2023 V3 - USAP North Florida Newsletter

THE BUZZ ON PICKLEBALL

45 Games of Pickleball Challenge!

From Buzz Wood, USAP Ambassador/St. Johns County

Three years ago, when I began playing pickleball, I thought to myself, I wonder if there’s a way that playing this game that I’ve fallen in love with could be used to benefit others? And I now have that answer!

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was started by actor, singer, comedian, and philanthropist Danny Thomas back in 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee. Since then, this hospital has served children here at home as well as from around the world who have struggled with cancer. Danny fervently believed “no child should die in the dawn of life” and thus was born St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital!

Now it’s my turn, and our turn, to help these terrific children and their families as they work towards wellness!

The “45 Games of Pickleball Challenge” is a fundraiser that I’m participating in to do my part to help out this worthwhile cause, and you can be a part of this effort. You can either play one of the games in the month of July or just go to the Facebook Donation page for the event: https://www.facebook.com/donate/811691740332139/ If you’d like to play DM me on Instagram @pickleballbuzz or email buzz@pickleballbuzz.tv

Playing has its benefits, as we're going to do a drawing after the month of July concludes for 6-Boxes of PCKL’s Elite 40 Pickleball 4-Packs, and we’re also giving away 2- Legacy Pro Carbon Fiber Paddles! So be sure to schedule some playing time, or if you can’t play, we can include you in the drawing by reaching out to me via Instagram or email.

Hope to see you in the month of July as we do good for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital!

About Buzz-

Buzz Wood is a video podcaster, pickleball coach, player, and storyteller, who is constantly involved in evolving and growing the sport. Catch him on his YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@pickleballbuzz

HIGHLIGHTS

ARGYLE FOREST • JACKSONVILLE

Greetings Picklers!,

Update on Argyle Forest pickleball located at 8533 Acanthus Drive Jacksonville Argyle Forest began December 2022

We have daily open play weekday evenings from 5-9 pm and weekend mornings from 7;30am-12:00pm Play is scheduled using a daily poll with Whatsapp We have over 280 members on Whatsapp and over 600 members on the Argyle Pickleball Facebook group Argyle hosts many FREE events such as 14, 16, and 18 MLP (Mini Pickleball Leagues) and a variety of round robins catering to all levels of play For more information about FREE events at Argyle Forest text Kelly 352-455-0078

We were recently blessed by Evangel Temple which partnered with Big Country Pickleball hosting a 53 player round robins All participants received drawstring bags, towels, shirts, balls, water, snacks, and much more for participating Winners received gift cards Argyle Pickleball was presented with a court squeegee

My husband Jeff and I were voted on to the Argyle Athletic Association board for Jacksonville. We are representing pickleball and coordinating with other sports in the area.

Argyle Pickleball has many tournament participants medaling throughout the United States with recent gold medal wins in New York and Alabama. We have members participating in pro and senior pro events. Argyle promotes day event trips to Pictona and hosts event for visitors from all around Florida travelling from Orlando, Daytona, and Ocala. Argyle is growing its youth participation by including many youth players in round robin events and MLP events.

I have been communicating with the city regularly to keep the bathrooms clean and replacing the burnt-out court lights. Argyle Forest is a public facility with 12 courts divide into pods which offers a 4 on 4 off rotation for levels of play which includes advanced play to novices / beginner. We have to challenge courts with a 2 on 2 off rotation. We are awaiting official signage by the end of June. All tournaments, clinics, and lessons must remain FREE at Argyle.

BEAT THE HEAT WITH THE NEW INDOOR COURTS IN GAINESVILLE

The newly built 114,000 square foot Alachua County Sports & Event Center in Celebration Pointe in Gainesville had their grand opening on June 10th. It has 21 pickleball courts, and the courts were a huge success at the grand opening. Mary Rossow was hired to be the Pickleball Coordinator at the facility. She starts Pickleball summer camps this month, for ages 8 to 14. They are also a USA Pickleball Youth Program Provider and have plans for a youth program.

