Learning new ways to play pickleballhellipteam pickleballhellipfondly referred to as Court Chaos

Meeting and breaking bread with old and new faces across Georgia and the South region

First night cocktails meeting and greeting over 200 other ambassadors across the country (plus Costa Rica)

From the KitchenNew Pickleball Courts bull Atlanta North Side

lakepointsportscomThe Lake Point Sports complex has announced they will open their fantastic field house to pickleball players on Tuesday amp Thursday mornings starting October 11 Play is from 9 am til noon Cost will be $5 per player This giant field house has 12 full-size basketball courts and will be marked for pickleball courts At this time they will mark off as many courts as needed to accommodate the players It would help to know how many people would like to play on Oct 11 If you are interested please send a note to gsdunnbellsouthnet Of course if you want to play the e-mail is not mandatory Come out and support this new venture

The center is located just off of Interstate 75 at 755 Hwy 293 Emerson Ga 30137

THE GPBThe GPB is produced for all our Georgia pickleball players to enjoy hearing about tournaments tidbits photos and fellow players throughout the state The informa-tion herein is provided by readers ambas-sadors and players like you So talk to us You have news tidbits or photos to share in our next GPB bulletin Simply email your text andor jpg files to the address below See our submission guidelines on the last page of this bulletin To subscribe to our bulletin use the email below Feel free to forward this pdf to any of your friends

EditorBill Hess

Georgia District AmbassadorUSA Pickleball Association

Copy EditorCarole Hess

Graphics Design amp Layout Fran Conn

Contributors amp Photography You and your fellow players

To submit an article please read the submission recommendations on the last page and email it and photos to

B3779hotmailcom

USAPA Ambassador RetreatPort St Lucie Florida was the site for the second United States Pickleball Associations ambas-sador retreat Ambassadors from all over the United States (and two from Costa Rica) gath-ered for five days of meetings and learning sessions For those not familiar with the USAPArsquos ambassador program it is the grass roots part of the USAPA volunteer organization It should be noted that the USAPA is made up of all volunteers with the exception of two paid em-ployees The ambassadors are players from various communities who volunteer their time to help pickleball grow

September 11 seven ambassadors from Georgia attended this yearrsquos retreat They met with close to two hundred ambassadors to exchange ideas and attend clinics on all as-pects of pickleball and growing pickleball in their communities Of course there was also time alloted for enjoying some pickleball play

If you have any questions regarding the USAPA or the ambassador program feel free to send them to b3779hotmailcom

georgia pickleball bulletin September 2016 InThe New shellip Pickleball goes to School Henry Count y amp At hens in t he NewsTournaments Henry James Creek MJCCA Union Count yFYI Georgia Pickleball Calendar

From the USAPA What rsquos your PB skill level Places to Play in Georgia

High school physical education teacher Tracy Tipton emerged from a condominium pool and thought she heard a familiar sound from her past She walked up a slight incline to find ad-joining tennis courts and saw a grandfather and grandmother playing pickleball with their teen grandsons visiting from California ldquoI thought I recognized that soundrdquo she called out ldquoI used to teach the game several years agordquo

When the pickleball players joined her at the pool later they introduced themselves Tracy was there as a guest of friends who had just moved to the condo She mentioned her time teaching pickleball years earlier but hadnrsquot been around the sport since She was invited to play whenever she visited her friends

A few days later she was again at the pool and started conversation with the grandfather Avondale Estates Pickleball Ambassador Mark Stenbeck Her friends had mentioned that someone in the complex was promoting pick-leball and that she would love to start pickle-ball at her high school Central Gwinett in Law-renceville Being a Title I school it had limited funds He mentioned the possibility of getting a USAPA grant to defray some of the expense and she got very excited They exchanged con-tact information

The fairly new ambassador then researched grant requirements Since one of the reasons he became an ambassador was to help involve youth he decided to purchase two USAPA nets and eight starter paddles and a dozen balls While hoping to be partially reimbursed thru US-APA grant he decided was worth the expense to help this program get started

So an ldquoexperimentrdquo will begin this fall at Cen-tral Gwinett High School While it is a given that pickleball will be taught in PE class and teens will get to enjoy the game immediately it will take some time to determine if we will develop players for the long term and if we can develop more interest in the community as well We can hope that the distinctve sound of pickleball will be heard not only at Central Gwinett but other area high schools

The ambassador shared websites with high school and college pickleball curriculum as well as USAPA and other instructional sites He of-fered to help teach introductory lessons He has made the teacher aware of community places to play including the local YMCA county recre-ation center and an area church

Thanks USAPA for the grant program Mark C StenbeckAvondale Estates Ambassadore

Distinctive Sound Goes to School

2

PAGE Pickleball Stories 2

PAGE

Oasis Pickleball Grads Prepare for TourneySept 14 2016 Nancy Oliver Smith Blairsville Pickleball Club

A ldquoNovicerdquo Pickleball Tournament will be held Tuesday Sept 27 in the Methodist Activity Center (MAC) gym of the First United Methodist Church of Union County located on Hwy 515

Sixteen players will enjoy a ldquoRound Robinrdquo style of play beginning at 1 PM Funds raised by the entrance fees will be donated to the Methodist Church Visitors are encouraged to attend the matches with no admission charge Any donations will be gratefully accepted

