A TRIBUTE TO SAM AND MARCIA ALLEN

During the past seven years Doreen and I have participated in the

Annual ISA Tournaments. We have thoroughly enjoyed the

friendships, the competitions and the holidays "tacked-on" at each

location. All of these wonderful experiences would have not been

possible without the original and continuing personal and

generous contributions made by Sam and Marcia Allen.

Many Thanks Roy Norman CNSA President

It was 19 years ago, March 1979. 1 went to St. Petersburg,

Florida with Mr. Tagawa who was the first president of our

association for the purpose of introducing the game of

shuffleboard into Japan.

We met Mr. Howard Hawkins who was the president of the

National Shuffleboard Association at that time and Mr. Sam

Allen the president of Allen Sports Center.

Mr. Sam Allen explained to us the situation of National

Shuffleboard Association in those days and he taught us the

specifications of the court, cues, discs, scoreboards, types of

games such as the frame game, point game, singles, doubles etc.

March 10, 1979 the International Shuffleboard Association was

established with the United States, Canada and Japan at the Hall

of Fame building in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the meeting of

establishment, we had decided that the first International

Tournament would be held in 1981.

Since them, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Allen have been making a

contribution for every International Tournament to be a success.

As for the Japan National Association, Mr. Sam Allen prepared

the cues for our teams almost every year in the International

Tournaments. From the bottom of our hearts, we all are thankful

for his kindness very much.

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Yoshio Kosai, President

Japan National Shuffleboard Association

I was introduced to Sam Allen at 8:30AM late November 1990

by Don Kleckner, having arrived from Australia at 2:00AM

that day. Sam made his boardroom available to shuffleboard

and it was there that we decided to proceed with the inaugural

Australian Shuffleboard Tournament that took place in May

1991.

At that stage I had not seen a shuffleboard court or had any idea

how to construct one. We made the decision to proceed based

on Sam's integrity and spent the next four days with Sam

inspecting courts and learning some of the finer points of court

construction.

On my return "Down Under" I faced the task of building six

courts on the third floor roof of a shopping centre and as you

would imagine there were numerous FAX'S to Sam for advise. At

that stage we had no members, so it was up to me and Sam to do

all that was required.

We wanted the tournament to look right and designed logos,

badges and other items, and it was only a month before the

visitors arrived that we had some people to help with the

tournament.

Many of our players were from my Rotary Club. Our mayor

unveiled the plaque on 18th May, 1991 with Sam Allen Technical

Assistance USA, we had TV and local news coverage and this

was the start of shuffleboard in Australia.

Thanks to Sam for helping to make it happen, and to Don

Kleckner for organizing the seventy visitors from USA and

Canada.

Louise and I and two others attended the Mesa tournament in

October 1991 and were later looked after in Florida by Sam and

Marcia, and coached in the finer points of shuffleboard for

several days by Marg and Executive Vice President, Sandy

Myers.

On returning home we established the Australian Shuffleboard

Association, now with 57 keen members. Whilst I am in constant

contact with Sam and Marcia by FAX, both Louise and I look

forward to the next time we meet. Hopefully Japan next year.

Rightfully Sam gets a mention in the Hall of Fame for all that he

has done to promote shuffleboard worldwide.

Malcom Crowder

2nd Vice President I.S.A.

It has been my pleasure to know Sam for many years. Working

behind the scenes, with little recognition for his efforts he has

been the driving force behind the consistent expansion of

shuffleboard, not only in the U.S. but worldwide.

He has been most helpful not only to me, but to the thousands of

others who sought his advice. Sam my friend, shuffleboard can

never repay you.

Vince Crawford

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We are very indebted to Mr. Sam Allen and his wife Marcia

because they were my first contacts regarding this game called

"Shuffleboard." On a trip to the USA in 1996 I was driving

down this road in Florida, lost of course, when I saw a sign on a

building that said "Allen R. Shuffleboard Supplies." I played

this game as a child, never really knowing the rules, on an old

court in New York but now I live in Sao Paulo, Brasil and this

game does not exist at all down there.

