I want to personally thank all of you who attended this years Party4Life pickleball tournament! The day was a huge success and we were able to raise over $30,000 through all of our different tournaments. The money will be donated to the Mesquite Veterans Association to benefit the new Mesquite Veterans Hall. I can't think of a better way to honor our local veterans.
It was a long day but we managed to finish before dark. Thank you to those who helped by refereeing matches. A special thanks to Chuck, Susan and Lisa for helping and putting up with me.
Look forward to seeing all of you again in the spring.
Once again, a good pickleball tournament happens not because of the people running it, but by the people playing in it. Thanks You All!!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Party 4 Life Pickleball Tourney
There is just 2 weeks left to register for this years Party 4 Life Pickleball tournament. You can print registration form at www.suncitymesquite.org. The link for the form is located on the front page. You can also register online at the same site by clicking on "view activities and programs" in the left hand column. If you have any questions call me at 702-467-3072
Friday, October 15, 2010
Huntsman Games
The people of St George have once again pulled off one of the better pickleball tournaments in the world. Over 400 competitors and a full week of tournaments. I got to see and ref some truly great matches. Cant wait till I get to play next year.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Party 4 Life Pickleball Tournament
Nov 6th is the Sun City Mesquite's Party 4 Life Pickleball Tournament. It will be an exciting day benefitting the new Mesquite Veterans Center. There will be 2 divisions of Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles. The Price is $20.00 which includes all events entered along with a BBQ Lunch and Tee Shirt.
There is 2 ways to register. Online at suncitymesquite.org (click on View activities on left side then Party 4 life then scroll down to pickleball and click) or Mail in registration form found on first page of suncitymesquite.org.
If you have any questions email me at john.ramirez@pulte.com or 702-467-3072
See you on the courts!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Pickleballnow.com
Nate's Party @ St George indoor courts
Had a great time last night playing pickleball and celebrating Nate Aiwohi's Birthday
The indoor courts are always great to play at. The dark green paint on the walls is a nice addition. Saw quite a few friends I had not seen in a few months.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Party 4 Life
My next big Pickleball Tournament will be Nov 6th for Sun City Mesquites Party 4 Life charity event. There will once again be Mixed, Men's and Women's Doubles. Cost will be $20.00 with no additional cost for another event. You will also recieve a T-Shirt and a BBQ Lunch. Can't wait to see everyone on the courts soon.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Party 4 Life Results
Wow what a day! Thanks to all of you that played in this years Party 4 Life tournament. Like a party, a Pickleball Tournaments success is in the people participating. We have such a fun and competitive group of players that it is almost impossible to have a bad tournament. Thank You All! for supporting me and my tournament. Special Thanks to Tom Rankin and Lee Tally for all the help they gave me. I could not have pulled it off without the support of the fella's from Sun River.
Here are the results
2009 Party 4 Life Pickleball Tournament Results
Women’s Doubles
Gold Medal
Sandy Bryant-Karen Marchant
Silver Medals
Diane Shanklin-Geralyn McEwan
Shelly Mattinson-Karen Spadaro
Bronze Medal
Mary Lynn Larsen-Denise Allen
Men’s Doubles
A Flight Gold Medal
Scott Campbell-Dave Timmons
A Silver
Marty Grossman- Steve Hafen
A Bronze
Stephan Lemire-_Walt Ashby
B Flight Gold
Chad Williams- John Chuba
B Silver
James Grappo-Wayne Spadaro
B Flight Bronze
Lem Lucia-Sheldon Schmit
Mixed Doubles A Flight
Gold
Bob Bock-Pam Gossett
Silver
Tom Wheeler- Diane Shanklin
Bronze
Frank Feltner-Mary Lynn Larson
Mixed Doubles B
Gold
Gene Fradella- Anna Lindsey
Silver
Gary Rink- Shelly Mattinson
Bronze
Wayne Spadaro-Karen Spadaro
Here are the results
2009 Party 4 Life Pickleball Tournament Results
Women’s Doubles
Gold Medal
Sandy Bryant-Karen Marchant
Silver Medals
Diane Shanklin-Geralyn McEwan
Shelly Mattinson-Karen Spadaro
Bronze Medal
Mary Lynn Larsen-Denise Allen
Men’s Doubles
A Flight Gold Medal
Scott Campbell-Dave Timmons
A Silver
Marty Grossman- Steve Hafen
A Bronze
Stephan Lemire-_Walt Ashby
B Flight Gold
Chad Williams- John Chuba
B Silver
James Grappo-Wayne Spadaro
B Flight Bronze
Lem Lucia-Sheldon Schmit
Mixed Doubles A Flight
Gold
Bob Bock-Pam Gossett
Silver
Tom Wheeler- Diane Shanklin
Bronze
Frank Feltner-Mary Lynn Larson
Mixed Doubles B
Gold
Gene Fradella- Anna Lindsey
Silver
Gary Rink- Shelly Mattinson
Bronze
Wayne Spadaro-Karen Spadaro
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Party 4 Life
Ok entries will close this Saturday, November 7th. If you have mailed an entry please call Carey at 702-346-6006 and let her know your entry is in the mail. I will be working on pairings starting Monday November 9th. After I have finished pairings there will be no late entries allowed.