Most of the contestants learned to play winter and spring in the continuing education program (OASISmdashOutstanding Adults Sharing In Service) of the church Over the summer the MAC gym was open for practice Tuesday afternoons Many players joined the Blairsville Pickleball Club with access to the old Middle School gym this summer as well as Meeks Park Tuesday and Thursday mornings

The two current OASIS classes are full with a waiting list of 23 people Pickleball is a fast growing sport especially among older citizens as it provides exercise with lessened risk of injury and great fellowship The public is invited to come to Meeks Park on Mondays and Tuesdays mornings to learn about the game meet the BPC members and play

Front lndashr Barbara Delli-Veneri Nancy Gillis Lavonia Blackford of Blairsville GA Lenda Mangham of Hiawassee Vivienne Rimoldi Lynn Laurenti of Blairsville Middle row lndashr Jim Shinholser of Blairsville Marty Evans Dave Evans of Morganton Vic Henderson Mike Mekas Terry Korpinen Sheila Garrison of Blairsville Back row lndashr Charles McCorkle of Blairsville Francis Mangham of Hiawassee Jerry Hall Bill Kolb of Blairsville

MJCCA Bi-Annual Pickleball Tournament Join the MJCCA Bi-Annual Pickleball Tournament Perfect for players of all ages and skill levels this tournament is grouped by skill level Players may register as doubles teams and our event orga-nizers will pair up registered singles The Tournament consists of groupings with a guaranteed five games The top teams will advance for a chance to compete for the championship Off the court the MJCCA invites all registered pickleball players to take advantage of our other facilities for the day Snacks and beverages are provided Advanced registration required T-shirts provided to the first 75 registrants PRICE Member $2500 Non-Member $3500 Open to the Community

A NOTE TO TOURNAMENT PLANNERSIf you are planning a tournament for 2017 please send me as much info as possible

There will be an article about 2017 tournaments in our next issue of the GPB With the increase in tournaments in Georgia we hope to be able to all work together and make sure there are no competing tournament dates I am proposing a plan that each clubvenue have a specific weekend

each year to hold their tournament Example Hiawassee might have the third weekend in Sept each year Knowing this anyone planning a new tournament could avoid that weekend We can use the

previous yearrsquos dates to set our schedule for the following year Naturally any group may change their date but they would still have some idea when other tournaments are planned mdashBill Hess

3

PAGE

Upcoming Tournaments 3

PAGE

Henry County Parks amp Rec Clocks Year Of Pickleball Reprinted from the Metro South Neighbor

Pickleball looks like what Henry County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Coley said it ismdashan indoor game combining badminton tennis vol-leyball and ping-pong

ldquoThrow in some fun and good exerciserdquo he said in a statement ldquoItrsquos the growing crazerdquo

Its fans have grown to more than 30 a week since it was introduced in the county a year ago Sept 29 requiring the county to add Mon-day night play in McDonough to its original Wednesday and Thursday morning schedule in Stockbridge

ldquoAn excellent activity for all age groups pickleball is great for agility and balance as well as enhanced coordination and is easy to learnrdquo Coley said

During a recent session at JP Moseley Recre-ation Center in Stockbridge two players on each side of a low-slung net kept their knees soft and their eyes sharp as they followed the movements of a yellow plastic ball

Gary Duffey of McDonough said he has been playing since January and values the game for its exercise competition and socialization

ldquoTim Turner was playingrdquo he said about a friend ldquoand I decided to check it outrdquo

Turner of Locust Grove said he also heard about it by word of mouth

ldquoI had some surgery and I needed to get back in shape A friend got me to come inrdquo he said

Friendships bloom on the court said county Athletics Recreation Specialist Peggy Hesselbach increasing its popularity

ldquoThey seem to really love it Mostly itrsquos the exer-cise and the camaraderierdquo she said

The front desk assigns partners so every partic-ipants gets experience with a better player or a weaker player Hesselbach said

ldquoThis is an excellent group of people Nobody judges anybody They all play together really wellrdquo she said

Hesselbach discovered the game at a 2015 parks and recreation workshop

ldquoIt was started in 1962 and they named it pick-leball because the people who developed it their dogrsquos name was Picklerdquo she said ldquoIt was a couple of guys that just wanted their kids to get off of the couch and get out and play so they created this gamerdquo

In 1972 the USA Pickleball Association estab-lished its rules said Hesselbach who is a mem-ber and one of its ambassadors

She is also a pickleball player who said she en-joys its athleticism telling of one participant who played five games and tracked more mileage than a 5K race

ldquoYou donrsquot realize when yoursquore playing the game Look at their shirtsrdquo Hesselbach said about damp gym clothes ldquoTheyrsquore really getting a workout You really really work out But you donrsquot feel like it When yoursquore walking you feel

like yoursquore working out When yoursquore playing this game the time just fliesrdquo

Time may fly at the departmentrsquos Communi-ty Day on Oct 22 when residents can see the game for themselves

ldquoThey have an open house and they have all the instructors put on a show for the people so that they know what they can playrdquo Hesselbach said ldquoThat way it gives people in the area an idea of what we offer at this locationrdquo

