2020 Croquet News Volume 4

2020 Volume 4

CroquetNews The Official Magazine

of the United States Croquet Association

Essick Gets AC Title

Women in Croquet | GC Handicapping System | US 6-Wicket Handicaps Beverley Cardo | West River Wickets

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CroquetNews 2020 Volume 4

Features 09 | 2020 USCA Association Nationals 16 | Women in Croquet 22 | Club Profile: West River Rickets 24 | Member Profile: Beverley Cardo 29 | Event Reports

Departments 03 | Courtside with Sara Low 04 | The Clubhouse 05 | Who Am I? 26 | Let's Talk Tactics 28 | GC America 34 | New Membership 35 | Grand Prix Standings 37 | Events Calendar

On The Cover

Matthew Essick on the way to his first national title.

Photo by Lyle Browning.

Publisher

Dylan Goodwin

Managing Editor Julie Jantzer-Ward

Art Director

Brandy Ferguson

Inquiries

Please submit all inquiries and stories to uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com.

Text should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file and photos need to be FULL resolution (300 dpi). All content may be edited for length and photos will be adjusted appropriately. Croquet News is produced four times per year and is distributed as a benefit to USCA membership. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the publisher.

Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USCA.

courtside

Honor A Star There are stars among us. Croquet News is highlighting two of them in this issue: Beverly Cardo and West River Wickets. Both Bev and the club are valuable entities within the USCA. Read about them and enjoy that they each offer so much to the sport and spread joy among players.

Also know other stars are doing projects for croquet. They may be hidden from most of us, but they are appreciated within their area and will be discovered by others someday.

At the national level, Rob Byrd of North Carolina is giving his time and energy to the USCA with his expertise of non-profit finance. Cheryl Bromley of Wisconsin puts so much talent and time into golf croquet. She runs the GC Committee, organizes its projects, teaches and plays the sport. Notice also Bobbi Shorthouse and Beau Doherty, both of Connecticut, who have adapted croquet for use in Special Olympics games. And James Creasey in Colorado who has created a croquet game for Alzheimer’s disease patients.

At the club level, Randy Cardo and David Kepner returned croquet to New York’s Quogue Field Club for the first time since 1928. Croquet was played by all ages and they even held a tournament!

People were playing, organizing games and cheering at clubs and on lawns in most places touched by the sun with events in Virginia, Maine, North Carolina, California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Indiana, Massachusetts and Florida, to name just a few of the active states. Each game called for a star, someone or something that triggered the match.

At every level of croquet, one finds these stars. We thank them for their time and energy. We thank them for being selfless people. And we are so glad to have them in our sport.

If you want to honor a star, please nominate him or her for a USCA Annual Award. It’s one way we can all say thank you.

Sara Low

USCA President | president@uscroquet.com

© 2020 United States Croquet Association

croquetamerica.com | 3

TheClubhouse US CROQUET HALL OF FAME 2020 Many of the family and friends of the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees, Sherif Mohamed Abdelwahab and Rory J. Kelley, are unable to attend the US Croquet Hall of Fame Induction and Gala this year due to COVID-19’s impact. As a result, the Croquet Foundation of America’s Board (CFA) decided to postpone the formal induction of this year’s inductees until next year. At that time, they will be combined with the inductees for the 2021 Hall of Fame.

LINES APPOINTED WCF DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL

2020 USCA

ANNUAL AWARDS The USCA is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Annual Awards. Please email your individual or club nomination to membership@uscroquet.com along with a written justification. The deadline for nominations is January 7, 2021, and the list of available award categories follows: • Certificate of Achievement • Certificate of Appreciation • Club of the Year • Club President of the Year

• Outstanding Individual Contributors • Outstanding Support of Croquet

The WCF Management Committee announced the appointment of Debbie Lines (England) to the position of Deputy SecretaryGeneral, which started September 1, 2020.

• Collegiate Club of the Year

• Player of the Year

• Family of the Year

• Recognition Award

Stephen Mulliner will retire on August 31, 2021, on the completion of his second four-year term, and, as previously announced, Lines will become Acting Secretary-General from September 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. On January 1, 2022, she will become Secretary-General and serve a four-year term. She will be eligible to be appointed for a second four-year term.

• Financial Support

• Regional District President

• International Support

• Regional Vice President

• Jr. Player of the Year

• Rookie of the Year

• Jr. Rookie of the Year

• Spectator of the Year

Lines is a qualified accountant who spent 15 years in various finance roles in the UK before gaining change management qualifications.

Her last full-time position was a six-year stint as Head of Florist Operations for Interflora.

• Michael Strauss Award for Journalism

• Sr. Player of the Year

• Most Improved Jr. Player

• Sr. Rookie of the Year

She grew up playing croquet from the age of six and became England’s leading lady player in the 1990s. She represented Great Britain in the 1996 MacRobertson Shield. She is currently a parttime Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer.

• Most Improved Player

• Volunteer of the Year

• New Club of the Year

• Woman Player of the Year

Visit www.croquetamerica.com for more news.

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USCA Management Committee

WHO AM I? That cute little guy in the picture is me! As you can see, I started playing croquet at a young age.

You can say croquet is in the family blood.

My formative croquet years were spent on antebellum farmhouse grounds, under the watchful eyes of Bubbie and Momma.

________________________ President Sara Low president@uscroquet.com

?

Tel. (561) 478-0760 Fax (561) 686-5507

There is an urban legend that I once was a tuna boat captain. But it is not a myth that I challenged a world champion croquet player to a game while he was still recuperating from pneumonia.

I also like wrestling.

And for some reason, food has become intertwined with my croquet career, notably, a grape, an apple and pie.

Can you guess, who am I?

Croquet Club

Treasurer David Isaacs treasurer@uscroquet.com

United States Croquet Association (USCA) 700 Florida Mango Road West Palm Beach, FL 33406

I became one of the best American players. Over the years, I have played in many prestigious croquet tournaments and accomplished many great things. But one of my proudest achievements is playing a tournament on only one leg.

Robert Allen, Big Canoe Croquet Club Eugenia Bytner, National Croquet Club David B. Ford, Newport Croquet Club Turture Gaye, At Large Member Gordon D. Henderson, Mountain Lake

Second Vice President Don Oakley secondvp@uscroquet.com

Secretary Carla Rueck secretary@uscroquet.com

I cut my teeth on backyard 9-wicket croquet, so I struggled learning how to play the 6-wicket version in the late 1980s. But I am a fast learner. And an early success was shared with my father.

PASSAGES

First Vice President Damon Bidencope firstvp@uscroquet.com

Email: usca@msn.com Website: www.croquetamerica.com ________________________ REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS Florida Gene Raymond floridarvp@uscroquet.com Mid-Atlantic Timothy Rapuano midatlanticrvp@uscroquet.com Midwest Russell S. Dilley midwestrvp@uscroquet.com Northeast Sherif Abdelwahab northeastrvp@uscroquet.com Southeast Macey White southeastrvp@uscroquet.com

Lucille M. Maresca, Croquet Club at PGA National

Steve Mossbrook, Mission Hills Croquet Club Richard Nelson, Green Gables Croquet Club Judy Newton, Wequetonsing Croquet Club John Payne, Cedar Creek Club & Houston

Croquet Association F. James Hodges, Cedar Creek Club Terry Philcox, Fleet Landing Croquet Club Ann Ix, Green Gables Croquet Club John H. Wilson, Highlands Falls C. Frasuer Knight, Cedar Creek Club Croquet Association Ted Knopf, Hammock Dunes Croquet Association

Western Rory Kelley westernrvp@uscroquet.com ________________________ USCA STAFF Membership Coordinator Ursula Peck membership@uscroquet.com Tournament & Schools Johnny Mitchell tournament@uscroquet.com www.CroquetAmerica.com croquetamerica.com | 5

theclubhouse

George Mathys 1936-2020

F

ormer Southampton Town Republican leader and longtime Quogue resident George Mathys died on May 8, 2020, his 84th birthday.

Entrepreneurial insight, grit and hard work enabled him to rise from making rounds as a milkman to the founding of George’s Sanitation and East End Recycling, as well as the creation of the Midhampton Business Park in Quogue.

Brooklyn born, he moved with his family to Hampton Bays in the 1950s and started working for Schwenks Dairy, delivering milk.

While on his milk route, he noticed many of his customers had overflowing cans of garbage that were not being picked up regularly or taken to the dump. Recognizing an entrepreneurial opportunity, he purchased a truck and offered to pick up garbage for area residents after completing his early morning milk route.

He gave his customers free garbage cans and a guarantee that if his service was not satisfactory, they could terminate the service and keep the cans. The new company, George’s Sanitation, quickly grew to be the leading garbage service on the East End at that time.

Possessed of abundant community spirit, he volunteered with the Hampton Bays Fire Department and was instrumental in establishing the Hampton Bays ambulance service.

He became president of the East End Chambers Association, which included the chambers of commerce of all five towns, president of the Lions Club and production manager in the early days of the Hampton Players theatre group, where he made his acting debut in “Plaza Suite” and went on to earn accolades for his gifts as a thespian.

As Southampton Town Republican Chairman, he was selected as a New York State delegate representing the five East End towns at the Republican National Convention in 1992.

Well-known for his love of vintage cars, he offered them for use in the Southampton Fourth of July parade for many years, as well as for other events.

An avid croquet player, George won many tournaments.

Dividing his time between Quogue and Palm Beach, he was for several years the Mar-A-Lago Club Croquet Champion.

Other club memberships included the Shinnecock Yacht Club, the Metropolitan Club, the Westhampton Mallet Club and the National Croquet Club.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Anne, his daughters Debra Giuffre, Donna Mathys and Nancy Raynor, and his stepsons Bruce and Craig Dalessio. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews, among them, Greg Sullivan, who worked with him for many years.

Donations in his memory may be made to East End Hospice, PO Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, www.EEH.org.

AC REFEREE COURSE The USCA AC Referee course gives you a practical guide to fixing problems and watching faults. No one is expected to remember every law in the book, so we provide guidance on how to find the right solution when problems occur.

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We welcome players who just want to learn more about the game, people who want to help their fellow club members and competition players who want to referee at tournaments.

Contact Martyn Selman for information about the course and how to qualify at martynselman@yahoo.com.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS EVENT CONTINUES ON Following COVID-19 restrictions and keeping the health and safety of our athletes and families in mind, Special Olympics Connecticut held a small croquet competition on September 13, 2020. With the support of The Hometown Foundation, Inc., and the Farmington Polo Club, the south lawn of the Polo Club grounds provided the perfect venue to achieve social distancing for a maximum of 50 people (with masks on) and, with the grass cut to one inch, surprisingly good single-banked croquet courts. A total of 16 teams from the Mansfield-Tolland and Quinebaug Valley regions competed against each other. Although missing the traditional Olympics opening ceremonies and awards presentations, the event was not missing fun, laughter, serious competition and perfect weather.

—Submitted by Bobbi Shorthouse

Rockport Maine Exhibit: The Art of Croquet The Art of Croquet will be on view at the Messler Gallery of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, from September 18, 2020, to January 6, 2021.

Curators of the smashing exhibition are Jennifer-Navva Milliken, Artistic Director at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, Pa., and furniture maker Silas Kopf, from Northampton, Mass., both of whom are amateur devotees of the sport. Describing the show, Milliken says, “This exhibition not only encourages artists to delve into the function, form and historical mystique of croquet, but also invites them to apply their imagination and skill to the practice of play, framed by the material of wood and the monogamous relationship between mallet and ball.”

