Pickleball Magazine 4-1 Ambassadors | Page 9

2019 USAPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS PRESIDENT Jack Thomas VICE PRESIDENT CJ Jermstad SECRETARY Laura Patterson TREASURER Darryl Noble AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS & MARKETING Stacie Townsend CUSTOMER & MEMBER RELATIONSHIPS Katie Lawler IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT David Jordan LEGAL & GRIEVANCE Phil Mortenson MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS Robert Quicksilver RECREATIONAL PLAY Philip Bullen TRAINING Pat Murphy STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Justin Maloof DIRECTOR OF RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS Hope Tolley BUSINESS MANAGER Linda Gartlan FROM THE PRESIDENT W ith the bumper of 2018 still visible in our rearview mirror, now’s a good time to pause and take stock of what was accomplished and what we can do to better ourselves in the year ahead. While our sport and USAPA enjoyed an outstanding 2018, we are very excited about the plans and initiatives that we will be striving to achieve in 2019. Since USAPA’s founding 13 years ago, our emphasis and initiatives have, for the most part, been related to tournament play/ players. Looking ahead, our 2019 plans include the development and introduction of recreational play opportunities and programs. We will certainly continue giving our attention to tournament- playing members (e.g., laying the developmental groundwork for a USAPA National Indoor Tournament), but our growth has allowed us to hire staff members whose primary purpose will be overseeing recreational play growth and development nationwide. Dovetailing into our recreational play initiative will be increasing junior play and school participation in all grade levels. Our recently established USAPA Junior Ambassador program is already making strides in this direction and will continue addressing the needs USAPA PRESIDENT JACK THOMAS of our youngest members as the years progress. Of course, taking on more requires more hands on deck, and the USAPA board has added four new members to assist in meeting our objectives. I’m happy to say that we had the largest number of applicants we’ve ever received for available board positions – 16 candidates in all. With a myriad of backgrounds and skill sets to choose from, we now have three new at-large board members from Florida and one from California. The board is not only comprised of members from around the country, but they range in age from 30 to 76, allowing us to bring a wealth of experience and various abilities to the table. If that sounds like a lot, then you probably already understand the time and dedication we’ll need to do it all. Fortunately, with the excitement of this sport and the can-do attitude of everyone involved in it, I have no doubt that we’ll be able to accomplish all of this and more to make 2019 our best year ever. Stay safe and HAVE FUN! Jack JANUARY/FEBRUARY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 2019 | | MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 7 7