One signup allows residents to use all the coun-ty recreation centers she said

ldquoIf you live here and this is the most conve-nient thatrsquos finerdquo Hesselbach said ldquoIf yoursquore trav-eling and yoursquore closest to Locust Grove at that time you can hop in there Your card is good anywhererdquo

Pickleball is free to play for members and $2 for non-members Equipment is provided by the recreation center

The Athens Area Pickleball Associationrsquos Pickle-ball Clinics were great successes Bill Hess our Georgia District Ambassador of the USAPA sur-prised us and brought his wife Carole and to-gether they had all of us sweating to the next level of play Sixteen Beginners 21 Intermedi-ates and 14 Advanced playersmdash51 in allmdashtook to the courts at Lay Park in three level clinics Beginners Intermediates and Advanced Bill and Carole have organized and run several tournaments here in Georgia the latest being the Georgia State Championship Games in Ken-nesaw Ga Their love of the game is matched by their skills and love of teaching others the

enjoyment of pickleball And as always a spe-cial thanks to Randy Haygood and his wonder-ful staff at Lay Memorial Park for providing a place to play and learn have fun and enjoy the game of pickleball

Thank you Bill and Carole for a great day The clinic was sponsored by the Athens Area Pick-leball Association of Athens Georgia organized and led by their President Dr J (Jerry Brinegar) also a USAPA Ambassador

Jerry L Brinegar PhD PresidentAthens Area Pickleball AssociationAmbassador USAPAjbrinegarbellsouthnet bull 7062029193

Athens Area Pickleball Pickleball Clinics

4

PAGE

News bull In the Spotlight 4

PAGE

Staying Fit amp Pickled Pink bull Pickleball RX

Pickleball amp xxx xxx

5

PAGECovering The Courts Proper Attire at the Ambassador Retreat

Eye Injuries from PickleballEvery year over 600000 recreational and sports related eye injuries occur Of these close to 14000 result in a permanent loss of sight Racket sports rank 4th among activities causing eye injuries About 90 of these could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear made of polycarbon-ate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are highly impact resistant and are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and they offer UV protection A change or loss of vision causes a significant lifestyle change and has a social and financial impact

Pickleball is classified as a high risk activity because it involves a ball and a paddle both of which can potentially cause eye trauma

Eye injuries are classified into three different types1 Blunt Trauma This is when an object strikes

your eye and is the most common injury This can result in orbital fractures a ruptured globe (broken eyeball) a vitreous hemorrhage or a detached retina The retina is the posterior part of the eye sensitive to light and creates a visual image similar to the film in a camera

2 Penetrating Injuries This is when some-thing cuts your eye it is very rarely seen in racket sports unless eyeglasses are broken

3 Radiation Injuries This is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight Ex-cessive exposure to UV light can cause eye damage including cataracts macular degen-eration and temporary vision loss The closer you are to the equator and the higher the elevation the greater the UV exposure From 1000 am to 2 pm UV exposure is greatest and certain medications such as tetracycline sulfa drugs oral contraceptives diuretics and tranquilizers increase exposure

A pickleball can travel at one third the velocity of a tennis ball which means it can travel at about 40 MPH With two players at the no volley line it takes 350-400 milliseconds or less than half a second for the ball to travel from one paddle to the other In other words you do not have time to avoid being hit in the eye with a ball You can test your reaction time at this website mathsisfuncomgamesreaction-timehtml In addition to injuries from being hit by a ball serious dam-age can occur from being hit in the eye with a paddle

If you do suffer eye trauma playing pickleball see an Opthomolgist immediately if the injury results in a loss or change in vision significant pain bruising or bleeding

See the pickleball even better with these eye-saving glasses The lenses are made of a shatterproof polycarbonate And they offer UV protection

7

PAGE Eye Safety bull Pickleball Rx 7

PAGE

Oasis Pickleball Grads Prepare for TourneySept 14 2016 Nancy Oliver Smith Blairsville Pickleball Club

A ldquoNovicerdquo Pickleball Tournament will be held Tuesday Sept 27 in the Methodist Activity Center (MAC) gym of the First United Methodist Church of Union County located on Hwy 515

Sixteen players will enjoy a ldquoRound Robinrdquo style of play beginning at 1 PM Funds raised by the entrance fees will be donated to the Methodist Church Visitors are encouraged to attend the matches with no admission charge Any donations will be gratefully accepted

Most of the contestants learned to play winter and spring in the continuing education program (OASISmdashOutstanding Adults Sharing In Service) of the church Over the summer the MAC gym was open for practice Tuesday afternoons Many players joined the Blairsville Pickleball Club with access to the old Middle School gym this summer as well as Meeks Park Tuesday and Thursday mornings

The two current OASIS classes are full with a waiting list of 23 people Pickleball is a fast growing sport especially among older citizens as it provides exercise with lessened risk of injury and great fellowship The public is invited to come to Meeks Park on Mondays and Tuesdays mornings to learn about the game meet the BPC members and play

Front lndashr Barbara Delli-Veneri Nancy Gillis Lavonia Blackford of Blairsville GA Lenda Mangham of Hiawassee Vivienne Rimoldi Lynn Laurenti of Blairsville Middle row lndashr Jim Shinholser of Blairsville Marty Evans Dave Evans of Morganton Vic Henderson Mike Mekas Terry Korpinen Sheila Garrison of Blairsville Back row lndashr Charles McCorkle of Blairsville Francis Mangham of Hiawassee Jerry Hall Bill Kolb of Blairsville

