Secretary of State visits Rotary Club uPAGE

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | March 10, 2022 | 3 Secretary of State talks election security

By JAKE DRUKMAN jake@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger touted Georgia’s election security March 1 in a meeting with the North Forsyth 400 Rotary Club at the Coal Mountain Community Center.

Raffensperger, who is up for reelection this year, has faced criticism from fellow Republicans since the 2020 general election saw President Joe Biden win the state, giving Democrats their first presidential win in Georgia since 1992.

Some Republicans have accused Raffensperger of complicity in voter fraud, though the claims have been almost entirely debunked. Gubernatorial candidate David Perdue — who was seeking reelection to his U.S. Senate seat and lost — even called for Raffensperger to resign in the wake of the 2020 election.

In his talk with the Rotary Club, Raffensperger was quick to dispel any rumors of electoral fraud among the crowd of about 25. He emphasized that the state had recounted by hand every ballot cast in the November 2020 election, and the state never found any significant variance in the numbers. He said there was a miniscule number of voter fraud cases in the state, but that every offender was facing consequences.

The Secretary of State largely attributed former President Donald Trump’s loss in the state to the 28,000 voters whom he said voted in their state or local elections but did not vote for a presidential candidate.

Raffensperger also touted Senate Bill 202, also known as the Election Integrity Act, the sweeping elections reform bill the state Legislature passed last year. The bill passed amid widespread criticism from Democrats, who argued the bill’s provisions would lead to voter suppression.

Raffensperger said that while there was no widespread fraud, some areas did face challenges in running the election. He pointed to Fulton County, where thousands of voters faced hours-long lines, both during the 2020 primary and general election. Raffensperger said the law introduced measures to hold county election departments accountable for such “meltdowns.” Opponents argued that the measures constitute a state takeover of local elections.

“The number one thing that voters hate, we found, is long lines,” Raffensperger said. “So they think that all voting should be like going to Chick-fil-A: keep those lines short.”

Raffensperger pointed out that The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative policy think tank, ranked Georgia as the no. 1 state for election integrity this year.

In his closing remarks, Raffensperger said he wished for more honesty from political candidates who lost their elections.

He noted lawsuits had been filed against the state by organizations associated with Stacey Abrams after her 2018 loss against Gov. Brian Kemp, as well as Trump’s challenges to Georgia’s elections process after the 2020 election.

Raffensperger faces challenges from other Republicans in the May 24 primary election, including from U.S. Rep. Jody Hice.

JAKE DRUKMAN/APPEN MEDIA Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks to the North Forsyth 400 Rotary Club March 1 at the Coal Mountain Community Center. Raffensperger spoke on Georgia’s election integrity and rumors of electoral fraud during the 2020 election.

County will sponsor information sessions to recruit poll workers

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office is hosting informational sessions for those interested in serving as poll workers for the 2022 election cycle.

Morning, afternoon and evening sessions will be held March 7-11 at the Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office, 1201 Sawnee Drive in Cumming, for residents seeking more information on becoming a poll worker.

Frequently asked questions, including poll worker requirements, duties, volunteer versus paid opportunities and more can be found at forsythco.com/pollworkers.

“Poll workers play an essential role in enabling citizens to participate in one of our nation’s most cherished freedoms,” Voter Registrations & Elections Director Mandi Smith said. “We are truly grateful for the residents of all backgrounds and ages who serve our community as poll workers.”

Meet and greet sessions will be held at: • Monday, March 7 from 5:30–7 p.m. • Tuesday and Wednesday, March 8-9 from 10–11:30 a.m. and 5:30–7 p.m. • Thursday, March 10 from 5:30–7 p.m. • Friday, March 11 from 2–3:30 p.m.

To receive additional information about the meet and greet sessions or to make a reservation to attend, please email pollworker@forsythco. com or call the Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office at 770-781-2118. Reservations are required.

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4 | March 10, 2022 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth Pickleball takes center court in metro Atlanta

By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com

NORTH METRO ATLANTA — Four and a-half years ago, Bob Gerndt picked up a pickleball paddle for the first time.

He hasn’t put it down since.