In reimagining the ball and mallet, the show’s 21 exhibitors explore a wide range of topics, from personal artistic concerns to contemporary social issues, with clarity and wit. Participants include Ted Blachly (Warner, N.H.), Mark del Guidice (Concord, Mass.), Annie Evelyn (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Amy Forsyth (Bechtelsville, Pa.), Scott Grove (Canandaigua, N.Y.), Michael Hosaluk (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Thomas Hucker (Jersey City, N.J.), Katie Hudnall (Madison, Wis.), Beth Ireland (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Yuri Kobayashi (Camden, Maine), Silas Kopf (Northampton, Mass.), Jim Macdonald (Burnham, Maine), Adam John Manley (San Diego, Calif.), Craig Nutt (Kingston Springs, Tenn.), Graeme Priddle (Asheville, N.C.), Ellie Richards (Penland, N.C.), Sylvie Rosenthal (Madison, Wis.), Mark Sfirri (New Hope, Pa.), Alf Sharp (Woodbury, Tenn.), Elizabeth Spotswood Spencer (New Bern, N.C.), and Kimberly Winkle (Cookeville, Tenn.).

Whether buying or selling, trust the largest transaction of your life to a proven professional.

Linda Grady, PA 561-512-0852

lindagradyrealtor@gmail.com

View the exhibits online at https://woodschool.org/wood-school-gallery/current-exhibitions.

Graeme Priddle’s Give It A Good Tap!

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theclubhouse

“WHO AM I?” ANSWER I am . . . Doug Grimsley.

The previous photo was taken around 1953 at the home of Grimsley’s grandmother in Virginia when he was four or five. The photo here is slightly more recent.

Grimsley’s parents, Ellison “Bubbie” and Martha “Momma” Grimsley, also had a croquet court at their pre-Civil War era farmhouse in Annandale, Va. So, he got to play a lot of 9-wicket croquet while growing up.

Grimsley learned about 6-wicket croquet from Bubbie. But he literally had a rough start. In his first American Rules tournament game in Arizona in 1991, Grimsley lost the coin toss and his opponent, legendary player Neil Spooner, elected to go second. He asked Spooner to go first because he did not know how to start a game. Spooner refused and instead showed Grimsley where to put his ball to start the game. He lost 26-1, being the victim of a “Half-Spooner.” (A Full-Spooner is when Neil beat you 26-0.)

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But Grimsley got the hang of it. In 1997, Bubbie and he placed third in doubles at the USCA American Rules Nationals. By 2000, he was one of the best croquet players in the US. Throughout the next two decades, he won five USCA Association Rules Doubles titles, three American Rules Doubles titles and in 2003 was the American Rules Singles National Champion. He also played on the US teams competing for the MacRobertson International Croquet Shield in 2010; the Carter Cup (against Ireland) in 2001, 2006 and 2009; and the Solomon Trophy (against Great Britain) in 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. In fact, Grimsley was on the only two US teams to ever win the Solomon Trophy (2009 and 2011).

In 2015, he was playing in the British Open. After a lousy first day of the tournament (one win, three losses), he mis-stepped on a stair at the Surbiton train station and badly hurt his leg. He played the rest of the tournament on only one good leg. When he returned to the US, he learned he had broken his femur and torn the major tendons in his knee.

Grimsley created his own urban legend that he used to be a tuna boat captain when, on a lark, he wrote that as biographical information he submitted to play in an international event. But many foreign players believed it was true and many refer to him as “the tuna boat captain.”

He challenged defending world champion Robert Fulford to a croquet game while Fulford was recuperating from pneumonia.

Fulford said, “Oh Doug, even in my weakened state I can still beat you.” And he did.

Grimsley got his start wrestling by moving heavy furniture for a living. He progressed to wrestling people when, during a San Francisco Open in the late 1990s, he wrestled to the ground a car thief fleeing from apprehension. He also wrestled four members of the Irish Croquet team outside a pub. His wife, Stephanie Paduano, reports bruising was vividly evident afterward.

Last, but not least, his favorite awards involve food. His most cherished award is a plastic grape atop a loving cup. Another favorite is a cup with a plastic apple on top, which the late Steve Johnston assembled and called the “Bite My Apple Cup.” And finally, Grimsley somehow went his adult life without eating pie. So, while celebrating his winning the 2003 American Rules Singles championship, he got a surprise pie in the face from his good friend and doubles partner Rich Curtis. Grimsley now can say he has eaten pie.

—Submitted by Eric Sawyer

2020 USCA Association Nationals WRIT TEN BY MACE Y WHITE

|

PHOTO S BY SUZIE BEER

The 2020 USCA Association Nationals were held September 15-20, 2020, at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Hartfield, Va. croquetamerica.com | 9

THE WEATHER The weather was great with highs in the 70’s and light winds most of the time. One could say the weather was practically ideal, except for Sally. Tropical storm Sally rolled slowly through starting Wednesday morning with light rain that intensified, making the courts unplayable by 2 p.m. Wednesday. Wednesday night, Sally dumped more than four inches of rain. The rain stopped at 6 a.m. on Thursday and it looked like one could paddle a canoe from hoop to hoop. Luckily, by 10 a.m., the courts were dry and play resumed.

The players and tournament director met on Thursday morning and came up with a plan to get the round-robin block play and playoff brackets finished by Sunday. Games were shortened to two and a half hours and players agreed to play under the lights, if needed. This ended up being necessary both Thursday and Friday. By Saturday afternoon, everything was back on track.

THE COURTS The courts started off dry and reasonably paced. They stimped (stimp is a measure of court speed) about a seven on the first day and sped up a little as time went on but were slowed by the rain. After Sally was done, the courts sped up quickly as they dried out and were a nine or better on Sunday. The hoops were

Shane Hettler

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Blake Fields

Merle Berkshire

tight (less than a dime thickness clearance) and stiff. The courts played very true with little roll off to be found, even all the way out to the string and beyond.

THE COMPETITION Twenty-eight competitors participated and 26 of them were solid championship flight players. Unwilling to make a first flight with only two players, the two first flight players were asked if they would play in championship flight singles and both said, “yes, of course.� By the way, both of these players won at least one game.

Singles had four blocks of seven players who played each other round-robin style. The top 16 finishers from singles went to the championship flight playoffs. Anyone with a d-grade below 1600 who did not go to the championship flight singles playoffs went to the first flight singles playoffs. Players who did not make the playoffs and players who got bumped out of the first or second round of the playoffs played in the plate.

Doubles was all championship flight and all teams went straight to the playoffs. Block (round-robin) and plate matchups were single three-hour games (shortened to two and a half hours because of the rain delay). Singles and doubles playoffs were best two-of-three.

Singles Finalists - Sherif Abdelwahab and Matthew Essick

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Dan Pailas attempts a hampered shot.

THE PLAY In First Flight, newcomers Merle Berkshire and Rick Darnell prevailed in close semifinal matches against first-time Nationals’ players Calvert Chaney and Rodney Lassiter to make it to the finals. In a seesaw battle that lasted seven and a half hours, Berkshire emerged as the victor winning two games to one with only seven more hoops over finalist Darnell.

In the plate, Dan Pailas powered by all of the competition except Shane Hettler, where he won 18-17 in the semis. Pailas bested Gene Raymond in the plate finals 21-10.

The Championship Flight singles final on Sunday morning featured 21-year-old Matthew Essick against four-time singles national champion Sherif Abdelwahab. This wasn’t exactly the young David versus Goliath encounter that some might think.

While Abdelwahab is certainly a formidable opponent, young Essick has been playing competitively for more than 10 years, placed second in the world championships this year in Australia and is currently ranked third in the world. The finals match was a showcase of flawless play by Essick. In both games he ran his first ball to 4-back and then followed with a triple peel, winning 26tp-1 and 26tp-0. This is the first ever national championship win for Essick and it probably won’t be his last.

The Championship Doubles Final pitted Matthew Essick and Zack Watson against defending national doubles champions Sherif Abdelwahab and Stephen Morgan. Between them, these players have amassed 25 national titles. Surely a spectacle of flawless play was in store for the crowd that had gathered around the court.

Such was not the case. A much more entertaining three games

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Ken Scoggins

Matthew Essick lines one up

Macey White

Sherif Abdelwahab

croquetamerica.com | 13

evolved. Almost finished with my tournament directing duties, I relaxed in a chair on the sidelines six feet from one of Chesapeake Bay’s less-experienced players. At one point in game one, I described the play as, “Sherif has all four balls. This is probably the last turn of the game because he will run his ball around and peel his partner’s ball through the last three hoops and then peg them both out. We call that a triple peel.” Then Abdelwahab stuffed hoop 4. I then explained, “what a break for Matthew, he will certainly finish the game on this turn.” Only to watch Essick stuff a hoop. No more sideline commentary from me. I just sat back and took secret pleasure watching these giants of the game screw up the same ways that I have. The championship doubles were won by Essick and Watson two games to one; scores 26-22 (Essick-Watson), 25-26 (Abdelwahab-Morgan) and 26-23 (Essick-Watson).

Game-by-game scores, block play summaries and playoff brackets can be found at https://croquetscores.com/2020/ac/usca-nationals.

COVID-19 Players maintained a minimum six-foot spacing, and, if they needed to be closer, they wore a cloth face covering. Masks were required in the clubhouse and seating in the clubhouse was moved outdoors. Outdoor seating for meals and spectating were placed at least six feet apart. Lunches were prepared by a COVID-trained restaurant staff and arrived packaged and labeled with players’ names. All snacks were prepackaged. Referees wore masks when asked to make calls. All-in-all, the players conformed well to COVID restrictions and CDC recommendations.

First Flight runner up Rick Darnell

Zack Watson

(L to R) Plate Runner Up, Gene Raymond, Winner Dan Pailas, Macey White (TD)

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First Flight Champion Merle Berkshire

(L to R) Championship Doubles Finalists: Sherif Abdelwahab, Zach Watson, Stephen Morgan, Matthew Essick

Championship Flight Singles

Championship Doubles

Plate

01. Matthew Essick

01. Matthew Essick/Zack Watson

01. Dan Pailas

02. Sherif Abdelwahab

02. Stephen Morgan/Sherif Abdelwahab

02. Gene Raymond

03. Zack Watson

03. Doug Grimsley/Charles Xavier

03. Danny Huneycutt

03. Randy Cardo

03. Rodney Lassiter/Merle Berkshire

03. Shane Hettler

05. Stephen Morgan

05. Macey White/Randy Cardo

05. Stephen Morgan

05. Charles Xavier

05. Paul Bennett/Gary Bennett

05. Blake Fields

05. Danny Huneycutt

05. Shane Hettler/Blake Fields

05. Tom Cooper

05. Dan Pailas

05. Tom Cooper/Jay Hughes

05. Michael Albert

09. Shane Hettler

08. Dan Pailas/Danny Huneycutt

09. Doug Grimsley

09. Doug Grimsley

08. Ian Harshman/Mike Taylor

09. Charles Xavier

09. Blake Fields

08. Michael Albert/Ken Scoggins

09. Paul Bennett

09. Paul Bennett

08. Lee Jorde/Calvert Chaney

09. Webster Bull

09. Gene Raymond

08. Webster Bull/Gene Raymond

09. Jay Hughes

09. Webster Bull

08. Rick Darnell/Karin Karel

09. Ken Scoggins

09. Mike Taylor

09. Lee Jorde

09. Thomas Cooper

First Flight Singles

17. Jay Hughes

01. Merle Berkshire

17. Macey White

02. Rick Darnell

17. Lee Jorde

03. Calvert Chaney

17. Michael Albert

03. Rodney Lassiter

17. Ian Harshman

05. Lee Jorde

09. Karin Karel

05. Karin Karel 07. Gary Bennet

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Women in Croquet

A Roundtable Discussion on the State of Women in the USCA

By Dylan Goodwin

After exploring the topic of young people in the sport of croquet in the last issue, the natural progression was to take an in-depth look at the progress for women in the USCA. To do that, I recruited Cheryl Bromley, Loretta Cooper and Suzanne Spradling to participate in an extended email roundtable discussion on the topic. Here’s how it played out.

