"The Villages is only a few players short of being the No. 1 pickleball community in America"

By CAROLINE KLAPPER, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — There is a lot of pickleball pride on the line this month.When Mike Heinke, of the Village of Alhambra, became an ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association, he was sure he would find plenty of other Villagers already signed up. He was shocked to discover that only nine Villagers were USAPA members.

As part of his mission to promote pickleball, Heinke joined with his fellow Villager ambassadors, Carol Ravotti, Betty Weidt, Lynne Stavedahl and Al Rosati, to have a membership drive.“With the number of pickleball players in this community, it should be much, much more,” he said.