NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY
PLANET
Pickleball
NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY
African chic — Play with The Hammer , who competed in Dar .
World ’ s First Pickleball Hotel
M
By STEVEN ABLONDI and CINDY BURNS
WWW . MEMEL . GLOBAL
Memel . Global built the first dedicated pickleball court in Africa and now proposes the first pickleball hotel in the world .
Some have suggested that it ’ s unlikely people from the U . S . will support this endeavor , but we are willing to take that bet !
In South Africa , about 60 pickleball venues are country club / pay-based . Here , pickleball is thought of as an elitist sport . We counter that , and vow never to charge anyone to play pickleball — but we are willing to charge travelers for a nice place to sleep .
Instead of annual fundraising , we are going to raise $ 500K one time for the purchase of this hotel .
Memel Eagles are flying high . Dotti Berry (“ Coach B ”), former University of Kentucky women ’ s basketball coach and founder of Pickleball Unites , made her first trip to instruct here , focusing on women .
The Eagles hosted a wild New Year ’ s Day competition ( with the other “ free ” club in rural South Africa ) and will host their second annual International Recreational Pickleball Tournament on March 22 , celebrating the U . N . Day of Sport for Development and Peace . Last year , tournament organizer John Ryan said , “ I watched as the eventual champions hugged like father and son even though they had not met before that day .”
Memel Eagles flew to Dar es Salaam for the Tanzania Open and met many who would support a pickleball hotel for coaching workshops , including some of the best players on the continent : Omwando from Nairobi ; Kartik and his indomitable business partner , Nikki , who runs Rotary Club in Dar ; Shane from Pretoria ; and Roger , who built the first court in Egypt and will teach referees .
Supporters in South Africa include Pule Setai of the Drakensberg Club ; Mark Taylor , operations manager of Lepharo ; and Dr . Joshua Awesome , psychologist and NY Times bestselling author on wellness .
American supporters , led by our executive director Rebecca Lane , are spread across the Northeast , Upper Midwest , Pacific Northwest and Colorado .
Peace Corps colleagues Cindy , Billy , Paul , Marty and Pamela are still tight after 50 years and can always be counted on .
Cast your lot in with these people , some of the finest in the world , and help us win our bet to make the pickleball hotel a reality .
On New Year ’ s Eve , my college roommate and former CFO of Southern Poverty Law Center said he has had a recurrence of leukemia . He ’ s an exceptional gentleman committed to social justice . I dedicate this effort to him . •
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