Great Lakes Ambassador Pickleball News by Dick Manasseri

Welcome to our New Ambassadors

• Iowa - Ron Stiers, Coralville - Iowa City
• Illinois -Don Wilson, Huntley
• Indiana -Rodney Grubbs, SE Indiana - Brookville
• Michigan - Joyce Staffen, Mecosta County - Stanwood
• Michigan - Clark Maddox, Battle Creek
• Michigan -Barbara and Johnnie McKinney, SE Michigan - Brownstown
• Ohio - Joanne and Mike Tressler, Toledo

Thanks to these new volunteer leaders and to all of you for your ongoing enthusiastic efforts to spread the good news about Pickleball. Whether it’s finding new places to play, teaching a beginner’s clinic, starting a ladder, or organization a tournament, we salute each of you for enabling players of all ages to enjoy the fitness and social benefits of the game.



Regional Plan Update
The 2009 Great Lakes Regionalization Plan called for a very aggressive annual growth in USAPA Members.

The Great Lakes Region (235) is now #3, behind the South Atlantic Region (313) and jockeying back and forth with the Southwest Region (236).

The Great Lakes Region celebrated the 200th USAPA Member last month http://greatlakes.usapa.org/2009/02/200-great-lakes-region-usapa-members.html

and we recognized the growth of USAPA Members in Windsor, Ontario
http://greatlakes.usapa.org/2009/03/ontario-great-lakes-pickleball.html

Please send us your stories and photos about activities anywhere in the Great Lakes Region and we will post them on the Great Lakes website.

Watch for the story of the Michigan Membership Blitz in the next USAPA e-Newsletter.

On the Move
A number of you have been traveling and taking Pickleball with you. Just to mention a few……

Pat Sullivan (Royal Oak, Michigan) has won three Gold Medals in Arizona tournaments this winter. Pat has a 4.0 rating and she will be busy when she returns to Royal Oak in June teaching us the Arizona soft game, getting us started with USAPA ratings and serving as tournament director for our first Great Lakes Regional Tournament.

Jean Mulder (Holland, Michigan) who is wintering at the Torrey Oaks RV Resort in Florida has taught more than 70 people the game this winter. Jean traveled to the Heartland Senior Games in Sebring Florida to compete and watch her students compete. Jean will put her teaching skills to good use when she returns to Holland.

Wayne Roswell (Port Perry, ON), who will being joining us this summer as another Ambassador for Ontario, was the tournament director for the very successful Heartland Senior Games at the Tanglewood Club in Florida. Wayne manages the Ontario website and will be bringing his experience and energy back to Ontario soon.

Jack Licata (Northville, Michigan) and his partner, USAPA Member Patrick McPhail, represented Great Lakes Pickleball very well taking the Silver medal in the Heartland Senior Games in a very competitive match.

David Leach (Onamia, MN) and Tom and Jeanne Gearhart (Northfield, MN) all won medals in the Palm Creek Tournament in Arizona.


Sanctioned and Showcase Tournaments
The USAPA is recognizing the quality of Pickleball played in the Great Lakes by sanctioning 4 tournaments in the Region in the next 3 months. You can always check the schedule for upcoming tournaments at http://greatlakes.usapa.org/
where you will find the details for the following USAPA Tier 4 Sanctioned Tournaments

• Hartland, MI April 11th Ambassadors Owen and Patty Papke
• Northville, MI May 16th Ambassador Jack Licata
• Terre Haute, IN May 16th – 17th Ambassadors Paul Barksdale and Rex Lawler
• Auburn Hills, MI June 14th Ambassador Michelle Pozan
  
  

The Terre Haute tournament is special in that it is a skill level event for all ages. The Auburn Hills tournament is special in that it contains divisions for all ages and is the first in a series of Michigan Pickleball State Games.


All of the above tournaments have also been designated as Great Lakes Pickleball Showcase Events, events that the Region spotlights for its players as the best we have to offer in terms of organization, hospitality, and competition.

Players are coming to know that at Showcase Events the USAPA rules are enforced by trained referees and USAPA Members receive discounts on registration fees.


Other upcoming Showcase Events include

• Kalamazoo, MI May 29th – 30th, Ambassadors Melissa Muha and Bob Northrop
• Sun Prairie Wisconsin June 10th, Wisconsin Senior Games, Ambassador Fred Fry
• Columbia, MO June 11th, Missouri Senior Games, Ambassadors Skip & Jerri Deming
• Hamilton, IN June 13th, Indiana Senior Olympics, Ambassadors Paul Barksdale and Rex Lawler
• Rochester, MI July 7th -10th, Michigan Senior Olympics
• Middletown, OH August 1st, SW Ohio Senior Games, Ambassador Stanley Volkens
• Royal Oak, MI TBD, Great Lakes Regional Tournament, Ambassador Pat Sullivan

We have developed a Showcase Event Tournament Director's Guide

http://usapa.org/file/mi/Tournament_Director_Guide.pdf

Please let me if you find it helpful and if you have any suggestions.

The USAPA Board has provide the Region with USAPA banners which will be provided to the above Ambassadors so that they can display the banners during their beginner and referee clinics, their drop-in play and at the events listed above. The banners can be a consistent reminder that the USAPA via its website, training videos, volunteers, etc. is delivering ongoing value for both the recreational and competitive player and is worthy of their support via membership enrollment. Please contact one of the above Ambassadors if you would like to borrow one of the banners for activities in your area.


Please consider traveling to the above events to show your support; I look forward to meeting you there if the price of gas doesn’t get in the way.

Cheers,

Dick Manasseri
USAPA Great Lakes Regional Ambassador