CroquetNews The Official Magazine of the United States Croquet Association THOMPSONREGIONAL 2022 VOLUME 3 | FALL ISSUE
Love Croquet? You’re in the Right Place. Nestled in the heart of one of Atlanta’s most esteemed Buckhead neighborhoods, Peachtree Hills Place is a luxury 55+ community that caters to discerning adults who love croquet and other fine amenities. At the heart of our community, you’ll find two immaculately manicured, regulation-sized natural turfgrass lawns that serve as the central hub for The Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club. If you envision an active lifestyle, fine dining in an elegant clubhouse, unparalleled service, and the opportunity to don your whites every day of the week, schedule your personal visit today. For more information please PEACHTREEHILLSPLACE.COMvisitor call 404.467.4900 229 Peachtree Hills Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 Established in 2019, The Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club is proud to be an official member of the prestigious United States Croquet Association. Proud to be a Development Partner and Sponsor of the USCA Golf Croquet Nationals
In past communications, I have mentioned projects that are not yet visible. One project, “CroquetNow,” has been in the development stages for some years. It will be launched in 2023 and can benefit every USCA member. This online service will allow USCA members to track their game history (from implementation), ranking and handicaps in all four different rules (US6W, AC, GC, 9W). Ladders can be viewed within club, district, regional and national levels. So, whether your croquet is just a weekly fun doubles game with friends, an annual family tournament of 9W or you are searching for a similarly skilled player for a good match across the USCA community, this system will allow you this connectivity and CroquetNowresource. will also allow our clubs to function more easily by providing club organizers with ladders and progressive handicapping for their beginner players to engage and monitor their progress in the games. It places this USCA member resource in the hands of every player, every day through their smartphones or browser devices. Our efforts and application of our limited resources require a thoughtful balance and careful planning.
Bidencope Proud
We also now feature top-level content of the recently played GC Nationals on our developing YouTube channel - USCA Croquet. This is possible through the continued efforts of USCA Midwest RVP Russ Dilley, Brian Hovis and Paul Neubecker.
Launches in 2023
www.croquetamerica.com
President@croquetamerica.com side
Damon USCA Member / USCA President
/ www.croquetamerica.com court
Welcome to all the new members enjoying this fabulous game and the USCA croquet community. As the national governing body for the game in the US and as the representative for your interests at the World Croquet Federation, we conduct many required official functions. We stage national championships and regional competitions across the country, we publish official rules for the different versions of croquet played: US6W, GC, AC, 9W, to name a few. These functions (often unseen) are, however, not the prime measure of success or our focus. Our efforts are guided by the best interests of the current and future members of the association. You and those that will join in the future are our measure of success. Recently, across the US, many croquet clubs celebrated “Croquet Day.” From our website (croquetamerica.com) all those interested can enjoy images of croquet celebration from the June 4 Croquet Day. Some of the clubs featured include the Chicago Croquet Club, Club at the Strand, Grand Haven Palm Coast, Green Gables Croquet Club, Hammock Dunes Croquet Club, Highlands Falls Country Club, Highlands Country Club, Jekyll Island Croquet Club, Lenox Croquet Club, Lookout Mountain, NCC (virtual due to a rain event), New York Croquet Club, Pinehurst Croquet Club, Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach Croquet Club, Tega Cay CC, Springs Croquet Club, West River Wickets and Wyndemere Country Club. While these are just a few of the fabulous celebrations staged, they give insights into the breadth and diversity of our community. This annual celebration fosters relationships and builds participation on a local grassroots club level. It promotes diversity and inclusion through croquet. The highlighting of community and the fostering of relationships in the USCA is vital as these goals are fundamental to the USCA mission. Further celebrations of the game can be viewed on Instagram (@uscroquet) and Facebook (U.S. Croquet).
CroquetNow
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I hope you enjoy the news and information in this issue and continue to support this fun game through membership in the USCA. Let’s keep the ball rolling!
Photo by Andrew Moss www.croquetamerica.com | 5 CroquetNews Features 12 | National Croquet Day 2022 22 | 2022 Hall of Fame Nominations 28 | 2022 GC Nationals 32 | 2022 USCA SE A6W Regional 34 | Member Profile:Tom Balding 2022 Volume 3 On The Cover The world of croquet collage highlighting images from National Croquet Day along with other features from this issue. Publisher Dylan Goodwin | croquetnetwork@gmail.com Managing Editor Julie Jantzer-Ward | uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com Departments 03 | Courtside with Damon Bidencope 06 | The Clubhouse 10 | Inbox 36 | Let’s Talk Tactics 38 | Nine Wicket News 40 | Golf Croquet America 41 | Event Results 44 | Grand Prix Updates 46 | New Members 47 | Events Calendar Inquiries Please submit all inquiries and stories to uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com. Submissions 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. © 2022 United States Croquet Association
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WHO AM I?
Based on my name, I once was grouped with a famous Brook, Jennie and a judge. By trade, I am a writer, though you would be horrified to see my major credit. I made a name for myself in croquet by writing and publishing at a key time in the development of the sport in the United States. I may have caused you to melt down on a croquet court. My Pendulum is patented and once was almost banned in this country. I am one of few Americans voted into this prestigious croquet group, which happened to me in 2012. you guess, Who am I?
Can
TheClubhouse?
—Submitted
2022 USCA
But only one duo can claim victory. This year, that honor went to Leina Casimir and Raelyn Gabriel, who triumphed over runners-up Alix Worley and Vanesa Jimienez. All these young ladies showed great skill and tenacity throughout the event and serve as prime examples of the talent and athleticism of American youth Specialcroquet.thanks to the Merion Cricket Club for continuing to host this wonderful event in support of collegiate croquet. To Whitney Thain, Director of Athletics, for her tireless effort to make the event run smoothly. To the tournament directors and referees: Justin Berbig, Micah Beck and Tom Balding. And to all the coaches and players who gave their time and talent to the tournament. We look forward to coming together in this competition for many years to come. by Tom Balding Collegiate Nationals
As April drew to a close, college teams from across the country converged on the Merion Cricket Club to compete in the 2022 USCA Collegiate National Championship. This event, which has been on COVID-19 hiatus for more than two years, hosts the best collegiate croquet players in the country as they battle it out for bragging rights and the coveted title of Collegiate Champions. This year saw intense competition, with some of the golf croquet matches lasting hours as each team refused to give any ground. But, after two days of exciting matches, one school rose to the top to claim the title. The players of Oklahoma Wesleyan, under the passionate guidance of coach Steve Fisher, not only made up both sides of the final match but also made history as the first all-women final in collegiate croquet.
PASSAGES Charles Berberich Denver Croquet Club Joan Comeau Lenox Croquet Club Doris Dal Bello Croquet Club at PGA National Thomas Graham National Croquet Club Stewart (Lionel) Jackson The Beach Club Jerome (Jerry) Luecke Croquet Club at PGA National James C. Pearson Woodlawn Croquet Program Ted Truman Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club and The Boca Raton Resort Club
The 2023 World Croquet Federation AC Women's World Championship will be held January 7-14, 2023, at several clubs in Christchurch, New Zealand, headquartered at the United Croquet Club. The main event capacity is 40 players. The format will be four blocks of 10 players playing single games over three days. The top four in each block will qualify for the knockout stage. The blocks will rotate around the venues. The knockout stage will have 16 players. Seeding will be grade-based in accordance with Appendix 7, Section A of the WCF Sports Regulations. Round 1 will consist of matches of best-of-three games. The quarterfinals will consist of matches of bestof-three or best-of-five games at the discretion of the tournament manager. The semifinals and final will consist of matches of best-of-five games if time permits.
All knockout main event matches will be played at the United Croquet Club, AChristchurch.Plateeventwill be open to those that do not qualify for the championship knockout stage. It will consist of block play and matches will be single games. It will be followed by a knockout stage of at least semifinals and a final, which will consist of matches of best-of-three games. The Bowl event will be open to the first-round losers in the knockout stage. It will be a knockout event and matches will be best-ofthree games. A Shield event will be open to the second-round losers in the knockout stage. It will be a knockout event and matches will be best-of-three games. Day 4 of the event will be reserved for block playoffs and, if possible, the Plate block games will be started at the other venues.
USCA Golf Croquet
The main event knockout will be single-banked, apart from the first round. The main event blocks will be double-banked and other events will depend on detailed schedules. The manager will have the right to double bank as necessary to ensure the tournament stays on schedule.
www.croquetamerica.com | 7 USCA Management Committee Website:Unitedsecondvp@uscroquet.compresident@uscroquet.comDamonPresidentBidencopeFirstVicePresidentMichaelAlbertfirstvp@uscroquet.comSecondVicePresidentCarlaRueckTreasurerDavidIsaacstreasurer@uscroquet.comSecretaryRobByrdsecretary@uscroquet.comStatesCroquetAssociation(USCA)700FloridaMangoRoadWestPalmBeach,FL33406Tel.(561)478-0760Fax(561)686-5507Email:usca@msn.comwww.croquetamerica.com REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS midatlanticrvp@uscroquet.comfloridarvp@uscroquet.comBillFloridaSimmonsMid-AtlanticBeverleyCardoMidwestRussellS.Dilleymidwestrvp@uscroquet.comNortheastPrestonStuartnortheastrvp@uscroquet.comSoutheastLindaTrifonesoutheastrvp@uscroquet.comWesternPatrickSweeneywesternrvp@uscroquet.com USCA STAFF Membership membership@uscroquet.comUrsulaCoordinatorPeckTournament&SchoolsJohnnyMitchelltournament@uscroquet.comwww.CroquetAmerica.com 2023 AC Women’s World Championship
Class III Referee (Club)
A candidate must have passed the written test and then pass the field test given by a Class I National Referee. This certification expires after three years.
Class II Referee (Regional)
Class I Referee (National)
A candidate must have previously completed the requirements for Class III and then be mentored by a Class I National Referee and submit in writing for review to the GC committee events refereed with a mentor signing off on it. Recertification by taking an updated written exam is required whenever a new version of the rules is adapted.
A candidate must have previously completed the requirements for Class III and Class II then be mentored by a Class I National Referee and submit in writing for review to the GC committee events refereed with the mentor signing off on it. Recertification by taking an updated written exam is required whenever a new version of the rules is adapted.
Written fee: $35.00 to the USCA office. On Court Field Test: $30 to the administrator of the field test
The Qualifying Tournament will be held in Wellington, North Island, New Zealand, January 3-5, 2023.
Certified Referee Requirements
8 | www.croquetamerica.com theclubhouse
“WHO AM I?”
Eliassen devised this strategy a day or two before the April 26, 1986, Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown. Eliassen demonstrated the opening to Tom and Mike McDonnell at the Santa Rosa Croquet Club in Central California, and Mike named it the “Chernobyl Gambit,” because he thought it would cause opponents to melt down when confronted with it.
In croquet, Eliassen is best known for founding and editing the National Croquet Calendar, a monthly print magazine with a national subscription base from 1985 to 2012. For most of those years, the NCC was the go-to source for the calendar of upcoming events as well as highlights from past events. The NCC ended its run with the advent of real-time internet sources, such as Croquet World Online Magazine and Croquet Scores. The photo on this page adorned the cover of the last issue of the NCC, with a banner like “Calendar Bites Dust, Goes Belly-Up.”
In 2015, a writer for the Tulsa World included Eliassen in a “Garth Hall of Fame,” along with such notables as country music star Garth Brooks, “Beverly Hills 90120” actor Jennie Garth and character Judge Henry Garth of the 1960s television western series “The EliassenVirginian.”isascript writer with several film credits to his name, including the horror film franchise “Don’t Go in the Woods.”
In 1991, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Eliassen a patent for his croquet mallet head design featuring a synthetic head (made of Delrin) manufactured under the name The Pendulum. The USCA initially proposed to outlaw The Pendulum, but later relented when it could not establish it gave players an advantage over wood mallet heads.
—Submitted by Eric Sawyer
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.
Eliassen also authored the “Chernobyl Gambit,” which later was known as “The Chernobyl” and became a landmark opening strategy used in American Rules croquet. This opening offered the Red ball in front of Hoop #1 while holding the Yellow ball out of the game, either in or near the jaws of Hoop #1, until a break was developed.
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. And, if you want a byline, please include one at the beginning of the Providearticle.
Eliassen has a background in chess and was familiar with sacrifices and gambits. So, he devised an opening in which he would sacrifice his Red ball, forcing his opponent to either play a break with just three balls or break down on the court and give Yellow an easier break opportunity with all four balls.
INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSIONS
I am . . . Garth Eliassen.
photos by using a filesharing service like Dropbox, Google Drive or Box. Pick your best photos – eight to 12 good photos is enough. Twenty photos maximum. 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. Captions are important. The best option is create a caption key at the end of your article. If photo credits are needed, make sure they are part of the caption.
ANSWER
Finally, based on his pioneer work on the NCC and The Chernobyl opening, Eliassen was inducted into the World Croquet Federation Hall of Fame in 2012. He is only one of eight Americans to receive that honor.