Sam and Marcia were very patient answering all our questions,

providing us with court plans and dimensions, selling us

medium range cues, disks and a scoreboard. Heillso gave me a

set of the official Florida rules and I was on my way back down

to South America.

In 1996, with Sam Allen's sendoff package and suggestions, I

built the 1st court at a mountaintop resort between Sao Paulo

and Rio De Janeiro and have been teaching and training as

many people who are interested. I began the Brasilian

Shuffleboard Association and adopted the Florida State rules as

our official rules. In 1997 Brasil send the 1st team ever to the

17th International Shuffleboard Tournament in North Carolina

where Sam Allen again showed his generosity by giving Team

Brasil eight extra cues that he had left over from a previous

order and these cues are what Team Brasil has been training

with every weekend.

Finally, proving that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, Sam

Allen has learned the Internet System and converses with our

country via E-Mail at least on a monthly basis helping with any

question we have or solving any problem we are encountering.

Sam Allen e uma pessoa com coracao muito grande.

(Sam Allen is one person with a very BIG heart.)

From Down in the TROPICS

Michael Roberto Zellner, President FBS

To a fine couple Sam and Marcia Allen:

I have only known Sam Allen for a few short years but I have

found out he is a very dedicated individual and especially to

shuffleboard. If you want advice or help in any way Just ask and

you will receive. I believe that if shuffleboard is to survive it will

take men like Sam Allen to make it prosper.

Good luck to you and your wife Marcia.

Richard Buchanan President,

National Shuffleboard Association Inc.

Sam and Marcia Allen hosted a committee representing Canada,

Japan and the U.S. in 1979. A charter was signed establishing the

"International Shuffleboard Association." They decided an

international tournament would be held annually. this year the

18th annual tournament will be held in Goderich, Ontario.

Without the strong and constant support of Sam and Marcia Allen

we would have had a very difficult time achieving this.

John D. Barnett, Jr. Sandy Myers

President, I.S.A. Executive Vice President I.S.A.

Sam and Marcia Allen

Sam in his office

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Sam and Marcia

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SAM ALLEN IS AN UNKNOWN TREASURE

In March of 1979 Mr. Kosai, Mr. Tagawa and Mr. Ohkubo visited the Allen R. Shuffleboard Company to talk shuffleboard with

Sam Allen. As you all know soon to follow was the dream come true of Howard Hawkins - The formation of the ISA with the

first tournament at McGraft park in Muskegon, MI in 1981. Attending this tournament Sam saw the passion the Japanese had for

the sport of shuffleboard and decided to do what he could to reach other nations with the good news.

Sam works behind the scenes to develop a World Wide Network of shuffleboard courts and players. In Japan he worked with

Kosai. In Australia he worked with Malcolm Crowder. In Zimbabwe with David Pedley. In Ireland with Paul Byrne. In Brazil

with Michael Zellner.

Presently Sam is talking to folks in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Switzerland. Other contacts he has made are in Mexico,

Argentina, Sweden, The Netherlands and Nigeria.

Don Kleckner asked Sam to "Get shuffleboard into the Olympics," But to do this ISA needs world-wide recognition. The fax

machine helped to reach far away countries. The Internet with E-Mail has brought us even closer together.

Sam and Marcia enjoy entertaining the ISA players as evidenced by the two banquets they sponsored at their store with

some 80 to 100 guests. At each ISA annual banquet the Aliens like to share with the players and club members by giving

commemorative gifts.

In 1994 Sam Allen was inducted into the ISA Hall of Fame, the National Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Florida Hall of Fame in

1995.

Anyone connected in any way with shuffleboard is aware of the many contributions made by Sam to our sport, not only in the

late 70's but every year up to the present time. This includes not only local, but also national and world-wide input.

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