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F

For USCA membership, the ratio of male (53 percent) to female members (47 percent) is roughly balanced. However, analysis of the USCA Grand Prix indicates women are not participating in tournaments at the same rate as men.

Looking back to 2015, it ranges from 31-35 percent with 2020 currently at 32.25 percent. Is this an issue that should be addressed or should we be happy that we see a relative balance in the membership?

BROMLEY: I’m actually quite optimistic about the growth of women players in golf croquet (GC) specifically. When I first started playing in 2007, I rarely competed against other women except in international events and now there are definitely many more ladies participating in US events. I think if you look back prior to 2015, there would be much lower numbers for women than the 32 percent indicated currently. Worth noting, in 2014, when I became Chair of the GC Committee, there were just five sanctioned GC tournaments, As of December 2019, there were 24 sanctioned GC tournaments. So now many more events are available to all players.

With the overall growth and popularity of GC during the past number of years, a high priority for me currently is to establish events and training specifically for women. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we had to cancel two women’s GC events that were scheduled for this year, which also included training clinics leading up to the events.

Also of note, I’m involved with certifying GC referees, and just within the past 15 months, we’ve certified 11 women. I think that is very encouraging as many of them are playing key roles at their respective clubs.

SPRADLING: At our club, participation in croquet is pretty equal between men and women, in general. More of our players prefer GG and the social aspects of participating. A smaller group, interested in 6-wicket (American Rules), likes to participate in tournaments. Of that group, more men participate in tournaments than women, in part, because there are more men who play American Rules at our club.

Our emphasis or focus has been on gaining participation, so we have not pushed participating in tournaments. But we welcome, encourage and coach those who do show an interest in competing.

We found that in addition to regular open play, by having individual weekly ladies’ and men’s groups, more women are participating in all forms of croquet. We hold monthly fun-a-ments to introduce members to tournament play in a relaxed format. An equal number of women and men participate in those.

Bottom line, anything that we can do to promote the sport will also bring in more women. I’m probably more concerned with increasing participation in croquet overall.

COOPER: The fact that the three of us are active tournament participants makes us outliers already. Not only do most women not compete in tournaments, but neither do most men.

In our club, only a few players have ever traveled to a tournament.

Only half of our players (male or female) play in internal club tournaments. This is true for both women and men, and especially for seniors. Our club is about 65 percent women, more than half of whom are single, and most of whom qualify to be labeled “senior.”

By and large, they play a social American Rules 6-wicket game. We

Cheryl Bromley (top) is a top US GC player, has played in multiple world championships and is chair of the USCA GC Committee.

Suzanne Spradling (middle) has been part of the build-up of the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club croquet program and also worked extensively on the Midwest Quad events for the States Shield in 2018 and 2019.

Loretta Cooper (bottom) was with the group of 11 USCA women that traveled in 2019 to Ireland to participate in the Championships of Ireland and also recently participated in a focus group that provided member insights for a current USCA marketing initiative.

croquetamerica.com | 17

USCA Membership

do play golf croquet and a few play AC.

level play is good for the sport. I believe it serves as a motivator to other women and it pushes men to continue to improve as well.

I do not believe the gender ratio in tournament participation is an issue. The relevance of tournaments to the majority of USCA members may be a topic for consideration though!

Great points made across the board. Yes, sanctioned tournament participation as a whole is 25 percent of the member base and declining.

Interestingly, women rank higher in American Rules tournament participation this year at 38 percent than they do in GC and AC, but it is hard to judge on just one year of data. The perception might be askew based on the top level of play. Do you think it is important that we see women get better results at the top level to demonstrate the equality of the game? And if so, are women-only events part of the equation for accelerating that progression?

53%

SPRADLING: Simply seeing more women succeeding at the higher level of competition might not equate with the idea that croquet is gender-equal. But it would indicate that women can compete on an equal level. That said, it is not necessarily critical for me to see women competing and winning at the championship level. Don’t get me wrong, seeing women win and compete at a high level and internationally is exciting and does give me something to shoot for.

At our club, in golf croquet, the women do compete and win at all levels. Several women have told me that they like croquet because they feel like they can compete on an equal level with the men. The idea of equality is appealing to couples. Several couples have said that they came out for croquet because it was a sport that they could play with their partner.

Women-only events are fun and desirable, in part, because of the camaraderie as well as the competition. I personally enjoy participating in some women-only events because there seems to be more sharing of techniques and strategies. I do see it as a vehicle for encouraging more participation by women.

At our club, we have a ladies-only group play on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Several women have said that, in the beginning, they are sometimes intimidated by playing with the men. Through the ladies’ group, they have gained confidence and many now like playing with the men and feel that they can compete equally.

BROMLEY: I do think that in addition to providing more opportunities for everyone (male, female and juniors) to experience all levels of play from social to competitive, that developing specialized training and events for women, in particular, is important.

Croquet isn’t like other sports where physical strength is a factor that separates men and women from competing against one another, such as in golf or tennis. We have a unique opportunity in croquet in that men and women are already able to compete on the same level playing field, and closing the gap and adding more women players into championship-

18 | croquetamerica.com

Men Women

47%

I also love croquet because it is a great couples activity. Most importantly, I think the range of play that croquet offers from purely fun, social play to highly competitive for all who play is really its best feature.

COOPER: This is a topic that I have been considering for a long time. Can you think of any other sport where the women compete against the men? Even in billiards, where strength is not a factor, women compete separately.

The Grand Prix results are helpful but do not really reflect the ranking of a player as they are affected by the amount of sanctioned tournaments one can participate in. I am thinking of several of the strongest young male players who rank much lower on the GP list because they cannot participate in many tournaments, due to time, not having reached retirement age and perhaps lacking the required financial resources to participate. The GP also reflects how women compete against men, not how women compete against each other.

And the elephant in the room is, if croquet is truly gender-neutral, then why hasn’t there been a female national champion? At the 2019 Selection Eights, no women qualified for the first three eights. Why is it that the best men are, for the most part, better than the best women? If it’s not strength and it cannot be intelligence, then what is it?

My husband and I started playing at exactly the same time. He has always been a stronger player and never played in first flight. I think the big difference was his willingness to attempt to make the “right” play, whether or not he could actually execute it. I was more likely to calculate the risk and take a safer route. I can see now that this attitude really held my game back. It was starting to play AC that really changed my perspective and made me understand the necessity of taking the risks that lead to success in croquet. When we competed in Ireland, we met women who were doing cross-court split full roll shots routinely. And just like in the US, the vast majority of these women were seniors. Is the difference the fear of deadness?

I also love the couples aspect of croquet. It makes it so much easier to travel, share expenses and feel socially comfortable. This is an element that can be challenging for women without a croquet-playing partner.

The expenses (hotel, car rental) are much steeper for one versus two, and going to a tournament solo can be daunting for someone new to the tournament ‘circuit.’ Compare the number of men who participate solo versus women. I know I would be less inclined to travel to tournaments without my husband, even though I know a lot of participants. Of course, many women do compete without a spouse, but I think this can be another obstacle for many.

I would very much like to see a national championship for women, against women. There is no shortage of opportunities to play against men, but at the highest level, a national tournament for women only does not exist.

2020 GP Participation by Gender

168

2020 Grand Prix

A6W

Men

104

Women

69

GC

28 55

AC

7 292

TOTAL

139

0

100

200

300

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croquetamerica.com | 19

GP Participation 2015-2019

1000

829 776

800

762 714 664

600

400

545

284

520

265

494

268

481

233

200 2015 2015-2019 GP Total

2016 2015-2019 GP Men

2017

2018

458

206

2019

2015-2019 GP Women

While we don’t have the stats to back it up, I would say from my own experience there seems to be little progress in attracting younger women to the sport in the US, at least in the past decade. That contrasts with the top of the AC and GC rankings being dotted with several young male players from the US perspective. Can you comment on why that might be and what approach should or is being taken to draw in women under the age of 40?

One other point to make is that young women also have so many fitness choices to choose from along with online class opportunities and other experiences. When they do have free time they might be more inclined to do a cardio workout or a yoga class or take a hike with a friend, etc.

BROMLEY: My sense is that many women under 40 are working very hard on their careers, raising families and, for some, trying to juggle both family activities and their own interests at the same time. I think this limits their time to travel to a tournament and increases the expenses to do so if her family also travels with her.

At our club, we are working to bring in younger women. They do tend to come to our monthly fun-a-ments (Waterford GC format with high-low pairings). If they come as a couple, finding a babysitter can be a challenge. We are working with the tennis program to share the babysitting services that they offer for their programs. We are trying to make it easier for younger women to be free to come out and play.

I know that when I was in that age group, my vacation time was quite limited and I often chose to fly home to visit family when I had the opportunity since I lived out of state.

It does, however, leave open the possibility for clubs to offer local programs and events for everyone in the family. For example, when I was the director of croquet at the Hillsboro Club in South Florida, we held parent-child events, family reunion mixers and special opportunities during the holidays when families were together at the club.

20 | croquetamerica.com

SPRADLING: I agree with everything that Cheryl said. Especially in reference to how young women may want to spend their free time with all the options to choose from.

It is through our relaxed, social croquet events that we have attracted more of the younger women. Our regular women’s groups fluctuate depending on the season – travel, football games, etc. We have a core group of diehards who always come out. The average age is 58. We have a new club staff liaison who has been most helpful in publishing our events and encouraging the women who use our fitness center and/or play tennis to try croquet. Also, when a person joins the club they fill out an interest sheet and croquet is one of the activities

offered. We have gotten several women through that process. It is important to follow up with them and contact them personally. They are more likely to come out if they have been called. We do have a weekly sports activity blast that goes out to all members and there is a croquet section of that blast.

I know our situation is different from clubs that are only croquet, but I do think the same concepts apply. The personal contact and follow-up do seem to make a difference along with getting the word out through publishing/advertising events.

COOPER: It is clear that both Cheryl and Susan have been doing the work of creating events and reaching out to younger women. It is inspiring to me and encourages me to do more with our own club.

part of the state, Oklahoma Wesleyan, that has an active program and regularly competes with other universities. They actually do very well but it’s all male players. The coach has tried to get females engaged but to no avail.

At the moment, some of our members are having discussions with our city park developers to see about putting in lawns at our new Scissor Tail park in downtown OKC. It would be in a sports complex that also has soccer and baseball fields.

Is there a question or topic related to women in croquet in the US that hasn’t come up that you would like to comment on?

BROMLEY: I think we are going to see more opportunities for women’s events popping up in the near future. In fact, I’m planning to host two GC events next summer and fall. These events will also provide us the opportunity to offer clinics to young girls and boys in the areas where these will be held and hopefully build some enthusiasm for the sport.

From a national and local perspective, attracting young people is the greatest challenge. The young men who have come to prominence have been mentored by competitive players, but are still outliers. Tom and I began playing as young professionals when we moved to NYC and had access to a croquet court. At that time, there were many I think croquet would players in our age group in the club, benefit most if it could including Johnny Osborn, and the dues were inexpensive.

If we had stayed in Philadelphia, we probably would not be playing today, as still to this day, no publicly available courts exist. In our 30’s, when we moved to the suburbs to raise our children, croquet was not available.

We did have a quarter-size court in the backyard for a while, but it was too much work and not at all the same. We took a 20-year hiatus.

reach out beyond people “who are known to people already playing croquet.” I would very much like to see my club become younger and more diverse.

Most clubs recruit members as “friends of members” or from within an existing country club.

