Tampa Bay Senior Games 2008

Click here to view photos of the Tampa Bay Senior Games . Thanks to Donna Donald for taking the pictures.

The Page With The Complete List of Club, Local, and State Tournaments

One of the suggestions made by a member of our regional planning committee was to have a page that listed all the tournaments through out The Atlantic South Region. To follow up on this excellent suggestion, I am creating a separate section on our blog to just list tournaments in The Atlantic South Region. You will be able to check all tournaments at Pickleball Tournaments in The Atlantic South Region.

To keep this page up-to-date and accurate, I need your help. If your club is holding a tournament, let me know the details. Please tell me about inaccurate information posted here and I will correct it immediately.

Contact Wayne Roswell at rwroswell@gmail.com.

This page is not intended to replace the Tournament Link on the USAPA website but to supplement it. To look for all tournaments go to Tournament Schedule and get the complete list of national tournaments.

Questions and Answers by George Brewer

George Answers a Lot of Frequently asked Questions on Pickleball

I receive a lot of inquiries from Villages residents wanting to discuss the “Rules of Pickleball.” Usually they have one of those “gray zone questions” our local rules haven’t fully defined. When I am not sure of the rule, I enjoy doing research to find an “official” answer. Here are some of the questions I received recently that I thought were different and more interesting than the usual inquiries.


Question: Sometimes, just after hitting a ground stroke, I realize that the ball has actually landed outside of the court. If I’ve already returned the ball, is it too late to call a fault?


Answer: No, but the amount of time you have to declare the ball “out” is limited. Here’s the rule” All “out” calls must be made instantly. Instantly is defined as call “out” prior to the ball being hit by your opponent or before the ball has gone out of play.


Question: Sometimes players waiting to play on the sidelines make calls that cast doubt on what players on the courts have declared. Should their input be considered?


Answer: No – in fact, never. Players who offer unsolicited opinions while waiting from the sidelines are one of the reasons that The Villages won’t allow you to bring guns on the courts while you’re playing. Spectators may be prejudiced, unqualified, and certainly are not in position to see the call.


Question: My opponent was serving to me when my partner declared the server foot-faulted because both feet whereon/over the baseline when they served the ball. Can my partner or I call a foot fault on our opponent?



Answer: No. Only the partner of their server or the server can call foot faults that take place at the time of serve. You have every right to suggest that a fault may have occurred, but you or your partner cannot declare a fault.


Question: My opponent hit a ball that landed in my non-volley zone (NVZ). I ran into the NVZ and returned the ball after it bounced. Before I could exit the NVZ the ball came right back at me. I jumped into the air, returned the ball and both of my feet landed back in my court outside the NVZ. They say I faulted: I say I didn’t. Who is right?



Answer: They are right. You’re faulted. Volleys can be initiated only when the player has both feet positioned outside the NVZ.


Question: If I miss the ball while attempting to serve, do I get another try?


Answer: Missing the ball is a fault, so you don’t get another chance. ? There is no penalty if you let the ball drop to the ground or catch it in the air without attempting to hit the ball, but if you “whiff” the ball, you lose your serve.


Question: What options do I have if I am served the ball before I am ready?


Answer: If you’re about to receive the serve and you’re not ready, raise your hand or paddle to signal the server not to serve. If the serve is made anyhow, you must make no attempt to return the ball. Any attempt to return the ball implies that you were ready, and like it or not, the ball is in play.



Let me remind you of something important. As soon as the ball comes over the net into your court, you become the referee. You are responsible for all officiating on your side of the net and your opponent has every right to believe you are rules-oriented and will make calls with integrity.



I HOPE I C U on D Courts.....George Brewer

Meet Your New Interim RA for the ASR

All ambassadors received an e-mail from Earl Hill last week announcing the name of the interim regional ambassador for the Atlantic South Region and the names of the members of our Enhanced Regional Revitalization Committee. I am sharing that with all readers.

I am your Interim Regional Ambassador. My name is Wayne Roswell and I have been the ambassador for Sebring, Florida and the blog master for this site. I would like to tell you how many national, state, and local championships I have won but I would have to lie. I am a recreational player that enjoys the game for exercise, socialization, and most important fun. I guess my real contribution to the game has been promoting pickleball both in Florida and in Ontario, Canada.

I accepted the position of Regional Ambassador of the Atlantic South Region on an interim basis because I felt we could not move forward with our regional planning committee without an RA to liaison with Earl Hill and the board of the USAPA. I have asked Earl to continue to look for someone to fill the position full time but this way he can take his time. If there is anyone out there, or if you know anyone who is interest in being the full time RA, please let Earl Hill or me know. In the mean time, I will work with the Enhanced Revitalization Committee to continue to grow this great sport in Atlantic South Region. I really see all the members of the PC as regional ambassadors. Each and every one of them have the credentials to be our RA.

I would like to introduce the members of your Enhanced Regional Revitalization committee and the regions they represent. They are


Jack Beck Sarasosta -Venice Florida
Donna and Rich Donald New Tampa, Florida
Richard (Greenie) Greenfield The Villages, Florida
Al Rosati The Villages, Florida
Wayne Roswell Sebring, Florida
John Simpson Charolotte, North Carolina

Earl Hill and the USAPA came up with the idea of the Enhanced Revitalization Plan to give regions more local autonomy to develop their own plans for their region. They require that we have a committee of 5 -7 members and that we focus on the following areas; publicity, membership, a regional tournament of usapa members, and a website. We have a commitment to grow our usapa membership by 5% in 2009. They are suggesting that if the PC achieves these goals, they will be eligible to receive up to $500 from the USAPA.