MJCCA Bi-Annual Pickleball Tournament Join the MJCCA Bi-Annual Pickleball Tournament Perfect for players of all ages and skill levels this tournament is grouped by skill level Players may register as doubles teams and our event orga-nizers will pair up registered singles The Tournament consists of groupings with a guaranteed five games The top teams will advance for a chance to compete for the championship Off the court the MJCCA invites all registered pickleball players to take advantage of our other facilities for the day Snacks and beverages are provided Advanced registration required T-shirts provided to the first 75 registrants PRICE Member $2500 Non-Member $3500 Open to the Community

A NOTE TO TOURNAMENT PLANNERSIf you are planning a tournament for 2017 please send me as much info as possible

There will be an article about 2017 tournaments in our next issue of the GPB With the increase in tournaments in Georgia we hope to be able to all work together and make sure there are no competing tournament dates I am proposing a plan that each clubvenue have a specific weekend

each year to hold their tournament Example Hiawassee might have the third weekend in Sept each year Knowing this anyone planning a new tournament could avoid that weekend We can use the

previous yearrsquos dates to set our schedule for the following year Naturally any group may change their date but they would still have some idea when other tournaments are planned mdashBill Hess

3

PAGE

Upcoming Tournaments 3

PAGE

Henry County Parks amp Rec Clocks Year Of Pickleball Reprinted from the Metro South Neighbor

Pickleball looks like what Henry County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Coley said it ismdashan indoor game combining badminton tennis vol-leyball and ping-pong

ldquoThrow in some fun and good exerciserdquo he said in a statement ldquoItrsquos the growing crazerdquo

Its fans have grown to more than 30 a week since it was introduced in the county a year ago Sept 29 requiring the county to add Mon-day night play in McDonough to its original Wednesday and Thursday morning schedule in Stockbridge

ldquoAn excellent activity for all age groups pickleball is great for agility and balance as well as enhanced coordination and is easy to learnrdquo Coley said

During a recent session at JP Moseley Recre-ation Center in Stockbridge two players on each side of a low-slung net kept their knees soft and their eyes sharp as they followed the movements of a yellow plastic ball

Gary Duffey of McDonough said he has been playing since January and values the game for its exercise competition and socialization

ldquoTim Turner was playingrdquo he said about a friend ldquoand I decided to check it outrdquo

Turner of Locust Grove said he also heard about it by word of mouth

ldquoI had some surgery and I needed to get back in shape A friend got me to come inrdquo he said

Friendships bloom on the court said county Athletics Recreation Specialist Peggy Hesselbach increasing its popularity

ldquoThey seem to really love it Mostly itrsquos the exer-cise and the camaraderierdquo she said

The front desk assigns partners so every partic-ipants gets experience with a better player or a weaker player Hesselbach said

ldquoThis is an excellent group of people Nobody judges anybody They all play together really wellrdquo she said

Hesselbach discovered the game at a 2015 parks and recreation workshop

ldquoIt was started in 1962 and they named it pick-leball because the people who developed it their dogrsquos name was Picklerdquo she said ldquoIt was a couple of guys that just wanted their kids to get off of the couch and get out and play so they created this gamerdquo

In 1972 the USA Pickleball Association estab-lished its rules said Hesselbach who is a mem-ber and one of its ambassadors

She is also a pickleball player who said she en-joys its athleticism telling of one participant who played five games and tracked more mileage than a 5K race

ldquoYou donrsquot realize when yoursquore playing the game Look at their shirtsrdquo Hesselbach said about damp gym clothes ldquoTheyrsquore really getting a workout You really really work out But you donrsquot feel like it When yoursquore walking you feel

like yoursquore working out When yoursquore playing this game the time just fliesrdquo

Time may fly at the departmentrsquos Communi-ty Day on Oct 22 when residents can see the game for themselves

ldquoThey have an open house and they have all the instructors put on a show for the people so that they know what they can playrdquo Hesselbach said ldquoThat way it gives people in the area an idea of what we offer at this locationrdquo

One signup allows residents to use all the coun-ty recreation centers she said

ldquoIf you live here and this is the most conve-nient thatrsquos finerdquo Hesselbach said ldquoIf yoursquore trav-eling and yoursquore closest to Locust Grove at that time you can hop in there Your card is good anywhererdquo

Pickleball is free to play for members and $2 for non-members Equipment is provided by the recreation center

The Athens Area Pickleball Associationrsquos Pickle-ball Clinics were great successes Bill Hess our Georgia District Ambassador of the USAPA sur-prised us and brought his wife Carole and to-gether they had all of us sweating to the next level of play Sixteen Beginners 21 Intermedi-ates and 14 Advanced playersmdash51 in allmdashtook to the courts at Lay Park in three level clinics Beginners Intermediates and Advanced Bill and Carole have organized and run several tournaments here in Georgia the latest being the Georgia State Championship Games in Ken-nesaw Ga Their love of the game is matched by their skills and love of teaching others the

enjoyment of pickleball And as always a spe-cial thanks to Randy Haygood and his wonder-ful staff at Lay Memorial Park for providing a place to play and learn have fun and enjoy the game of pickleball