Our club population of “grandparents” in a resort community, does not have many “young” friends. A lot of our new members are attracted by the social aspect of our club, but this wouldn’t be true for anyone under 60. Club dues can be prohibitive for young people, even at a “junior” rate.

I think croquet would benefit most if it could reach out beyond people “who are known to people already playing croquet.” I would very much like to see my club become younger and more diverse, but personally do not know many people who fit those categories.

Strengthening the college program and perhaps creating some high school programs may help develop interest, but it will not flourish without available courts.

The growth of croquet beyond its current demographics (affluent, Caucasian seniors) depends on making more courts available to more people (outside of country clubs and retirement communities). The first step is deciding that it is the goal.

SPRADLING: I agree that getting croquet into colleges and universities is a component of increasing participation for younger folks. In Oklahoma, we only have one university in the northeastern

Accessibility to courts and developing good public courts are issues for our sport in general.

I also think there is a real opportunity to do so much more in the schools (from grade school to college). A friend of mine, who teaches at UW-Madison, and I developed a curriculum and designed equipment (mallets, hoops and soft balls) to be used indoors in gyms and we were able to have it beta-tested in a grade school in Madison last year. It is something that has real potential, although our work is temporarily on hold for right now. However, once the students learned how to play, there was no croquet facility nearby for them to experience playing on an actual croquet lawn.

SPRADLING: Another consideration that is not necessarily exclusive to women is the cost of entering and traveling to tournaments. And referring to earlier comments, I also wonder how many women might be deterred by traveling alone to a tournament where they maybe don’t know the players. Maybe some type of scholarship or financial assistance is a possible option.

COOPER: I have been truly inspired by what Cheryl and Suzanne have done and are doing, and our club is now trying to start to work with some Girl Scout troops and other school groups. We have experience with indoor play. We rented an indoor soccer field ($100 per hour) and taped down wickets. The proportions were great. But it was expensive, the wickets were wobbly and it felt surprisingly dark. Better than nothing, though. I’d like to hear more about Cheryl’s indoor equipment.

I think the best way to attract young people of any sex is to have other people of the same age group playing. The conundrum—how do we attract young people to play, when there are almost no young people playing? The answer might be to reach out to groups, rather than individuals. Schools and recreation programs seem like the natural conduit, but access to courts may be a problem.

Edited for clarity and space. croquetamerica.com | 21

clubprofile

Left: WRW has three times won the prestigious InterClub Invitational at Merion Cricket Club in Pennsylvania. The 2017 winners (left to right): Rodney Calver, Calvert Chaney, Liddy Chaney, Cynthia Chess, Jay Graham, Byron Lee and Lee Jorde.

Top left: The lawn that Corbin built. An early photograph shows the lawn built by the late Corbyn Gwaltney. The current owners, Dan and Jennifer Mendelson, have carried on the tradition of hosting the club. L to R: Calvert Chaney, Peter Oleson, Peter Bell, the late Bill Brewer (founder), Maureen Miller and the late Bob Koch.

Top right: The lawn that Hal built. Hal Denton was introduced to the sport in 2013 and subsequently built one of the finest synthetic lawns in the country, allowing WRW to play year-round. On the lawn: Jay Graham, VP of WRW.

West River Wickets Year founded: It all began in 2004 over backyard cocktails in the Chesapeake Bay village of Galesville, Md. The founder, the late Bill Brewer, and his wife Collot, produced an archaic set of balls, mallets and wire wickets, and the game was on. Brewer later attended croquet school at the USCA. Other members quickly followed. West River Wickets was recognized as new club of the year by the USCA in 2008 and received a certificate of appreciation in 2019 for increasing its membership by 16.

Location: West River Wickets is based in Southern Anne Arundel County, 17 miles south of Annapolis, the Maryland state capital.

Number of members: The club currently has 41 members. Two forms of membership are available: $200 a year for full members or $50 for students.

Number of courts: The club has three privately-owned lawns in different locations. One full-sized lawn is divided into two, giving the club four playable courts.

22 | croquetamerica.com

Type of grass: The club raised $60,000 to refurbish the Wayson court with Bermuda grass. Built by the late “Sonny” Wayson, it is now divided into two half-size lawns. One three-quarter size lawn is bent grass. The third, built by Hal Denton at his historic home in Anne Arundel County, is arguably one of the finest synthetic courts in the country, allowing for all-year, all-weather play.

Overview of schedule: Having four lawns in spring, summer and early fall allows the club to offer practice seven days a week. The club introduced an online registration process to meet COVID-19 regulations and its success will be retained once the pandemic eases.

Open tournaments: Discussions on the possibility of holding a USCAaffiliated tournament continue. As the lawns are in three locations, it will require logistical ingenuity. The club, along with Ginger Cove Croquet Club in Annapolis, for six years has sponsored the Maryland Senior Olympics Croquet tournament. Originally open to all USCA members, it is now restricted to members of Maryland clubs.

Website: www.westriverwickets.com Do you use social media? The club is a member of a croquet group on WhatsApp and the USCA group on Facebook. Members post individually on Facebook.

What makes this club special: The club has established a tradition of providing quality instruction. Original members attended USCA schools and brought what they learned to newcomers. Additionally, USCA pros are frequent visitors, offering high-class instruction for a group fee. The success can be counted in the number of awards and top players who began life on WRW lawns. Stephen Morgan (handicap -2.5) is at 32 years old, one of the best players in the world. He cut his teeth with WRW, which included playing on a now-defunct sand court. Today, Hal Denton is a top player on the golf croquet world circuit and Calvert Chaney and Lee Jorde fly the WRW flag in six-wicket and association. The club also offers a social program and takes part in National Croquet Day.

Stephen Morgan, who cut his teeth on WRW lawns and is now on the world croquet circuit.

Approach to growing membership: Throughout 2019 and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, West River offered getting-to-knowcroquet sessions where visitors were instructed on how to hold the mallets, hit balls and make wickets.

These simple lessons were followed by games of golf croquet. The club increased its membership by 25 percent in 2019 and the sessions will restart when restrictions are eased.

The lawn that “Sonny” built. Current members on the court created by the late Morgan “Sonny” Wayson.

Are USCA members welcome? Always, but guests should be accompanied by a member. Contact Rodney Calver at calvers@comcast.net.

Best restaurants in the area: Galesville, a five-minute car ride from all three lawns, offers two casual, waterside restaurants on the Chesapeake Bay: Pirates Cove Restaurant and Dock Bar and Stan and Joe’s Riverside Restaurant and Bar. Both feature seafood in addition to other American fare. Annapolis is famous for its seafood, including Chesapeake blue crabs, oysters and mussels.

Best places to stay: Anne Arundel County and Annapolis, the state capital, have a full range of accommodations from historic inns, bed-and-breakfast homes and Airbnb rentals to four-star waterside hotels.

Other than the club, what do you have to go see in the area?

Members play on lawns just south of the beautiful colonial city of Annapolis. Famous for its 18th-century mansions, as well as its lovely State House, Annapolis is well worth a visit. The Maryland State House is the oldest state house in the nation still in continuous legislative use and was the first capital of the new United States at the official end of the Revolutionary War. Founding fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson

WRW won the coveted Lyons Trophy at the 2016 Club Teams Championships.

L to r: Calvert Chaney, Lee Jorde, Rodney Calver, Roy Morgan, Stephen Morgan, Errin Cooke, Byron Lee, Hal Denton, Ed O’Laughlin and Brian Cooke.

visited Annapolis often. And there is, of course, the United States Naval Academy, which is in the heart of the city on the Severn River. Closer to the Denton lawn, in Edgewater, is Historic London Town and Gardens, a beautiful historic site on the South River. Founded in 1683, it was once an important trade port. It features the William Brown House, built c.1760 as an upscale tavern; a reconstructed carpenter’s shop; the lord mayor’s tenement with kitchen garden; and an 18th-century tobacco barn. London Town was recently designated a Site of Memory by the UNESCO Slave Route Project. croquetamerica.com | 23

memberprofile

Beverley Cardo Age: 61 Home base: Quogue, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Fla. Home club: Florida – The Beach Club, National Croquet Center (NCC). New York – Westhampton Mallet Club, Quogue Field Club (QFC). QFC built a croquet court and introduced the sport to members this past summer, and it was received with great enthusiasm and participation.

Favorite croquet tournament: Pinehurst Invitational, N.C. With its charming town, great restaurants and shops, as well as a lot of affordable places to stay nearby, playing at Pinehurst is a top pick for me. Elaine Moody and Danny Huneycutt do a terrific job running the tournament and the field of C-Flight players is always impressive. Pinehurst has a variety of courts to mix it up, tight wickets, plenty of scheduled games to fill your day and great players at all levels. Did I mention fun and friendly? Yes, that too!

How did you get into the game? When first introduced to the game, I didn’t think it was for me. I played tennis and golf. But after watching my husband, Randy Cardo, from the sidelines for four years, I slowly became fascinated with this amazing game and Mallet: Dave Trimmer Mallet, 11” Head, 36” Shaft, Weight: 2 lbs. 13oz. realized I needed to play, too.

Grip: Solomon grip. I am experimenting with the standard grip for some of my bigger shots in an effort to get more power while maintaining accuracy.

Years playing croquet: 4.5 years Favorite croquet venue: The National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. The courts are impeccably maintained, and the setting is beautiful. The wide and spacious veranda offers enjoyable spectating when games are finished. I especially love an early morning practice at the NCC. I arrive as the sun is beginning to brighten the day, the morning dew is on the courts and mine are the first footprints … so peaceful.

24 | croquetamerica.com

Croquet highlights/tourney wins: 2019 was a memorable year for me.

I had an outstanding run at the Westhampton Invitational, facing Randy in the finals. Even though I didn’t take the final win, I ended that tournament with greater confidence that helped my game rise to new heights. In August, I competed in the Irish Open and was the Finalist for the Green Cup. Following the Irish Championship, the US Ladies challenged the Ireland Ladies to a two-day competition where we had a definitive victory in total games, 24-7. The winning was only a small fraction of what that experience meant to me. I met some of the finest people in Ireland where we walked on the court, competed to win and then, as their custom has it, shared a drink and some conversation at the bar where we got to know each other beyond croquet. This post-game ritual had a grounding effect on me.

Do you play other sports? Tennis, golf and skiing were always a big part of my life. Some of my very best friends have come out of sharing those sports together and I have been greatly influenced by other athletes that have been role models, mentors and worthy opponents.

Favorite sports teams: While I love the camaraderie of a great team that works together to bring in the win, I have mostly been inspired by individual athletes and their performances. Martina Navratilova is someone who I have respected for her personal drive, discipline and mindset. These are some of the same things that I have focused on in my approach to croquet.

What is the best thing the USCA has done for croquet? The USCA does a very good job organizing the sport through the handicap system, scheduling of tournaments, communication and social media. The website also serves as a wonderful resource for anyone interested in learning more about the game and the organization.

with other clubs that do not have such a program in place. We could also design a program model for private clubs who might be willing to offer croquet instruction to local high school students. Programs like this should be encouraged as a way for private clubs to give back to their local communities.

What would you like to see happen in the sport over the next 10 years?

I would like to see croquet games for children. I like Howard Sosin’s approach to croquet. He enjoys devising new games. Why not put some focus into creating “kid-friendly” games that are fun, strategic and highly interactive?

What have you learned from croquet? I have learned that acceptance of my ability on any given day as well as a peaceful mind really helps my performance. It’s important to know what is working and what is not when I walk out onto the court. That’s what my pre-game warm-up shows me and it’s right there that I make a few decisions on how I am going to approach my game. Having a game plan from the start gives me confidence.

What is the USCA’s greatest weakness? I think the USCA needs a strategic action plan for growing the sport in the United States.