Kelly Jauschneg • Clay

NEXT GENERATION PICKLERS

The students at Fort Clarke Middle School in Gainesville played Pickleball for the entire month of May and loved it They are going to expand their program next year Some of their paddles were donated from the Selkirk “in the schools” program

IPTPA LEVEL I CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Congratulations Mary Rossow for completing her IPTPA Level I Certification Program April 14, 2023 She is already underway giving a number of lessons, but still enjoys giving free lessons to beginners so they can enjoy the great game of pickleball

Ambassadors Bob Crow, Dennis McGill and Mary Rossow attended a City of Gainesville Commission meeting June 8th Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP) was one of the items on the agenda and they presented their Proposed 2024 -2026 Work Plan Part of WSPP’s plan is to demolish the racquetball courts at Tom Petty Park and build eight dedicated pickleball courts with lights! This project should be completed in 2024 Ambassador Bob Crow spoke and expressed our appreciation and excitement for the pickleball plans at Tom Petty Park They also asked them to consider using WSPP funds to convert the multi-use courts to dedicated courts to accommodate large tournaments

CHURCH ADDS MORE COURTS

Mary Rossow worked with the First Baptist church in Alachua to tape 2 additional indoor pickleball courts to add to the 2 from last year She then gave two free classes to ‘Senior’ members They are having so much fun with it and have a group that meets every Friday evening

AMBASSADORS WORKING WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO BRING MORE COURTS TO NORTH FLORIDA

Gear up for the new Pickleball season at Go Pro Tennis & Pickleball!

Demo for free.

30-day guarantee you’ll love your paddle. We will meet or beat any authorized dealer discounts.

USA Pickleball members/newsletter subscribers will always get the best deals!

CROWD SOURCING

Saint Augustine Ron Parker Memorial Park

Pickleball Players join together to crowd sou in order to purchase a VAPTR ROLLER to ea dry the courts They also were granted permission to modify the courts to add a loc enclosure They worked together to design a build a custom shed No more long waits aft the rain for those who call Ron Parker their home courts

Michelle Mallard • Saint Johns

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Special Olympics Pickleball is coming to Gainesville

Mary Rossow and Cole Childers have been in contact with them to set them up at our Veterans Memorial Park venue They will start their season July 27th with practices Thursday evenings at 5:30 They will have a coach certification on July 15th for any volunteers interested in coaching

Ambassador Spotlight

Johnnie Shields • Saint Johns

ALWAYS ACTIVE

I was serious about cycling. I was leading the Florida State Championships in mountain biking in 2017 going into the final race and broke a chain. I trained 3-4 days a week and always pushed myself to my limit and beyond.

CANCER

I was diagnosed stage 4 colon cancer in June 2019, had surgery in July, was told chemo isn't working in November and tumors had spread though most of my abdomen and into my chest/esophagus area and something was on my shoulder blade so it was trying to attach to the bones. All the experts (MDAnderson, Mayo, Moffitt) said they had nothing to offer.

I had been on chemo and some experimental drugs for 1 1/2 years when it became very aggressive. Half of my large intestine had been removed in July 2019 and here it was Feb 2021 and my oncologist didn't want to do another surgery. I pushed for it even though this 2nd Surgery was just going to give me enough time to get my affairs in order. I Made funeral plans, put all assets in a trust, and was on a trip to say a final goodbye to my college roommate and make him the executor of my estate. My son was 15 and was about to lose his dad. There wasn't much positive in my daily life and the last thing on my mind was starting a new hobby. Somehow Kent (roomie) talked me into getting up at 6am to play a sport that only 70 year old ladies played (as far as I knew). It took about 5 minutes and I was hooked. This was in Frye Island Maine.

BEFORE PICKLEBALL

After the diagnosis I was Golfing when I had the energy. A couple times a week at first, but Chemo buildup reduced it to once every two weeks or less. My son was well on his way to being a Pro golfer. He finished 110th in the World Championships for 14 and under in 2020.

FIRST TIME I PLAYED

I played my very first game of pickleball June 30th 2021 during a golf vacation. I was 59 years old. My college roommate Kent introduced me to Pickleball. My focus changed from golf to Pickleball and have only golfed 4-5 times in 4 years.

I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH PICKLE

Every morning when I woke up the first thing I thought about was where can I play today. I drove to Ron Parker, Pictona, Palatka, Green Cove Springs, it didn't matter as long as I could find some games. I found Flynn and Treaty too. The combination of competition, exercise, friendships and fun that Pickleball offered was unmatched. I started a new drug that was designed for lung cancer but the options were running out. All chemo type meds have a useful lifespan of 9-12 months and then your body adapts to them and they stop working. Some say Pickleball saved my life. Many survivors say they used a future goal to keep them going. I just loved everything about it. My goal was not only to have enough energy to play each day, but I was really enjoying the social side too. I got shunned at several parks and made it my mission to give back as much as my body would let me.