NATIONAL CROQUET CENTER PRO SHOP Visit our Pro Shop Website for All Things Croquetwww.nationalcroquetcenterproshop.com561-478-2300ext5WhitesBrightsGiftsMallets
10 | www.croquetamerica.com CroquetAtLenbrook.com | 404-537-4113 Here.Right.Better. At Lenbrook Our beautifully manicured, regulation croquet lawn is just one of the many reasons why engaged seniors are choosing Lenbrook, located in the heart of Atlanta's dynamic Buckhead community. Give us a call to learn how you can Experience the Lenbrook Di erence
Visit www.croquetamerica.com for more news.
After you have accessed your account, clicking on the arrow (or triangle) next to your name in the upper right-hand corner will provide a dropdown with options. Click on Profile (Diagram 4) and this will provide you with options for updating your profile (Diagram Information allows you to edit your key contact information and is not made public. Additional Data is where you can update your club and region. Member Directory is where you update your information that is visible to other members in the member directory. User Name / Password is the module for updating your username or password.
From there, you will be directed to the login screen where you will need to enter your username and password (Diagram 2). If you don’t know your username and password, see the link below the login for assistance. Once logged in, you will see your handicap and any additional information next to your name in the upper righthand corner of the site (Diagram 3). If you see a RED $ icon, it means you need to renew your membership or pay the entry fee for a tournament.
Are you struggling to locate your handicap on the new USCA website? If so, here’s your step-by-step guide. First, head to www.croquetamerica.com and login in the upper right-hand corner (Diagram 1)
www.croquetamerica.com | 11 USCA WEBSITE TIPS
How To Find Your Handicap
Member
1 32 4 5
5) Basic Member
How To Update Your Profile
We are happy to present the clubs who celebrated National Croquet Day with a “Croquet Party” and invited so many participants to join in the fun! CROQUET AWESOMEDAY 12 | www.croquetamerica.com
Club at the Strand: The Mad Hatter Party “If you knew time as well as I do, you wouldn't talk about wasting it.” —Alice in Wonderland We don't waste a moment here; we live them to the fullest! We were rained out on June 4 but rescheduled. Our Strand Croquet team and fans enjoyed themselves. Because croquet is represented in the book, “Alice in Wonderland,” we took a page from the story and called it “Mad Hatters Day!” All hats were welcome, silly or fancy, and players of all levels were welcome to drop in and enjoy the game.
We held a “closest-to-the-peg shootout,” “name the coyote contest” and a “craziest accessory contest.” Special croquet cookies were made and donated for our opening day by Sandra Schneider, a friend of the Chicago Croquet Club. To assist the club in keeping the Canada geese that congregate near Lake Michigan off our courts, club member and USCA member Jeff Lee created silhouettes of coyotes, which were named this year: Croquet and Roquet. From 9:00 a.m. until almost 1:00 p.m., our 19 members enjoyed American Six Wicket, association croquet, golf croquet and a longgrass nine-wicket course. The local jazz radio station WDCB read a short Croquet Day 2022 public service announcement the previous Saturday and on National Croquet Day.
Chicago Croquet Club: Good Friends, Food, Fun and Croquet All Day!
Grand Haven: A Very Colorful Party For National Croquet Day at Grand Haven, Palm Coast, Fla., our group picture was organized according to the color of the balls and includes our members and residents that attended. We had 44 members attend, along with 10 residents checking croquet out. Along with the games, which included American Six Wicket and golf croquet, we had skills tests and instruction. A fun day was had by all.
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Green Gables Croquet Club: Everyone’s Invited to Our Party Green Gables Croquet Club did its part to celebrate National Croquet Day on June 4 as 30 members were in attendance helping with small breakout groups of prospective members for instructional drills and games. Due in large part to our publicity, we had 19 newbies show up to learn the basics of croquet, a new game for most of them. Many inquired about joining Green Gables immediately after playing. That same day there were thousands of Boy Scouts camped beside the courts for their jubilee weekend. As they walked by the courts, many of the scouts were curious about what they were seeing. So, they were invited to pick up mallets and give the game a try. There was also a New Jersey State Police helicopter flying over that landed near the courts throughout the day. We like to say, “there's always something exciting happening at Green Gables.”
Highlands: A Graduation Party (Sort Of) Highlands Country Club celebrated National Croquet Day with a high/low event, pairing “freshmen” with “seniors.” A lot of new people showed up and played for the first time. Prizes and a barbecue were provided to the participants.
nationalcroquetdayCroquetDayWinners Most Action-Packed Party Green Gables Croquet Club Most Players Introduced to the Sport Highland Falls Most Fun at a Croquet Party Jekyll Island Croquet Club Most Inviting Location for a Party Highlands Most Festive Croquet Party Wyndemere Croquet Club Most Wacky Croquet Party Hats Club at the Strand The Party With a Historical Look West River Wickets Most First Responders Invited Tega Cay Croquet Club Best Croquet Themed Snacks Chicago Croquet Club Most Community Oriented Party The Springs Croquet Club Consolation Prize: Best Effort Despite Being Rained-Out Mary Shields, The NCC 14 | www.croquetamerica.com
• Drop in the Bucket — Devised using an RC Car Racer launch ramp to launch a croquet ball such that it would land in one of four buckets
• Shot off of the Peg — Where the ball is placed on the peg and a hoop shot is made to Refreshments1-back.were supplied by the club and members had the option to bring adult beverages. We gained one new member at the event and gained three prospective Onmembers.June4,
National Croquet Center: The Party Was Rained Out, but... Florida was drenched, but Mary Shields kept us all in good humor with her postings on Facebook. Next www.croquetamerica.comyear!!
Highland Falls Croquet: A Grand Lunch
• Croquet Hole — Fashioned by use of a cornhole board
the Jekyll Island Croquet Club members supported the Jekyll Island Club Resort National Croquet Day Celebration, which was open to the public and resort guests. Three club members provided instruction and an introduction to golf croquet to 17 guests and residents. Many of the area residents stayed to learn more about becoming members of the resort and the croquet club. A fine National Croquet Day for all!
Jekyll Island: The Croquet Carnival
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• The Impossible Hoop Shot Course — Shot 1 at the peg from the west boundary, Shot 2 at hoop 2 from the existing position from Shot 1, followed by a shot to penultimate and lastly a shot at hoop 10
The Jekyll Island Croquet Club celebrated National Croquet Day with two events this year, one event a 'little bit early' so our residents who summer off island could Ourparticipate.croquet day committee did a fantastic job in creating a Croquet Carnival, a totally novel concept whereby croquet-related skills were integrated with other activities for members to enjoy. The dress for the day was “croquet colors,” since we utilize primary colors as well as secondary colors, the lawn at the Jekyll Island Club resort was adorned with quite an array of colorful Alloutfits.participants (members and prospective members) competed for prizes in the four skills challenges:
The National Croquet Day Celebration at Highlands Falls Country Club, in Highlands, N.C., included a rules and playing clinic presented by Jeff Soo, as well as croquet play and a grand lunch that followed!
RochesternationalcroquetdayCroquetClub:Funin the Sun Fun in the sun, on a wild and windy day. Joined by three players from the Buffalo Croquet Club for a golf croquet doubles event!
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The Lenox Croquet Club celebrated National Croquet Day on June 4 with a full day of playing, working and sampling great foods. Fourteen players participated in both golf and American Six Wicket games and were treated to grilled Tandoori chicken. An array of salads and desserts completed a great Preparationsmeal. were made for the Berkshire Invitational and the Lenox CC Golf Croquet Tournament. The Lenox Croquet Club strives to always meet the needs of its 50 members and welcomes visitors to its events. The club supports the USCA through playing, working and socializing with its guidance and this special day proved to be most beneficial to all.
The National Croquet Day event went very well. The weather was very nice. At 1:00 p.m., many of our TCCC members started showing up but no fire or police responders were there. But we started eight of our members playing a 25-minute round. At about 1:10 pm, the fire truck pulled up with five firefighters. We got four of them playing the next round with four of our TCCC members. Then, the other firefighter got to play in the next round. At 2:00 p.m., about six of the police officers showed up. Then, we started having games with one police officer (playing Blue) and one firefighter (playing Red) per game with two of our members playing Black and Yellow. We double-banked and started a new round every 30 minutes. By 4:00 p.m., all of the police officers, firefighters and about 35 TCCC members had all played at least one game of golf croquet. None of them left before 4:00 p.m. We even let two juniors play who were sons of one of the police officers. Also, the fire chief and the police chief played a game.
Tega Cay Croquet Club: Fun with the Men and Women in Blue (and red)!!
The Lenox Croquet Club: Hail to the Chef
• Learning to hit other balls to get bonus strokes (roquet).
The Springs Croquet Club: Education, Then Relaxation
The plan was to provide a hands-on croquet experience from the basics for totally new players to the more complex aspects of our sport for experienced players. This was done by dividing up our single court into three areas for the basics and one larger area for playing six-wicket games. The areas are at separate ends of the court so that players can progress from the basics at one end of the court, to more advanced croquet with more sophisticated equipment on the other end of the court. After being shown some basics of the stance, grip, aim and swing, players were given a chance to try their hands at practice exercises with help from a mentor. The exercises are done at “skill stations” designed to develop three basic skills:
And at the end of this National Croquet Day, past memories of croquet exploits were shared, new friends made and past friendships were renewed.
A fun celebration of National Croquet Day in Pinehurst, N.C. Skills challenges, prizes, camaraderie. Even little ones love croquet.
The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach Croquet Club Featuring the “Plantation Croquet www.croquetamerica.comExperience”
USCA National Croquet Day was celebrated at The Springs Croquet Club on Saturday, June 11, 2022, because a number of our members could not attend on the original date. This was a collaborative effort of both Henrico County Recreation and Parks and TSCC members.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the court ... six-wicket croquet was played by experienced players using higher-grade equipment on the smaller, but proportional court. Deadness boards and whiteboards were on hand and displayed the complexity and required concentration of more complicated croquet.
• Learning to score the wickets
Pinehurst Country Club: A Splendid Day
Henrico County provided valuable assistance with marketing by providing signage, sending postcard invitations to neighbors and providing snacks and refreshments and diversions for younger children on the day of the event.
• Learning to hit your ball to a position in front of the wicket
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West River Wickets: Fabulous Garden Party West River Wickets celebrated National Croquet Day with an English Garden Party, complete with Pimm’s Cup and cucumber sandwiches. It was an enormous success.
Hal Denton’s Maryland lawn was bathed in sunshine for 38 members and guests, who ate, drank and played golf croquet. Ten guests indicated an interest in joining, which would produce a 10 percent increase in Amembership.patonthe back to an outstanding organizing committee — Marie Pringle, Jay Graham, Susan Koepp, Linda Orff, Verity Britton, Suzanne Herr and Noreen Rice (remotely). Special thanks to Marie Pringle who worked tirelessly to make our event so extraordinary. Grateful thanks to Hal and Wendy Denton for hosting the event at their historic home, Larkin’s Hundred. It is an amazing setting for croquet and is a key factor in helping us to keep the balls rolling.
Wyndemere Country Club: If You Mingle with a Flamingo?? We had a great turnout for the Flamingle to celebrate National Croquet Day. It was a fun time and everyone enjoyed the very social aspect of the day. All players were game to take on the “Alice in Wonderland” tournament with its twists and turns. Ultimately, Bill Henderson and Mari-Pat Boughner took home the prize as the First Place Grand Flamingos! Bill Confoy and Joyce Alfieri were deemed the Best Dressed Flamingos! Thanks to all who participated. Go Ahead, take a swing…it is wicket fun!
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The USCA’s goal is to promote the awareness, development and enjoyment of croquet in the United States, providing resources and governance for the sport at all levels. are excited about the impact National Croquet Day will continue to have on our community, while we keep these five focuses in mind during our development and creation each year:
• Foster relationships by building community.
Why CroquetNationalDayMatters
Save the date for next year’s National Croquet Day: June 3, 2023! Celebrating June 4 York Croquet Club: Walk in the Park www.croquetamerica.com
Hammock Dunes Croquet: Happy Croquet Day Lookout Mountain:
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• Develop and enjoy the sport through education.
We
New
• Promote croquet as a lifelong activity and healthy lifestyle. And most importantly, life is much better with croquet in it. Grab a mallet and a friend, and let's play together.
• Commit to growth through diversity and inclusion.
• Support participation and continuity through organizational excellence.