Quick croquet tip: Engage your brain in every shot. The mind is such The action plan should involve using the influence of our present members to get more courts built across the country. We need public a powerful tool – use it. venues in addition to private, however a beginning effort could be to create a target list of country clubs to approach about the benefits of providing croquet to their members. Getting our youth involved in the game is also imperative, so it would be a good idea to check in with every croquet club in the US to find out what they offer in the way of a youth program. We can learn what is working and share it

croquetamerica.com | 25

let’stalktactics

American Rules Handicap Range

By Bob Kroeger and John C. Osborn

In this column, the two of us have decided to offer something a bit different. Please understand that what you will find below is completely unofficial. We have created some USCA American Rules 6-Wicket Croquet Handicap Guidelines that we feel might offer a better idea of what is needed to improve your game.

Please note we use the word “perennial” in this column. This refers to players who have been at the same handicap level for several years rather than players who are quickly improving, and thereby lowering their handicaps more frequently.

17 – 20 Handicap (absolute beginners): We would consider these players those that need help with basic rules and strategy.

The expectation is not that these players would play a viable singles game without violating the rules. There is no concept of team play at this level.

13 – 16 Handicap (beginners): These players exhibit inconsistent understanding of the rules (they would possibly catch out of turn but not know the remedy). They do not have an understanding of croquet as a team sport (getting partners together to set up rushes).

They have no understanding of risk/reward. You would see players at this level playing their balls to their respective wickets (i.e., Blue by #2/Black by #3. both alive on each other). These players hit partner, croquet partner into position and then either shoot to the other side of partner’s wicket (giving a rush) or shoot out of bounds (this while the partner balls are alive on each other).

10 – 12 Handicap (advanced beginners): These players have an understanding that team play is valuable (partners helping each other). They are much more likely to get together to set up rushes on or near a boundary. Risk/reward is still a stretch for them (they commonly hit partner, do a take-off or split not getting position and then shoot out of bounds). These players will more likely try shots they cannot complete (full rolls from wickets 2 to 3—doing this off partner). They do not have an understanding of when it’s good to take opponents out of position. They don’t know their splits (shot selection or proper aim).

8 – 9 Handicap (lesser-experienced intermediate): This group generally understands that it is good to make the spent ball available to partner and the danger ball should be made ineffective. While it’s less frequent than seen in groups described above, this group tries croquet shots they cannot achieve. If a split shot is done at a wicket, more often than not it’s the wrong shot chosen or the correct shot done incorrectly. While this group might try breaks, if they have been on this handicap for years (a perennial player), break play is not part of their tactical toolkit.

26 | croquetamerica.com

6 – 7 Handicap (intermediate/advanced intermediate): This group has a much better grasp of when and when not to get dead on partner. Like the 8 - 9 group, perennials don’t make break play a major tactic. Players at this level, who rapidly improve, usually do so due to the embrace of break play. Perennials can be very good at keeping their opponents dead for a good part of the game.

Occasionally, they will choose and execute the correct croquet shot at a wicket (i.e., send the croqueted ball far enough beyond an oddnumbered wicket to get a forward rush after scoring their wicket).

3 – 5 Handicap (championship B): This group has a reasonable proficiency with split shots but may struggle with consistency. Break play is a primary tactic at this level, but breaks often break down due to poorly executed croquet shots, missed shortish roquets (4 – 7 yarders) or a blobbed wicket shot. Leaves following a break are often far from perfect (very hittable by the opponent). People stay in this group due to their lack of practice of good break play and making leaves. They may also suffer from a “home grown” (flawed) singleball shot technique.

0.5 – 2.5 Handicap (lesser experienced championship flight): In this group, it comes down to how well breaks are played and critical roquets and wicket shots are made. Leaves are also critical here. It would be expected that players at this level have good shot-making technique but may suffer from nerves, thereby losing games they should have won. Knowledge of attacking, guarding the shot, chase theory, deadness theory, etc., would be expected at this level.

0 and below Handicap (championship/elite championship): While there is a wide span of skill levels within this group, it simply comes down to consistency, especially break play and making “virtually” unhittable leaves. Peeling sequences (back peels/getting rushes on an escape ball to the wicket while peeling) would be in evidence more with the -2s and below than others in this group.

Many of these elite players are proficient in Association Croquet and/or World Class Golf Croquet, which greatly improves their USCA American Rules 6W game.

We hope you found this column interesting and helpful, and should you have an intriguing strategic situation you would like us to cover in the future, please let us know!

Visit https://bobcroquet.com/strategy_info to learn about Bob Kroeger's 6-Wicket American Rules Croquet Strategy Video Series. If you haven’t had a chance to download (or simply view on your device without downloading) the free PDF illustrating the situations covered in the USCA 6-Wicket American Rules Croquet Strategy Video Series, please do. If these situations seem interesting to you and you’d like to see how they are covered in the video series, please check out Videos 9 and 10, which are free. You can download or just view them on your device. Please make sure your volume is up. Thank you.

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gcamerica

Using the New Handicap System

By Cheryl Bromley New USCA Member Benefit

The new Golf Croquet Handicap System is a benefit for USCA clubs that want to establish a ranking system for their social players within the club environment. Additionally, it will help create uniformity in accessing the skills of players throughout the country.

This handicapping system aligns with what is currently done in other countries, providing clubs with a way to rank social players as well as allowing players of different abilities to play with a more even chance of winning when playing in handicapped games.

GC Handicapping System: Phase I

The first phase of the new GC handicapping system is currently underway with 20 clubs across the country already participating as of this fall. These clubs were selected based on having point people at the clubs who were ready to serve as their club handicappers to administer the new GC Skills Test and track member results.

So, what exactly is a Golf Croquet Handicap? A GC handicap is a number that represents the skill level of the player and ranges from 20 to -6. The lower the handicap, the higher the skill level of the player.

How are GC handicaps used? Several ways exist: 1. Tracking handicaps is a way for players to measure personal improvement and is useful to club pros and instructors as a means of offering encouragement and rewards for players who improve their skills.

The Skills Test consists of exercises to measure a player’s ability in these skills: a) Placement b) Hoop Shooting c) Jump Shots d) Blocking & Wiring e) Clearing Shots f ) Stop Shots & Rushes The Skills Test is also a useful teaching tool as it exposes both weaknesses and strengths of players. We encourage players of all levels to try it (even the seasoned tournament players who may already have a ranking assigned in the WCF system). GC Handicaps will be kept in the USCA database for reference.

Below is an example from the Skills Test for anyone who may want to practice.

Clearing Shots:

This test measures the player’s ability to clear the opponent’s ball at least 1 foot from various distances.

Using a flag or marker, mark the spot where the striker’s ball will be placed. Using additional markers, mark spots at the six-foot, 12-foot, 15-foot and 21-foot distance from the striker’s ball marker.

2. Handicaps allow players of different skill levels to compete on a more equal basis by awarding extra strokes to the higherhandicap player (or players in doubles). This is particularly useful in games between players of widely differing skill levels.

Place the striker ball and the first target ball at the six-foot marker.

The goal is to clear the target ball at least one foot from its original position. Two attempts are given to clear the target ball at each distance. Points on the test are awarded for each successful clearance.

3. Handicaps are used to group players of similar skill levels in tournament, league or casual play.

Phase II

4. Handicaps are used by tournament directors to help assign players who have never played in a tournament before to the appropriate flights (groups of similarly skilled players).

What is the GC Skills Test?

The GC Skills Test is used to set initial handicaps and measures a player’s skill level by testing six different components specific to golf croquet. It can be done on a full court or half court. The test is administered by a designated club handicapper, who can also provide information on how to maintain a handicap card after receiving an initial GC handicap.

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We encourage all USCA clubs interested in using the GC handicapping system to reach out to their club presidents or club pros to request their information packets and guidelines from the USCA office. The goal during this phase is to get as many clubs involved and using the system. By analyzing the data received during both Phase I and Phase II, we will be able to make any necessary adjustments prior to the January 1, 2021, official launch.

Please feel free to email questions to Cheryl Bromley at bromleycroquet@gmail.com.

eventreports Blue Crab Tournament October 1-4, 2020 Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club Hartfield, Virginia

By Macey White The 2020 Blue Crab, held at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club (CBCC) in Hartfield, Vir., was a cRaZy tournament!

First, it was a replacement for the 2020 SE Regionals in 6-Wicket, Association Croquet and Golf Croquet, which the USCA postponed twice. That has never happened!

Second, it was three types of croquet being played at the same time. Many players entered all three versions. How is that possible? And, players got to play as much or as little as they wanted. Really!?!

With COVID-19 looming as a real concern, 32 players proved a croquet tournament could be a COVID-safe activity.

The tournament started on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. with a players’ meeting and opening reception, which included adult beverages and grilled food. The flights and brackets weren’t finalized until everyone at the players’ meeting had a chance to choose their croquet types and their flights. Flights were players’ choice, not by handicaps, and it worked well.

Each type of croquet (6W, GC and AC) had a First Flight and Championship Flight. Players went straight into the playoffs, single-elimination, but no one was eliminated from the tournament (crazy, yes).

Each day, play began at 8:00 a.m. with GC. Players had three hours to play a playoff match of best-two-out-of-three in GC. At 11:00 a.m. each day, the playoff play shifted to 6W and matches were a single 90-minute game. At 1:30 p.m., Association Croquet started, and matches were a single three-hour game.

Even better is that everyone had a great time, If they weren’t playing a playoff game, including the tournament director, and the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club will probably players could play in any of the Zed Plates as many times as desired. When players host this event again. were ready to play a Zed Plate game, they put their names on a signup sheet under the To add to the unusual circumstances, the attire during this tournament was COLORS type of croquet they wanted to play. The tournament director paired each player with PREFERED—whites were NOT required.

That has got to be pure sacrilege, but luckily another player who wanted to play the same type of croquet. As a result, some players no one was struck by lightning.

chose to play only one or two games a day and some played eight or more.

On Sunday, the finals for GC, 6W and AC were played in that order. Also, the top two game-winners in the three Zed Plates played for the Zed Plate finals.

In some cases, the favorites rose to the top and ended up in the finals, like Tom Cooper and Rodney Lassiter battling for the association croquet title that Cooper finally won. Or Macey White and Mark Fields battling for the American 6-wicket title, which White won. But in GC, three relatively unknown players rose to the top. David Lyon defeated Tom Cooper for third place and Ed Becker defeated Rick Darnell for First. These guys might not be well-known in the GC world now, but just wait. They are terrific players!

Croquet garden flags and coasters were the primary trophies, but CBCC started a new tradition: each third-place finisher received a Virginia Pine pinecone. Fourth place was awarded a Virginia Pine pinecone that had been run over and squashed. The humor in that was appreciated by the players.

Lastly, thanks go to Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club and all the club members who helped this tournament happen.

Thanks go to the Professional Croquet Association that stepped in and made this tournament happen.

INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSIONS Please submit all inquiries and stories to uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com. Articles and reports should be submitted as Microsoft Word files and photos should be full resolution (300 dpi). The best approach when writing a press release or story is to keep it simple, short and to the point. Start with the most important news, as opposed to who announced it.

A good first paragraph answers the key questions: What? When? Where? Why? Who? How? The idea is to anticipate the questions a reader might have. Or, think of what you would want to know. For the title, the goal is to capture the reader’s attention, but keep it brief and the message clear. Double-check all details to ensure accuracy before submitting the press release.

Please remember that all content may be edited for length and photos will be adjusted appropriately. Please email photos as attachments or send a filesharing link. Pick your best photos – six to 10 good photos is enough. If you are unsure if your photos are high enough resolution to print, check the file size. Generally, we can make files above 1 MB work. Files under 500 KB are in the danger zone, but we will do our best to salvage them.

