2019 USAPA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Jack Thomas
VICE PRESIDENT
CJ Jermstad
SECRETARY
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
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 DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Justin Maloof
MANAGING DIRECTOR
OF COMPETITION
Karen Parrish
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
George Bauernfeind
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
Linda Gartlan
DIRECTOR OF RECREATIONAL
PROGRAMS
Hope Tolley
DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING
Mark Peifer
DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES
Nikki Greene
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Dan Ellsworth
DIRECTOR OF AMBASSADORS
Claudia Fontata
H
aving just returned
from a fantastic West
Coast Ambassador
Retreat, I wanted to
share some things
that came out of that meeting
that are pertinent to everyone
who loves our sport.
Four years ago, we held the
very first ambassador retreat
at Granlibakken Resort in
North Lake Tahoe. After two
East Coast retreats in Florida,
we returned to Granlibakken
to rekindle the magic of that
first meeting, acknowledge
how far we’ve come in such a
short time and take a look into
the future. Not only was it an
outstanding and fun learning
experience for everyone
involved, but the group
discussed a variety of topics we
never would have dreamed of
four years ago.
The session agenda included
Ratings, Drills & Skills,
Regional Directors Meeting,
Memberleap Workshop,
USAPA/PPR Affiliation, Youth
Pickleball (including a youth
play interactive session),
Recreational Play, Legal and
Insurance, Court Construction
and the Ambassador Handbook.
We also discussed expansion
of youth programming and the
demand for pickleball among
all age ranges. Oh, and of
course, we played pickleball!
I want to thank all of the event
planners, sponsors, presenters,
board members and especially
ambassadors who attended and
made this retreat one of the
most productive to date.
We also had a fun and factual
presentation on the history of
pickleball given by Jennifer
Lucore, who authored “History
USAPA PRESIDENT JACK THOMAS
of Pickleball: More Than 50
Years of Fun!” with her mother,
Beverly Youngren. It made me
realize that our sport also has
a vibrant community of authors
whose passion for pickleball
fills volumes on the printed
page.
Just looking at my shelves,
in addition to Jen and Bev’s
book, there’s “Pickleball 5.0:
A Journey from 2.0 to 5.0” and
“Pickleball Food for Thought: A
Collection of Tips, Strategies,
and Observations,” both by
Phil Dunmyer, plus “Winning
Pickleball” and “The Official
Pickleball Handbook,” both
by Mark Friedenberg. There’s
even a really fun children’s
book called “Pickleball with
Pop,” by Joshua M. Jenkins and
beautifully illustrated by Karine
Makartichan. Other pickleball
authors you should check out
include Gale Leach, Pat Carroll,
Ron Elbe, and “Coach Mo”
Movsessian with Joe Baker.
It won’t be long before the snow
starts flying in parts of the
country, and play time might be
limited for the non-snowbirds.
These books can give you
something to read about the
sport with a nice cup of hot
chocolate—and perhaps you’ll
even learn something new to
try on the court.
Stay safe and HAVE FUN!
Jack
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
2019 | |
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