PICKLEBALL IN THE NEWS!
ELLEN SURPRISES GUESTS WITH PICKLEBALL GEAR!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And especially so with a surprise gift of pickleball. On Day 1 of Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways she surprised her guests with gifts all about fitness. As Ellen expressed her love for one of the fastest growing sports in the country that is “sweeping the nation,” she announced each person in the audience was receiving $500 worth of GAMMA Sports Pickleball equipment! READ MORE...
PICKLEBALL MAGAZINE
All members have received their free digital issue of the December issue of Pickleball Magazine. For more information about this issue, please CLICK HERE.
Membership News
GIVE THE GIFT OF A USA PICKLEBALL MEMBERSHIP!
Let that special someone know you care about them by putting a USA Pickleball membership under the tree. Just $20 for an annual membership!
Stay informed. Stay connected. Be a part of the exciting future of pickleball and all that is to come in 2021! Visit our WEBSITE for details on how to become a member and take advantage of the exclusive member benefits of being a part of the pickleball community, receive member discounts and help grow pickleball together.
OFFICIAL YOUTH PROGRAM PROVIDER MEMBERSHIP
JOIN TODAY
- Receive Youth Pickleball Playbook and Activity Cards
- Access to Discounted, Multi-Player Equipment Packs
- Free Access to Youth Pickleball Video Series
- Receive a digital copy of Pickleball Magazine and Newsletter
- $40 per year
Visit our WEBSITE for more details!
Social on the Courts
Brooks enjoying his Saturday morning #pickleball playing with Mom in @nocatee Raise your hand if your kids are playing today! 🙋♀️🙋♂️ #USAPickleball
@indiraklotzer #pickleball but it was too windy for it
@meganblunk - Pickleball yesterday with the sweetest, most pure hearted, fun and sincere landlord ❤️. I’m so incredibly lucky to have you as my landlord and family away from home.
@katytxpickleball - Texas weather, but that didn’t stop us, team work makes a great group of #pickleball
@thegraypickleballer - So this is what greeted me at the pickleball courts this week. Only in Florida!
USA Pickleball Member Stories
CHILDREN'S BOOK "BEND YOUR KNEES, LOUISE" SUPPORTS USA PICKLEBALL
Bend Your Knees, Louise! Is a children’s picture book, written with clever rhymes by Jackie Freeman and Karen Worthy; with outstanding illustrations by Kevin Fales. For every book sold, the authors will be donating 50 cents to USA Pickleball towards our grant programs! Thank you for supporting our mission of helping our pickleball youth.
In the book, Grandma implores Jack and Louise, offering to teach them a new sport, pickleball. Overcoming the children’s early reservations, a fun-loving grandmother teaches the sport in a wise and playful way – and the results are even better than she hopes.
Thank you for teaching our youth about USA Pickleball! READ MORE...
Perfect Gifts for the Holidays!
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What's the Latest from USA Pickleball?
Happy Holidays from USA Pickleball
 As we near the end of 2020, we want to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. We couldn't be more excited for the opportunities to come in 2021 and look forward to watching our USA Pickleball members achieve their goals with personal development of their pickleball game! Feel free to join us on social media and share your #2021PickleballGoals!
A message from USA Pickleball CEO, Stu Upson:
Hello Everyone! I am delighted to have joined the USA Pickleball team and am looking forward to being a part of the phenomenal growth of the sport. I come to USA Pickleball from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI where I was the Chief Operating Officer for the past 6 years. I have been involved with other sports organizations as well, including baseball, motor sports and bowling, but I enjoyed the tennis industry quite a bit and am really pleased to be staying in the paddle and racquet sports world with my move to USA Pickleball.
I don’t have to tell you that the sport is hot, and it is our job at USA Pickleball is to work with a wide variety of constituents to keep the momentum going, fuel the growth and get even more people playing. We will strive to enhance our current programs and services while introducing new initiatives that will benefit everyone who plays the game, from the most highly competitive players to the recreational player to someone who may be just learning to play.
Since it was announced that I would be joining USA Pickleball, dozens of friends, business associates and other people have reached out to say how much they love pickleball because it is “fun to play.” Their definitions of “fun” may vary, but it is a theme I want to carry over into what we do at USA Pickleball moving forward. We want everyone associated with the sport to have a positive, enjoyable experience, and we will give our best efforts to make that happen.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supports USA Pickleball, including members, volunteers, tournaments, officials, partners, sponsors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers. I look forward to meeting many of you virtually over the next few months and seeing you at events in 2021.
I hope you have great holiday and a happy new year.
Best,
Stu Upson
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USA Pickleball Grant Program Has Resumed!
WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS AND NETS ARE FULLY STOCKED!!!
Funding for the remainder of 2020 and 2021 USA Pickleball Community and High School Grant Programs is available for all those start up opportunities wishing to apply. Community grants award up to $250 while High School Grants award up to $350. High school grants are always in popular demand so get your applications in as soon as possible as school program funding is limited.
To learn more about eligibility requirements, allowable equipment purchases and other areas of special considerations, click here for program details.
GET YOUR GRANT APPLICATION IN TODAY!
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Official Club Membership Enrollment Period Ends December 31st!
Need insurance and coverage for your pickleball club? Be sure to join USA Pickleball as an Official Club during this first inaugural enrollment period for a sixth-month term (January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021). The enrollment period ends on December 31! A club membership will feature liability insurance coverage for the club and its participants for various club pickleball programs and events hosted at their venue(s) throughout the year. Additionally, USA Pickleball Official Clubs will receive a USA Pickleball Official Club banner!
Why should you become a Club Member? READ MORE...
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2021 USA Pickleball Rule Changes
USA Pickleball and IFP have released 3 items including: the Official 2021 Rulebook, the “2021 Rules Change Document”, which lists each rule that was added or changed with explanations provided, and an Alternate Rulebook for public comment. The Official 2021 Rulebook will become effective on January 25, 2021.
“The 2021 changes cover the gamut for why rules are changed; to maintain the integrity of the game, improve the player experience, and minimize player to player and player to referee conflict,” said Mark Peifer, USA Pickleball Rules Committee chairman.
“In addition to emails sent to us on rule change ideas, we spent a lot of time listening to what players were saying on digital channels about rules; which ones caused player disagreements or just weren’t easy to understand. So, we think we have a very good sense of which rules were causing players issues on the court, in tournaments and in rec play. We’ve found that players aren’t reluctant to share their thoughts on rules in a number of different ways.”, added Mark. READ MORE...
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Transferring Your Skills to Pickleball
As an organization, USA Pickleball is thrilled to have an opportunity to spotlight players from around the nation as we continue to grow as one of the fastest growing sports in the country. This past month, we visited Cherokee Country Club in Madison, Wisconsin to talk with Dave Weinbach and Gina Cilento about how they transfer their tennis and ping pong techniques over to pickleball.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE to watch the full video and hear their pickleball tips.
Thank you to Nash Creative and Ertrok Design for creating this video.
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USA Pickleball Announces New Partnership with LSI
USA Pickleball, the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in America, said today that LSI Industries in now their official lighting partner. LSI is a leading producer of high-performance, American-made lighting solutions for pickleball facilities, as well as for numerous other sports applications. The company’s partnership with USA Pickleball will help create additional interest in the sport all across America. It will also give LSI the opportunity to introduce USA Pickleball members to their high-performance court lighting solutions, including their technical design capabilities, court light design tools and project management expertise.
“LSI is excited to be the official lighting partner of USA Pickleball,” said Mike Prachar, Chief Marketing Officer of LSI Industries. “We are proud to support the fastest growing sport in the USA and help improve the player experience for all who enjoy the game.” READ MORE...
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How Goal Setting Can Help Your Pickleball Game
Kent Lindeman, Association for Applied Sport Psychology 
Each time you step onto a pickleball court, do you have goals in mind for how you’d like to perform? Do you carefully consider what you’d like to get out of that day’s match or practice? Let’s discuss how you can incorporate goal setting techniques into all points of your play - from basic drilling to practice matches and rec play to competing in tournaments - to increase mental sharpness and improve your skills.
Goal setting improves performance because it generates two things - focus and fuel. For this reason, it’s important to set both short and long term goals. Short-term goals heighten a player’s mental focus from rep-to-rep, drill-to-drill, and match-to-match. Routinely ask yourself, “What’s my intention for this next drill or practice match or today’s tournament?” READ MORE...
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Free Online Workshop for Youth Program Providers!
Be sure to take advantage of USA Pickleball’s free online workshop for youth program providers! The workshop highlights how to work with kids of all ages in both small and large group settings, including schools, youth centers and pickleball facilities.
USA Pickleball Youth Program Provider Training on Vimeo
To gain access to additional resources as youth program provider, consider sponsoring a school or youth organization so that they can receive the great benefits below!
Youth Program Provider Membership for $40!
Benefits Include:
- Let’s Play Youth Pickleball Playbook - includes eight laminated activity cards
- Youth Pickleball Video Series
- Deeply discounted equipment
- Digital copy of Pickleball Magazine
Youth Program Provider (usapickleball.org)
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