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eventreports AC Championship Flight

GC First Flight

01. Tom Cooper 02. Rodney Lassiter 03. Jay Hughes 04. Calvert Chaney 05. Steve Thurston 05. Merle Berkshire 05. Tim Rapuano 05. David Lyon 09. Gil Rocha 09. Ed Becker 09. Linda Trifone 09. Rick Darnell 09. Mark Fields

01. Linda Trifone 02. Liddy Chaney 03. Lyle Browning 04. Russ Brudnicki 05. Jane Zhao 05. Ron Rapuano 05. Billy Beam 05. Cristine Smith 09. Dot Simmons 09. Karin Karel 09. Noreen Rice 09. Mike Sumrall 09. Anna Campbell 09. John Rice

AC First Flight 01. William “Bo” Prillaman 02. Christine Smith 03. Karin Karel 04. Ron Rapuano 05. Billy Beam 05. Jane Zhao 05. Bill Simmons AC Plate Winner: Karin Karel Finalist: Mark Fields GC Championship Flight 01. Ed Becker 02. Rick Darnell 03. David Lyon 04. Tom Cooper 05. Merle Berkshire 05. Tim Rapuano 05. John Priest 05. Mark Fields 09. William Sells, Jr. 09. Bill Simmons 09. Calvert Chaney 09. Jay Hughes 09. Sheldon Campbell 09. William “Bo” Prillaman 09. Steve Thurston

GC Plate Winner: Sheldon Campbell Finalist: Billy Beam 6W Championship Flight 01. Macey White 02. Mark Fields 03. Tim Rapuano 04. Rodney Lassiter 05. Calvert Chaney 05. Jay Hughes 05. David Lyon 05. Tom Cooper 09. Ed Becker 09. Steve Thurston 09. John Priest 09. Linda Trifone 09. Rick Darnell 09. Gil Rocha 09. Merle Berkshire 6W First Flight 01. Christine Smith 02. Liddy Chaney 03. William “Bo” Prillaman 04. Bill Simmons 05. Billy Beam 05. Noreen Rice 05. William Sells 05. Ron Rapuano 09. Russ Brudnicki 09. Jane Zhao 09. John Rice 6W Croquet Plate Winner: David Lyon Finalist: Billy Beam

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2020 Hawthorns Handicap Adjuster September 27, 2020 | Fishers, Indiana Results 01. Russ Dilley 02. Walt Janitz 03. Sandy Janitz 04. Ray Barrett 05. Brian Gregor 06. Jeff Lauer 07. Bryan Ferry 08. John Jenson

2020 Pinehurst Invitational September 24–27, 2020 | Pinehurst Country Club Pinehurst, North Carolina Championship Singles 01. Mike Taylor 02. Shane Hettler 03. Lynda Sudderberg 03. Macey White 05. Randy Cardo 05. Chris Barley 05. Bill Daigle 05. David Ekstrom 09. Webster Bull 09. Paul Bennett 09. Dick Sullivan 09. John Knott 09. Beverly Cardo 09. Mark Fields 09. Rob Byrd 09. Jim Spoonhour 17. Ed Becker 17. Merle Berkshire 19. John Curington 19. Gary Bennett 19. John Donohue 22. Mary Rodeberg 22. Brett Stovall DNF: Stephen Grassbaugh

First Flight Singles 01. Hank Wallace 02. Steve Errickson 03. Michael Kukla 03. Marti Ekstrom 05. Becky Essick 05. Tom Schick 05. Yen Sullivan 05. Mike Marsh

Second Flight Singles 01. Linda Trifone 02. Christine Smith 03. Tim Williams 03. David Trigiani 05. Danna Huneycutt 05. Mel Eckhart 05. Terry Hunt 05. Gail Barley 09. Carol Wallace 10. Anne Kukla

2020 Quogue Field Club (GC) September 19, 2020 | Quogue Field Club Quogue, New York

By Rick Landry Croquet found its way back into the Quogue Field Club with a vengeance after 92 years.

The club was founded in 1887, where the first sport played there was baseball. Golf and tennis soon followed as well as other sports.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Randy Cardo and David Kepner, croquet has found another home at The Field Club for the first time since 1928. With one full-size lawn in an ideal setting, it is adjacent to the tennis courts with the junior sports field behind.

When Rick Landry was brought in to start the program, little did he know this would be his busiest summer ever.

The junior croquet program has more than 70 children participate daily, which is probably the largest in the country, maybe the world, and at least 50 adults play on a weekly basis. The club has also established weekly clinics, round robins and club championships in its first summer. Twentytwo players graced the new croquet lawn for the first inaugural club championship, where spectators enjoyed watching their fellow club members compete against each other with many smiles and cheers.

The weather was spectacular, sunny and cool from the time the event started at 9 a.m. until the last match finished at 5:30 p.m.

Two blocks of play were set and the top two teams from each block played off. In the first semifinal, Dick Corey and Don Allison defeated their wives Joan Corey and Jan Allison 5-4. In the second semifinal, David Kepner and John Morgan defeated Cristina Kepner and Allison Worthington, 5-4.

The championship match was played between Dick Corey/Don Allison and David Kepner/John Morgan. Kepner and Morgan beat Corey and Allison in block play but were bested 7-4 in the finals. It was a close match at 3-3 when fiery Corey rattled off three wickets and Kepner drained a 20-footer at hoop 10, but it wasn’t enough, and Corey scored hoop 11 for the victory.

All members were treated with subs from the Quogue market and a toast and tally at the end of the event. For complete scores, visit https://croquetscores.com/2020/gc/quoguefield-club-members-tournament

Golf Croquet Doubles 01. Dick Corey/Don Allison 02. David Kepner/John Morgan 03. Joan Corey/Jan Allison 04. Cristina Kepner/Allison Worthington 05. Barbara Sartorius/Kevin Hogan 06. Anne Anthony/Judy McDermott 07. Betsy McMahon/Connie Walsh 08. Fran Laserson/Ann Kaplan 09. Ralph Confessore/Lynda Confessore 10. Patricia Allen Ross/Molly Newman 11. Maureen Laness/Carol Winklevoss

2020 Osborn Cup September 17-20, 2020 | New York Croquet Club New York, New York Championship Singles 01. Chris Patmore 02. Ralph Charles 03. Tim Rapuano 03. Peter Timmins 05. David McCoy 05. Sally McGrath 05. Doug Moore 05. Mark Ski 09. Chris Kaas 09. Gene Nathanson

2020 Woodlawn Mini Lobster Tournament September 9-14, 2020 | Woodlawn Croquet Club Ellsworth, Maine Championship Singles 01. Carl Mabee 02. Robert Worrell 03. Don Parker 04. Tom Hughes 05. Neil Houghton 06. Perry Mattson First Flight Singles 01. Oakley Johnson 02. Fred Beck 03. Lloyd Hadden 04. Tina Hinkley Second Flight Singles 01. Barbara Entzminger 02. Mimi McNeish 03. Whitney Small 04. Ellen Fox 05. Geraldine Bierne

North Carolina State Singles Championship (6W) September 10-12, 2020 | Pinehurst Country Club Pinehurst, North Carolina Championship Flight 01. Adam Lassiter 02. Chris Barley 03. Danny Huneycutt 03. James Spoonhour 05. Mike Taylor 05. Rob Byrd 05. Horace Hayworth 05. John Knott 09. Bill Daigle 10. Rodney Lassiter 11. Elaine Moody 12. Brett Stovall First Flight 01. Gail Barley 02. Stephen Errickson 03. John Lassiter 03. Becky Essick 05. Hank Wallace 05. Danna Huneycutt 05. John Lassiter 05. Mel Eckhart 09. Randy Lassiter 10. Carol Wallace

2020 Berkshire Invitational August 26-30, 2020 | Lenox Croquet Club Lenox, Massachusetts Championship Singles 01. Stuart Lawrence 02. Randy Cardo 03. David McCoy 04. David Ekstrom 05. Beverly Cardo 06. Webster Bull First Flight Singles 01. Ed Gardella 02. Courtney Green 03. Bill Miller 04. Martie Ekstrom 05. David Kepner 06. Denys Shorthouse 07. Sally McGrath 08. Rita McNamara 09. Linda Taber 10. Bob Taber

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eventreports Second Flight

First Flight

01. Hilary Michaels 02. Katie Bull 03. Kathleen Green 04. John McGrath 05. Ken Heim DNF: Lee Kennedy

01. Iris Shadrick 02. Marsha Cargill 03. Jeff Shadrick 04. Mark Vogel 05. Bill Simmons 06. Phil Emond 07. Sue Emond

Association Croquet Singles

2020 North Mountain Shootout August 13-16, 2020 | Timberville, Virginia

01. Stuart Lawrence 02. Webster Bull

Ponte Vedra American Rules Open August 29, 2020 | Ponte Vedra Croquet Club Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Championship Flight 01. John Curington 02. Robert Brightman 03. Brand Shank 04. Bill Todd 05. Lori Matway 06. John Fitterman 07. Dave Paukovich 08. Paul Beaulieu

Championship Singles 01. Zack Watson 02. Shane Hettler 03. Doug Grimsley 03. Matthew Essick 05. Thomas Balding 05. Simon Jenkins 05. Charles Xavier 05. Chris Barley 09. Danny Huneycutt 09. Mike Taylor 09. Jim Houser 09. Richard Sheely 13. Jay Hughes 13. Conner Helms 13. Bill Daigle 13. Tom Yates

Rochester Invitational American Rules Singles August 15, 2020 | Rochester Croquet Club Rochester, New York

By Sue Sherer In a year of tournament cancellations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Rochester Invitational segued to a one-day, singles-only tournament to draw in more regional players at a lesser entry fee.

With Tyler Hathaway flying in by gyroplane from Clermont, N.Y., south of Albany, a field of 11 players vied for the limitededition watercolor prints this year.

Paul Neubecker, of Buffalo, N.Y., swept block play undefeated in Championship Flight. While handily winning against Rich Laging, of Rochester, N.Y., 22-12 in block play, both players elected to skip their second games of block play and go direct to finals play. Lighting up the courts in the finals, Laging won 26-15.

In First Flight, Bob Gannon, of Buffalo, went undefeated in block play and maintained his perfect record-winning the finals 18-16 against Peter Sherer of Rochester.

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The real surprise of the day was in Second Flight. A newcomer to the sport and never having played in a USCA tournament, Beth Nash, of Spencerport, N.Y., lost 16-26 and 11-26 to Bill Vrooman, of Lewiston, N.Y., in block play, only to take first in the finals against him with a 23-22 defeat.

Championship Flight 01. Rich Laging 02. Paul Neubecker 03. Tyler Hathaway First Flight 01. Bob Gannon 02. Peter Sherer 03. Peter Bowers 04. Sue Sherer 05. Linda Bowers Second Flight 01. Beth Nash 02. Bill Vrooman 03. Denise Ireland Linda lining up balls.