We will start the morning off with Men's and Women's Doubles. Following a short lunch break, we will start Mixed Doubles
Tom Wheeler will have a vendor booth at the tournament. He will be selling an excellent "Caffeine Free" Vitamin Hydration drink called "9 Iron" Tom is also Donating a small amount of 9 Iron that will be available on the courts for you to try.
Tom will also have Solar Flashlights and Racquet Guards to protect you Pickleball Racquet. I will direct you to Toms Booth at the tournament. Because Tom is donating an additional portion of his sales to the American Cancer Society I would ask you all to support his booth.
We will start the morning off with Men's and Women's Doubles. Following a short lunch break, we will start Mixed Doubles
Tom Wheeler will have a vendor booth at the tournament. He will be selling an excellent "Caffeine Free" Vitamin Hydration drink called "9 Iron" Tom is also Donating a small amount of 9 Iron that will be available on the courts for you to try.
Tom will also have Solar Flashlights and Racquet Guards to protect you Pickleball Racquet. I will direct you to Toms Booth at the tournament. Because Tom is donating an additional portion of his sales to the American Cancer Society I would ask you all to support his booth.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
What is Pickleball all about
I recieved an email from Bob Klarich today that I want to share with everyone
It came from Jed Christianson a newcomer to pickleball who came down to St George with a group of friends from Northern Utah to play in the Sun River tourney in Sept
If you were at the tourney you will remember them, they were the young Gentlemen with the pickleball T-shirts
He wrote this on his facebook page and sent it to Bob
Enjoy!
St. George Pickleball Tournament Aftermath
So as you know my family and I recently attended a pickleball tournament in sunny Southern Utah. I learned quite a few things and not all of them had to do with the game.
First, yes we got creamed. By creamed I mean mutilated to the fullest extent. Going into the tourney the only thing we had to rate ourselves by was pickleball videos on the internet. These are deceiving because pickleball is not necessarily a fast sport. You cannot tell a difficulty level from an online video. Our honest opinion was we were either going to be really good, or get humbled. Believe me, by the end of the day we were ready to throw up from humble pie.
If this isn’t bad enough, most of the people we played were well above 60. One team member of the particular duo that gave Lance (23) and I (28) an old-fashioned schooling was 75. His partner was not much younger. Bob Klarich, the tournament director, called my mom when he received our entries. He wondered how we heard about the tournament, how we would rate ourselves, and told us that the players were very good in St. George. After this phone call we naively thought; “maybe he is nervous that these young players are coming to hustle them.” Now, we know he was just trying to look out for us. He didn’t want us to drive 400 miles for a beating when we could just stay at home and jump in front of a semi, he knew the outcome would be the same.
In our defense, we hadn’t been practicing the scoring right. It is harder to score in tournament play than what we had been practicing at home. Mom and dad spent their first four games trying to figure it out. That was about the only rules we didn’t have down though. So there we were lined up, one by one, like laboratory tomatoes waiting to be tested in a new high-speed blender. And one by one we jumped in, got pulverized, then scraped ourselves up and limped off the court. In fact, come to think of it, lab tomatoes don’t make the choice to be in a lab. So who is smarter?
Now, what I learned on the courts outside the game. The tournament is held in a planned retirement community. These people wake up, get on their golf cart, and drive to the pickleball courts. They play from seven to nine o’clock in the morning six days a week. It is a thin slice of heaven if you ask me. I am already trying to figure out how to retire in the next year. During our off time we associated with and became friends with many of the players. My mom was thinking about how many 75 year olds she knew that were so active and healthy – not many. I watched all of them in a row sitting and talking and do you know what I didn’t see? Not one cell phone. I was amazed, nobody sitting with their face glued to a 1x2” screen texting every thought that crosses their mind. When you have a conversation you are met with a friendly face and eye contact. Yes, this tournament was an eye-opener in more ways than one. There was an atmosphere present that is almost lost to our current generation. It was one of manners, courtesy, and respect. There was competition, but you let your skills show on the court, not in your mouth. My brother-in-law and I both work with the youth. We have both tried to get them into pickleball. Sometimes it seems they can’t put their phone down long enough to even hold a paddle. It was refreshing to associate with this group of people and I felt welcome. I don’t know of any similar paddle sport that a 23 year old can play against a 75 year old and have age difference play no advantage. Maybe that is why I like this game so much.