2021 DONOR “WALL OF HONOR” DIAMOND $100,000 and above Bob & Missy Chilton Harold Denton PLATINUM $10,000 to $30,000 James FreearDavidMillicentBartle*Eisenberg&MillieMcCoyPollard GOLD $5,000 to $9,999 RonaldAnonymous&Betsy Atkins Stuart Baker Randy & Beverley Cardo Omneya Elhadary Michael Gibbons Conner Helms** With great appreciation we list below and thank the generous donors that helped support the Croquet Foundation of America last year, including gifts from charitable trusts, foundations and bequests. On Behalf of Croquet Players Everywhere, THANK YOU! Our apologies for any missed names, spellings or categories. Please call that to our attention. SILVER $1,000 to $4,999 Charles Alexander & Tim McCormick Joy AlexBradford&Mary Galasso Marvin & Rita Ginsky David & Cristina Kepner Meg Macy Ann RobertSuzanneNeillRuthVictorCharlesJanneConradBillEllenSheilaNoltePetersonPlayford&CarlaRueck&JodieRugartRumboughSteuberJr.SteuberSummersTrimbleTurnerWilliams BRONZE $100 to $999 Barbara Bailey Debra Bradley Else Del Castillo Mark Fields Janet PasadenaSamThomasJamesJoyPatrickFisherFoyGuernsey-DieselHook&BarbaraO’LaughlinOrleansLawnBowling Club Lewis & Janet Schwartz Marguerite Stinson Michael Todorovich Donald Warren & Lenore Warren-Orlowska *Gifts in **ProfessionalKindServices The Croquet Foundation of America’s To Those Who
Support the Game 2021 VOLUNTEER “WALL OF HONOR” The Board of Directors of the Croquet Foundation of America is deeply grateful to the following individuals who, during the year 2021, so generously donated their time and expertise to help the Foundation achieve its mission of promoting and developing the sport of Croquet. We literally could not have survived without you! Don PhyllisMarianneRichTrudyPhillipGinnyLorettaDavidLoisGayMaryMissyJoniVeraCamilleCarolRichardRandyJohnDebraRichardJohnDamonJamesKarenJohnStuartBarbaraEllenRonSoniaCharlieAlducinAlexanderAlexanderAtkinsAvellinoBaileyBaker&CarolBannisterBeckBartleBidencope&AntheaBlamireBrackettBradleyCanningCardoCarlsonCaseyCataniaChapmanCherboChiltonChurchillCinqueClayCollieCooperCoyleCrawfordCrowetzCurtisDavidsonDeAngelis Hal Denton Joy CookyDiesel(Victoria) Donaldson David & Martie Ekstrom Stuart Epstein Gerry JudyJuliaLinNanciDannyTerryBrudePamJoanneShaunConnerDonnaJillSteveTomJimRitaMikeShariWayneAnneClintPriscillaJanCarylBobSandraEubankFeeneyFinnFirthFisherFlowersFowlkesFrostRobinson&ConnieGalloGallucciGibbonsGinsky&LindaGradyGrahamGrassbaughHarroldHearonHelmsHendersonHeronHeyerHindinHowattHuneycuttHuntIreyJohnstonJust Gerald Kagan Sharon Kenrick David Kepner Alan Lazarescu Tom BobPhilKatMarieScottVernonSheilaBarbaraFrancineUrsulaSuzanneJoanJohnLenoreGeriCharleneVickyFlossieJohnnyBrianWhitneyLindaSteveDavidTimGeraldineRosemarieRogerLindleyLourieMaccarioMcCauleyMcCormick&MillieMcCoyMednickMerkMillerMitchellMitchellNapolitanoNaranjoNobelO’NeillOrlowskaOsbornParkerPearlmanPeckPellegrinoPerlmanPetersonPierceReiserRittmanRobertsonRobinson&JuneRochedieu Gail AlisonAnyseJimKathleenDonDerekDonaldJohnGailMicheleSueBobLukeLouSuzanneTomRhysJoanJimSteveRuthLyndaArleneJohnDavidMaryRichardBillCamiCarlaRubinRueckRussackSadowskiScherfShieldsSpiveyStrasserStraussSudderbergSummersTaskerTaylorTherienThomasTribbyTurnerTyrrellVanAllenVanTassellVareyVogelWarlickWarlickWarrenWassinkWhalenWhiteWilliamsWinstonWorthington SPONSORED CONTENT — From the Croquet Foundation of America, a separate 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation. Please accept our apologies and call to our attention any errors or omissions. The Croquet Foundation of America
The Induction Ceremony, followed by “The Redcoats are Back” themed dinner party, will take place during the week of the Seniors/Masters Nationals at The Charles P. Steuber National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. The directors of the CFA and USCA encourage their friends, guests and all croquet enthusiasts to join them in paying tribute to esteemed members of our croquet family, Fournier and Ekstrom, as we acknowledge their accomplish ments in traditional style and with high enthusiasm. Biographies of the inductees follow. Invitations to the dinner will be emailed to all USCA members in late summer. For information or to make reservations for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the dinner party, call Marie Sweetser at (561) 478-2300, Ext. 3.
Croquet Greats To Be Inducted Into HALLof FAME
On November 18, 2022, the Croquet Foundation of America (CFA), in conjunction with the United States Croquet Association (USCA), will induct Jacques Fournier and David R. Ekstrom into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame.
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A member of the USCA since 1994, Ekstrom won the NE Regional Sportsmanship award for First Flight in 1997, served as District President for Massachusetts for 10 years starting in 2000, started the first of six Massachusetts state croquet tournaments in 2004, managed six Northeast Regional tournaments starting in 2008 hosted by the Lenox Croquet Club. He won the Northeast Regional Tournament in 2017, having placed runner-up in previous regional events. Over the past eight years, with a few exceptions, Ekstrom placed in the top 10 players in the Grand SPONSORED CONTENT
From the Croquet Foundation of America, a separate 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation. www.croquetamerica.com
Ekstrom’s leadership in croquet was demonstrated when he served as President of the Lenox Croquet Club off and on for many years, tournament manager of the Berkshire Invitational for 25 years, Regional USCA President for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for more than 10 years, a Class Two USCA instructor, handicapper and a referee. For several years he coached croquet at Smith College in Amherst, Mass., in the Collegiate Division and attended national tournaments in Delaware, Md. As a tournament manager, he produced six Northeast Regional tournaments and six Massachusetts state tournaments, all financially successful. In the competitive field of croquet, he is a force to be reckoned with, often described as a player with reckless abandon. See ball, hit ball and make things happen. During the past 25 years, he has played in so many (more than 100) tournaments where he won, placed or showed in games in all flight levels of both singles and doubles that he cannot keep track. Because of his shooting skills, opponents are fearful of setting up or leaving a ball on the court. One of the best ways to describe Ekstrom is that he plays croquet to have fun and is never shy to attack. He is willing to take a risk for a great shot and loves to run a “two-ball” break to see how far he can go. His sense of humor on and off the court infects others and makes it a wonderful game for everyone.
DAVID R. EKSTROM
Over the past 25 years, David R. Ekstrom has been captivated with the sport of croquet along with his wife Martha (Martie). Shortly after joining the Lenox Croquet Club (Lenox, Mass.) in 1994, they spent a winter vacation on Florida’s West Coast and joined the Useppa Club. They soon began a journey they never anticipated. Ekstrom was given a handicap of 12, which over time moved down the handicap ladder, eventually earning a -2 handicap with 24 tracking points. He was inspired by experienced and new players from all over including several future Hall of Fame inductees. He has continued friendships with many players over the years, a unique feature of the sport of croquet. Returning to Lenox, he and then club President Kristine Sprague started the Lenox Club’s own croquet tournament and named it The Berkshire Invitational. Whenever possible, Ekstrom volunteered to keep deadness boards as an opportunity to study players and their strategies, a habit he continues to this day. In the beginning, the club had access to the nearby Blantyre, a Relais and Chateaux Hotel, and one of their tournaments was featured on the front page of USCA magazine. This year, the Berkshire Invitational celebrated its 27th anniversary with Ekstrom having served as tournament manager all this time. Over several years, $50,000 was raised from tournament profits and contributions and the club built a croquet pavilion with restrooms and a kitchen. This serves as a special congenial place for the members’ daily use and their tournament guests. Noteworthy, the club does not own its croquet lawns but has the privilege of using the facility in exchange for totally maintaining the courts and buildings for owners of the adjacent, vintage Lenox Club. Ekstrom also serves as Croquet Director for the club’s social events. He was often called upon for advice and help with croquet clubs providing clinics or starting new tournaments. Charitable fundraising hosts have called on Ekstrom to coordinate their croquet events and introduce people to the engaging sport of croquet. Many thousands of dollars were raised for the Foundation for Mental Health in Farmington, Conn. Chesterwood National Trust in Stockbridge, Mass, and Aim Services Inc, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., hold an annual fundraiser for people with diverse abilities supporting the “power of potential.”
Ekstrom is often called upon to visit new and existing croquet clubs to provide clinics, strategy and improvements and demonstrate techniques. For the past 10 years, he has supervised retired senior citizens every Friday morning during the croquet season from Devonshire retirement facility for golf croquet.
Born in Bridgeport, Conn., David and Martie recently celebrated their 61st anniversary. His business career was 25 years in banking in Connecticut and then as a Senior VP in Massachusetts. He changed his career to Chartered Consultant in life insurance and investments.
JACQUES FOURNIER
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The Ekstrom’s home base is in Pittsfield, Mass., and their winter home is in Lake Worth. Together, they raised two daughters and one son, and they now have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. During his working career, Ekstrom held leadership positions with the Jaycees, Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts, Historical Societies, Barnum Festival, Parks & Recreation Commission and Vestry for several churches.
Ekstrom remains actively involved in the Lenox Croquet Club, currently as president, and is a regular player at the National Croquet Center where he also volunteers at special corporate and private events. As a supporter of the USCA, David and Martie were charter contributors to the establishment of the Charles P. Steuber National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the establishment of the Croquet Foundation of America. They have committed to future estate giving plus ongoing contributions. Several years ago, Ekstrom introduced the “Grand Master” category to the Seniors Masters tournament to inspire players and to draw attention to active croquet after age 70. Recognition is given to the best performance regardless of flight. The US Croquet Hall of Fame members are pleased to welcome David R. Ekstrom into this club of croquet ambassadors and accomplished players.
Jacques Fournier belongs in the US Croquet Hall of Fame as one of the handful of greatest American croquet players in history. He was a croquet prodigy who, as a teenager, beat the best players in the US and then the world. He was a champion on all levels: collegiate, national and international. Fournier was the first American to accomplish many incredible croquet feats, including winning an international croquet championship. He also made significant contributions to the sport, on and off the court. And, as Fournier’s talents shined their brightest, his star dimmed when his body failed him after he was diagnosed with a genetic neurological disorder: essential tremor (ET). In the early 1990s, when croquet was a family passion, the Fournier’s Phoenix home court became one of the best in the country. Fournier’s grandfather built metal croquet mallets that Fournier used to great success over the years. He started playing croquet when he was seven or eight but considers his serious phase of croquet to have begun in 1990 when at nine he got his first mallet for Christmas.
Prix, with a personal best of third in years 2020 and 2021. As a class two instructor and retired referee, he continues to work with players who want to improve their games.
Fournier burst onto the national croquet scene in 1994, at the age of 12, with a formidable fourth-place finish in the USCA American Rules Nationals. He then began a run of major croquet tournament victories in the US, many of while he was still in high school. Fournier’s fourth-place finish in the 1994 US Nationals was highlighted by ESPN’s coverage of the event, beginning the national media’s fascination with this croquet prodigy. In 1995, he was profiled in Sports Illustrated magazine. Later he was interviewed live on NBC’s “The Today Show,” featured in the New York Times magazine and had his caricature depicted in ESPN: The Magazine. Fournier also was the subject of dozens of regional newspaper stories. Fournier’s media coverage helped to inspire many young people to play croquet. He also served on USCA committees, which helped promote and support the sport. Fournier’s star shone brightest in international events. He was the first American croquet player to achieve major success in international croquet. At his peak, he possessed a fluent playing style and had excellent touch, making him a pleasure to watch. He became the first American and youngest player ever (at age 16), to make the British Open Finals. He was also the first American to do a sextuple peel in a tournament, which he accomplished in the 1998 US Fournier’sOpen.crowning achievement came in 1999, when he won the Sonoma-Cutrer World Croquet Championship, at age 17, becoming the first American to win a world croquet championship. During that event, Fournier went undefeated against the best Association Croquet players in the world, including Chris Clarke, David Maugham, Reg Bamford and Robert Fulford (twice, including the final). Fournier quickly achieved the status as one of the top players in the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For many, the above might be viewed as Fournier’s key achievement, but some would argue that his role in the 2000 USA MacRobertson Shield team was equally important. He played at number one for his country and also partnered with Mik Mehas in the doubles. This allowed the rest of the team to play lower down the order and achieve much greater success. The USA beat Australia 11-10 in the final test to register its first ever win, avoiding last place for the first time. To be part of this stellar team, particularly playing at number one, is an achievement that on its own deserves recognition. The above results were clearly impressive, but Fournier then improved his game further. Having previously had a peak World ranking of 14, he then reached number five in both 2002 and 2003 before ill health struck. After winning the world championship, Fournier attended the University of Virginia, where he received a half-scholarship in croquet. As far as is known, this was the first collegiate croquet scholarship in US history. He was captain of his college team, leading it to three collegiate titles (2001, 2002 and 2003) before graduating after his third year.
