The Snowbirds are Back!!! Monday and Fridays at 10 AM

And they have brought reinforcements

MAY-JUNE  PICKLEBALL on the NORTHSHORE

SUNDAY

Beverly Y Sterling Ctr 12-2PM (3 courts) free for Y 

members; non-members can buy a punch card (10 visits for 

$50) or $8.00/visit

Marblehead JCC Outdoor 4 Community Road. 9-10AM 

skills, 10-11 AM Open play.  Please contact Andrew 

Dalton at adalton@jccns.com for further info 

Marblehead Y 40 Leggs Hill Rd 4:30-7 PM (2courts)

MONDAY 

Peabody Outdoor beginning June 1st  10-12 PM. (3 courts)

Gloucester Y 7-9:30 PM (3 courts) Free for Y members; 

non-members can buy a punch card (10 visits for $50) or 

$8.00/visit  

Marblehead Y 40 Leggs Hill Rd 12-3PM (2 courts)

TUESDAY 

Beverly Y Sterling Ctr 7-10 PM (3 courts).  Beginner Play 

opens at 6PM.

Marblehead Community Gym/Center 10 Humphrey St 2-4 

PM and 8-10PM (18+) (3 courts) $5 

WEDNESDAY 

Marblehead JCC 4 Community Road.  Skills 5-6 PM 

1/2court, Open play full court.  Please contact Andrew 

Dalton at adalton@jccns.com for further info

THURSDAY 

Marblehead Community Gym Ctr 10 Humphrey St (3 

courts) 2-3PM until March 4th, when play will be extended 

FRIDAY 

Peabody  beginning June 1st  10-12PM (3 courts) 

Danvers Indoor Sports 7-10 PM Andover St (Route 114 

across from The Olive Garden) (3 courts) PM. $50 card 

good for 10 visits or $7.00 visit.  Open until 5/29/15

SATURDAY

Marblehead JCC  4 Community Road 8:30-10:30 AM 

Intermediate play. Please contact Andrew Dalton at 

adalton@jccns.com for further info

Destination Pickleball - Cape Cod, MA

Heading to the Cape? Bring your paddle and sunscreen. For places to play visit

USAPA.org and while there join our national organization.

Peter

The Young and the Young at Heart

This isn’t a story about overcoming odds or winning championships. It’s a story of what pickleball is, can become and who will help bring it there.

Reading is a commuter town. It is located 12 miles north of Boston along Route 93. A sizeable part of her population moved from some of the more urbanized cities to its south. It’s schools are recognized as some of the best in the state. In sports, Reading is known as a town with more than its share of exceptional athletes and winning teams. Its boys track team went an amazing thirty years without losing a meet. What teams do that?

Like many athletes in the northeast Ryan Hart and David McIsaac played the “sport in season”. Ryan’s first love was soccer. David could be found dribbling his basketball around town.  They grew up around the corner from each other. Both came from tennis families. Their memories of when they first picked up a racquet go back longer than they can recall. It was thought that it was definitely before the age of four. So it’s no surprise that by the time they entered Reading High School David and Ryan were very familiar with each others style, strengths and weaknesses. They knew instinctively where the other would be on the court. Weaknesses were few however, as they played four years as a doubles team and suffered only a handful of losses in one of the better leagues in the state. After one short experiment with splitting them up in their senior year, they were quickly reunited.

But after high school they did go different ways, Ryan going to UConn and David heading off to rival Syracuse. But they didn’t lose touch. Tennis always united them. One day recently at a family function, David’s uncle mentioned that he had started playing a game called pickleball and invited him to give it a try. Of course David contacted Ryan. They played several times and liked the game. They wanted to challenge themselves and when they heard of a tournament in South Portland Maine, it was all systems go. Despite the recommendation of tournament officials that they play at a lower level, David and Ryan opted to play advanced. This decision wasn’t because of cockiness but of their history of wanting to play the best even if it meant going down to defeat. It was in playing the best they knew, that one learns the most.