I can see myself playing it for a long time. Will I go back? Of course. We are already planning on attending the tournament in Mesquite this November. We know what to expect now and hope that in two months we will get beat a little less. Had we never entered a tournament we never would have known what was out there. We would have stayed in our little bubble of bliss. We may never get to the top of the rankings, but we all had a great time and met many wonderful people. Being a part of this tournament has helped me realize that getting old is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean sitting in a wheel chair, or on the front porch complaining about how things used to be. Getting old can mean going to the courts and beating the crap out of some kids less than half your age with no assistance but a knee brace. It makes me excited to retire, that’s for sure. But for now, at age 28, I think I will enjoy being the young punk on the court
It came from Jed Christianson a newcomer to pickleball who came down to St George with a group of friends from Northern Utah to play in the Sun River tourney in Sept
If you were at the tourney you will remember them, they were the young Gentlemen with the pickleball T-shirts
He wrote this on his facebook page and sent it to Bob
Enjoy!
St. George Pickleball Tournament Aftermath
So as you know my family and I recently attended a pickleball tournament in sunny Southern Utah. I learned quite a few things and not all of them had to do with the game.
First, yes we got creamed. By creamed I mean mutilated to the fullest extent. Going into the tourney the only thing we had to rate ourselves by was pickleball videos on the internet. These are deceiving because pickleball is not necessarily a fast sport. You cannot tell a difficulty level from an online video. Our honest opinion was we were either going to be really good, or get humbled. Believe me, by the end of the day we were ready to throw up from humble pie.
If this isn’t bad enough, most of the people we played were well above 60. One team member of the particular duo that gave Lance (23) and I (28) an old-fashioned schooling was 75. His partner was not much younger. Bob Klarich, the tournament director, called my mom when he received our entries. He wondered how we heard about the tournament, how we would rate ourselves, and told us that the players were very good in St. George. After this phone call we naively thought; “maybe he is nervous that these young players are coming to hustle them.” Now, we know he was just trying to look out for us. He didn’t want us to drive 400 miles for a beating when we could just stay at home and jump in front of a semi, he knew the outcome would be the same.
In our defense, we hadn’t been practicing the scoring right. It is harder to score in tournament play than what we had been practicing at home. Mom and dad spent their first four games trying to figure it out. That was about the only rules we didn’t have down though. So there we were lined up, one by one, like laboratory tomatoes waiting to be tested in a new high-speed blender. And one by one we jumped in, got pulverized, then scraped ourselves up and limped off the court. In fact, come to think of it, lab tomatoes don’t make the choice to be in a lab. So who is smarter?
Now, what I learned on the courts outside the game. The tournament is held in a planned retirement community. These people wake up, get on their golf cart, and drive to the pickleball courts. They play from seven to nine o’clock in the morning six days a week. It is a thin slice of heaven if you ask me. I am already trying to figure out how to retire in the next year. During our off time we associated with and became friends with many of the players. My mom was thinking about how many 75 year olds she knew that were so active and healthy – not many. I watched all of them in a row sitting and talking and do you know what I didn’t see? Not one cell phone. I was amazed, nobody sitting with their face glued to a 1x2” screen texting every thought that crosses their mind. When you have a conversation you are met with a friendly face and eye contact. Yes, this tournament was an eye-opener in more ways than one. There was an atmosphere present that is almost lost to our current generation. It was one of manners, courtesy, and respect. There was competition, but you let your skills show on the court, not in your mouth. My brother-in-law and I both work with the youth. We have both tried to get them into pickleball. Sometimes it seems they can’t put their phone down long enough to even hold a paddle. It was refreshing to associate with this group of people and I felt welcome. I don’t know of any similar paddle sport that a 23 year old can play against a 75 year old and have age difference play no advantage. Maybe that is why I like this game so much.
I can see myself playing it for a long time. Will I go back? Of course. We are already planning on attending the tournament in Mesquite this November. We know what to expect now and hope that in two months we will get beat a little less. Had we never entered a tournament we never would have known what was out there. We would have stayed in our little bubble of bliss. We may never get to the top of the rankings, but we all had a great time and met many wonderful people. Being a part of this tournament has helped me realize that getting old is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean sitting in a wheel chair, or on the front porch complaining about how things used to be. Getting old can mean going to the courts and beating the crap out of some kids less than half your age with no assistance but a knee brace. It makes me excited to retire, that’s for sure. But for now, at age 28, I think I will enjoy being the young punk on the court
Friday, October 23, 2009
Party 4 Life
When you register for the tourney just go to http://party4life.dojiggy.com
Hit register then go down page to Pickleball and put 1 in box
Then in the comments section put the name of your partner/s
That is all you need to do
$25 per player is good for however many events you play in (No additional charge for playing in 2 events)
Hit register then go down page to Pickleball and put 1 in box
Then in the comments section put the name of your partner/s
That is all you need to do
$25 per player is good for however many events you play in (No additional charge for playing in 2 events)
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