Thank you Bill and Carole for a great day The clinic was sponsored by the Athens Area Pick-leball Association of Athens Georgia organized and led by their President Dr J (Jerry Brinegar) also a USAPA Ambassador

Jerry L Brinegar PhD PresidentAthens Area Pickleball AssociationAmbassador USAPAjbrinegarbellsouthnet bull 7062029193

Athens Area Pickleball Pickleball Clinics

4

PAGE

News bull In the Spotlight 4

PAGE

Staying Fit amp Pickled Pink bull Pickleball RX

Pickleball amp xxx xxx

5

PAGECovering The Courts Proper Attire at the Ambassador Retreat

Eye Injuries from PickleballEvery year over 600000 recreational and sports related eye injuries occur Of these close to 14000 result in a permanent loss of sight Racket sports rank 4th among activities causing eye injuries About 90 of these could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear made of polycarbon-ate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are highly impact resistant and are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and they offer UV protection A change or loss of vision causes a significant lifestyle change and has a social and financial impact

Pickleball is classified as a high risk activity because it involves a ball and a paddle both of which can potentially cause eye trauma

Eye injuries are classified into three different types1 Blunt Trauma This is when an object strikes

your eye and is the most common injury This can result in orbital fractures a ruptured globe (broken eyeball) a vitreous hemorrhage or a detached retina The retina is the posterior part of the eye sensitive to light and creates a visual image similar to the film in a camera

2 Penetrating Injuries This is when some-thing cuts your eye it is very rarely seen in racket sports unless eyeglasses are broken

3 Radiation Injuries This is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight Ex-cessive exposure to UV light can cause eye damage including cataracts macular degen-eration and temporary vision loss The closer you are to the equator and the higher the elevation the greater the UV exposure From 1000 am to 2 pm UV exposure is greatest and certain medications such as tetracycline sulfa drugs oral contraceptives diuretics and tranquilizers increase exposure

A pickleball can travel at one third the velocity of a tennis ball which means it can travel at about 40 MPH With two players at the no volley line it takes 350-400 milliseconds or less than half a second for the ball to travel from one paddle to the other In other words you do not have time to avoid being hit in the eye with a ball You can test your reaction time at this website mathsisfuncomgamesreaction-timehtml In addition to injuries from being hit by a ball serious dam-age can occur from being hit in the eye with a paddle

If you do suffer eye trauma playing pickleball see an Opthomolgist immediately if the injury results in a loss or change in vision significant pain bruising or bleeding

See the pickleball even better with these eye-saving glasses The lenses are made of a shatterproof polycarbonate And they offer UV protection

7

PAGE Eye Safety bull Pickleball Rx 7

PAGE

Henry County Parks amp Rec Clocks Year Of Pickleball Reprinted from the Metro South Neighbor

Pickleball looks like what Henry County Parks and Recreation Director Tim Coley said it ismdashan indoor game combining badminton tennis vol-leyball and ping-pong

ldquoThrow in some fun and good exerciserdquo he said in a statement ldquoItrsquos the growing crazerdquo

Its fans have grown to more than 30 a week since it was introduced in the county a year ago Sept 29 requiring the county to add Mon-day night play in McDonough to its original Wednesday and Thursday morning schedule in Stockbridge

ldquoAn excellent activity for all age groups pickleball is great for agility and balance as well as enhanced coordination and is easy to learnrdquo Coley said

During a recent session at JP Moseley Recre-ation Center in Stockbridge two players on each side of a low-slung net kept their knees soft and their eyes sharp as they followed the movements of a yellow plastic ball

Gary Duffey of McDonough said he has been playing since January and values the game for its exercise competition and socialization

ldquoTim Turner was playingrdquo he said about a friend ldquoand I decided to check it outrdquo

Turner of Locust Grove said he also heard about it by word of mouth

ldquoI had some surgery and I needed to get back in shape A friend got me to come inrdquo he said

Friendships bloom on the court said county Athletics Recreation Specialist Peggy Hesselbach increasing its popularity

ldquoThey seem to really love it Mostly itrsquos the exer-cise and the camaraderierdquo she said

The front desk assigns partners so every partic-ipants gets experience with a better player or a weaker player Hesselbach said

ldquoThis is an excellent group of people Nobody judges anybody They all play together really wellrdquo she said

Hesselbach discovered the game at a 2015 parks and recreation workshop

ldquoIt was started in 1962 and they named it pick-leball because the people who developed it their dogrsquos name was Picklerdquo she said ldquoIt was a couple of guys that just wanted their kids to get off of the couch and get out and play so they created this gamerdquo

In 1972 the USA Pickleball Association estab-lished its rules said Hesselbach who is a mem-ber and one of its ambassadors

She is also a pickleball player who said she en-joys its athleticism telling of one participant who played five games and tracked more mileage than a 5K race

ldquoYou donrsquot realize when yoursquore playing the game Look at their shirtsrdquo Hesselbach said about damp gym clothes ldquoTheyrsquore really getting a workout You really really work out But you donrsquot feel like it When yoursquore walking you feel

like yoursquore working out When yoursquore playing this game the time just fliesrdquo

