Wanted Page 2
Farmer’s market salad Page 7
Fire station visit Page 8
Free complimentary copy June 13, 2014 • Volume 1, No. 37
www.raytowneagle.com • 75¢
New Raytown Fire Chief Sworn In By Diane Krizek Editor Raytown Fire Chief, Matthew Mace, was officially sworn in and received his badge in a ceremony that took place on May 28 at Fire Station #1. He is only the fifth Fire Chief in the entire 70year history of the Raytown Fire Protection District. Firefighter/ Paramedic Matthew Hebl, Apparatus Operator/ Paramedic Thomas Ratterman and Apparatus Operator/ Paramedic Nathan Davis were also sworn in. Ratterman and Davis were promoted and Hebl was hired from outside of the department. Fire board president Robert Palmer and vice-president Barb Schlapia administered the oath and presentation of the badges and certificates of appointments.
The ceremony was conducted in front of family, friends, coworkers and City officials and ended with a reception of coffee, cake and punch. At the beginning of the ceremony, Chief Mace announced the restoration of badging ceremonies. “I don’t remember how we got to the point where it was ‘Hey, your badge came in’ and it got tossed across the room,” said Mace, “We all knew how significant it is to wear the badge so it’s time to get back to how we used to do it. This is the second ceremony we’ve performed in the last 90 days.” Chief Mace made remarks about each fireman. “Ratterman has a big heart and can make a mean biscuits and gravy.” “Nathan is our gauge. If somebody has a problem with Nathan then
Fire Chief Matthew Mace being sworn in as the fifth Raytown Fire Chief by Board President, Robert Palmer. Mace’s wife, Rachelle, and daughter Claire, in background. something’s wrong with them.” ley, made a formal introduction every opportunity for profes“We stole Hebl from Harrison- of Mace as the new Fire Chief sional development. His accomville. He served the Army Na- explaining how he came to be plishments include an Associtional Guard as a combat med- in the position after starting his Continued on page 3 ic.” career in October 2000. Battalion Chief, Mike Hun“He has taken advantage of
Raytown Hosts First Women’s Pickleball Clinic
By Diane Krizek Editor On Saturday, May 31, Raytown Parks and Recreation hosted its first Women’s Pick-
leball Clinic in partnership with Pickleball Midwest. The Pickleball Clinic took place at the Sarah Colman-Livengood Park tennis courts, 5912 Lane Ave. Over 50 women participated
in the event instructed by Dee Davidson, a 5.0 rated Pickleball player from Buckeye, Arizona. Participants came from all over including Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. Davidson
Additional lines on the renovated tennis courts make up the pickleball courts
taught proper pickleball techniques such as serves, overhead shots, backhand shots, return shots and court positioning. The Colman tennis courts were renovated last year and pickleball lines were added to the courts. The pickleball court is similar to a doubles badminton court. The actual size of the court is 20×44 feet for both doubles and singles. The net is hung at 36 inches on the ends, and 34 inches in the middle. Pickleball is a paddle sport for two to four players of all ages and skill levels. It combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played both indoors and outdoors. The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to l e a r n but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.
The history of pickleball goes back to the summer of 1965. Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell, successful businessman, returned to Pritchard’s home near Seattle and found their families sitting around with nothing to do. Pritchard and Bell tried to start a game of badminton but couldn’t find a full set of rackets. They improvised with pingpong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The net was initially set at the badminton height of 60 inches but the players discovered the ball bounced well on the asphalt so the net was lowered to 36 inches. Barney McCallum was introduced to the game and soon the three men created rules, relying heavily on badminton and keeping in mind the original purpose was to provide a game the whole family could play together. Who knew that nearly fifty years later, there would be pickleball facilities in all 50 states according to the United States American Pickleball Association (USAPA)?