Did I mention they hadn’t any paddles?  Ryan played some of the games with a basic wooden paddle until some kind soul gave him a better choice. Yes, they went down to defeat. However, in the first and last game they were playing even for a good part of the match against some of the best players in Pickleball crazy Maine. They loved playing and learned plenty. You just know that their next tournament will have a different outcome. 

What did we learn from their experience? Having met both over a pizza at Portland Pies, note the irony, I will be rooting for them when they next take the court. David and Ryan are great guys. They are both kind, determined and skillful young men whose families must be very proud. Once the younger players learn the soft game, we boomers will have a lot to handle. We will have a difficult time matching their quickness. In the meantime, we need to provide more opportunities for the younger people. It doesn’t have to be tennis or pickleball or badminton. We are one sport among many. We older folks love it for lots of reasons, one being that there aren’t many alternatives. The last time I played basketball I lost to a middle schooler. Tournaments with younger people in mind and getting into school systems are two ways. I hope Ryan and David make time for pickleball in their very busy lives. It will be fun to watch their progress as they bring excitement, skill and enthusiasm to the game we love.

Wilmington Pickleball Day June 20

Defeat Cancer Fundraiser

Funds Raised Will Support the Work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Biologic Therapy Research

A Day of Pickleball – Fun, Friendship, and Competition

Date: June 20, 2015       Rain Date: June 21, 2015

Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: Middlesex Ave, Wilmington, MA (Next to the Town Common)

9 – 10 Registration and Open Play

10 – 2  Men’s / Women’s Beginner and Intermediate Tournaments

2 – 4 Open Play and Training

Donation: $20 for Tournament Play

Make Checks Payable to: BIDMC

Please write memo on check: C/O Dr. McDermott Biologic Research

Mail to Peter Sullivan, 7 Stonehill Drive 4G, Stoneham, MA 02190

$10 for Open Play and/or Instruction

Please Join Us - All Are Welcome

Your Name                                                      Telephone                           Email    

     

Partners Name  

                                        

Event Registration:

Check if you want to play in a tournament!

Beginner Tournament____________            Intermediate Tournament___________

Pickleopolis

From Sue Carnevale, friendly ambassador from the 

North Shore

Danvers Indoor Sports is ending for the season Friday night, May 29. I believe FNFB will have our last competition of the season that evening.   More info to follow. Speaking of Danvers Indoor Sports, it sounds like many people were able to take advantage of the two trainings offered by Paul Lambers.  Kerry will be providing a document summarizing his key points. 

Hamilton Recreation will also be ending for the season on May 29th.

And now for some good news...last night the Salem Recreation Department was given permission to paint lines for 2 pickleball courts at Collins Cove.  Graciously, Rick Haigis and Amy VanDoren of Salem have offered to donate supplies for this project.  THANK YOU!!

Beverly Outdoors is right behind.  Working on the tennis court at Obear Park

On May 27th, the JCC in Marblehead will open up more court time.  Wednesdays, Saturdays and OUTSIDE Sunday.  Please see the schedule for more details.

On June 1st, Peabody opens for outdoor play Monday and Friday 10-12.  There is a small fee.

Please save the date of June 20th.  Our Peter is working on a fund raiser to support cancer research.  The event will take place in Wilmington and will involve a shootout on 4 courts, play via skill level, an intermediate level clinic, beginner school, ref school and other features...which I do not know.  Peter always sets up wonderful and FUN events.  

June 28th is pickleball at Danvers Family Fun Festival.  We will be showing pickleball to the community in hopes of rising the level of interest and of course, sharing our great sport. Please let me know if you are interested in volunteering at the event.   

And of course, we have the senior games in Massachusetts and  New Hampshire to look forward to during the summer months.

