Chapel Hill Pickleball News You Can Use

By April 3, 2017 Announcements

​Pickleball Enthusiasts,

LOST AND FOUND

A pair of high end, prescription sunglasses that darken with light have been found at our Ephesus Courts. The glasses are in a hard, black plastic case with “Randy Jackson eyeware” inscribed within the case. If you’re the owner of these glasses contact JB Marr for their return.

EPHESUS COURTS HOUSE KEEPING

As our numbers increase, so does trash on the courts. Remember, we each are responsible for maintaining our pickleball courts trash free and safe for others to play. But of late, increasing amounts of water bottles, coffee cups, food and candy wrappers, and miscellaneous trash are being left behind on the courts. Please pick up after yourself and remind others to do the same. The city provides a trash and a recycling bin just outside the front gate. But P&R does not clean up after us on the courts. So, it’s incumbent upon each of us to be responsible for that which we bring into the courts. It’s easy: if you bring it in, then please be responsible for packing it out.

THANKS! AND A TIP OF THE HAT TO:

Vance Remick
…for providing us with a large, long-handled “squeegee” for ridding the pickleball courts of puddled water after a rain. The squeegee works great and is usually to be found propped against the fence closest to the restrooms. Great find, Vance!

BJ Attwood
…for working to provide our group with inexpensive, dri-fit, Chapel Hill Pickleball t-shirts with the official logo and tag line selected last summer by the majority of our players. You’ll find this same logo on our website and on other items later this year. Response to the t-shirts has been excellent with 60+ shirts sold so far. Indeed, as noted by one of our players, Stan Friedland, “such a large order is testimony to the high espirit-de-corp in Chapel Hill Pickleball.”

All shirts are now available and awaiting pick up. If you have not received or ordered your shirt yet, please contact BJ at attwoodbj@gmail.com. Our special price of $15 for each shirt is only guaranteed for 30 more days.

Mark Siewers
…for helping manage ladder play and for maintaining standings in both the intermediate and the advanced ladder. It’s a very detail-oriented job and Mark has been very generous with his time and expertise. How about expressing your appreciation to him for his efforts next time you play.

Jim Wilson
….for his continued devotion to and support of pickleball in all areas of training, promotion and counsel. As Ambassador Emeritus Jim has continued to give freely and generously of his time and expertise with our Orientation Trainings, with the effort to support Pickleball for Parkinsion’s, with Stan Friedland’s senior trainings at The Cedars and with the growth of pickleball in Pittsboro.

WE ARE GROWING!

Pickleball in Chapel Hill continues to grow. And you are going to be seeing a lot of new faces on the courts this Spring. A few individuals who have recently helped in expanding pickleball’s appeal at Ephesus and elsewhere are:

Stan Friedland
…who has spent the last month working with us to teach pickleball to residents of The Cedars at Meadowmont. About fifteen of those residents will begin playing this week on Thursday afternoons.

Gary Barnes
…whose pickleball suggestion to his group of about 80 members of the Meadowmont Aging in Place Project (MAPP) has resulted in sixteen of his group coming out for Orientation Training. Many have already ordered their own paddles and will be playing at various times throughout the week.

Dennis Caren
…for being a tireless advocate for “Pickleball for Parkinson’s”. At the suggestion of Joe Borrelli, our District Ambassador, Dennis has been researching the health benefits of pickleball for those with Parkinson’s. He has also been corresponding with those in other areas who have already introduced pickleball programs to those with Parkinson’s. Research indicates that those in the early stages of Parkinson’s can greatly forestall the onset of the more serious symptoms of this disease by remaining physically active and engaged. And pickleball has been shown to be a very effective component to the well being and continued health of those challenged by the course of Parkinson’s. We are presently seeking a venue and time to facilitate this outreach program.

If you have a friend or relative you think might benefit from “Pickleball for Parkinson’s” contact Dennis at dwcaren@gmail.com

Brad Hemminger
…for initiating a pickleball program for Ephesus School kids in the after-school program. Brad taught pickleball to the teachers in the after-school program and obtained a grant to finance the purchase of equipment for the program. The teachers in the after-school program will be teaching their students pickleball late in the afternoon as a part of on-going after-school program.
ORANGE COUNTY SENIOR GAMES

Pickleball competition begins this Saturday morning, April 8th, at 9am at Ephesus Courts. There will be no open play at Ephesus that day until the games are concluded. Come on out a watch some really earnest competition. Or play yourself at the CHCC. Regular indoor play there beginning at 11:30 am on Saturday is available. On Sunday, August 9th, Ephesus Courts will also be reserved for Senior Games beginning at 1 PM. Open Play permitted in the morning. But all the courts will be reserved for the games in the afternoon. No open play then permitted till the games are concluded on Sunday afternoon.

See you on the courts.

JB Marr
Brad Hemminger
USAPA co-Ambassadors