Ambassador Update

I just got back from the USAPA Pickleball Ambassador’s Retreat held down in Port St. Lucie, Florida where I spent all week with 250 other ambassadors from all over the country attending seminars, sharing ideas especially on getting dedicated pickleball courts, discussing different issues we all face and lastly, of course, playing pickleball! I just want to share with everybody a few things that I brought home from the retreat.

The first session I tended was on bringing pickleball into the schools. Pure Pickleball presented the seminar and mentioned they are working with SHAPE America to try to get pickleball into the school curriculums. Saint George in Utah has probably the most gorgeous, dedicated pickleball courts in the country and one of the reasons they have them it’s because it was introduced into the schools. If anybody is a teacher or knows of is a teacher that would like to learn more about getting it in their school please contact me. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have courts like these in our county!

Another session was on the rating system. The USAPA has been working for the last year and a half on coming up with a new rating system. They will be using the ELO system which consists of a four digit number which will have a much more narrower band for a ranking than just a 2 digit rating. It also will give a ranking as to where one falls against all the other players within the country. The USAPA is also working on developing a USAPA league.

Another topic discussed was the shortage of USAPA certified referees. In order to get more referees, the USAPA will send someone to our area to evaluate and do certification if we are able to get six or more people interested in trying to get certified. Please contact me if you are interested in certification.

The other seminars were on court construction, Facebook live, skills competition, team play, and insurance. The USAPA is working on a program to offer clubs insurance through their organization.

My favorite seminar throughout the week was a three hour class on teaching it to kids where we spent the whole time on the soccer field doing all sorts of fun activities with the balls and paddles including relay races and pickleball golf. I must say I slept well that night!

If you have not joined the USA Pickleball Association yet I would urge you to consider it. The USAPA is responsible for maintaining rules and standards, supporting community-based programs for all age groups and providing competitive play through USAPA sanctioned events and tournaments. Besides helping to promote pickleball you will receive emailed copies of Pickleball Magazine, a members reward card for travel and shopping and some other perks you will find on their website. You must also be a UASPA member to participate in sanctioned tournaments. Go to USAPA.org to check it out.

-Kim