Time may fly at the departmentrsquos Communi-ty Day on Oct 22 when residents can see the game for themselves

ldquoThey have an open house and they have all the instructors put on a show for the people so that they know what they can playrdquo Hesselbach said ldquoThat way it gives people in the area an idea of what we offer at this locationrdquo

One signup allows residents to use all the coun-ty recreation centers she said

ldquoIf you live here and this is the most conve-nient thatrsquos finerdquo Hesselbach said ldquoIf yoursquore trav-eling and yoursquore closest to Locust Grove at that time you can hop in there Your card is good anywhererdquo

Pickleball is free to play for members and $2 for non-members Equipment is provided by the recreation center

The Athens Area Pickleball Associationrsquos Pickle-ball Clinics were great successes Bill Hess our Georgia District Ambassador of the USAPA sur-prised us and brought his wife Carole and to-gether they had all of us sweating to the next level of play Sixteen Beginners 21 Intermedi-ates and 14 Advanced playersmdash51 in allmdashtook to the courts at Lay Park in three level clinics Beginners Intermediates and Advanced Bill and Carole have organized and run several tournaments here in Georgia the latest being the Georgia State Championship Games in Ken-nesaw Ga Their love of the game is matched by their skills and love of teaching others the

enjoyment of pickleball And as always a spe-cial thanks to Randy Haygood and his wonder-ful staff at Lay Memorial Park for providing a place to play and learn have fun and enjoy the game of pickleball

Thank you Bill and Carole for a great day The clinic was sponsored by the Athens Area Pick-leball Association of Athens Georgia organized and led by their President Dr J (Jerry Brinegar) also a USAPA Ambassador

Jerry L Brinegar PhD PresidentAthens Area Pickleball AssociationAmbassador USAPAjbrinegarbellsouthnet bull 7062029193

Athens Area Pickleball Pickleball Clinics

4

PAGE

News bull In the Spotlight 4

PAGE

Staying Fit amp Pickled Pink bull Pickleball RX

Pickleball amp xxx xxx

5

PAGECovering The Courts Proper Attire at the Ambassador Retreat

Eye Injuries from PickleballEvery year over 600000 recreational and sports related eye injuries occur Of these close to 14000 result in a permanent loss of sight Racket sports rank 4th among activities causing eye injuries About 90 of these could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear made of polycarbon-ate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are highly impact resistant and are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and they offer UV protection A change or loss of vision causes a significant lifestyle change and has a social and financial impact

Pickleball is classified as a high risk activity because it involves a ball and a paddle both of which can potentially cause eye trauma

Eye injuries are classified into three different types1 Blunt Trauma This is when an object strikes

your eye and is the most common injury This can result in orbital fractures a ruptured globe (broken eyeball) a vitreous hemorrhage or a detached retina The retina is the posterior part of the eye sensitive to light and creates a visual image similar to the film in a camera

2 Penetrating Injuries This is when some-thing cuts your eye it is very rarely seen in racket sports unless eyeglasses are broken

3 Radiation Injuries This is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight Ex-cessive exposure to UV light can cause eye damage including cataracts macular degen-eration and temporary vision loss The closer you are to the equator and the higher the elevation the greater the UV exposure From 1000 am to 2 pm UV exposure is greatest and certain medications such as tetracycline sulfa drugs oral contraceptives diuretics and tranquilizers increase exposure

A pickleball can travel at one third the velocity of a tennis ball which means it can travel at about 40 MPH With two players at the no volley line it takes 350-400 milliseconds or less than half a second for the ball to travel from one paddle to the other In other words you do not have time to avoid being hit in the eye with a ball You can test your reaction time at this website mathsisfuncomgamesreaction-timehtml In addition to injuries from being hit by a ball serious dam-age can occur from being hit in the eye with a paddle

If you do suffer eye trauma playing pickleball see an Opthomolgist immediately if the injury results in a loss or change in vision significant pain bruising or bleeding

See the pickleball even better with these eye-saving glasses The lenses are made of a shatterproof polycarbonate And they offer UV protection

7

PAGE Eye Safety bull Pickleball Rx 7

PAGE

Staying Fit amp Pickled Pink bull Pickleball RX

Pickleball amp xxx xxx

5

PAGECovering The Courts Proper Attire at the Ambassador Retreat

Eye Injuries from PickleballEvery year over 600000 recreational and sports related eye injuries occur Of these close to 14000 result in a permanent loss of sight Racket sports rank 4th among activities causing eye injuries About 90 of these could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear made of polycarbon-ate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are highly impact resistant and are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and they offer UV protection A change or loss of vision causes a significant lifestyle change and has a social and financial impact

Pickleball is classified as a high risk activity because it involves a ball and a paddle both of which can potentially cause eye trauma

Eye injuries are classified into three different types1 Blunt Trauma This is when an object strikes

your eye and is the most common injury This can result in orbital fractures a ruptured globe (broken eyeball) a vitreous hemorrhage or a detached retina The retina is the posterior part of the eye sensitive to light and creates a visual image similar to the film in a camera

2 Penetrating Injuries This is when some-thing cuts your eye it is very rarely seen in racket sports unless eyeglasses are broken

3 Radiation Injuries This is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight Ex-cessive exposure to UV light can cause eye damage including cataracts macular degen-eration and temporary vision loss The closer you are to the equator and the higher the elevation the greater the UV exposure From 1000 am to 2 pm UV exposure is greatest and certain medications such as tetracycline sulfa drugs oral contraceptives diuretics and tranquilizers increase exposure

