By Darryl Noble
2020 USAPA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
USAPA CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
OFFICERS
CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD MESSAGE
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Darryl Noble
VICE CHAIRMAN
CJ Jermstad
SECRETARY
Laura Patterson
TREASURER
TBA
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS
BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS &
MARKETING
Stacie Townsend
LEGAL & GRIEVANCE
Phil Mortenson
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
Robert Quicksilver
RECREATIONAL PLAY
Philip Bullen
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 Fontana
I
t was an honor and is a
privilege for me to have been
elected by the USAPA board
of directors to the position
of chairman of the board
effective January 1. I follow in the
footsteps of some extremely dedicated
and wise leaders, namely David Jordan
and Jack Thomas. I was originally
elected to the board in 2015 and have
served as treasurer of the USAPA for
five years.
My lovely wife Cathryn and I started
playing pickleball in 2011. Our story
is the same as many people in that
we were former tennis players. We
actually met and fell in love on a
tennis court in 2006.
Around 2010, a good tennis buddy
of mine came back from the National
Senior Games where he had played
tennis. During one of our men’s tennis
weekends, he told us he had seen this
sport called pickleball and that we
should all try it. He had purchased a
beginner set with wooden paddles and
we went out on a tennis court, drew
some chalk lines and gave it a try. I
immediately fell in love with it, though
sad to say my other tennis buddies
did not.
Cathy and I played pickleball for
two years, and it was miniature tennis
for us. We were banging the ball low
and hard! Cathy wasn’t sold on it at
first, but she stuck it out and played
with me. We were invited to play with
a pickleball group, and we played our
bang-bang style. One of the players
came up to us and said, “Do you really
want to learn how to play pickleball?”
“Of course!” we said, “What do you
mean?” and he said you must get a
soft game. This player is now a lifelong
friend.
We kept comparing our tennis
matches to our pickleball matches.
We would try to figure out which one
was more exercise and cardio. Our
tennis matches, we just showed up,
played and went home. Our pickleball
matches, we never wanted to leave!
Everyone interacted, laughed, mixed
it up, and then socialized when we
were too exhausted to play anymore.
No comparison, pickleball was
it for us!
Over the nine years that I’ve been
playing pickleball, I’ve come to
realize that it’s not about winning
tournaments, getting medals,
and competing. Pickleball is about
how it changes lives for the better.
We all have heard the stories where
people were down and out, in deep
depression, in bad health, had no
social life... It was pickleball to the
rescue. That is what the sport is all
about. I am so glad to be a part of it
and be able to give back to the sport.
There are lots of wonderful things
planned for 2020 at the USAPA and
we look forward to sharing them with
you all. Best wishes for a happy and
healthy New Year to all. •
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 |
MAGAZINE
9