Back Row L to R: Pau Neubecker, Rich Curtis (TD), Tyler Hathaway, Peter Sherer, Bob Gannon, Bill Vrooman, Sue Sherer (TM). Front Row L to R: Linda Bowers, Denise Ireland, Beth Nash, Peter Bowers, Rich Laging

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newmembers NEW CLUBS Northeast Florida Croquet Club LLC – Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Kew Beach Croquet Club – Toronto, Ontario,Canada

NEW MEMBERS ALABAMA

Mt. Brook–Mountain Brook Croquet Club

Lee Yeilding

COLORADO

Denver–Denver Croquet Club

Reed Pritchard

MARYLAND

NEW YORK

E. Anne Alto

Lauren Dreeland Michael Dreeland Ellen Mendez-Penate

Annapolis–Ginger Cove Croquet Club Baltimore–Pine Valley

Frank Holtschneider Ellicott City–At Large Member

Frankie Schwenk Galesville–West River Wickets

Katie Dennett

Addison Britton Bill Harrington Liz Harrington Ann Neal

FLORIDA

MASSACHUSETTS

CONNECTICUT

Hamden–Special Olympics Connecticut

Naples–Audubon Croquet Association

George Caird Naples–Naples Croquet Club of Florida

David McFaul Palm Beach–The Beach Club

Kim Bepler Ponte Vedra Beach–At Large Member

Jay B. Reister Ponte Vedra Beach– The Plantation of Ponte Vedra

Bedford–Carleton-Willard Village

Karen Roy East Sandwich–Sandwich Croquet Club

Linda Gudas Michael Sayler Lenox–Lenox Croquet Club

Ken Heim Robin Heim Marion–Marion Mallet Club Inc.

New York–New York Croquet Club

Quogue–Quogue Field Club

Donald Allison Janet Allison Lucy Anderson Robert Anderson Anne Anthony Richard Corey Joan Corey Douglas Greeff Kevin Hogan Frances Laserson Judith McDermott Elizabeth McMahon John Morgan Meredith Murray Robert Murray Edward Necarsulmer Terry Necarsulmer Barbara Sartorius Sarah Schrup Allison Worthington Westhampton Beach–Westhampton Mallet Club

West Palm Beach–National Croquet Club

Caroline Bolick Paul Bolick Paul Bradley Sarah Mitchell Hew Russell Michele Russell

Tom Lindley

MISSISSIPPI

Ballentine Carter Lillian Carter Michael Malpass Patti Malpass Pat Miller Sandra Toler Steve Toler Rosalind Willis

Steve Young Vero Beach–Windsor Club, The

Polly Foster

GEORGIA

Florence–9 Wicket Member

Jekyll Island–Jekyll Island Croquet Club

Robert Ringer

Larsen Anderson John Boudreau Bob Byrd Helen Carmichael Dave Curtis

NEW JERSEY

LOUISIANA

Baton Rouge–Red Stick Croquet Club

George Crowley Kentwood–At Large Member

William Phillips

Monroe Township–Rossmoor Croquet Club

John Craven Alyce Owens

Cristina Kepner

NORTH CAROLINA

Bald Head Island– Bald Head Island Croquet Club

Belvidere–At Large Member

Spring Lake–Green Gables Croquet Club

Randy Lassiter

Jonathan Bonny Theresa Sciria Richard Sciria

Joshua Lassiter

Hertford–At Large Member Highlands–Cullasaja Club

Tom Guffey Highlands–Highlands Falls Croquet Association

MAINE

Glen Morris Margaret Tooke

Gerry Bierne

Lake Toxaway–Lake Toxaway Mallet Club

Brunswick–At Large Member Harpswell–At Large Member

Whitney Small

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Carroll Summerour Toby Summerour

Pinehurst–Pinehurst Croquet Club

Chris Brown Donald Dowd Joe Dunstan Nicole Dunstan Herb Hill Sherri Hill Bette Rycroft Carolyn Thompson Jeff Thompson

SOUTH CAROLINA

Tega Cay–Tega Cay Croquet Club

Barbara Williams

TENNESSEE

Memphis–University Club of Memphis

Myra De Gersdorff Amanda Wurzburg

TEXAS

Houston–Houston Croquet Association

Eugene Watson Kate Watson

VERMONT

Dorset–Dorset Field Club

Constance Beaty Manchester–Ekwanok Country Club

Wendy Bauermeister Fredricka Kimball Mary Lynch

VIRGINIA

Highland Springs–Confederate Hills Croquet Club

Cecil Creasey Jr Susan Creasey

VIRGIN ISLANDS

Christiansted– Bombay Mallet & Wicket Croquet Club

Steven Dolberg

grandprixstandings 2020 US OVERALL GRAND PRIX TOP 30 # Player Handicap Singles 01 Macey W. White -2.5 12760 02 Randy Cardo -3 11300 03 David Ekstrom -1.5 8500 04 Beverley Cardo -1 5600 05 Richard Sullivan -2 6900 06 Webster Bull -1.5 4500 07 Mark Fields -0.5 4380 08 Bob Chilton -1.5 4300 09 Calvert Chaney 1 1650 10 Matthew Griffith -2 3900 11 Thomas C. Balding -0.5 3700 12 Chris Barley -2 5300 13 Tim Bitting -1.5 1900 14 William B. Trower 1 4300 15 Mike Taylor -2 5100 16 James M. Spoonhour -1 5000 17 David McCoy -0.5 2500 18 Adam Lassiter 0 4860 19 Bill Hartmann 0.5 2000 20 Chris Patmore -2.5 3920 21 Carleton H. Mabee -2 4600 22 David Isaacs -1.5 3400 23 Michael Todorovich -1 2300 24 Doug Grimsley -3 3090 25 Mary Rodeberg 0.5 2205 26 Lynda P. Sudderberg -1 3500 27 Richard Sheely -2 3600 28 Arthur Olsen -1 3000 29 Derek Wassink -3 3600 30 Rob Byrd -0.5 3400

Doubles 4420 3200 4800 5580 1340 2950 2820 2000 4600 1700 1800 0 3400 920 0 0 2480 0 2840 700 0 1100 1700 700 1520 200 60 650 0 0

Total 17180 14500 13300 11180 8240 7450 7200 6300 6250 5600 5500 5300 5300 5220 5100 5000 4980 4860 4840 4620 4600 4500 4000 3790 3725 3700 3660 3650 3600 3400

2020 US MEN'S GRAND PRIX TOP 10 # Player Handicap Singles 01 Macey W. White -2.5 12760 02 Randy Cardo -3 11300 03 David Ekstrom -1.5 8500 04 Richard Sullivan -2 6900 05 Webster Bull -1.5 4500 06 Mark Fields -0.5 4380 07 Bob Chilton -1.5 4300 08 Calvert Chaney 1 1650 09 Matthew Griffith -2 3900 10 Thomas C. Balding -0.5 3700

Doubles 4420 3200 4800 1340 2950 2820 2000 4600 1700 1800

Total 17180 14500 13300 8240 7450 7200 6300 6250 5600 5500

2020 US WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX TOP 10 # Player Handicap Singles 01 Beverley Cardo -1 5600 02 Mary Rodeberg 0.5 2205 03 Lynda P. Sudderberg -1 3500 04 Jodie Rugart -1 3100 05 Linda Huxtable -0.5 1500 06 Loretta Cooper 2 200 07 Linda Trifone 5 473 08 Linda R. Dos Santos 1.5 1445 09 Vickie Johnston 3 800 10 Victoria Albrecht 3 700 Updated November 5, 2020

Doubles Points 5580 11180 1520 3725 200 3700 200 3300 1000 2500 1820 2020 1468 1941 0 1445 440 1240 498 1198

2020 US GP CHAMPIONSHIP B TOP 15 (3-5H) # Player Handicap Singles Doubles 01 Linda Trifone 5 473 1468 02 Stephen P. Grassbaugh 3 1100 710 03 Ronald L. Eccles 4 1021 624 04 Mark Ski 4.5 1100 174 05 Vickie Johnston 3 800 440 06 Victoria Albrecht 3 700 498 07 Brian D. Hovis 3 1100 0 08 Martie Ekstrom 5 642 412 09 John L. Priest 5 1020 0 10 Sally McGrath 5 828 146 11 Edward Erlich 3.5 520 450 12 Richard E. Laging 3 840 0 13 Nicholas Gray 4.5 120 720 14 Peter Timmins 4 840 0 15 Russell S. Dilley 3 835 0

2020 US GP FIRST FLIGHT TOP 15 (6-9H) # Player Handicap Singles Doubles 01 Missy Chilton 7 175 756 02 Penny Ferraro 6 48 750 03 Bo Prillaman 7 569 168 04 Carl A. Archiniaco 6 362 234 05 Jane C. Helms 7 319 246 06 Judy Dahlstrom 8 72 450 07 Christine Smith 7 464 48 08 Dale Jordan 7 450 0 09 Gail Barley 6 445 0 10 Suzanne Spradling 7 129 300 11 Mary Cassidy 9 154 225 12 Randy W. Reid 6 279 96 13 Jared Bassmann 6 350 0 14 Karen Heckman 7 188 160 15 Myron A. McCumber 6 348 0 2020 US GP SECOND FLIGHT TOP 15 (10-13H) # Player Handicap Singles Doubles 01 Tracey Roche 13 0 450 02 Terry Cassidy 10 47 132 03 Eileen Fell 10 0 168 04 Katie Bull 10 94 9 05 Carol E. Stuart 12 20 78 06 Diane Fitzsimons 13 9 72 07 Rusty Rose 10 28 52 08 John McGrath 11 32 33 09 Sam Orleans Hansley 10 62 3 10 Larry A. Lynch 11 64 0 11 Bill Simmons 10 62 0 12 Pat Richmond 11 9 48 13 Iris Shadrick 10 56 0 14 Linda Bowers 10 52 0 15 Nancy Wonson 12 0 52

2020 US GP THIRD FLIGHT (14-20H) # Player Handicap Singles Doubles 01 Karen M. Weihs 14 0 28 02 Dan Delgarn 16 21 0 03 Skip Russo 20 15 0 Updated November 5, 2020

Total 1941 1810 1645 1274 1240 1198 1100 1054 1020 974 970 840 840 840 835 Total 931 798 737 596 565 522 512 450 445 429 379 375 350 348 348 Total 450 179 168 103 98 81 80 65 65 64 62 57 56 52 52 Total 28 21 15

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grandprixstandings 2020 GOLF CROQUET OVERALL GRAND PRIX TOP 30 # Player Singles Doubles 01 Macey W. White 1621 432 02 Rick Darnell 1419 0 03 Jim Teel 1187 144 04 Bill Simmons 1218 109 05 Rich Dell 911 193 06 Matthew Griffith 356 698 07 John L. Priest 1008 0 08 Priscilla M. Flowers 610 394 09 J. Billie Ray 443 552 10 Webster Bull 750 202 11 Lynda P. Sudderberg 215 648 12 Stephen Jackson 147 698 13 Amr Hamdy 518 321 14 Ellie Griffith 622 210 15 Leo Viens 815 0 16 Cheryl Bromley 356 432 17 Clint Dawkins 395 365 18 James C Potts 649 109 19 Billy E Harper 292 438 20 Helen Covington 724 0 21 Thomas C. Balding 720 0 22 Robert V. Clark 395 321 23 John Curington 699 0 24 Colin Irwin 663 0 25 Dennis Howard 282 365 26 Debbie Davidoff 511 131 27 Jim Coling 511 100 28 Tamer Hatata 341 270 29 Caryl Firth 437 155 30 Ray A. Liberti 282 291

Total 2053 1419 1331 1327 1104 1054 1008 1004 995 952 863 845 839 832 815 788 760 758 730 724 720 716 699 663 647 642 611 611 592 573

2020 GOLF CROQUET MEN'S GRAND PRIX TOP 10 # Player Singles Doubles 01 Macey W. White 1621 432 02 Rick Darnell 1419 0 03 Jim Teel 1187 144 04 Bill Simmons 1218 109 05 Rich Dell 911 193 06 Matthew Griffith 356 698 07 John L. Priest 1008 0 08 J. Billie Ray 443 552 09 Webster Bull 750 202 10 Stephen Jackson 147 698