A pickleball can travel at one third the velocity of a tennis ball which means it can travel at about 40 MPH With two players at the no volley line it takes 350-400 milliseconds or less than half a second for the ball to travel from one paddle to the other In other words you do not have time to avoid being hit in the eye with a ball You can test your reaction time at this website mathsisfuncomgamesreaction-timehtml In addition to injuries from being hit by a ball serious dam-age can occur from being hit in the eye with a paddle

If you do suffer eye trauma playing pickleball see an Opthomolgist immediately if the injury results in a loss or change in vision significant pain bruising or bleeding

See the pickleball even better with these eye-saving glasses The lenses are made of a shatterproof polycarbonate And they offer UV protection

7

PAGE Eye Safety bull Pickleball Rx 7

PAGE

Eye Injuries from PickleballEvery year over 600000 recreational and sports related eye injuries occur Of these close to 14000 result in a permanent loss of sight Racket sports rank 4th among activities causing eye injuries About 90 of these could be avoided with the use of protective eyewear made of polycarbon-ate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are highly impact resistant and are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and they offer UV protection A change or loss of vision causes a significant lifestyle change and has a social and financial impact

Pickleball is classified as a high risk activity because it involves a ball and a paddle both of which can potentially cause eye trauma

Eye injuries are classified into three different types1 Blunt Trauma This is when an object strikes

your eye and is the most common injury This can result in orbital fractures a ruptured globe (broken eyeball) a vitreous hemorrhage or a detached retina The retina is the posterior part of the eye sensitive to light and creates a visual image similar to the film in a camera

2 Penetrating Injuries This is when some-thing cuts your eye it is very rarely seen in racket sports unless eyeglasses are broken

3 Radiation Injuries This is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight Ex-cessive exposure to UV light can cause eye damage including cataracts macular degen-eration and temporary vision loss The closer you are to the equator and the higher the elevation the greater the UV exposure From 1000 am to 2 pm UV exposure is greatest and certain medications such as tetracycline sulfa drugs oral contraceptives diuretics and tranquilizers increase exposure

A pickleball can travel at one third the velocity of a tennis ball which means it can travel at about 40 MPH With two players at the no volley line it takes 350-400 milliseconds or less than half a second for the ball to travel from one paddle to the other In other words you do not have time to avoid being hit in the eye with a ball You can test your reaction time at this website mathsisfuncomgamesreaction-timehtml In addition to injuries from being hit by a ball serious dam-age can occur from being hit in the eye with a paddle

If you do suffer eye trauma playing pickleball see an Opthomolgist immediately if the injury results in a loss or change in vision significant pain bruising or bleeding

See the pickleball even better with these eye-saving glasses The lenses are made of a shatterproof polycarbonate And they offer UV protection

7

PAGE Eye Safety bull Pickleball Rx 7

PAGE

10 bull New and have only minimal knowledge of the game and the rules

15 bull Limited to some rallies bull Learning how to serve bull Developing a forehand bull Fails to return easy balls frequently and occasionally misses the ball

entirely bull Played a few games and is learning the court lines scoring and some

basic rules of the game

20 bull Sustains a short rally with players of equal ability bull Demonstrating the basic shot strokes ndash forehand backhand volley

overhead and the serve but has obvious weaknesses in most strokes bull Familiar with court positioning in doubles play

25 bull Makes longer lasting slow-paced rallies bull Makes most easy volleys and uses some backhands but needs more

work on developing shot strokes bull Beginning to approach the non-volley zone to hit volleys bull Aware of the ldquosoft gamerdquo bull Knowledge of the rules has improved bull Court coverage is weak but improving

30 bull More consistent on the serve and service return and when returning

medium-paced balls bull Demonstrates improved skills with all the basic shot strokes and shot

placement but lacks control when trying for direction depth or power on their shots

bull Beginning to attempt lobs and dinks with little success and doesnrsquot fully understand when and why they should be used

35 bull Demonstrates improved stroke dependability with directional control

on most medium-paced balls and some faster-paced balls bull Demonstrates improved control when trying for direction depth and

power on their shots bull Needs to develop variety with their shots bull Exhibits some aggressive net play bull Beginning to anticipate opponentrsquos shots bull Learning about the importance of strategy and teamwork in doubles

40 bull Consistent and dependable strokes including directional control and

depth on both forehand and backhand shots bull Reliable serves lobs overheads approach shots and volleys and can

use spin shots with some success bull Occasionally can force errors when serving bull Rallies may be lost due to impatience bull Uses the dink shot and drop shots to slow down or change the pace of

the game bull Demonstrates 3rd shot strategies ndash drop shots lobs and fast-paced

ground strokes bull Aggressive net play and teamwork in doubles is evident bull Fully understands the rules of the game and can play by them

45 bull Beginning to master the use of power and spin can successfully exe-

cute all shots can control the depth of their shots and can handle pace bull Beginning to master the dink shots and drop shots and their impor-

tance to the game bull Beginning to master 3rd shot choices bull Displays sound footwork and moves well enough to get to the

non-volley zone whenever required bull Understands strategy and can adjust style of play and game plan accord-

ing to the opponentrsquos strengths and weaknesses and court position bull Serves with power and accuracy and can also vary the speed and spin

of the serve bull Understands the importance of ldquokeeping the ball in playrdquo and the

effect of making errors bull Making good choices in shot selection bull Anticipates the opponentrsquos shots resulting in good court positioning