Gerndt, 76, plays five or six days a week and coordinates a roster of over 300 beginning-level pickleball players at Forsyth County’s Fowler Recreation Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Pickleball — a cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong — is the fastest growing sport in America, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. Almost 5 million people are playing across the country, nearly double the number five years ago.

Metro Atlanta is deep into the pickleball craze.

More often than not, there are more players than available space at the Fowler Center courts, so there’s some decent downtime between games.

“We get so many people that we all spend a lot of time sitting on the bleachers, and we get to know each other,” Gerndt said. “And pretty soon we’re going out to lunch with each other and really getting to enjoy learning about each other.”

Evan Hecht, an avid player from Johns Creek picked up the sport last fall.

“If you’re interested in a great exercise while having fun, pickleball is probably one of the easiest things you can do to get both,” Hecht said.

The low threshold of entry is a major draw. Paddles and balls can be had for less than $100, and many local parks have them available for loan.

Phenomenal growth

Pickleball first made its way to the north metro area about six years ago.

Forsyth County got its first pickleballcompliant courts around 2015 when it striped some courts at Fowler Park, Recreation Supervisor Zak Moore said.

The sport takes up less space than a tennis or basketball court, so many areas have simply added the regulation court lines to existing courts.

Gerndt’s Tuesday/Thursday pickleballers play in the basketball gyms at Fowler, with three pickleball courts occupying the same space as two basketball courts. But the group often ends up taking up both basketball gyms — a total of six pickleball courts, Gerndt said.

Roswell began its dive into the sport around 2019 after converting a skate park on Grimes Bridge Road into four outdoor courts.

“From there, we saw them being utilized constantly,” Athletic Supervisor Whit Carlisle said. “We would start getting more and more calls regarding pickleball and more interest from the community.”

So, they started to expand the city’s recreation offerings. In fall 2021, Carlisle said, Roswell launched beginner lessons in pickleball, “and those filled up almost instantly, so we doubled the amount of offerings very quickly based on the demand, and those filled up almost immediately too.”

In the winter, Roswell launched a competitive pickleball league which Carlisle said has also been a great success. He said the city plans to add additional pickleball courts by lining tennis courts at its Lake Charles facility and tennis courts at Grimes Bridge, adjacent to the existing four courts. Carlisle also said the upcoming master plan is “definitely going to include another facility with pickleballspecific courts.”

In 2019, the same year as Roswell, Johns Creek re-painted two of its six tennis courts at Newtown Park and replaced them with four pickleball courts.

Plans for Cauley Creek Park, which is still mainly undeveloped, include an additional five pickleball courts, Public Works Director Chris Haggard said.

Hecht, a millennial, plays with his friends at the Newtown Park courts and occasionally treks to Alpharetta’s courts at Webb Bridge after work and on weekends, “whenever the weather is nice,” he said.

The competition and the social component are part of what keeps him coming back, he said.

“There’s really not a reason to not take a chance on it,” Hecht said.

A generational draw

Most pickleball players in metro Atlanta are baby boomers.

In Roswell, most are 50 years and up, Carlisle said.

Gerndt’s players in Forsyth County are mostly in their 50s to 70s, and about half are former tennis players.

Coming from the same generation, Gerndt said a lot of his players carry the same first name. On his 302-person roster, there are nine Bills, seven Bobs and six Dianes.

In a mass email to the players last October, Gerndt explained the Diane situation and attached a photo of the ladies as a visual aid.

“We have five ‘Diane’ gals playing in our group who attend so often we are having to call them out as, Diane 1, or Diane 2, etcetera,” he wrote. “No problem, but there has been some competition for who gets top honors. For now, pending future challenges, they are from left to right Dianne 1 (Hart), Diane 2 (Fotner), Dianne 3 (Gagnon), and Diane 4 (Marlin).”

The players have their names written on blue tape on their paddles, which are used to help build the constantly shifting four-player teams that take to the courts.

Gerndt makes an effort to learn about all of his players. He said one started call-

PHOTOS BY SYDNEY DANGREMOND/APPEN MEDIA Pickleball players prepare to serve in a game at Fowler Park Recreation Center March 3. The players are members of a beginners league in the fastest growing sport in America.

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