Off the court, Fournier was president of the Arizona Croquet Club in 1997 and 1998, a time when that club was one of the best in the US. In 1998, he and Rory Kelley founded the Arizona International Open, later known as the North American Open, and Fournier continued to be heavily involved until 2003. This tournament was one of the top Association rules tournaments in the US for two decades. Fournier also served one term on the USCA Golf Croquet Committee (while he was in college) and two terms on the USCA Selection Committee.
From the Croquet Foundation of America, a separate 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation. www.croquetamerica.com
Fournier’s contributions to croquet in this country have come in many forms. On the court, he played on the US teams competing for the Solomon Trophy in 1998 and 1999, as well as the US teams in the 2000 and 2003 MacRobertson Shield test matches. In fact, some described his play in the 2000 “Mac” as historic.
Fournier now lives in South Fork, Ariz., which is in the White Mountains near the New Mexico border. He is a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and has done both residential and commercial real estate appraising. He also taught real estate appraising at a pre-licensing vocational school in Arizona for 12 years. He is now a software engineer for a commercial appraisal software company. He plays croquet occasionally when his health allows. For several years he was a member of the Downtown Croquet Club (Arizona) before the home where the court was located was sold. He also was a member of the Croquet Association (UK) in the late 1990s leading up to when he played in the British Open in Unfortunately,1998.
Fournier is also one of few Americans to win national titles in both Association and Golf Croquet, winning the USCA Association Rules National Singles Championship in 2002 and the USCA Golf Croquet National Doubles Championship in 2010 (with partner Paul Bennett).
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Fournier’s ET disorder and subsequent serious health problems have robbed him of his extraordinary croquet skills and physical stamina. However, it has not diminished his incredible legacy, which will be acknowledged and memorialized by his induction into the 2022 US Croquet Hall of Fame.
Nota Bene
3. Promoting clubs and events regionally or nationally;
1. Introducing others to the game;
1. Nominator’s name and relationship, if any, to the nominee – business, friendship, etc.;
B. CONTRIBUTIONS are defined as actions off the croquet court that promote or enhance the sport. Contributions are normally volunteer efforts and may include:
6. Contributing significant financial or in-kind resources in a way that enables the CFA and the USCA to pursue their mission;
II. QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES Above all, a candidate must display personal behavior that demonstrates high regard for the spirit and etiquette of the game which results in greater enjoyment for all – actions that would entitle the nominee to be considered an “ambassador” for croquet, as well as a Hall of Fame member. The nominee should be further evaluated based on his or her achievements and contributions to the sport as follows:
It must include the following:
3. Achievements and contributions must be over an extended period time.
The published notice shall state that (i.) any USCA member in good standing may nominate an individual, (ii.) nominees are considered on an individual basis only, and (iii.) the nominee does not have to be a member of the USCA.
This document explains the nomination process and gives guidance as to the qualifications that will be considered for election to the United States Croquet Hall of Fame. This process is designed to maintain election to the Hall of Fame as a high honor for the inductees and one which reflects credit on the individuals involved in electing them.
3. A brief biographical sketch of the nominee, which may include such things as age, family status, address; highlights of past or present occupation(s); charitable and civic involvements; and other matters of general interest unrelated to croquet; and
The Croquet Foundation of America, Inc. (CFA), in conjunction with the United States Croquet Association, Inc. (USCA), seeks to honor individuals who have made prolonged, outstanding contributions to the sport of croquet. Such contributions may take the form of either extraordinary skill and achievement in the sport at the highest level over an extended period; or other personal actions having a widely-recognized, lasting impact on the sport; or very extensive service in developing, managing or promoting the sport of croquet, or its charitable and educational croquet programs, in America.
B. The nominator must submit a completed application on or before the September 1 deadline.
4. Working with an organizational division of the USCA as established on the state, regional and national levels either as an officer or other capacity;
A. A notice shall be published yearly in the Summer/Fall edition of the USCA’s Croquet News stating that the Foundation will accept nominations to the United States Croquet Hall of Fame until September 1, 2022, for induction in the following calendar year.
The Croquet Foundation of America (CFA) is now accepting nominations for the 2023 United States Croquet Hall of Fame.
2. Written permission of the individual to be nominated and his or her agreement to participate in the induction ceremony (excludes nominations for posthumous recognition);
I. NOMINATING PROCEDURE
2. Starting, leading or sustaining a local club or clubs;
5. Creating favorable media recognition or otherwise promoting the game through such efforts as writing or instruction;
Given 1. The desire to maintain the highest standards for election to The United States Croquet Hall of Fame; 2. The relatively limited size of the croquet-player population; and 3. The desire to have significant time to focus on the individual(s) at the ceremony; The Approved Policy Guideline is that the number of living inductees shall be limited to two per year. Posthumous inductees are limited to one inductee per year in addition to the living inductees, for an overall limitation of three. In rare cases, these limitations are subject to upward revision to no more than three living inductees and one posthumous inductee, or four inductees in total, if two thirds of the Electors decide that exceptional circumstances warrant such a revision. This is the Approved Policy Limit.
POLICY AND NOMINATING GUIDELINES FOR ELECTION TO THE UNITED STATES CROQUET HALL OF FAME
1. The above portion of the application is the advocacy section. The nominator must make the case as convincingly and compelling as possible. Board members are not responsible for seconding a nomination nor adding favorable material, and may in fact introduce or request information which may disqualify a candidate.
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There is no official application form. Plain 8.5” x 11” letter size paper should be used. The completed application, including any and all supporting letters, must be sent to and received by the Croquet Foundation of America, Inc., Attention: Ruth Summers, Chair, Hall of Fame Validation Committee, 700 Florida Mango Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406, on or before September 1 of the year preceding the year for which the nominee is proposed. Alternatively, these materials may be emailed to Ruth Summers at Beachtwobeach@yahoo.com.
The Deadline for filing a nomination is September 1, 2022.
A. ACHIEVEMENTS are defined as highly significant performances in sanctioned or titled USCA events; and/or international competitions sponsored by a member association of the World Croquet Federation (WCF). This can involve Six-Wicket American or Association Rules Croquet, Nine-Wicket Croquet or Golf Croquet.
III. ANNUAL LIMITATION ON INDUCTIONS
7. Promoting the game through social affairs resulting in new friendships and greater camaraderie among players.
4. A detailed croquet biography, including number of years of participation, the croquet clubs of which the nominee is or has been a member, the year the nominee joined the USCA and whether still active and details of all croquet-related achievements.
2. A nominee may earn income from the game as a professional or some other paid capacity, but his or her financial ties to the game must be stated on the application.
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The tournament was held in the mountains of western North Carolina, at four venues: Chattooga, High Hampton, Highlands Falls and Sapphire Valley. With eight courts in total and some creative scheduling, the limit was set at 64 players, 32 in each flight.
By Jeff MatthewSooEssick won his seventh USCA national title, winning the singles at the 2022 USCA Golf Croquet National Championship. In the final match, he beat perennial favorite Sherif Abdelwahab, 2-7, 7-0, 7-6. David and Kyle Maloof won the doubles title, beating Essick and his partner Jim Teel 7-3, 6-7, 7-2 in the final. The Maloofs become the third father-andson pair to win a USCA national doubles title and the first since 1982. It is Kyle’s first national title and David’s sixth.
In First Flight Singles, Dawn Jupin and Tamer Hatata each started 7-0 to win their respective blocks. But Jupin lost 7-2 to a hot-shooting Giancarlo Ruiz in the first knockout round. Ruiz completed his run to the final with a couple of 7-6 games against Highlands Falls locals Don Eastman and Onifer Wilmoth. Hatata won through on the other side, beating Rick Zazueta, Alex Galasso and Billie Ray. He then won the final against Ruiz, 7-4. Jack Howard won the First Flight Singles Plate, beating Ellie Griffith 7-4 in the Plate final. Championship Flight Singles finalists Matthew Essick and Sherif Abdelwahab with Adrienne Lucke (L) and Damon Bidencope (R)
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Essick Wins Singles, Father-Son Maloofs Take Doubles
2022 USCA Golf Croquet National Championship North Carolina | May 16-22, 2022
Since the start of the COVID-19 era, the USCA has held five national championships (two of the 2020 events were canceled). Essick has won four of those five singles titles and three of the doubles, with three different Thatpartners.COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern became all too evident over the course of the tournament. The first cases appeared on the third day. Over the rest of the week, at least 20 participants (including guests and non-playing officials) were affected, either with a confirmed or suspected case, or leaving to avoid possible exposure. Substitutes were found for some of the missing players, but in the end, three of the four Championship Singles blocks were incomplete, as well as one of the First Flight Doubles blocks.
CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Matthew Essick 02. Sherif Abdelwahab 03. Tom Balding 03. Blake Fields 05. Stephen Morgan 05. Brian Lozano 05. Mike Zuro 05. Billy Harper 09. Damon Bidencope 09. Paul Bennett 09. Amr Hamdy 09. Paul Neubecker 09. Jeff Soo 09. Jim Teel 09. Jimmy Huff 09. Paul Fecteau 17. Matt Griffith 18. Hammond Rauers 19. Mark Kucharski 19. Jochen Lucke 21. Kent Lovvorn 21. Cheryl Bromley 21. Dick Boger 24. James Creasey 24. Helen Covington (WD) 24. Jim Jamison (WD) 24. Justin Fields 28. Rich Dell 28. Gil Flowers 28. Roy Gee (WD) 31. Hesham Elzoghby WD Kyle Maloof WD Macey White CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Kyle Maloof/David Maloof 02. Matthew Essick/Jim Teel 03. Macey White/Matt Griffith 03. Brian Lozano/Stephen Morgan 05. Blake Fields/Mohammad Kamal 05. Kent Lovvorn/Roy Gee 05. Paul Neubecker/Jimmy Huff 05. Tom Balding/Jeff Soo 09. Sherif Abdelwahab/Damon Bidencope 10. Paul Bennett/Dick Boger 11. Helen Covington/Cheryl Bromley 12. Billy Harper/Mark Kucharski 13. Hammond Rauers/Paul Fecteau 14. Rich Dell/Jochen Lucke 15. Amr Hamdy/Jim Jamison 16. Hesham Elzoghby/Gil Flowers FINALFLIGHTCHAMPIONSHIPORDER Championship Flight Doubles Champions Kyle Maloof and David Maloof www.croquetamerica.com | 29
In First Flight Doubles, Jim Hester and Ellen Nielsen had the best block record at 6-1. Priscilla Flowers and Ellie Griffith won the other block, 5-2. Hester and Nielsen lost their quarterfinal match against Tamer Hatata and Gary Gamble. Hatata and Gamble then lost to Scott Spoerl, a last-minute replacement, and Onifer Wilmoth in the semis. Flowers and Griffith won the final, 7-5. Zazueta and Ruiz won the doubles Plate.
In Championship Singles, Block A finished with a three-way tie for first place and a three-way tie for fourth. Amr Hamdy won the block on net points, while the players tied for fourth played a two-round playoff. Paul Fecteau won both games to advance to the knockout. Stephen Morgan won Block B. Damon Bidencope won the very incomplete Block C, including a 7-4 victory over Essick. Highlands Falls local Mike Zuro played well above ranking to win Block D. Four players advanced from each block, into a pre-set draw based on block seniority. Tom Balding had started slowly in the block, but then won three-game matches against Bidencope and then Brian Lozano to advance to a semifinal match with Essick. Essick, just off a tough quarterfinal against Stephen Morgan, won his semifinal 7-2, 5-7, 7-4. In the top half of the draw,
In Championship Doubles, only one pair went through the blocks undefeated: Matt Griffith and Macey White. They continued their winning ways through the quarterfinals, where they knocked off defending champions Blake Fields and Mohammad Kamal. Essick and Teel put an end to Griffith and White’s nine-game winning streak, winning 7-5, 7-3 to advance to the final. The Maloofs had lost a couple of block games, but showed better form in the knockout with straight-game wins to advance to the final. Sapphire Valley locals Billy Harper and Mark Kucharski won the Doubles Plate.
Championship Flight game results at: https://croquetscores.com/2022/gc/usa-national-championship First Flight game results at: https://croquetscores.com/2022/gc/usa-national-first-flight
Abdelwahab met Blake Fields in the semis, a rematch of their semifinal the year before. This time Abdelwahab won, 7-5, 7-6. The Championship Singles final was an outstanding match. After a routine start, Abdelwahab took the first clear advantage, parlaying an opportunistic promotion after Hoop 3 into a 3-1 lead. A long tactical battle at Hoop 5 ended when Essick cleared Abdelwahab’s Black ball into the hoop. He was able to clear Black back a few feet with Red, but Abdelwahab ran the angled hoop shot for 4-1. Essick pulled to 2-4 but was on the defensive for the rest of the game, Abdelwahab closing it out 7-2.
First Flight Singles Champion Tamer Hatata
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Matt Griffith won the Championship Singles Plate (for players who did not advance from the blocks). Paul Bennett won the Bowl (for players knocked out prior to the main semifinals).
