Courtside

Volunteers Make It Happen

This is the time of year when the USCA begins to collect names of members for the Annual Awards, such as Player of the Year and institutional honors like Club of the Year. Many people and clubs are responsible for impressive accomplishments. Some are heralded by awards ceremonies, while others are appreciated in quieter salutes.

This season, we should thank contributors to croquet without waiting for the year-end tributes. We see notable croquet games and extraordinary shot-making by players everywhere: thank you for showing us how to play. The games also have dedicated instructors and referees at all levels from coast to coast. These people deserve our applause for sustaining the sport that they and we all enjoy so much.

In addition to games on the courts, croquet is on the sidelines: setting courts, overseeing equipment and board-keeping. Concomitantly, event organizers, regulators of rules, handicaps managers and many volunteers are involved. Thank you all for your steadfast commitment. The sport continues because of you.

Our fellow players are being honored at top levels. This year Gene Young and Ben Rothman were inducted into the Croquet Hall of Fame for their lifelong leadership of croquet. Young was the USCA President from 2009-2011 and improved the sport nationally as well as locally before, during and after this time. He spearheaded the vast growth of croquet in the North Carolina mountains. Rothman, a leader in his own right, has been an instructor and croquet professional and is one of the top players in the USCA, representing the USA for years as a competitor and Team Captain.

Our volunteer leaders ensure the next generations will continue our sport. Joy Bradford, a player in Florida and the Mid-Atlantic, is responsible for the croquet court at Rutgers Prep, a New Jersey high school. Wendell Thompson, a dedicated player himself, has improved the game in Oklahoma by introducing college students to Six Wicket croquet and encouraging their playing to four national championships. Thanks to people like these two and Lee Hanna, the tireless champion of Youth Croquet and the Chair of the Collegiate Committee, the sport will endure.

The Hall of Fame recognizes the best of the best nationally, but the sport also sees leaders at every level and in every corner. Stand up, all of you, and take a bow. We applaud the work and dedication of our player-volunteers. Because of your commitment, the great sport of croquet thrives throughout the USCA sphere. Thank you.

If you want to recommend a USCA member for national recognition, please send your recommendation to us for this year’s consideration.

Sara Low

USCA President | president@uscroquet.com