Total 2053 1419 1331 1327 1104 1054 1008 995 952 845

2020 GOLF CROQUET WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX TOP 10 # Player Singles Doubles 01 Priscilla M. Flowers 610 394 02 Lynda P. Sudderberg 215 648 03 Ellie Griffith 622 210 04 Cheryl Bromley 356 432 05 Debbie Davidoff 511 131 06 Caryl Firth 437 155 07 Gail Warlick 259 210 08 Linda Schiesel 145 291 09 Karen M. Weihs 185 245 10 Helen Covington 408 0 Updated November 5, 2020

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Points 1004 863 832 788 642 592 469 436 430 408

2020 AC OVERALL GRAND PRIX TOP 30 # Player Singles 01 Matthew Essick 3033 02 Zack Watson 2725 03 Sherif Abdelwahab 2204 04 Shane Hettler 1939 05 Randy Cardo 1907 06 Charles Xavier 1631 07 Doug Grimsley 1523 08 Danny Huneycutt 1885 09 Stephen Morgan 1038 10 Daniel W. Pailas 1533 11 Thomas C. Balding 1774 12 Mike Taylor 1453 13 Blake Fields 1069 14 Simon Jenkins 1405 15 Paul T. Bennett 740 16 Thomas Cooper 740 17 Webster Bull 878 18 Macey W. White 645 19 Merle Berkshire 431 20 Gene Raymond 740 21 Brian Cumming 1004 22 Rodney Lassiter 322 23 Jay Hughes 486 24 Chris Barley 942 25 Jim Houser 713 26 Richard Sheely 695 27 J. Gary Bennett 107 28 Bill Daigle 530 29 Michael Albert 255 30 Rick Darnell 234

2020 AC MEN'S GRAND PRIX TOP 15 # Player Singles 01 Matthew Essick 3033 02 Zack Watson 2725 03 Sherif Abdelwahab 2204 04 Shane Hettler 1939 05 Randy Cardo 1907 06 Charles Xavier 1631 07 Doug Grimsley 1523 08 Danny Huneycutt 1885 09 Stephen Morgan 1038 10 Daniel W. Pailas 1533 11 Thomas C. Balding 1774 12 Mike Taylor 1453 13 Blake Fields 1069 14 Simon Jenkins 1405 15 Paul T. Bennett 740 2020 AC WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX # Player Singles 01 Donna Dixon 390 02 Karin Karel 57 03 Mary Rodeberg 209 04 Tracey Roche 148 05 Becky Essick 110 06 Judy Dahlstrom 37 07 Barbara Wills 21 Updated November 5, 2020

Doubles 1222 1222 815 482 482 654 654 268 815 268 0 268 482 0 482 482 268 482 654 268 0 654 482 0 0 0 482 0 268 268

Total 4255 3947 3019 2421 2389 2285 2177 2153 1853 1801 1774 1721 1551 1405 1222 1222 1146 1127 1085 1008 1004 976 968 942 713 695 589 530 523 502

Doubles 1222 1222 815 482 482 654 654 268 815 268 0 268 482 0 482

Total 4255 3947 3019 2421 2389 2285 2177 2153 1853 1801 1774 1721 1551 1405 1222

Doubles 0 268 0 0 0 0 0

Total 390 325 209 148 110 37 21

USCA 2020-21 Sanctioned Events DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, the tournment calendar is rapidly changing. For the most up-to-date event listings, please check www.croquetamerica.com/calendar/tournaments/.

Entry forms to USCA events will now be emailed to members and can also be found on the USCA website at: www.croquetamerica.com/members/forms/ or call the USCA office (561) 478-0760 for a copy.

December 12/4/20 - 12/6/20

NCC Club Doubles Championship | US

Natoional Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Tim McCormick | 207-329-5343 | tmccorm1@gmail.com

2021 January

3/25/21 - 3/28/21

Jones Invitational | US

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 919-612-3366 | nh13sc@gmail.com

April 4/6/21 - 4/8/21

USCA American Rules School | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

1/5/21 - 1/6/21

4/8/21 - 4/11/21

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 919-612-3366 | nh13sc@gmail.com

USCA Golf Croquet School | GC

Sarasota Open | US

1/8/21 - 1/10/21

4/22/21 - 4/25/21

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Tim McCormick | 207-329-5343 | tmccorm1@gmail.com

Ponte Vedra Croquet Club | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

National Croquet Club Singles Championship | US

USCA Florida Regional Golf Croquet | GC

1/27/21 - 1/29/21

USCA American Rules School | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

February 2/2/21 - 2/6/21

Peyton Ballenger Invitational | US

Croquet Club at PGA National | Palm Beach Gardens, FL Ann Licursi | 516-353-3311 | annelicursi@gmail.com

2/17/21 - 2/21/21

Steuber Classic | US & GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Marie Sweetser | 561-478-2300 | generalmanager@croquetnational.com

March 3/9/21 - 3/11/21

USCA American Rules School | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

3/10/21 - 3/11/21

USCA Golf Croquet School | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

3/12/21- 3/14/21

USCA Croquet Week Golf Croquet Tournament | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com Singles Only

3/15/21 - 3/17/21

USCA American Rules Tournament Play School | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Have you ever walked on the croquet court and wondered what to do?! It’s not uncommon! Over the years, as a Croquet Tournament Director and Instructor, I have watched many games which have informed me what to teach when working with aspiring players.

PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AT:

HTTPS://BOBCROQUET.COM/STRATEGY_INFO.HTM

HERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FOR FREE (YOU BET - FREE!) TWO OF THE 12 VIDEOS IN THE SERIES IN ADDITION TO THE FREE PDF USER GUIDE WHICH SHOWS THE SETUP FOR EACH VIDEO.

3/18/21 - 3/21/21

USCA Club Teams Championship | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

croquetamerica.com | 37

SHOP

USCA

Whatever the occasion think USCA for those special gifts Books

Croquet the Sport - By Jack Osborn (Hard Cover) ...................................$24.95 Croquet the Sport - By Jack Osborn (Paperback).....................................$15.95 Croquet - By J.W. Solomon..........................................................................$25.00 It’s a Wicket Kitchen Cookbook....................................................................$12.00 Monograph Series On Club Building Vol.1, 2 or 3 @$9.95 or all three for $25.00................................................$25.00 USCA Croquet Shot-Making Manual..........................................................$15.95 USCA Rulebook (revised 2013 edition)....................................................... $ 7.00 International Rules -The Laws of Association Croquet.............................$12.00 Golf Croquet Rulebook................................................................................... $7.00 A Guide to Croquet Court Planning, Building & Maintenance..................$39.95

CD’s Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD & Bound Books (Beg/Interm/Adv).......................................................$124.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD & Unbound Books (Beg/Interm/Adv)..............................................................$72.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Advanced).........................................................$29.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Beg/Interm).......................................................$29.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Beg/Interm/Advanced).....................................$39.95 Bob & Ted’s “Know the Rules” CD Understanding the USCA Rules .................................................................$24.95

DVD’s 2004 USCA National Singles Final DVD....................................................$10.00 Bob & Ted’s “Mastering Croquet Shots” DVD............................................$29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent Croquet” DVD.........................................................$49.95 Bob & Ted’s “Most Wanted Croquet Strategy” 2 Disc DVD......................$64.95 Bob & Ted’s “Break Play - What You Need to Know” DVD......................$29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Staying Alive” DVD - Winning Croquet Tactics....................$39.95 Bob & Ted’s “You Make the Call” DVD........................................................$29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent” & “Most Wanted” DVD set...................................$99.95 Bob & Ted’s “Staying Alive” and “You Make the Call” DVD set................$64.90 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent”, “Most Wanted”,“Staying Alive” 3 DVD set.......$140.95 Bob & Ted’s Four DVD set..........................................................................$170.00 Bob & Ted’s Five DVD set..........................................................................$185.00 Kamal vs Rothman - GC Pasadena Playoff...............................................$19.95 USCA Historical Video DVD.........................................................................$15.95

May 5/6/21 - 5/9/21

NC Open | AC

Pinehurst Croquet Club | Pinehurst, NC Mike Taylor | 910-986-3343 | mrtaylor1022@msn.com

5/13/21 - 5/15/21

The Falls Spring GC Open | GC

Highland Falls Country Club | Highlands, NC Onifer Wilmoth | 828-487-4130 | owilmoth@clubfcc.com

June 6/2/21 - 6/6/21

Mountain Laurel Invitational | US

The Chattooga Club | Cashiers, NC Dawn Jupin | 828-743-1360 | dawnj@chattoogaclub.com

6/5/21

National Croquet Day 6/10/21 - 6/13/21

Southeast 6W Regional Championship | US

Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

6/10/21 - 6/13/21

Berkshire Invitational | US

Lenox Croquet Club | Lenox, MA David Ekstrom | 413-230-6122 | drekstrom@hotmail.com Practice available June 9th

6/23/21 - 6/27/21

Westhampton Mallet Club Invitational | US

Westhampton Mallet Club | Westhampton, NY Randy Cardo | 631-902-5678 | randy.cardo@gmail.com

September 9/9/21 - 9/12/21

NC State Singles Championship | US

Pinehurst Countey Club | Pinehurst, NC Mike Taylor | 910-986-3343 | mrtaylor1022@msn.com

9/23/21 - 9/26/21

31st Pinehurst Invitational | US

Pinehurst Countey Club | Pinehurst, NC Elaine Moody | 910-986-3164 | haliburton_2@msn.com

CDs & DVDs are not returnable.

October

Clothing

10/6/21 - 10/8/21

Defective disks may be replaced within 2 weeks of purchase.

USCA Logo Hats - Brim: S/M L/XL Baseball: One Size...........................$20.00 USCA Jacket with Logo on front..................................................................$80.00 USCA Shirts (USCA Logo or Croquet Week)............................................$40.00 USCA Logo Long-Sleeve Shirts..................................................................$50.00 USCA logo Ladies Sweater..........................................................................$70.00

Misc.

Large Mallet Cover with USCA Logo.................Up to 12” mallet head – $52.95 Small Mallet Cover with USCA Logo....................Up to 9” mallet head – $49.95 Note Cards or Croquet Party Invitations (10/pk).......................................... $5.00 Croquet Paper Placemats (24/pk)...............................................................$10.00 USCA Patch Small.......................................................................................... $5.00 USCA Ballmarkers (dozen)............................................................................ $1.00 USCA Cufflinks (USCA shield).....................................................................$29.95

Prices subject to change

Contact the USCA at 561-478-0760; fax: 561-686-5507; email usca@msn.com or mail to

USCA, 700 Florida Mango Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406

38 | croquetamerica.com

Pinehurst Club Singles Championship | US

Pinehurst Countey Club | Pinehurst, NC Elaine Moody | 910-986-3164 | haliburton_2@msn.com

November 11/10/21 - 11/14/21

USCA Seniors Masters Championship | US

Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

USCA CROQUET SCHOOLS Whether you are new to the game or just want to perfect some of the finer points - a USCA school may be just the ticket

Learn with USCA Certified Instructors Our instructors are hand picked based on their experience and ability to teach others

5 hours/day of on-court instruction Official USCA Rulebook (for new American Rules or Golf Croquet members) USCA Shot Making Manual (for first time students only) Daily Contenental Breakfast and Lunches Certificate of Completion and Class Photograph Wine and Cheese Party on last day of school

UPCOMING DATES

AMERICAN RULES GOLF CROQUET January 27-29, 2021 December 7, 2020 TPS March 9-11, 2021 January 5-6, 2021 March 14-17, 2021 TPS March 10-11, 2021 April 6-8, 2021

PRIVATE GROUP PROGRAM Groups of 6 or more players (of the same skill level) may arrange for a date (dependent on court and instructor availability) that is convenient for group’s participants with special group rates USCA Schools are held at the National Croquet Center West Palm Beach, Florida

Contact the USCA office for more information 561-478-0760 or email tournament@uscroquet.com

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