Essick started game two by scoring Hoops 1 and 2 on consecutive turns with Red. He gained control at Hoop 3 and cleared Blue to corner I, but Abdelwahab cleared Red from there, pushing it to six-yard angled position. Essick ran the hoop smoothly for 3-0. Abdelwahab got Black nearly into the jaws at 4, but Essick scored the hoop with an angled jump from 10 feet. Abdelwahab struggled with his hoop-running stroke for the rest of the game, and Essick took full advantage, finishing the game 7-0 with a clean six-yard hoop. In the deciding game, Abdelwahab still occasionally struggled with hoops, and Essick built a 5-2 lead, running hoop 7 to an easy position at Hoop 8. Abdelwahab cleared with Black, and Essick played Yellow to good position. Abdelwahab took a gentle 20-yard shot at the hoop, running it for 3-5. As at several corner hoops throughout the match, Hoop 9 turned into a tactical battle of positioning, hiding and gentle clearances. Abdelwahab used superior touch to build control, winning the hoop for 4-5. A quick exchange gave Essick a three-yard hoop shot at 10, which he ran smoothly for 6-4. Hoop 11 was another quick exchange, Abdelwahab clearing and Essick missing, and Abdelwahab scoring to pull to 5-6. A key shot at 12 came after Abdelwahab had played Blue to close scoring position: Black cleared Yellow to the corner, Black ending six yards behind the hoop, in plausible position to promote Blue to hoop 13. Essick missed his partially hampered clearance shot and Abdelwahab scored for 6-all. But the attempt to promote Blue missed entirely and Essick now had two balls in position. Blue attempted to clear, missing Red and clearing Yellow. Essick ran the hoop to repeat as national GC singles champion.
The tournament was supported by sponsorships from Silver Creek Real Estate Group (major tournament and presenting sponsor), PFC Hoopmaker Mallets (equipment sponsor) and Peachtree Hills Place (event sponsor and development partner). Michael Albert was the Tournament Manager. Jeff Soo was the Tournament Director and Eileen Soo was the Assistant Tournament Director.
FIRST FLIGHT FINAL ORDER FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Tamer Hatata 02. Giancarlo Ruiz 03. Onifer Wilmoth 03. Billie Ray 05. Alex Galasso 05. Don Eastman 05. Pat Cunningham 05. Barbara Jamison 09. Dawn Jupin 09. John Wight 09. Priscilla Flowers 09. Gail Kern 09. Ellen Nielsen 09. Rick Zazueta 09. Ray Barrett 09. Gary Gamble 17. Jack Howard 17. Kory Teoman 19. Adrienne Lucke 19. Ellie Griffith 21. Jim Hester 21. Stiles Kellett 21. Tom Bown 21. Betty Teoman 21. Katherine Gamble 21. Mary Galasso 28. John Rymer 28. Gay Cinque 30. Linda Merk 30. Lynette Grout 30. Ying Benns WD John Shanholt FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Ellie Griffith/Priscilla Flowers 02. Scott Spoerl/Onifer Wilmoth 03. Billie Ray/Don Eastman 03. Tamer Hatata/Gary Gamble 05. Ellen Nielsen/Jim Hester 05. Jack Howard/John Rymer 05. Alex Galasso/Mary Galasso 05. Ray Barrett/Judy Sellner 09. Rick Zazueta/Giancarlo Ruiz 10. Barbara Jamison/Linda Merk 11. Lynda Bjorklund/Jan Spoerl 12. Adrienne Lucke/Pat Cunningham 13. Wade Coleman/Stiles Kellett (WD) 14. Gail Kern/Anne Killilea 15. Craig Sellner/Tom Bown 16. Gay Cinque/Ying Benns (WD) WD Kory Teoman/Betty Teoman First Flight Doubles Champions Ellie Griffith and Priscilla Flowers with Matthew Essick www.croquetamerica.com | 31
2022 Southeast 6W Regional group photo Championship Flight winner Randy Cardo Susan Creasey 2022 Southeast American Six Wicket Regional Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, Virginia | June 2-5, 2022 32 | www.croquetamerica.com
FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Randy Cardo 02. Rick Sheely 03. Adam Lassiter 03. Gil Rocha 05. Macey White 05. Beverley Cardo 05. Brian Hovis 05. Brian Zindel 09. Linda Trifone 09. Leo Leither 09. Nancy Crouch 09. Cameron James 09. Freeman Turley 15. Rodney Lassiter FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Steve Thurston 02. Bo Prillaman 03. John Joseph 03. Cecil Creasey Jr. 05. Jon Spaulding 05. Randy Lassiter 05. John McGrath 05. Stephen Zoric 09. Sally McGrath 09. Jennifer Joseph 09. Susan Creasey CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Leo Leither/Cameron James 02. Macey White/Nancy Crouch 03. Randy Cardo/Beverley Cardo 04. Adam Lassiter/Randy Lassiter 05. Rick Sheely/Linda Trifone FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Brian Zindel/Bo Prillaman 02. John Joseph/Jennifer Joseph 03. Gil Rocha/Jon Spaulding 04. Freeman Turley/Steve Thurston 05. Sally McGrath/John McGrath 06. Cecil Creasey Jr./Susan Creasey 07. Jeffery Cohen/Barbara Wolf First Flight Doubles Champions Brian Zindel and Bo Prillaman with runner-up team of Jennifer and John Joseph Championship Finalists Rick Sheely and Randy Cardo Championship Doubles Finalists Macey White/Nancy Crouch and Cameron James (not pictured: Leo Leither) First Flight Singles Champion Steve Thurston (L) and runner-up Bo Prillaman (R) with Macey White (C) www.croquetamerica.com | 33
The strength of the USCA as I said above lies in retention, and then by extension, development, but I think there could be some improvement in initial exposure and recruitment. Even when I was on my college team and went to the USCA collegiate nationals, the path forward into the world of the USCA wasn’t entirely clear or apparent, and it ended up being almost pure happenstance that I found my way to my first singles tournament and then to my first home club in Westhampton. But even here things are going in the right direction, and I’m happy to see the range of resources that prospective members now have available to them. What would you like to see happen in the sport over the next 10 years? I would like to see croquet generate a strong collegiate presence across the United States. I think it’s possible, with the right approach, that within a decade we could see dozens of schools turning out top-level croquet players who are dedicated to this game we all love. We see collegiate croquet growing now in Oklahoma and Mississippi and are finding a revival on the upper east coast. I think with enough investment we may see collegiate croquet in all 50 states.
Age: 25 Home base: Maryland Home club: Grandfather Golf and Country Club Grip: Standard Mallet: Pidcock, 12-inch head, 3 pounds 1 ounce, 38-inch shaft.
Years playing croquet: Four years Favorite croquet venue Hard to call, but it’s probably the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club. The scenery, the volunteers, the dedication to the game — there’s nowhere else quite like it. Pinehurst Croquet Club also gets a shoutout as it was my first time on a real croquet lawn and playing there was pivotal to my development in the game.
Pop culture favorites
What is the best thing the USCA has done for croquet?
The importance of remaining level-headed even in the face of dire odds. The weakest part of my game has long been my mentality, and I don’t think I really became good at this game until I started learning to take everything as it happens and leave it as it happens and not carry it around with me and let it weigh me down.
I discovered croquet while attending St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. They have a nine wicket croquet team that competes against the Naval Academy every year (and beats them most years at that). From there I met a few USCA members, including Carla Rueck, who sort of showed me the way to advance in the world of competitive croquet.
I have won the USCA Selection Eights Second 8. The North Carolina AC Open and the Midwest AC Regional, and I have made it to the semifinals of both the AC and GC nationals. And as far as highlights for me, making the MacRobertson Shield team is the pinnacle. That was one of my top goals in croquet from the moment I heard about the competition. I’m sure when the tournament finishes it will be the greatest experience of my time in croquet thus far.
Favorite tournament Definitely the North Mountain Shootout. The courts are incredible, the competition is unmatched and the Watsons really make you feel welcome. It’s the one tournament I refuse to miss each year under any circumstances. How did you get into the game?
The USCA has done a wonderful job at promoting and supporting young talent and giving them the resources needed to travel and engage with the sport on a national and international level. US croquet has catapulted to new heights even since I joined the USCA, and it is thanks in large part to the efforts being made across the board to support the growth of new talent.
What have you learned from croquet?
Croquet highlights/tourney wins
Do you play other sports?
What is the USCA’s greatest weakness?
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I used to bowl somewhat competitively as a teenager, and I’ve recently started trying to hone my billiard skills when I’m not on the lawn. I figured I need a sport I can play when it’s too dark out to play croquet!
Tom Balding
For TV, it’s Agatha Christie’s “Poirot,” starring David Suchet; my favorite movie is “A Knight’s Tale” starring Heath Ledger and my current favorite book is “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. I don’t really have any favorites with music, it’s one big random jumbled playlist.
Quick croquet tip?
Favorite sports teams? My father was a big college football fan from Oklahoma, so naturally, I grew up in an Oklahoma Sooners household. So, I’d have to say that it ranks as my favorite sports team. I never really followed any professional sports growing up, so I don’t really have a list beyond that.
If you cast and you’re peeking up at your target, make sure to take one extra cast with your head back down in its final position before you go to hit the ball. It will make a world of difference with helping you make good contact with the ball.
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Figure 1, K to play, for 2, alive on all balls. Points 1, 2 and 3 are options for where K can rush U.
By Jeff Soo let’stalk tactics
One Rule to Ring Them All
Scoring is what wins games, so we can add this corollary: The side that most often takes croquet from good position near the wicket will usually win. Good scoring plays aren’t usually just for the taking; each side tries to deny such opportunities to the opponent. This suggests a second corollary: Any time you have a reasonable opportunity to take croquet near your wicket, go for it. This simple rule and its corollaries are at the heart of every tactical concept in the game. It is why we prefer 4-ball breaks to 3-ball breaks and 3-ball breaks to 2-ball breaks: to increase our chances of taking croquet near the wicket, many times during a single turn. It is why we try to end turns with no deadness: to preserve our ability to take croquet near the wicket in a future turn. It is why it is sometimes worth taking on deadness to remove a dead opponent ball from scoring position: to make it harder for the opponent to take croquet near the wicket. It is why we so often play to the boundary: leaving balls on court makes it too easy for the opponent to take croquet near the wicket. And it is a simple framework for comparing tactics. A good scoring play is one with a reasonable chance to take croquet near the wicket. Without a plan for that, you don’t have a good scoring play (unless you are already in position at the wicket). If you have a choice of good plays, pick the one with the best chance of taking croquet near the wicket. If your skills are up to it, choose the play that gives you a 4-ball or 3-ball break. What counts as a reasonable play depends on the player’s skills. Let’s look at a position with different options for each level of play.
Fortunately, one rule of thumb applies to all situations, at any level of play, from beginner to expert: The best way to get wicket-scoring position is to take croquet near that wicket, preferably on the playing side.
Abbreviations used: blUe, Red, blacK, Yellow American Six-Wicket croquet challenges us with a seemingly endless variety of possible scenarios and a short time in which to choose a play. We have tactical principles, theories and rules of thumb to guide us, but that’s little help if we don’t know which ones to apply and when.
In Figure 1 it is K to play. K is alive on all balls and is for 2. Opportunities to take croquet near the wicket don’t come much better than this. For a beginner, not yet comfortable with longer cut-rushes and big split shots, it’s fine to treat this as a one-wicket play: roquet U, perhaps rushing it to point 1, and take off to Y. For an intermediate player, this is an excellent chance for a 3-ball break. Rush U to point 2. From here, a straight drive shot sends U to 3 and K to Y.
Several basic patterns allow you to take croquet at a wicket without needing a long hit-in. The one we’ve just examined starts with one ball you can roquet easily and another ball at the wicket: you use the first ball to approach the second.
An even simpler pattern is when you are already near the ball at your wicket. This can happen when you and the opponent are for the same wicket and the opponent uses your ball to approach the wicket but then fails the wicket shot, leaving
A variation on the first two patterns has you already in position to score a wicket. A classic example is when you are in the jaws of an odd-numbered wicket, ready to play through all the way to the next wicket, where one or more balls are waiting.
3 face options CMMT, Zelatron, or Brass)
The final three patterns involve rushing a ball to the wicket. In the simplest of these patterns, you already have a rush pointed at the wicket, most often because your partner ball set you that rush on its last turn. That leaves two patterns where you start with an easy roquet, but no direct rush to the wicket and no ball already waiting there. I’ll have much to say about these patterns in future columns.
Solid or travel shaft 4 grip options: round, oval, traction or cushion
An advanced player should attempt a 4-ball pickup. Point 3 is a safe target for the rush. Send U to point 4 while approaching R (using a split shot or a takeoff, depending on how the rush went). The goal is to have U where K can roquet it first after scoring the wicket, and where it doesn’t interfere with the croquet stroke K is about to play from the corner (a partial roll shot sending R to 3 and K to Y).