GIVING MY TIME TO THIS SPORT

I ran beginner clinics, youth clinics, round robins, a SuperBall tournament, team league style events and now the MLP format events. I always play with newbies and I will stand on the court with anyone!

THE BALANCE

I want to play everyday and have made it 7 or 8 days in a row with one of those days being a 10 hour day at Pictona. I want to open a store or facility and do more exciting PB things, but I have to balance the wear and tear it may cause to my fragile immune system. I don't want to make some mistake that causes my Pickleball journey to come to an abrupt halt.

MY

PICKLEBALL JOURNEY SO FAR

I was so taken by this sport that I started my own beginner clinics to bring more newbies into the sport. I pushed and prodded my new fiend Pam to take the reigns and run with the clinics and she has done a magnificent job moving forward with that. I transitioned into creating a team league similar to what local tennis has, but again ran into energy and time concerns. I moved to running round robins with a huge trophy to the winner at the end of the season and it was a lot of fun and easier on me physically. I started playing a lot of tournaments in an effort to get my skills to a higher level. I was almost at a standstill on organizing events and was spending a lot of time trying to push a young kid who lost his parents into pursuing his Pickleball dream.

THATS WHEN MLP HAPPENED

I wanted to do something to help Richie become a Pro player and felt he just needed a little push to see how far he could make it. I posted an article on him in a USAPA forum and the response was overwhelming. You could see the difference it made to this 18 year old that others cared about him. He is now working full time in the Pickleball industry. I organized a Minor League Pickleball team where Richie was the anchor. I escorted 4 young players to Tampa to play in an MLP seemed like a perfect compliment to his Nextgen and WSOP experiences.

My latest scan was pretty good so it looks like people will have to put up with me a bit longer... so here goes. .

UPCOMING EVENTS

Jul 08, 2023

Florida Summer Smash - A Star Spangled Banger | Bradenton, Florida

Special Olympics Florida is in need of dollars to transport pickleball players to events They provide this experience free of charge to the athletes. Money raised will go to support these athletes on their quest for gold in pickleball at the Special Olympics!

Register at Pickleballbrackets com

Jul 22, 2023 - Jul 23, 2023

Weston Racquet Club Summer Smash | Weston, Florida

Welcome to Weston Racquet Club in Weston, FL. Registration fee is $45 per player plus $10 per player for each event entered (2 events max you can enter)

Register at Pickleballbrackets com

Aug 04, 2023 - Aug 06, 2023

6th Annual Gainesville Indoor Pickleball Showcase | Gainesville, Florida

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 - MEN'S & WOMEN'S SINGLES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 - MEN'S & WOMEN'S DOUBLES

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 - MIXED DOUBLES

REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.GAINESVILLESPORTSCOMMISSION.COM

Aug 12, 2023 - Aug 13, 2023

American Pickleball Tour | Winter Haven, Florida

Let's Party! We’re serving up the Ultimate Pickleball Experience Doubles: Round Robin format tournament for ALL skills and ALL age brackets from 14+ to 60+

Registration includes play on many courts with three levels of medals per bracket, swag bag, visor, hand towel & more! Add-on a dri-fit APT shirt to your registration for only $10 more! Register at Pickleballbrackets com

Aug 13, 2023

FIL AM Pickleball Tournament | Fort Pierce, Florida

Surface Type: Sport Court

Play Area Type: Indoor Air Conditioned

Net Type: Portable

Number of Courts: 9 Register at Pickleballbrackets com

Aug 28, 2023

JOOLA Pickleball Championships | Kissimmee, Florida

Celebrate JOOLA Pickleball alongside our tournament pro's at the first annual JOOLA Pickleball Championships Register at Pickleballtournaments com

Aug 28, 2023

diNGK SPORTS Miami Open with $20K in Prize money | Miami, Florida

diNGK SPORTS Miami Open

FUNDRAISER for Sebastian Strong (Pediatric Cancer) - 3 Days Event

Prize money of up to $20,000 */*/*/*/*/*/*PLAYOFF SUNDAY FOR ALL DIVISION!!*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

Register at Pickleballtournaments com