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 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
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
Looking back over the last eight
years or so that I’ve been involved
in pickleball, one of the most
enjoyable aspects of our sport
has been introducing pickleball
to the masses, young and old.
There’s no better example of how
pickleball brings people together
regardless of age than the picture
below of Domenico Schepis,
a 91-year-old retired general
surgeon from Sicily, who started
playing at age 84, and his partner,
Hannah Carroll, a 12-year-old
pickleball and soccer player who
started playing at just 6 years
old. They started playing at our
church seven years ago, when the
church agreed to add pickleball
to its Community Outreach
and Sports Ministry. They love
to play together, and are very
formidable competitors.
My own pickleball journey has
been richly filled with memories I
will carry for the rest of my days.
I was immediately hooked on
our sport and applied to be an
Ambassador just two weeks after
hitting my first pickleball. I was
unbelievably fortunate, through
the tutelage of two wonderful
people, Carl and Juanita Vincent,
to succeed them as USAPA
Southwest Regional Director upon
their retirement. A while later, I
applied for and was elected to the
USAPA Board as Ambassador
DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING
Mark Peifer
DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES
Nikki Greene
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Dan Ellsworth
DIRECTOR OF AMBASSADORS
Claudia Fontata
Domenico Schepis and
Hannah Carroll
USAPA PRESIDENT JACK THOMAS
Director. I held that position for two
and a half years, served as Vice
President for a year and a half, and
ultimately had the honor and good
fortune of serving as President for
the past two years.
As the saying goes, “All good
things must come to an end,” and
my term as President expires at
the end of this year. I’ll be forever
grateful to the hardest working
staff, led by Justin Maloof, and
the most remarkable, dedicated
board members that I’ve ever had
the privilege of serving with in
any organization. Having said that,
I look forward to stepping back
from this full-time, all-volunteer job,
and its time commitments, and
catching up on lost personal time
and activities.
My biggest and longest
supporter in life has been my wife,
Joan, who I met in the seventh
grade. I started working at 12 years
old, shortly before meeting her,
and she’s been waiting patiently
for me to retire ever since. Once
I did retire from my “real jobs,” I
still had pickleball commitments to
shoulder, and again, she’s patiently
waited for me. Now that the wait
is over, there are many things we
look forward to doing with our
four grandchildren, daughters and
sons-in-law that we’ve had on the
back burner for a long time.
I look forward to seeing you on
the courts, but from now on, I’ll
be out there with my family and
friends, enjoying the greatest game
ever invented.
Merry Christmas and Happy
Holidays to All!
Jack
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 |
MAGAZINE
9