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What’s News in Pickleball
PICKLEBALL PALOOZA DRAWS 200 PLAYERS
AT THE USTA NATIONAL COMPLEX
P
ickleball took center
stage at the United
States Tennis Association
National Complex (USTA)
located in Lake Nona, Florida, just
outside Orlando. The USTA National
Complex, the largest tennis facility
in the world, hosted the event on
a beautiful Saturday afternoon
in September and was billed as
Pickleball Palooza.
Approximately 200 enthusiastic
pickleball players converged on Lake
Nona for an awesome afternoon
of pickleball. A portion of this
huge complex was transformed
into a pickleball haven. With the
assistance of volunteers from the
Greater Orlando area and USTA staff,
27 portable courts were set up.
The Palooza started at 1 p.m.,
with welcome messages from Jason
Kinder, Senior Manager of the Lake
Nona Complex, and Dave Vander
Weide with GO Pickleball. Open Play
followed. The courts were arranged
in pods by skill level, and each
pod had a court monitor to move
players in and out of games utilizing
a paddle queue system. Wait times
were minimal and everyone enjoyed
almost two hours of pickleball.
Two courts were reserved for
the 20 newbies who attended the
event. Several veteran players along
14
with Nicole Hobson of PPR spent
the entire Open Play time teaching
basics, demonstrating how to serve,
dinking, and several other necessary
skills. By the end of the session
they were engaged in games and
left ready to jump into the pickleball
world we all love.
Much of Palooza’s success can
be attributed to the support of HEAD
Penn, which provided portable
nets, pickleballs, door prizes, demo
paddles, and brought in pros from
across the country. The pros mixed
in with players of all skill levels
during Open Play and interjected
tips and advice as they played and
laughed alongside the participants.
Thanks to Christine Barksdale
for organizing and Joy Leising, Jonny
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Pickleball Andrews, Nicole Hobson
and Randy Zbinden for participating.
Midway through the event, an
exhibition took place on center
court with the pros, who provided
some exciting points, paused to
explain strategy and shot selection
to the spectators and interacted with
the crowd.
The event concluded with skill
challenges and a reception where
attendees could mix with the pros.
Prizes were awarded through raffles
and trivia contests. Everyone left with
smiles and feeling good about their
afternoon of pickleball at the USTA
Palooza.
The Palooza exceeded everyone’s
expectations and paved the way
for future events. It was a great way
for the USTA to introduce pickleball
through its impressive tennis facility.
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