  Please remember to show your support for  USAPA by becoming a member.  A membership fee of         $25 a year gives you the monthly USAPA newsletter, discount information, window stickers and of         course a great tee shirt.  USAPA.ORG

 All attachments will be in the email following this.  For some reason (which I will figure out soon),  when I make an attachment, all this wonderful dialogue disappears.   So, look for the next email re:  Pickleopolis.

        Sue

Reading Outside

Photo by Mary Kay

Once indoor pickleball ends in Reading mid June, we will set an outdoor day and time.

Pickleball 411: Improve Your Game with the Soft Return

North Shore Pickleopolis

The Pickleopolis of the North Shore

Sue Carnevale and Kerry Baser

SPRING PICKLEBALL on the NORTHSHORE SUNDAY Beverly Y Sterling Ctr 12-2PM (3 courts) free for Y members; non-members can buy a punch card (10 visits for $50) or $8.00/visit Marblehead Y 40 Leggs Hill Rd 4:30-7 PM (2courts)

MONDAY Hamilton Recreation Ctr 10AM-noon (courts) $3.00 Gloucester Y 7-9:30 PM (3 courts) Free for Y members; non-members can buy a punch card (10 visits for $50) or $8.00/visit ON HOLD Marblehead Y 40 Leggs Hill Rd 12-3PM (2 courts) Andover –South Elementary School Beginner Level Starts Monday Feb 23, 6:00-7:30pm Register on line: http://andoverdcs.com/adult/adultrecreation/pickleball #187
Reading Middle School Contact the Recreation Dept for further info Beginners 6-7:30 Intermediate play 7:30-9

TUESDAY Beverly Y Sterling Ctr 7-10 PM (3 courts) Marblehead Community Gym/Center 10 Humphrey St 2-4 PM and 8-10PM (18+) (3 courts) $5

 WEDNESDAY Hamilton Recreation Ctr 10AM-noon (2 courts) $3.00 Andover Bancroft Elementary School Intermediate Level (2 courts) Starts Feb 25, 6:00-7:30pm #311 Starts Feb 25, 7:45-9:15pm #319 Register on line http://andoverdcs.com/adult/adultrecreation/pickleball

 THURSDAY Marblehead Community Gym Ctr 10 Humphrey St (3 courts) 2-3PM until March 4th, when play will be extended 2-4PM

FRIDAY Hamilton Recreation Ctr 12:30-2PM (2 courts) $3.00 Danvers Indoor Sports 7-10 PM Andover St (Route 114 across from The Olive Garden) (3 courts) PM. $50 card good for 10 visits or $7.00 visit

SATURDAY Marblehead JCC Community Road 8-11AM Intermediate play

Pickleball Winchester

Pickleball Comes to Winchester

On May 14th, we will hold a free exhibition and limited play at the McCall Middle School at 458 Main Street from 6-9 PM. 

This will be followed by indoor play on Thursdays till the end of the school year. Fees TBD.

And then outdoors????????

I ❤ Pickleball - Accidental Ambassador for Cape Cod

George Rice of Marston Mills, Cape Cod

Friday Night Danvers

Greetings,

Now that we all have the tournament bug, Paul Lambers has agreed to come down to the FNFB to teach an intermediate technique and strategy clinic. This week’s focus will be on serve and service return, the 3^rd shot and court positioning for the winning combination.

When: May 8^th  Friday7-8PM

Where: Danvers Indoor sport, court 1 and 2

Cost: $10 per person

Paddles to try and buy

And while I have your attention – the last indoor play for the season at Danvers Indoor Sport will be Friday May 29^th. And yes – you guessed it – we will have a tournament.  Arrive at 7:00 to warm up, tournament starts at  730. Now to come up with something creative for a name … any thoughts???

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday,

Kerry

Kerry E. Baser kebaser@hotmail.com 

M (508) 843-4622

USAPA MA Ambassador (Boston-North)

www.usapa.org

www.atlanticpickleball.com

www.bostonpickleball.blogspot.com

Heading North?

Here is a good reason. Thanks to Doug Price otherwise know as Judy Forester's brother.