2 head lengths (9 7/8" and 11 "J 2 weights (ultra-light 2 lb-602 or 2Ib-14ozl
7 shaft colors: blue, green, purple, pink, silver grey, dark grey or black 4 mallet covers: red, blue, teal or taupe
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And here we are today … wondering where to find out places to play nine wicket or six wicket croquet in your neighborhood? And how to build croquet memberships? Are you reading this article in the Croquet News in “printed format” or “online?” How much news and information do you get through a local provider? I have recently read that local neighborhood papers are beginning to flourish. They may be printed and distributed for you to read at your local coffee shop. They hope to target you more directly than say the Los Angeles Times could ever possibly manage. Most will likely also be available online for you to peruse at home or on the go.
Do you simply know to show up on Tuesdays to play a game?
If no one is there, will you practice your strokes and strategies? How do you build up your club and your presence inside a local park? How many people walk away if there is no one around to help them?
Well, 20 years ago, the Buffalo Croquet Club took over the old lawn bowling courts and began its development of croquet inside its park. Recently, after speaking with Paul Neubecker, I found out they were successful in recruiting new members in the past two years using various mediums.
Many USCA clubs are founded inside country clubs, which reserve play to members only. Publicity is done within the club’s policies and communication publications. These initiatives and materials tend to be driven by the business leaders at the country club.
My point is to learn more about the best methods for publishing and advertising an event or meetups at your local croquet club.
In the days of the news press, I would receive my daily newspaper from Louie, our local paper boy, who on occasion would ask my brother Billy or myself to help him deliver it throughout the neighborhood. We would earn a cash reward for our work and a valuable experience by walking the neighborhood and providing the service that had to be done every day, early each morning. My dad and I would read the paper over breakfast before he would go off to work and I would go off to school (my work at the time). It wasn’t until I was well into my adult life of daily work, toiling on electronics at Motorola, that computers and the worldwide web sprang forth from the ether. I would compile microcode for an MC6805 computer using 8-inch floppy diskettes, used to receive and control the electronics inside some of the first digital pagers. Email was taking hold and replacing hand-typed memos that would circulate around the office.
A Grassroots Story
By Paul Bennett
If you search “Buffalo Croquet Club” on Google, you will find links to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, local newspaper articles and local TV coverage. Yes, croquet is alive and well in Buffalo and it is easy to connect with someone to play the game.
Neubecker found that the introduction of a Thursday night structured league play was successful in growing the club from a half dozen active members to more than 40 members. “Scores are recorded and league rankings updated weekly with some commentary on highlights from the games going out in a weekly email with the following week's schedule,” he says. “I think this structure has been critical for engagement and retention.”
Given the size of the group, you get scheduled for either 7:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. games, with some double banking happening. League games usually end by 10:00 p.m., but some folks choose to hang around and play until the beer runs out, which has at times lasted until 2:00 a.m.
38 | www.croquetamerica.com ninewicket news
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Have a favorite charity? Croquet is an excellent way to socially gather local community groups together for a fundraising event.
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Share the techniques and strategies you have used for promoting your club with me. I am wondering how many nine wicket croquet players are in America? How many have transitioned to the six wicket game? Who is looking to build an active croquet club in their area? Send your input, comments and suggestions for nine wicket to Paul Bennett and for club development to the USCA management office.
I have come to find several events which involve croquet as their central theme designed to help raise charity money. Organizations and corporations look to the USCA for rules and guidance in hosting these events.
The USCA is also looking for a way to record organized league play in order to develop a national handicapping and ranking process. Look for these events and developments and think about incorporating croquet into your next fundraising or corporate event.
Fundraising for Charity www.WhiteTieCroquet.com
The nine wicket committee is looking to organize both regional and national tournaments together with these charity events in order to grow our membership and USCA recognition. Amateurs may sign up and play in the novice division. Those with croquet experience and desiring more challenging games may sign up for the official USCA regional championship. There they will play against other USCA members who are vying for regional status and preferred status to play in the next two national events.
YOUR GO TO ONLINE RESOURCE FOR CROQUET APPAREL UPF IS YOUR BFF CROQUET WEAR FOR PROTECTION AND STYLE
Public facilities and clubs, on the other hand, can invite members to join and recruit players to try the sport using broad public means of communication. Recruitment is the responsibility of the club leaders and their fellow members.
PROTECT WhiteTieCroquet@gmail.com(415)203-2794
Brice Jones is famous for his use of croquet at the Sonoma-Cutrer winery with its two most excellent croquet lawns to attract both world-class players and host a fabulous charity event for local charities, including the Make A Wish foundation. That yearly event went on for the better part of two decades until Jones sold the winery to Brown and Forman. Mike Orgill later resurrected the event for another half decade when he adopted the North American Open championship from Jacques Fournier. Nine wicket is well known among us as “garden croquet,” since it can be set up and played on normal park grass — referred to by the United States Croquet Association as “long grass.” Other versions of the game may be set up and played on long grass, but they are indeed much harder to play on that surface due to the length of long and difficult split shots. (GC may be an exception.)
Seeking More 9W Information
The Buffalo club doesn’t actually formally exist as a legal entity but operates under the umbrella of the Olmsted Park Conservancy. It’s now colloquially known as the Buffalo Croquet Club but was for a long time known as the Buffalo Croquet and Debate Club, because over 20 years (and many beers), debate over the rules was often as competitive a sport as the croquet itself. To learn more about the Buffalo Croquet Club, contact Bob Gannon, club president, or visit their Instagram channel at www.instagram.com/buffalo_croquet_club/.
STEP 1: The best way is to determine the last shot that was played and the previous shot to that one. You only need to look back at those two shots. In the example below, Blue played followed by Yellow and then play is stopped.
In another example, fellow player and referee Diane Walker notes in a recent discussion how important it is to distinguish the striker ball from the partner ball.
Still Feeling Confused About Wrong Ball Situations?
“If the owner of Black plays the striker’s ball, Blue, the remedy is Replace and Replay because the partner ball was not played, the striker’s ball was played by the wrong player.” (Rule 10.5.4)
Upcoming International Golf Croquet Events
By Cheryl Bromley
STEP 3: Determine if the last shot played was played by the side that was entitled to play. In the example above, the Red/Yellow team is entitled to play after Blue. (To clarify, after Blue shoots, Black would not be entitled to play as it is from the same side).
“If it is Blue’s turn, Blue is the striker, Black is the partner ball.
“There is only one partner ball in each turn,” Walker explains.
• The owners of the balls played their designated balls, so rule 10.4 does not apply.
Women’s International Friendship Cup October 19 -23, 2022 Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club, Hartfield, Virginia 2023 Women's GC World Championship August 7-14, 2023 Sussex, England 2023 Over 50 GC World Championship October 14-21, 2023 Bunbury, Western Australia
40 | www.croquetamerica.com
If either Blue or Black play the Black ball, (the partner ball), the remedy is either Replace and Replay or Ball Swap.” (Rule 10.5.2)
ShotPrevious ShotLast If so, as in the example above, the last shot condones the previous shot as a lawfully played shot.
Previous Shot Last Shot Play is stopped.
• The striker’s side played the partner ball. Now rule 10.5.2 kicks in and the non-offending team has a choice between Replace and Replay the correct ball (Red) or Ball Swap the positions of the Red and Yellow ball and this will count as Red’s turn. It will then be Black to play.
• It was the Red/Yellow side’s turn to play after Blue, so rule 10.3 does not apply.
Helpful hints to sort things out
STEP 2: Did the owners of those balls play their designated balls? Play is stopped.
golfcroquetamerica
In summary, it is easy to see how all of this can be confusing. So, take it step by step and remember you only need to look at the last two balls played, i.e., the last shot and the previous shot to that one.
STEP 4: Clarify who the striker should be after the lawfully played shot. In the example above, after Blue plays, Red should be the striker.
Players are required to stop play if they believe a wrong ball is about to be played in a game. This will avoid any wrong ball issues entirely. Oops … too late, a wrong ball has been played and play is stopped. What happens next?
You now have all the information you need to go through the rule’s checklist 10.3-10.5.4 to determine the remedy. Using our example above:
www.croquetamerica.com | 41 Meadow Club Invitational July 12-16, 2022 Meadow Southampton,Club New York Championship Singles 01. Tom Cooper 02. Randy Cardo 03. Calvert Chaney 03. Conner Helms 05. Jodie Rugart 05. Tim Bitting 05. Conrad Rugart 05. Sandy Knuth First Flight Singles 01. Linda Trifone 02. Ron Eccles 03. Pat Spratt 03. Alex Muradian 05. Templeton Peck 05. Sally McGrath 05. Stuart Baker 05. John Grabow Second Flight Singles 01. Kat Robertson 02. David Kepner 03. Jack Rush 03. Yvette Donato Selby 05. Carl Archiniaco 05. Missy Chilton 05. Doug Greeff 05. Karen Heckman Third Flight Singles 01. Anne Carr 02. Ellen Cornacchia 03. Don Chapoton 03. Jim Tiberg 05. John McGrath 05. Tom Hadlock 05. Maggie Kirkbride 05. Claudia Parks Championship Waterford Doubles 01. Randy Cardo 02. Beatty Cramer 03. Sally McGrath 04. Templeton Peck 05. Jodie Rugart 06. Linda Trifone 07. Tim Bitting 08. John Grabow 09. Alex Muradian 10. Calvert Chaney 11. Stuart Baker 12. Pat Spratt 13. Conner Helms 14. Vickie Johnston 15. Sandy Knuth 16. Ron Eccles event results First Flight Waterford Doubles 01. Carl Archiniaco 02. Jim Tiberg 03. John McGrath 04. David Kepner 05. Jack Rush 06. Hildegard Jones 07. Karen Heckman 08. Missy Chilton 09. Kat Robertson 10. Don Chapoton 11. Lyn Hamer 12. Eileen Cornacchia 13. Doug Greeff 14. Anne Carr 15. Colleen Rogers 16. Liddy Chaney Second Flight Waterford Doubles 01. Randell Roe 02. Tom Hadlock 03. Hunter Cushing 04. Mary Jo Chapoton 05. Yolande Hadlock 06. Susan Cushing 07. Susie Wagner 08. Maggie Kirkbride 09. Claudia Parks 10. David Platt 11. Gerry Geddes 12. Pam Walker 2022 Greenwich Invitational June 24-26, 2022 Greenwich Croquet Club Greenwich, Connecticut Championship Singles 01. Webster Bull 02. Arthur Olsen 03. Bill Miller 03. Peter Grey 05. George Peterkin First Flight Singles 01. Steve Zoric 02. Penny Pressler 03. George Claffey 03. Les Taufen 05. Boyd Parker Second Flight Singles 01. John Welch 02. Katie Bull 03. Blair Stuart 03. Tish Wilde 05. Hilary Michaels
