Pickleball Magazine 1-1 | Page 9

FROM THE USAPA 2016 USAPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OFFICERS PRESIDENT David Jordan VP & AMBASSADOR CHAIR Jack Thomas SECRETARY Laura Patterson TREASURER Darryl Noble BOARD MEMBERS (COMMITTEES) LEGAL COUNSEL, GRIEVANCE Phil Mortenson COMMUNICATIONS *Bob Nibarger RATINGS Chris Thomas TOURNAMENTS *Lenny Chimino RULES Dennis Dacey JUSTIN MALOOF Welcome to 2016 and the premiere issue of Pickleball Magazine, a new publication we are extremely excited about and hope you enjoy reading throughout the year! What better way to provide USAPA members and pickleball enthusiasts alike with news of our strides in advancing the sport of pickleball, industry trends, rule updates and general pickleball news within the USAPA and around the world. We are pleased to offer all USAPA members a free electronic subscription to Pickleball Magazine as well as a 40% discount off the print subscription rate (only $12 per year). If you’re not already a USAPA member, this is a perfect time to join! As we head into the New Year, it’s important to reflect a bit on what was a very successful 2015… • Places to Play Pickleball: up 32% to 3,777 (912 locations added in 2015 – 76 per month) • Number of Pickleball Courts: up 28% to 12,668 (2,805 courts added in 2015 - 234 per month) • USAPA Members: up 39% to 10,072 (up 150% over the past 3 years) GRANTS • Facebook Page Likes: up 98% to 5,528 *Ray Pereyra • USAPA Ambassadors: up 28% to 1,250 TRAINING CHAIRS Lynn and Linda Laymon MEMBERSHIP *Charles Batt NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER ADVISORY COMMITTEE Mark Friedenberg EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Justin Maloof * new board members • District Ambassadors: up 50% to 69 this year • Nationals Registrations: up 13% (807 registered players), making Nationals again the largest tournament in the history of the sport In late May, the USAPA published the Pickleball Fundamentals book. The book was co-authored by Mary Littlewood and produced by Human Kinetics. The book has been extremely well-received and is available for purchase on usapa.org. A Kindle edition is also available on Amazon.com. In June, the USAPA held the first annual USAPA Ambassador Retreat in Lake Tahoe. The event was attended by 125 ambassadors who enjoyed a week’s worth of informative presentations, camaraderie and, of course, pickleball play. We are excited to offer the second ambassador retreat this September in the Orlando, FL, area. Details for ambassadors will be available soon. Nationals VII was also a tremendous 2015 highlight. Not only did Aetna partner with USAPA as the event’s presenting sponsor, but we were able to livestream nearly 24 hours of match play, free of charge, on Enetlive. If you missed the livestream, all matches are now available on demand at usapanetwork.com. I want to thank all of our members and sponsors for your continued support and look forward to seeing us reach new heights in 2016. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy year both on and off the court! JANUARY 2016 | MAGAZINE 7