Premier's Pickleball News

USAPA Ambassadors present clinicTallahassee's FIRST pickleballdemonstration presented by USAPickleball Association DistrictAmbassador Colon Terrell (R) andRegional Ambassador Karen Parish (L)was held September 25, 2014 here at

Premier Health & Fitness Center. The majority of the participants had never held a pickleballpaddle or seen an actual pickleball, let alone hit one beforethe clinic. The 30 or so participants ventured onto thecourt consisted of interested tennis players, racquetball players andjust pure curious newbies. With the hands on demonstration andenthusiasm generated by the instructors from Emerald Coast, the newpicklers felt ready to play the sport of pickleball. Editors note: On behalf of Premier Health & Fitness Center, I'd againlike to thank Karen and Colon for their excellent instruction.

Meet Our Tallahassee PickleballUSAPA Ambassador

Carolyn Allaire is bringing her love for thegame to her new role as the USAPickleball Association's TallahasseeAmbassador. Selected by USAPA threemonths ago, Carolyn is charged withpromoting pickleball in our area. And shehas gotten off to a great start.

Carolyn has a huge passion for pickleball, a game she was introducedto three years ago at the Tallahassee Senior Center. She regularlycommunicates with Glen Howe, Tennis Coordinator for the City ofTallahassee, who also organizes citywide pickleball activities.Subsequently, Carolyn suggested to Len Harvey, Premier ExecutiveDirector, that our club start offering pickleball. And the rest is history. "I felt as though I'd discovered such pure joy while playing the sportthat I wanted to get as many players on the court as possible,"Carolyn said. She started out by sending email messages to players interested inlearning more about the game and about playing opportunities. InJune, Carolyn organized a trip to Neptune Beach, where four Premierplayers participated in a round robin with players from the Jacksonvillearea. This foursome became the genesis of the "Pickleball Gang,"which has grown to a roster of about 30 people who have expressedinterest in traveling to nearby tournaments. She organized a LaborDay weekend trip to a round robin tournament in Destin, where fivePremier players participated. And thanks to her leadership, fivemembers are traveling to Daytona Beach in late October for anothertournament. Perhaps her greatest achievement so far, however, is organizingPremier's beginner's workshop on Sept. 25, which drew nearly 30people. The workshop was led by Karen Parrish, Atlantic SouthRegional Director, and Colon Terrell, Emerald Coast Ambassador.Carolyn's plans include organizing a workshop on how to play the dinkgame. She also is looking for volunteers to help organize a Tallahasseetournament. She can be reached at bcallaire@comcast.net.For more information about the game and to learn about places toplay pickleball in town and beyond, Carolyn suggests you go towww.USAPA.org.

Ask the Ref #1If you have questions about pickleball rules or etiquette, email yourquestions to "Ask the Ref." Answers will be dictated by theInternational Federation of Pickleball "Official Tournament Rule book." Q: Is it OK if the ball hits my body-say, my wrist-while I am in theprocess of returning the ball, and the ball goes over the net? A: According to Rule 7.F., if the ball hits your paddle hand belowthe wrist, the ball is still in play. However, if the ball hits any otherpart of your body (including your wrist) or anything you are wearing,that is considered a fault, and you lose the point or serve. So chest-bumping a ball is not allowed. Sorry, soccer players.

Q: I accidentally touched the net with my paddle during a volley.Can we keep playing the point?A: No. According to Rule 7.E., neither you, your clothes, or yourpaddle may touch the net at any time. If this happens, play stops.Either you lose the point or serve. Q: What is the call if the ball appears to hit outside of the line butthe edge of the ball appears to be on the line?A: Unlike its softer cousin, the tennis ball, a pickleball is harderand thus does not flatten as much when it hits the ground. In fact, only about a dime-sized piece of thepickleball actually touches the court. So if the ball hits near but extendsover a line, the ball is considered out.Check out this graphic fromPickleballCentral.com:

Member Spotlight: Amele Banbilu & Scott HutterEach issue, we will shine the spotlight on two Premier pickleball players sothat you can get to know one another better.

Fitting pickleball around a busy work schedule is a challenge for AmeleBanbilu, 43, and Scott Hutter, 47. Amele (pronounced Ah-MELL-ah), aregistered nurse for TMH on its vascular access team, tries to playpickleball three times a week at Premier or at city facilities. Scott, afield auditor for the Florida Department of Financial Services, usuallyplays twice a week. They thank Len Harvey, Premier's ExecutiveDirector, for offering pickleball as an exercise option for clubmembers. "Pickleball is a lot of fun. It's competitive, fast-paced and goodexercise," Scott says. Scott played tennis on his high school's team,league tennis and several other "ball" games. Amele played volleyball,soccer and some tennis before picking up a pickleball paddle.Together, they play a bit of Ping Pong. So they've got the hand-eye coordination thing down. And they loveplaying together. "Amele's a very good partner. She plays well at the net," Scott says.Anyone who has played with them knows of their high-energy gameand of their fearlessness at the net. "But we have to be careful not to run into one another or hit oneanother's paddles because we both go for shots at the net," Ameleadds.

Scott and Amele, who are engaged tobe married, took up the sport about ayear ago. Amele lived in Ethiopia untilage 19, when she moved toWashington, DC. She moved toTallahassee in 1994 for a job. Scott,who has degrees in biology andaccounting, spent five years in theNavy. They met a few years ago whenScott worked at a CPA firm as anaccountant and Amele was one of thefirm's tax clients.

Scott and Amele encourage new players not to get discouraged if theycan't yet play as well as some of the more advanced players on thecourt. Both Scott and Amele have offered to help new players byshowing them the rules and game techniques. "Pickleball is not only a great workout," Amele says. "It's also a greatway to make new friends."

Editor's Notes Welcome to Premier's Pickleball News! I hope you will enjoyreading it and, more importantly, contributing to it. This is yournewsletter. Feel free to submit articles and pictures. Articles should bein a Word.doc or Simple.txt file and pictures should be .jpeg format.Send them via email to the address below. All submissions are subjectto editing and approval by Premier Health & Fitness Centeradministration. Thanks.

Pickleball at Premier Health & Fitness CenterTuesday & Thursday: 9:30--11:45 AM

Saturday: 9--11:30 AM For information contact David Wheeler

(850) 431-4835; david.wheeler@tmh.org

STAY CONNECTED

Forward this email

This email was sent to premiermemberservices@tmh.org by premiermemberservices@tmh.org |

Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Premier Health and Fitness Center | 3521 Maclay Boulevard | Tallahassee | FL | 32312