Blog

Fortunately, through my work, I was able to be in Johns Creek, Georgia in late November. The weather was very nice. Cold, but nice! I was invited by a co-worker (thank you Valerie!) to go to Northpark Tennis and Pickleball to play pickleball on Monday and Tuesday evenings. It was a fun time and there were several great players! There were several great matches and friendly folks! The courts were nice as well. Tennis surface with permanent nets. You might arrive early in the fall as some courts need to be swept off due to lots of falling leaves.

It was much fun and I look forward to going to Northpark again!

The dink and treat was a fun round robin tournament at Landreth Park in Joplin, Missouri that included LOTS of pickleball and a Halloween costume contest! It was a great time, although I had to play my friend Adrienne eight times! We finished 4-4….so no harm done and no bragging rights.

This was another KaSandra Gehrke tournament. As always….well done and a lot of fun! If you have a chance…..I would definitely recommend doing any or all of her events!

On October 30, 2020, I attended the PPR Coaching Workshop in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a long drive and a great experience. PPR is dedicated to training. They are the official education and certification partner of the USAPA. “The blend of an online and on-court workshop prepares participants for the certification testing which includes demonstrating fundamental shots, playing ability,and coaching skills administered on court along with a post workshop online written exam”.

It was a long day of demonstrating coaching styles and theories. As I have been coaching for awhile, it was good to see the things I have taught reinforced and I learned some new things as well. There were people there from all over the US. It was good to meet everyone…..and it was good to practice skills with others.

On November 23, 2020 I received notification that I had passed the on court and on line testing necessary to become a Professional Pickleball Registry Certified Pickleball Coach. I am very excited about this and there will be more news to come!

Thank you to everyone involved with PPR!

On a cold Sunday afternoon in late October, I held a beginners clinic at Reeves Park in Columbus, Kansas. There were nine people there and the clinic lasted for two hours. It went well and the attendees had a great time. Some even left and went to a local church gymnasium and played more afterwards. The pickleball addiction continues!

I hope to do more clinics in the near future! They are so much fun for the players and the coach!

A special shout out to Becca at Riggs Chiropractic for setting this up and making it all possible!

The Millennium Family Fitness Tournament in Joplin, MO, held on October 16, 17 and 18 was my first tournament director experience.

There were sixteen singles players, sixty doubles teams and four hundred and twelve matches over three days! What a great turn out! Everyone had fun (I hope) and got to play LOTS of pickleball! Congratulations to all the players and winners! You are truly a special community! I appreciate everyone coming to the tournament and making it run so smoothly! There are so many people I have to thank. Without you none of this would have happened or gone as well as it did. Thank you Millennium Family Fitness and their staff for hosting everyone. It is a beautiful facility and they did a great job helping us set up, clean up and tear down. Thank you Missina Sharp for managing one side of the facility so I didn’t have to run back and forth. Plus all the other things….helping tape courts, measure nets, fill out score sheets and bring supplies from home. Thank you to ALL the volunteers, Caitlyn Randolph, Dean Rusk, Newt Sharp, Rudy Shultz, Jami Strickland and Lyle Welch….. that kept the courts moving and collected scores. Thank you also to the awesome sponsors, AdvoCare, Gearbox Pickleball, Jigsaw Health, Onix Pickleball, Pickleball Central and Vulcan Pickleball that were kind enough to send me supplies and raffle items! And a special shout out to Cody Kent who answered numerous questions about running a tournament. His advice was invaluable! I appreciate everyone and everything so much and will see everyone in the near future! Thank you!!!

Another beginners clinic at the Millennium Family Fitness Center. There were fifteen people who came and played! Everyone had fun and hopefully will enjoy a lifetime of playing the sport we love!

Thank you to all who attended!! There will be more soon!

The third annual Nick Hostler Tournament was a great success! A great group of people and players! I enjoy this every year and look forward to the next time! This year there was no rain and the weather was good. Unlike the year before where there was a huge thunderstorm that wiped out play.

No medals again for me, but I may have gained far more! After the tournament there was a wonderful dinner and the beginning of something amazing.

Pickleball is an amazing thing. So is life!

The Branson Pickleball Open was held in Branson, Missouri on September 19th and 20th at the Branson Rec Plex. It was a good tournament as always with Cody Kent running the proceedings. I failed to win any medals. The move up to 4.0 competition has proven to be more than a small feat. Still…..I haven’t played long. The journey continues! Back to drilling and getting in better shape! The next steps are there for the taking. As always…..be better!

I am excited about this next stage of my life. I love pickleball and I am lucky enough to have played almost every sport along the way. So yes, I will steal from every coach I have had and all the lessons learned. Please wish me well. I am lucky to do what I am passionate about and I promise to bring that energy to this endeavor.

This announcement was posted on Facebook on August 24, 2020

Please help us welcome Director of Pickleball, Kip Lacey to the ETG Sports team. Kip is a USAPA Ambassador, author and online pickleball personality. He is currently a 4.0 ranked USAPA player having played pickleball in 8 different states. His goal is to play in all 50 before he’s finished. He’s passionate about helping grow the sport and eager to get started. Be sure to show him some love next time you see him. We’re honored to have him on the team. We have some BIG plans for the pickleball division. Dm us for more info on how you can stay in the know. #elevatethegame#etgsports#pickleball#usapa#dinkresponsibly

As a follow up……on October 18, 2020….at 12:40 p.m….as my tournament for Elevate the Game had ended and most of the players had left the Millennium Fitness Center I ended all relationship ties with Elevate the Game. After one successful clinic and a wonderful tournament I realized this endeavor was a HUGE mistake. I caution anyone on entering any sort of agreement with this group. On the plus side….I did have a great tournament with awesome players, volunteers and friends! I look forward to doing more of this in the future! It WAS a splendid experience and I learned a lot!

On to whatever is next! As always….it is about pickleball and the tremendous players and fellow pickleball addicts that are the backbone of this sport!

On Sunday, August 23rd 2020 we had a round robin, re-seating and then more round robin….with a different partner and different opponent for every game. A long long day of a pickleball tournament that was tremendous fun. KaSandra Gehrke did a great job running the tournament and keeping everyone in line. Everyone had fun and although I did not win a medal it was still a good day.

It was a fun day with everyone. Pickleball includes a wonderful group of people and I am fortunate to be a part of them.