USAPA Great Plains
Ambassador Clinics
BY STEVE AND RAMONA BOONE
T
he USAPA Great Plains held two Regional
Ambassador Clinics recently — a reward
for Ambassadors’ volunteer contributions
and hard work! It was an Ambassadors “train
the trainers” concept, gathering information
and ideas to take back to their home courts.
Steve and Ramona Boone, Great Plains
Regional Directors, led the two-day clinics at
each location. They covered USAPA best practices for referees, letting everybody
practice with boards/stopwatches/bands/scoresheets/clips — including gold
medal matches with line judges. They also introduced basic and advanced drills,
a sample club rating system, and tournament tips. And, of course, lots of play!
The first clinic was held for Colorado Ambassadors at the U.S. Air Force
Academy Prep School Gym in Colorado Springs, http://www.usafa.af.mil. Ron
Walker, Assistant Director, was an incredible host, providing indoor and outdoor
courts, along with a BBQ! At over 7,000 feet elevation, sunscreen and liquids
were the order of the day. By the way, the U.S. Air Force Academy is the only
military academy to offer pickleball on the “places to play” list.
Moving down to 6,300 feet in elevation near Big Sky, Montana, the second
clinic for Montana and Wyoming Ambassadors was held at Camp West Fork, Zoe
and Barry Silverman’s luxury ranch, http://campwestfork.com. The