42 | www.croquetamerica.com Mountain Brook GC Singles June 10-12, 2022 Mountain Brook Croquet Club Birmingham, Alabama GC Singles 01. Kent Lovvorn 02. Matthew Jackson 03. Todd Russell 04. Jimmy Huff 05. Lee Yeilding 06. Robert Schoel 07. Mike Seale 08. Miller Conaway 09. Tom Shelton 10. Ying Benns USCA Southeast 6W Regional June 2-5, Chesapeake2022Bay Croquet Club Hartfield, Virginia Championship Singles 01. Randy Cardo 02. Rick Sheely 03. Adam Lassiter 03. Gil Rocha 05. Macey White 05. Beverley Cardo 05. Brian Hovis 05. Brian Zindel 2 | NATIONALcroquetamerica.comCROQUET CENTER PRO SHOP Visit our Pro Shop Website for All Your Equipment Needs www.nationalcroquetcenterproshop.com Wickets Deadness Boards Dawson Balls Sunshiny Balls Pegs Flags Clips & MALLETS Galore 2022 New York State GC NewJuneChampionship17-19,2022YorkCroquet Club New York, New York Championship Singles 01. Cami Russack 02. Tate Russack 03. David McCoy 04. Templeton Peck 05. Rita Ginsky 05. Christopher Morris 07. Peter Timmons 07. Mark Ski 07. Lois Clay 07. Justin Berbig First Flight Singles 01. Stephen Tasker 02. Pat Spratt 03. Devin Burress 04. George Claffey 05. Carl Archiniaco 05. Edmund Giancola 07. Martine Fournage 07. Ezra Roth 07. Courtenay Rodonets 07. Klaud Lucas Second Flight Singles 01. Christopher Olsen 02. David Goddard 03. Paul Strada 04. Trula Myers 05. Emily Martin 05. Joe Rousmaniere 07. Ellen Martin 07. Mark Woolley 07. Stephanie Margalis Doubles 01. Tate Russack/Cami Russack 02. Mark Ski/Pat Spratt 03. Templeton Peck/Carl Archiniaco 04. Doug Moore/Chris Patmore 05. Trula Myers/David Goddard 05. Stephen Tasker/Lois Clay 05. Justin Berbig/Ezra Roth 05. Christopher Olsen/ Joe Rousmaniere 09. Rita Ginsky/Peter Timmons 09. Martine Fournage/ George Claffey 09. Devin CourtenayBurress/Rodonets 09. Paul Strada/Emily Martin 09. Damon Hagan/Kimberly Hagan 09. Ellen Martin/Klaud Lucas Woodlawn Invitational June 16-19, 2022 Woodlawn Croquet Program Ellsworth, Maine Championship Singles 01. Neil Houghton 02. Perry Mattson 03. Don Parker 04. Bob Worrell 05. Carl Mabee First Flight Singles 01. Mark Masselink 02. Stuart Price 03. Oakley Johnson 04. Bill Whitman Second Flight Singles 01. Randall McAndrews 02. Glenn McAndrews 03. Tim McCormick 04. Steve Zoric 05. Fred Beck 06. Tina Hinckley 07. Jim Lane 08. Marc Golden event results
www.croquetamerica.com | 43 09. Linda Trifone 09. Leo Leither 09. Nancy Crouch 09. Cameron James 09. Freeman Turley 15. Rodney Lassiter First Flight Singles 01. Steve Thurston 02. Bo Prillaman 03. John Joseph 03. Cecil Creasey Jr. 05. Jon Spaulding 05. Randy Lassiter 05. John McGrath 05. Stephen Zoric 09. Sally McGrath 09. Jennifer Joseph 09. Susan Creasey Championship Doubles 01. Leo Leither/Cameron James 02. Macey White/Nancy Crouch 03. Randy Cardo/Beverley Cardo 04. Adam Lassiter/Randy Lassiter 05. Rick Sheely/Linda Trifone First Flight Doubles 01. Brian Zindel/Bo Prillaman 02. John Joseph/Jennifer Joseph 03. Gil Rocha/Jon Spaulding 04. Freeman Turley/Steve Thurston 05. Sally McGrath/John McGrath 06. Cecil Creasey Jr./Susan Creasey 07. Jeffery Cohen/Barbara Wolf 2022 Indian Territory Open May 27-30, 2022 Tulsa Croquet Club Tulsa, Oklahoma Championship Singles 01. Matt Smith 02. Scott Spradling 03. Matt Baird 03. Stuart Price 05. Art Parsells 05. Kevin McQuigg 07. Jon Spradling 08. Joe Steiner First Flight Singles 01. Greg Clouse 02. Carl Archiniaco 03. Dale Jordan 03. Suzanne Spradling 05. Bob Baker 05. Daniel Bolduc 07. Joe Schulte 08. Rob Franks 09. Harold Menzel Championship Waterford Doubles 01. Scott Spradling 02. Kevin McQuigg 03. Matt Smith 04. Joe Steiner 05. Stuart Price 06. Jon Spaulding 07. Art Parsells First Flight Waterford Doubles 01. Carl Archiniaco 02. Harold Menzel 03. Greg Clouse 04. Bob Baker 05. Suzanne Spradling 06. Joe Schulte 07. Rob Franks 08. Daniel Bolduc 09. Dale Jordan 10. Gwendolyn DeSilva 2022 North Carolina Open May 5-8, Pinehurst2022Croquet Club Pinehurst, North Carolina Championship Singles 01. Sherif Abdelwahab 02. Stephen Morgan 03. Tom Balding 03. Matthew Essick 05. Danny Huneycutt 05. Mike Taylor 05. Brian Cumming 05. Stuart Lawrence 09. Shane Hettler 09. Jim Bast 09. Ed Roberts 09. Brett Stovall 13. Harper Peterson 13. Rob Byrd 13. Stephen Errickson Whether buying or selling, trust the largest transaction of your life to a proven Lindalindagradyrealtor@gmail.com561-512-0852professional.Grady,PA First Flight Singles 01. Ralph Curtis 02. Dick Johnston 03. Marc Campbell 03. Stuart Price 05. Danna Huneycutt 05. Christine Smith 05. Michael Kukla 05. Sam Collins 09. Mary Turner 09. Becky Essick USCA Golf Croquet Eights April 28-May 1, 2022 Sarasota County Croquet Club Venice, Florida First Eight 01. James Creasey 02. Cheryl Bromley 03. David Cornes 04. Matt Griffith 05. Rich Dell 06. Hesham Elzoghby 07. Dick Boger 08. Steve Jackson Second Eight 01. John Wight 02. Webster Bull 03. Alex Galasso 04. Christof Weihs 05. Priscilla Flowers 06. Tate Russack 07. Ellie Griffith 08. Cami Russack Third Eight 01. Ellen Nielsen 02. Sandra Cornes 03. Christine Smith 04. Linda Merk 05. Karen Weihs 06. Mary Galasso 07. Tom Bown DNF Thomas Howell
44 | www.croquetamerica.com 2022 GC OVERALL GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Macey White 3193 2865 6058 02 Billy Harper 4034 1708 5742 03 Matthew Essick 3441 2009 5450 04 Matt Griffith 3148 1414 4562 05 Kyle Maloof 1453 3006 4459 06 Cheryl Bromley 2897 1321 4218 07 David Maloof 789 3215 4004 08 Brian Lozano 2332 1666 3998 09 Sherif Abdelwahab 3369 513 3882 10 Kent Lovvorn 2316 1512 3828 11 Tamer Hatata 2770 1046 3816 12 Mark Kucharski 2723 808 3531 13 Cami Russack 1908 1337 3245 14 Jim Teel 1341 1873 3214 15 Ellen Nielsen 2023 1160 3183 16 Priscilla Flowers 1738 1429 3167 17 Paul Fecteau 2517 515 3032 18 Hammond Rauers 2164 833 2997 19 Jeff Soo 1341 1637 2978 20 Debbie Davidoff 1772 1199 2971 21 Tom Balding 2071 877 2948 22 James Creasey 2535 400 2935 23 Blake Fields 2071 836 2907 24 Tate Russack 1672 1226 2898 25 Stephen Morgan 1715 1104 2819 26 Paul Bennett 2110 691 2801 27 Amr Hamdy 1972 672 2644 28 Roy Gee 1083 1512 2595 29 Damon Bidencope 2042 513 2555 30 Alex Galasso 1747 637 2384 Total players: 353. Updated 8/9/2022. 2022 AC OVERALL GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Brian Cumming 1,925 1,925 02 Sherif Abdelwahab 1,382 1,382 03 Stuart Lawrence 995 995 04 Peter Bach 950 950 05 Stephen Morgan 928 928 06 Patrick Sweeney 776 776 07 Tom Balding 750 750 08 Matthew Essick 750 750 09 Ben Rothman 564 564 10 Danny Huneycutt 561 561 11 Mike Taylor 561 561 12 Ron Eccles 522 522 13 Shane Hettler 329 329 14 Jim Bast 329 329 15 Ed Roberts 329 329 16 Brett Stovall 329 329 17 Brian Lozano 289 289 18 Blake Fields 289 289 19 Martyn Selman 289 289 20 Steve Scalpone 285 285 21 Chris Barley 284 284 22 Ralph Curtis 262 262 23 Pierre Dunn 205 205 24 Webster Bull 199 199 25 Randy Reid 186 186 Total players: 58. Updated 6/21/2022. 2022 A6W OVERALL GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Randy Cardo 11,492 3,294 14,786 02 David Ekstrom 9,700 1,260 10,960 03 Jodie Rugart 4,300 4,980 9,280 04 Robert Van Tassell 3,500 5,100 8,600 05 Richard Sullivan 1,700 5,100 6,800 06 Neil Houghton 3,300 2,210 5,510 07 Sherif Abdelwahab 2,600 2,550 5,150 08 Calvert Chaney 1,200 3,810 5,010 09 John O. Brown 2,980 2,010 4,990 10 Macey W. White 1,148 3,558 4,706 11 Webster Bull 4,020 680 4,700 12 Nancy Crouch 999 3,558 4,557 13 Matthew Griffith 3,800 680 4,480 14 Robert Pulitzer 2,420 2,010 4,430 15 Richard Sheely 2,416 1,848 4,264 16 Conner L. Helms 3,780 460 4,240 17 Danny Huneycutt 3,900 3,900 18 Paul T. Bennett 3,000 240 3,240 19 Arthur Olsen 1,920 1,190 3,110 20 Mary Rodeberg 600 2,490 3,090 21 Thomas Cooper 3,000 3,000 22 Sally McGrath 1,231 1,767 2,998 23 Paul Neubecker 900 1,920 2,820 24 Preston Stuart 720 1,620 2,340 25 Linda Trifone 1,558 768 2,326 26 Ronald L. Eccles 1,428 880 2,308 27 Russ Cuccia 2,210 2,210 28 Beverley Cardo 648 1,554 2,202 29 Doug Grimsley 2,200 2,200 30 Templeton Peck 75 2,050 2,125 31 Clint Fowlkes 124 1,920 2,044 32 Timothy Rapuano 2,000 2,000 33 Scott Spradling 1,000 1,000 2,000 34 Cameron James 144 1,848 1,992 35 Leon Leither 144 1,848 1,992 36 Matt B. Smith 1,500 400 1,900 37 Rich Lamm 1,680 1,680 38 Brian D. Hovis 1,668 1,668 39 Adam Lassiter 1,368 168 1,536 40 Stuart Price 1,318 209 1,527 41 Beatty Cramer 1,500 1,500 42 Peter Bach 1,000 480 1,480 43 Patrick Sweeney 1,000 480 1,480 44 Steve Thurston 367 1,093 1,460 45 Jeff Morrison 728 720 1,448 46 Gil Rocha 1,368 72 1,440 47 Mark Fields 1,400 1,400 48 Bob Worrell 1,400 1,400 49 Mark Masselink 1,380 1,380 50 David McCoy 1,220 120 1,340 51 Kevin McQuigg 250 1,000 1,250 52 Patrick Little 1,200 1,200 53 Perry Mattson 1,200 1,200 54 Conrad Rugart 1,200 1,200 55 David Kepner 615 519 1,134 56 Tim Bitting 700 400 1,100 57 David Isaacs 1,050 1,050 58 Carl A. Archiniaco 455 540 995 59 Brian Zindel 768 202 970 60 Richard G. Curtis 900 900 Total players: 314. Updated 7/22/2022. grandprixstandings
www.croquetamerica.com | 45 2022 GC WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Cheryl Bromley 2897 1321 4218 02 Cami Russack 1908 1337 3245 03 Ellen Nielsen 2023 1160 3183 04 Priscilla Flowers 1738 1429 3167 05 Debbie Davidoff 1772 1199 2971 06 Helen Covington 980 1323 2303 07 Barbara Jamison 1383 742 2125 08 Ellie Griffith 1125 833 1958 09 Linda Merk 1042 867 1909 10 Mary Galasso 850 1054 1904 11 Pam Groh 605 883 1488 12 Caryl Firth 513 833 1346 13 Eileen Soo 292 1036 1328 14 Gay Cinque 692 582 1274 15 Lisa Maloney 544 695 1239 16 Sue Emond 963 233 1196 17 Lynda Sudderberg 172 941 1113 18 Gail Kern 853 258 1111 19 Sandra Cornes 1093 1093 20 Laura Hendrick 598 477 1075 21 Lois Clay 540 509 1049 22 Suzanne Turner 430 565 995 23 Kathie Gamble 476 504 980 24 Allison Worthington 463 432 895 25 Vicky Naranjo 528 343 871 26 Nancy Hart 428 414 842 27 Trudy Crowetz 350 457 807 28 Geraldine McCauley 237 560 797 29 Lorie Tarver 474 290 764 30 Geri O'Neill 275 481 756 31 Jan Fisher 344 399 743 32 Suzanne Spradling 172 560 732 33 Jan Allison 448 270 718 34 Anne Killilea 237 474 711 35 Rita Ginsky 465 229 694 36 Karen Connery Albert 237 444 681 37 Sandy Howard 237 399 636 38 Mary Churchill 443 189 632 39 Marilyn Price 205 427 632 40 Dawn Jupin 622 622 Total players: 142. Updated 8/9/2022. 2022 AC WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Arlene Parker 167 167 02 Mary Rodeberg 123 123 03 Christine Smith 123 123 04 Lynda Sudderberg 97 97 05 Donna Dixon 92 92 06 Danna Huneycutt 86 86 07 Sandra Cornes 69 69 08 Shirley Ricci 33 33 09 Anne Kukla 33 33 10 Becky Essick 29 29 Total players: 10. Updated 6/21/2022. 2022 A6W WOMEN'S GRAND PRIX # Player Singles Doubles Total 01 Jodie Rugart 4,300 4,980 9,280 02 Nancy Crouch 999 3,558 4,557 03 Mary Rodeberg 600 2,490 3,090 04 Sally McGrath 1,231 1,767 2,998 05 Linda Trifone 1,558 768 2,326 06 Beverley Cardo 648 1,554 2,202 07 Lori Matway 840 840 08 Anne Frost Robinson 352 480 832 09 Lynda P. Sudderberg 800 800 10 Sandra Knuth 300 400 700 11 Avril Rangoni-Machiavelli 680 680 12 Missy Ramey 600 600 13 Courtney Green 448 120 568 14 Karen Heckman 38 477 515 15 Kat Robertson 414 54 468 16 Patricia Spratt 250 200 450 17 Penny P. Pressler 112 261 373 18 Vickie Johnston 340 340 19 Ellie Griffith 324 324 20 Kit Detering 36 279 315 21 Anne Jones Coco 300 300 22 Charlotte Pulitzer 36 261 297 23 Anne Licursi 50 225 275 24 Christine Smith 146 118 264 25 Rita McNamara 25 235 260 26 Yvette Donato Selby 249 249 27 Kathleen Green 102 144 246 28 Jeanette Hodgkins 245 245 29 Jennifer Joseph 55 155 210 30 Suzanne Spradling 150 54 204 31 Ellen C. Goldener 81 117 198 32 Anne Carr 132 58 190 33 Marsha Cargill 178 178 34 Sheila McCauley 57 99 156 35 Jennifer Loving 32 120 152 36 Katie Bull 125 22 147 37 Linda Grady 102 40 142 38 Martie Ekstrom 120 120 39 Mijai Pagano 120 120 40 Lovejoy R. Duryea 6 112 118 41 Missy Chilton 38 72 110 42 Hildegard H. Jones 108 108 43 Eileen Cornacchia 66 36 102 44 Rosemarie Maccario 102 102 45 Sandy Janitz 100 100 46 Mary Craddock 18 81 99 47 Liddy Chaney 96 96 48 Jean Henry 96 96 49 Freear Pollard 6 81 87 50 Connie Coling 63 18 81 51 Barbara Wolf 12 68 80 52 C. Shirley Ricci 27 52 79 53 Sonia Alexandra 36 40 76 54 Susan Creasey 26 50 76 55 Carol Bannister 72 72 56 Karen M. Weihs 47 18 65 57 Mel Eckhart 63 63 58 Nora Watson 4 59 63 59 Carol E. Stuart 30 32 62 60 Nancy Wonson 60 60 Total players: 116. Updated 7/22/2022.
