed by seniors, Walters said younger folks will also benefit because it does workout all of your muscles.
---End of Excerpt---

Source: http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2017/05/12/hawkins-umc-brings-pickleball-to-vicksburg/

Here's yet another little town (Allegan, Michigan) getting into the pickleball parade:

http://www.allegannews.com/allegan-news-news/pickleball-craze-coming-allegan

Friday, May 12, 2017

Update on Prescott courts

Looks like Memorial Day for the public opening.  Also, Michael Whitford combined all his time lapse into one video of about 5 minutes.  Meeting Michael and Randy Price was one of the highlights of our Arizona Pickleball Season.  They both are the absolute epitome of Pickleball Volunteers.  What a pair!


https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/may/12/new-pickleball-courts-expected-be-open-memorial-da/

https://youtu.be/CERvFvlTyFo

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Fun Stuff from Gulf Breeze

A Florida community staged a small pickleball tournament the other day.  The only news snippet we could find was very brief.  We Googled Gulf Breeze Recreation Center Pickleball tournament and found a fun Facebook.  Here are a couple of the images we found there.  You just never know what you're going to find when you're researching Pickleball News!

Here's the original link that sparked our interest:
https://navarrepress.com/local/pickleball-players-test-skills-first-tournament/

Here's the Facebook where we found the images:

https://www.facebook.com/Gulf-Breeze-Adult-Pickleball-1437090689903391/

A Pickleball rodeo? In Minnesota?

What happens when you cross pickleball with an annual festival called Schooner Days?
http://www.swnewsmedia.com/eden_prairie_news/news/sports/not-their-first-rodeo-schooner-days-to-feature-pickleball-event/article_9f587bd0-903b-5d4e-b900-7d04900abc7b.html

See also: http://swmetropickleball.org/event/schooner-days-pickleball-rodeo/

Another Utah Pickleball Article

http://www.murrayjournal.com/2017/05/10/141907/pickleball-taking-utah-america-by-storm

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Another Pickleball Pied Piper

"There was only one place in Denver to play the sport back when Marquardt first started playing in 2010. Now, seven years later — and with plenty of encouragement from Marquardt himself — there are 71 places to play in the Denver metro area."

It seems Pickleball Pied Pipers are springing up in every area.  Their enthusiasm is a big factor in the rapid growth of the sport.  Here's a story about one such man.

http://highlandsranchherald.net/stories/pickleball-builds-community-and-fun,248045

Monday, May 1, 2017

Naples is "all in" on Pickleball

Here's the $700,000 shade structure over the Championship courts. Over 1,000 spectators can fit inside this structure.
It was built and totally paid for by the Convention Visitors Bureau in Naples.
After reading this article, we no longer have any doubts whatsoever that Naples truly IS The Pickleball Capitol of the known universe.

http://www.naplesnews.com/story/sports/2017/04/22/us-open-helps-naples-become-pickleball-capital-world/100698068/

A glimpse at pickleball gear sales

The U.S. Open at Naples provided a glimpse into the burgeoning sales of pickleball gear.  Some eye-opening comments are included in this article out  of Naples.
Carole Patterson, a volunteer with the U.S. Open and Naples local, speaks with Ken McEvoy, a sales representative for Paddletek, while perusing for a new pickleball paddle at East Naples Community Park Thursday, April 27, 2017. "It has tremendous addictive qualities," said McEvoy. "I've never seen a sport where people start it and play it almost daily."
(Photo: Luke Franke/Naples Daily News)


http://www.naplesnews.com/story/sports/2017/04/27/us-open-pickleball-popularity-means-big-business-sport-grows/100925432/

Naples: World Pickleball Capitol

Simone Jardin, right, celebrates with teammate Corrine Carr Siebenschein after they won gold in the women’s pro doubles on Saturday. (Photo: Katie Klann/Naples Daily News)
East Naples Community Park hosted the largest event in the history of the up-and-coming sport the past seven days. Now Southwest Florida also can boast it has the best players in the world.

The U.S. Open included 1,300 players from 42 states and 14 countries.

The three pro doubles finals were played in front of 1,000 spectators under the brand new $700,000 cover over the Zing Zang Championship Court.

"It thrills me to my core to see what’s going on," Collier County commissioner Donna Fiala told the sold-out crowd. "And this is only the second year. Wait until next year! Wait until next year!"

Playing into the idea that Naples is pickleball’s international capital, Championship Saturday included a Olympics-stay flag ceremony. Players from each of the 14 countries represented carried their nation’s flag through center court in a display of international unity before the men’s doubles final.

http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/2017/04/29/pickleball-jardim-yates-close-us-open-doubles-titles-front-home-crowd/101091504/

Other Parsons pickleball blogs

Thanks to John Grahame, we were accepted as a member of the Flagstaff Pickleball Facebook Group on May 1.  We started the pickleball News digest only a few days ago.  Here are three other pickleball blogs we maintain:

pickleballprimer.blogspot.com
http://campverdepickleball.blogspot.com/
http://arizonapickleball.blogspot.com/

We hope the Pickleball News Digest will become the most frequently updated of those three blogs.
Much work remains here on the New Digest blog before it reaches a level we will be satisfied with.  Thanks for reading & Happy Pickleball!

Bob Atherton on The Lob Shot

Prescott's USAPA Ambassador Bob Atherton is known far and wide for his pickleball prowess; his defet touch in teaching beginners and also for his masterful writing skills.  Here's his latest May 1st column for the Prescott Daily Courier entitled, "Mastering the lob in Pickleball"

https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/may/01/paddle-mastering-lob-pickleball/

 Bob Atherton (right above) presents a medal March 18 to Prescott, arizona, Willow Hills Baptist Church Pastor Jesse Liles for Jesse's incredible support for pickleball.  During the presentation, Atherton said that Jesse had facilitated over 1,000 people learning pickleball in the past five years.  The medal from USAPA is shown below.