The PC has started some brainstorming and idea sharing using Google groups. There are plenty of ideas coming forward. I will do my best to keep you informed via this website and e-mails. Any plans we make will need your support if they are to be successful. We know everyone is busy but if you could spare a little time to share ideas, help pass out flyers at a tournament, recruit one new member, do a demo at a nearby club, anything no matter how small, your efforts would be greatly appreciated . We are not asking anyone to take on a major leadership role but if you could share some of your ideas or help in any way please get in touch.

If you have any ideas you would like to share or if you would like to volunteer to assist our committee in any way no matter how small, please get in touch with me at rwroswell@gmail.com or your PC at asr-planning-committee-usapa@googlegroups.com.

To rephrase the Home Depot slogan, "We can do it. We need your help."

Thanks.
Wayne

Thanks Neal

As you are all aware, Neal Nightgale took leave of his position as regional ambassador of the Atlantic South Region of the USAPA back in August. Neal e-mailed me and asked that his name and picture be removed from the regional blog. I have had a hard time doing that because I still see this as Neal’s blog. Although I did some simple things to make it happen, it was all Neal’s vision and because of that we are the first region to have our own blog and that has been acknowledged repeatedly by Earl Hill. Board Member of The USAPA. Earl has made establishing a website/blog one of the mandates of the new Enhanced Revitalization Plan.

Neal took over the job of regional ambassador from George Brewer and has worked his heart out for the region. I was involved in the start up of a new club at Tanglewood in Sebring, FL. Neal came over on three separate occasions to offer assistance with training for new members. It was a seventy-five mile drive one way from his home in Sun City Center. His lovely wife Mary accompanied him on two of those occasions so he would not be travelling on his own. Our club gained greatly from his assistance with new players.

Many of you have met Neal at local and state tournaments. He annually makes the trek to St George, Utah to participate in the Huntsman Games. At these games, he gets to meet many of the board members of the USAPA. It is this kind of effort that puts the Atlantic Region on the map. I am sure Neal will continue to do this as long as he can.

As the new plan for the region came along, Neal felt it was time for him to let someone else take over. He felt he did not have the energy to carry on. Neal, if I can get off the bench and walk on the court at seventy- nine, I will be happy. You have done your part for pickleball and should leave with no regrets.

I know you will be out there teaching pickleball somewhere. Thanks for all you have done for pickleball.

All the best to you and Mary from the Atlantic South Region

National Senior Games Championship Festival

As you know this was the first year that pickleball was an official event in National Senior Championship Festival. This year they were held in Providence, Rhode Island

For a slide show of the activities click on the following link National Senior Games.

The exciting news for our region is that next year they will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida some time in early September.

Remember the Tampa Bay Games are fast approaching on October 8 with the deadline for applications on October 6.

For a complete list of upcoming tournaments click on USAPA Tournaments-Schedule

Labor Day Pickleball Jamboree

Kings Point League, Sun City Center, Florida
















Louann Dubendorf and the Kings Point Pickleball League hosted the Second Annual Labor Day Pickleball Jamboree in Sun City Center, Florida on Saturday September 6th. It’s hurricane season in Florida, so participants watched closely for days as Hanna’s path threatened their event, but the weather cooperated and gave the players a beautiful pickleball day!

This annual event brings pickleball players of all levels together for a day of social mix and mingles play. Upon arrival at the event, all players received their name tags, a goodie bag with pen and scorecards to track their games, along with snacks and bottled water…AND a helpful hint from Professor Pick L. Ball to "keep your eye the on the ball".

Everyone gathered at the event schedule posted at the courts to see what time they played and who they would be challenging. The name tags were a great idea in helping to locate your opponents. Participants included players from Kings Point, from Englewood, Florida, from Tanglewood, in Sebring, Florida and MeadowPoint players from Tampa and Wesley Chapel, Florida.

The whistle blew at 8:00 AM sharp to kick off the first mixed doubles partner challenge. A total of 53 players registered for the event, and teams rotated on and off the court every fifteen minutes until early afternoon to
complete 57 scheduled games. Leaving the court, each team was responsible for posting their total game points, so highest point winners could be determined. High Single Game Scoring Ribbons for the men went to Tom Nolan and Walter Kuehn of Sun City. Judy Goldberg and Jill Condon from Sebring, Florida took the honors for the women and Bill Sciortino and Connie Kehl of Sun City were the high scoring team in the Mixed Doubles. The “Most Thought About” Ribbon and a beautiful “thinking of you” card went to our dear friend Ellen Zelins, who for medical reasons could not attend.

Between games, participants found lunch available either poolside or at the Club House, visited or lunched with new found pickleball players, or checked out the new merchandise soon to be offered on Louann Dubendorf’s new website. She has designed some great new pickleball t-shirts, and had her Pickleball Bug T-shirt available at the event. Her website will offer a large array of Pickleball articles, including mugs, key chains, magnets and much much more. Please visit her site, and check in with Professor Pick L. Ball for your pickleball tips at http://www.thepickleballbug.com/ . More information on the Kings Point League and their events is available at http://www.gotpickleball.com/

For a complete slide show of the fun and activities click on Labor Day Jamboree, Kings Point Pickleball Club, 2008


Submitted by Donna and Rich Donald, Joint Ambassadors, New Tampa, FL.