46 | www.croquetamerica.com newmembers ALABAMA Birmingham – Mountain Brook Croquet Club Matthew Jackson Birmingham – Mountain Lake Croquet Club Virginia Keyser CALIFORNIA Oakland – Oakland Croquet Club Mark Isaacs Jeanie Phan Rob Sinclair Rohnert Park – Sonoma Croquet Club JoAnn DeborahAlbersWyatt DIST. OF COL. Washington – At Large Member Walter Sechriest FLORIDA Boca Grande – Gasparilla Inn Mallet Club Jeffrey VirginiaBrendaTomLindaPaulaKathrinNedraJoAnnWendyJacobsJacobsJenkinsLehrianMengePlanerRubinoStoryStoryWilliamson Gulf Stream – The Little Club Barbara Backer Ronald Backer Naples – Grey Oaks Country Club Barbara Glicken Osprey – The Oaks Club Elizabeth Ruddell Howard Ruddell Palm Coast – Grand Haven Croquet Club Howard Chodak Lisa JoTimPaulTonyOlgaDonnaCherylGloriaPeterJamesMaryChodakFleetGibsonGordonGordonHillMcGevnaMonkevitchSciutoSzaboVoightAnnVoight Palm Coast – Hammock Dunes Croquet Association Kim MichaelAllenAllen Ponte Vedra Beach – Ponte Vedra Croquet Club Amy ThomasJulieStephensonLingrenStephen son The Villages – At Large Member Kim Reniska The Villages – The Villages Croquet Club Nancy AndreWilliamBowenBowenRobert NEW CLUBS Grey Oaks Country Club ................................................. Naples, Florida Roaring Gap Club ..................................... Roaring Gap, North Carolina Venice – Sarasota County Croquet Club Stephen Hammond Vero Beach – Oak Harbor Club Carole Miller Vero Beach – Vero Beach Country Club Christopher Luciano West Palm Beach – National Croquet Club Anita Abramowitz Marc CindiAnitaVeronicaMarieSteveLindaReneKathleenEllenPatriciaBernadetteKathleenBrillKarraDebraConnieJohnLenoreRobertaFeifeiAmeliaBrianRonaldDanielleAbramowitzBradleyBradleyBradyCarterChaoChapeyClarkeCohenCollinsGelbandGreenwoodKeyMurphyNestorNicholsonOshinsPriceRichthofenScarboroughSchubertSweetserWhitlockWilliamsWylie Winter Park – At Large Member Diana Walker GEORGIA Atlanta – Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club Lynne Vickers Ralph Vickers Jekyll Island – Jekyll Island Croquet Club Thelma Henry Greta Maletsky Sky Valley – Sky Valley Club, Inc. Dale RobertaKenWallaceSharonFenwickFenwickShererWaltonWalton LOUISIANA Baton Rouge – Red Stick Croquet Club Inez Cancienne MAINE Ellsworth – Woodlawn Croquet Program Nanette Ruppert Yarmouth – At Large Member Marc Golden Susan Golden MARYLAND Baltimore – At Large Member Benjamin Lentz Towson – Blakehurst Croquet Club Carol Whippo MISSOURI Lees Summit – At Large Member Greg Clouse NEW YORK Quogue – Quogue Field Club Vita Reinoso NORTH CAROLINA Bald Head Island –Bald Head Island Croquet Club Adam Azaccara Liz MarkStaffordStafford Black Mountain –Black Mountain Croquet Club David Blender Cashiers – Cedar Creek Club Jennifer Whittle Mack Whittle Cashiers –The Country Club of Sapphire Valley Christine Gaddis Cashiers – Trillium Links and Lake Club Scott JanalynSpoerlSpoerl Highlands –Highlands Falls Croquet Association Darin Guffey Highlands – Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Inc Keith DebbiPattenPatten Linville – Grandfather Golf & Country Club Peter Yount Linville – Linville Croquet Club Bruce CathyCharlesRinehartSmithThompson Pinehurst – Pinehurst Croquet Club Ann Lambrecht Don Tortorice Pittsboro – Fearrington Swim & Croquet Club Mary Lou Huisking Roaring Gap – Roaring Gap Club Patricia Bassett John Bassett III Salisbury – At Large Member Mark Stevens Sapphire – At Large Member Catherine Horton Daniel Horton Southport – At Large Member Roger Knoll Winston-Salem – Arbor Acres Croquet Judy JudyCharlotteHathawayHubbardReeder OKLAHOMA Bartlesville – Oklahoma Wesleyan University Morgan Lane PENNSYLVANIA Haverford – Merion Cricket Club Richard Wesley RHODE ISLAND Newport – Newport Croquet Club Brian Owens SOUTH CAROLINA Aiken – Green Boundary Croquet Club William Benton Jane Gunnell Aiken – Green Gables Croquet Club Catherine Becker Robert Becker Dataw Island – Croquet Club of Dataw Island Susan Hertz Ellen Like Ed PatriciaLike Stolte Tim AlvinStolteThurman TEXAS Clifton – At Large Member John Stovall Houston – Houston Croquet Association Donald Buttermore Bob Goss Pam MohamedGoss Khalil Elaine Khalil Lee DawnBenMimiCharlesMaryGrahamEdVirginiaLahourcadeLahourcadeNeuhausNeuhausPaulettePrioleauPrioleauRobinsonTrammell VIRGINIA Charlottesville – At Large Member Wyck Knox INTERNATIONAL VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA Altona – At Large Member Andre Daniel-Dreyfus
www.croquetamerica.com | 47 September 09/01/22 - 09/03/22 Turkey Trot Double Digit Handicap (6W) | US Lenox Croquet Club | Lenox, MA David R Ekstrom | (413) 443-4957 | drekstrom@hotmail.com 09/02/22 - 09/05/22 USCA Midwest Regional 6W | US LaFortune Park | Tulsa, OK Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 09/08/22Woodlawn09/11/22MiniLobster | US Woodlawn Croquet Program | Ellsworth, ME Perry A Mattson | 207-667-9335 | newburyneckshore@gmail.com 09/11/22 - 09/17/22 USCA Association Laws National Championship | AC Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 09/17/22 - 09/18/22 2022 Croquet Invitational 6W | US Merion Cricket Club | Haverford, PA 09/21/22 - 09/25/22 Pinehurst Invitational 6W | US Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Elaine Moody | (910) 986-3164 | halliburton_2@msn.com 09/22/22 - 09/25/22 The Osborn Cup (6W) | US New York Croquet Club | Central Park | New York, NY Ezra Roth | 612-701-4675 | ezra.a.roth@gmail.com 09/29/22 - 10/02/22 Blue Crab 6W | US Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W. White | (804) 694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com 09/30/22 - 10/02/22 USCA Midwest GC Regional | GC Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club | Nichols Hills, OK Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com October 10/04/22 - 10/06/22 USCA American Rules School | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 10/12/22 - 10/13/22 USCA Golf Croquet School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 10/13/22ScissorTail10/16/22Oklahoma State Tournament | US Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club | Nichols Hills, OK Suzanne Spradling | 405-590-7264 | sshawsprad@cox.net 10/15/22 - 10/18/22 Big Oyster GC | GC Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W. White | (804) 694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com 10/20/22 - 10/23/22 Women’s GC International Friendship Cup | GC Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W. White | (804) 694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com 10/20/22 - 10/23/22 NC State Singles Championship 6W | US Bald Head Island Croquet Club | Bald Head Island, NC Mike Taylor | 910-986-3343 | mrtaylor1022@gmail.com 10/21/22 - 10/23/22 CCJ 6W Invitational | US Country Club of Jackson | Jackson, MS Mark Fields | 601-918-2704 | mfields5@gmail.com 10/21/22 - 10/23/22 National Croquet Club GC Singles | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL William B Trower | (561) 523-3535 | william_trower@hotmail.com 10/27/22 - 10/30/22 USCA Selection Eights (AC) | AC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com November 11/01/22 - 11/03/22 USCA American Rules School | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 11/03/22 - 11/06/22 Ponte Vedra GC Invitational | GC Ponte Vedra Croquet Club | Ponte Vedra, FL Marcus H Stearns | 904-273-2694 | mstearns2@bellsouth.net 11/11/22 - 11/13/22 Shark Tooth Open GC | GC Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com 11/12/22MacRobertson11/29/22Shield | AC Cairnlea, Melbourne, Australia 11/16/22 - 11/20/22 USCA Seniors Masters (6W) | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 11/29/22 - 12/03/22 US Open AC | AC Mission Hills Country Club | Rancho Mirage, CA Doug Grimsley | 703-591-0813 | dgrimsley37@aol.com USCA Sanctioned Events
48 | www.croquetamerica.com November (continued) 11/30/22 - 12/01/22 USCA Golf Croquet School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com December 12/02/22 - 12/04/22 USCA GC Club Teams | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 12/04/22 - 12/10/22 USCA National Championship (6W) | US Mission Hills Country Club | Rancho Mirage, CA Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 12/09/22 - 12/11/22 National Croquet Club 6W Doubles | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Carla P. Rueck | (516) 480-9930 | cprueck@aol.com 12/16/22 - 12/18/22 Holiday Invitational 6W | US Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com January 2023 01/07/23 - 01/14/23 WCF AC Women’s World Championship | AC Multiple Clubs | Christchurch Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 01/11/23 - 01/12/23 SCCC Handicap Adjuster 6W | US Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com 01/13/23 - 01/15/23 National Croquet Club 6W Singles | US National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Timothy McCormick | 207-329-5343 | tmccorm1@gmail.com 01/17/23 - 01/18/23 USCA Golf Croquet School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 01/19/23 - 01/22/23 Women’s Hurricane GC Open | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Cami Russack | (410) 507-3845 | cami@russack.net 01/26/23 - 01/29/23 Jones Invitational 6W | US Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com February 02/07/23 - 02/09/23 USCA American Rules School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 02/10/23 - 02/12/23 SCCC Club Doubles 6W | US Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com 02/15/23 - 02/19/23 Steuber Classic 6W-GC | US & GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Michael Gibbons | 917-873-0311 | MGibbons9577@gmail.com 02/24/23 - 02/26/23 GC Shootout | GC Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com March 03/07/23 - 03/09/23 USCA American Rules School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 03/08/23 - 03/09/23 USCA Golf Croquet School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 03/10/23 - 03/12/23 SCCC Club Singles 6W | US Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com 03/23/23 - 03/26/23 USCA Florida GC Regionals | GC Ponte Vedra Croquet Club | Ponte Vedra | FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 03/24/23 - 03/26/23 SCCC Club Singles 6W Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com 03/31/23 - 04/02/23 National Croquet Club GC Doubles Championship | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Julia Johnston | 561-852-1413 | medstone100@me.com 03/31/23 - 04/02/23 The Tumbler AC | AC Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com April 04/12/23 - 04/13/23 USCA Golf Croquet School | GC National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com 04/13/23 - 04/16/23 The Sarasota Open AC | AC Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com
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 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 Clothing 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 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 SHOP USCA Whatever the occasion think USCA for those special gifts 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” DVDWinning 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 CDs & DVDs are not returnable. Defective disks may be replaced within 2 weeks of purchase. Misc. 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
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