50 bull Mastered all the skills ndash all shot types touch spin serves with control

and can use them as weapons bull Excellent shot anticipation extremely accurate shot placement and

regularly hit winning shots bull Forces opponents into making errors by ldquokeeping the ball in playrdquo bull Mastered the dink and drop shots bull Mastered the 3rd shot choices and strategies bull Uses soft shots dinks and lobs to set up offensive situations bull Mastered pickleball strategies and can vary strategies and styles of

play in competitive or tournament matches bull Dependable in stressful situations as in tournament match play bull Athletic ability quickness agility and raw athleticism are also

qualities that are sometimes what separates the top players from those near the top

8

PAGE

Finding Your Pickleball Skill Level

Submission Guidelines Georgia Pickleball Bulletin

Feel free to submit your stories and photos to our bulletinText should be in plain text format (txt) or part of your email Do not format your text no tabs center-ing bullets double spaces etc And a reminder the word pickleball is all lower case not capitalizedPhotos amp images should be in jpg format (separate from the text file ie do not paste or embed photos into your text or pdf file) The images should be renamed appropriate to your text (jsmithjpg winnerjpg new courtsjpg etc) Calendar Events If you have an event that you would like added to our GPB Calendar submit it as a separate email with the (1) name of the event (2) date(s) (3) location (4) contacts (including email ad-dresses) (5) participant age groups and (6) website if one is available

Email all to Bill Hess bull B3779hotmailcom

TOURNEYEVENT 2016 LOCATION CONTACT AGE URL NOTESMJCCA Bi-Annual Fall Doubles Pickleball Tournament Oct 16 MJCCA All All skill levels Member $2500 Non-Member $3500

Open to the Community

TOURNEYEVENT 2017 LOCATION CONTACT AGE URL NOTES

Pickled Peach Valentine Classic February 101112

Athens Classic Center Athens Indoors

Friday Singles Sat Doubles Sunday Mixed DoublesRegister pickleballtournamentscomQuestions pickledpeachgmailcom

Georgia Mountain Pickleball Fall Classic Sept 15ndash17 Haiwassee Tournament Directors Peggy Castorri co-director

John Hall co-director

Canrsquot play Just want to watch No problem Too young Too old No problem Everyonersquos invited

9

PAGE

Looking for a place to play pickleball hellipbut were afraid to ask

Itrsquos easy peasyGo to usapaorgplaces-to-play-pickleball and click on your state

You will not only find places to play but who to email or call with questions as well

2016 GEORGIA PICKLEBALL CALENDARWith the enormous growth of pickleball and the growing number of tournaments and events we are working together

to schedule events that donrsquot overlap With your help The Georgia Pickleball Bulletin will keep the calendar up-to-date every month Send us your tournament information as soon as possible

If you have a question feel free to contact us at B3779hotmailcom

PICKLEBALL PARTICULARS

Submission Guidelines Georgia Pickleball Bulletin

Feel free to submit your stories and photos to our bulletinText should be in plain text format (txt) or part of your email Do not format your text no tabs center-ing bullets double spaces etc And a reminder the word pickleball is all lower case not capitalizedPhotos amp images should be in jpg format (separate from the text file ie do not paste or embed photos into your text or pdf file) The images should be renamed appropriate to your text (jsmithjpg winnerjpg new courtsjpg etc) Calendar Events If you have an event that you would like added to our GPB Calendar submit it as a separate email with the (1) name of the event (2) date(s) (3) location (4) contacts (including email ad-dresses) (5) participant age groups and (6) website if one is available

Email all to Bill Hess bull B3779hotmailcom

TOURNEYEVENT 2016 LOCATION CONTACT AGE URL NOTESMJCCA Bi-Annual Fall Doubles Pickleball Tournament Oct 16 MJCCA All All skill levels Member $2500 Non-Member $3500

Open to the Community

TOURNEYEVENT 2017 LOCATION CONTACT AGE URL NOTES

Pickled Peach Valentine Classic February 101112

Athens Classic Center Athens Indoors

Friday Singles Sat Doubles Sunday Mixed DoublesRegister pickleballtournamentscomQuestions pickledpeachgmailcom

Georgia Mountain Pickleball Fall Classic Sept 15ndash17 Haiwassee Tournament Directors Peggy Castorri co-director

John Hall co-director

Canrsquot play Just want to watch No problem Too young Too old No problem Everyonersquos invited

9

PAGE

Looking for a place to play pickleball hellipbut were afraid to ask

Itrsquos easy peasyGo to usapaorgplaces-to-play-pickleball and click on your state

You will not only find places to play but who to email or call with questions as well

2016 GEORGIA PICKLEBALL CALENDARWith the enormous growth of pickleball and the growing number of tournaments and events we are working together

to schedule events that donrsquot overlap With your help The Georgia Pickleball Bulletin will keep the calendar up-to-date every month Send us your tournament information as soon as possible

If you have a question feel free to contact us at B3779hotmailcom

PICKLEBALL PARTICULARS