Last Night, the SJPA Pickleball Championships got underway. Taking center stage were the ladies in the 6.0 bracket. After a fun filled, action packed evening of competitive play Congratulations goes out to Cindy Phillips and Katy Nasiff for taking first place. All the ladies played great. The results were:
Gold- Cindy Phillips and Katy Nasiff
Silver – Sandy Woods and Aleysa Waskas
Bronze – Tara MacCall and Susan Consoletti
Thank you all for coming out and supporting the ladies! Play resumes tonight with the ladies in the 6.5 bracket.
The SJPA Mixed Up Doubles and Play with a Pro event carried on through air temperatures over 80 degrees and a humidity level over 80%.
Forty SJPA members braved the hot, muggy, summer weather; played some fun, social pickleball; and got to play with Pickleball Pro Kim Mihan.
Water and ice were available throughout the event. Games were shortened to nine minutes with extended breaks in between games. Everyone STAYED WELL HYDRATED AND RESTED WHEN NEEDED.
Pickleball Pro Kim Mihan played in many of the round robin games adding to the fun and providing both challenges and instruction.
Event coordinators Robyn Smith, Cherie Nichols, and Lynn Albrecht did a great job of making sure everything went smoothly and safely. Thanks to them for another great event!
All in all it was a good couple of sessions even with the heat. Thanks to everyone who showed up to play and to those who donated to the food bank!
This tournament will include six separate events, Women’s 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0+ and Men’s 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5+. Expect to have fun and some good competition as you pair off against players of similar levels. And PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED !!
The SJPA Pool Party was a huge success. Originally scheduled to be at the Founders Pool, the party was quickly moved to the Seaside Pool because updates to Founders Pool would not be complete in time. Members enjoyed the good food, drink, socializing in and around the pool, and fun games. Once again, music was provided by DJ Dan.
The Ice Breaker had each member trying to find their “mate,” by matching the number they were given at check-in to that of another member. Congratulations and a small prize were given to the first three “couples.”
The games were a lot of fun!
The Tug-of-War was exciting as the men and then the ladies gave it their best.
The Pickle Race, a Pool Party favorite, did not disappoint. Teams of five were gathered and each contestant grabbed an inflatable pickle to swim a lap down and back without letting go of the pickle. We have quite a few fast swimmers among our pickleball players.
The Wet T-Shirt Race started with the first swimmer putting on a t-shirt, swimming one lap, removing the t-shirt, giving it a teammate to don (easier said than done), then the teammate swam back to the finish line.
We had a few attempts at the new Inflata-Bull. A few brave men and women gave it a shot but found it was not so easy to get on that bull. Better luck next time!
We had great weather with a nice breeze and a fantastic time was had by all.
Here’s what we learned from the survey: Most players enjoyed the event, thought it was well organized, would attend again, and had FUN!
Where can we improve? Changing the tournament from two days to one was not well received and five game matches was about two games too many, leaving too much “standing around” time. The heat and humidity, which some suggested we should work on improving next time, added to the feeling of too many matches, taking too long. (We’re working on that weather thing). Suggestions were also made about switching up partners more frequently.
We’ll be using the responses and the suggestions offered for several events in the future. Thank you to all for your feedback.
Click here to see the full survey results, including all comments.
This event is always a popular one! Come on out for a fun evening of social pickleball play and enjoy playing with a pro as well! There are two sessions – Session 1 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm and Session 2 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
The SJPA held its first All Aboard Pickleball Tournament at the Rymer Courts on May 17th.
It was obvious from the start that this was going to be a close contest among four evenly matched teams.
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At the end of the first round, Blue Thunder, captained by Andrea Velez, had a slim lead on Blazing Pickles, captained by Joe Langereis, with Pickle Peppers, led by Karin Langereis, and Loco Motives, led by Scott Nasiff, both within striking distance of the lead.
After the second round, the standings remained the same, but things had tightened up a bit. Then, in the final round of the round robin format, Pickle Peppers overtook Blazing Pickles for second place to set up the championship match with Blue Thunder. Playing for the Bronze would be Blazing Pickles and Loco Motives. Blazing Pickles took third place over a feisty Loco Motives team.
The championship round had Blue Thunder and Pickle Peppers tied with two wins each. So, it came down to tiebreakers. The first tiebreaker ended with the two teams tied at six games each, forcing another tiebreaker. In a very close finish, Blue Thunder secured the win with 104 points to Pickle Peppers’ second place win with 97 points.
Congratulations and thanks to all the players who signed up and played so valiantly and cheered so hard for their teammates; to the captains for their leadership and scheduling; and to the volunteers who kept the event running smoothly and on schedule.
SJPA’s volunteer photographer, Carolyn Graziano, once again, did an amazing job capturing many great moments! View them all here
SJPA’s Third Annual Spring Fling was held on Saturday, May 4, at the Woodlands Park.
The Event proceeds, $2,947, have been donated to the Southport-Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship Food Pantry (SOIIFF).
Those who attended had a wonderful time and supported a great cause. D&A Wings, Captain John’s Seafood, and, of course, Chuck’s Ice Cream provided great food and treats. Jam Sandwich was an awesome band and played great classic rock ‘n roll in the Woodlands’ Amphitheater. Friendship, games, singing, and dancing were some of the highlights of a beautiful evening at Woodlands Park.
We appreciate all of the St. James community for sharing in a fun time and in joining our efforts to benefit the SOIIFF, who, as always, are extremely grateful for the support.
Great weather, food, and music was enjoyed by the 32 participants at this year’s Dinko de Mayo event.
Led by eight faithful and dedicated SJPA volunteers, all players had a lot of fun as they rotated through the four different dinking stations. The dinking stations were followed by open play which allowed players to incorporate their newly gained or revitalized dinking skills. DJ Dan Heatherly, once again provided the music and colorful commentary throughout the event.
Thanks to all who came out and helped make this such a great event!
Thanks again to our volunteers – Dan Heatherly, Mary Heatherly, Christine Cournoyer, Dick Cournoyer, Sandy Schach, Kathy McArthur, Bob Kunze, Joe Beitz, and Deb Chiarello and special thanks to our event coordinator, Kathy Kunze!
Thanks to the St. James pickleball players who volunteered their time over the past two weeks to instruct the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students at Southport Elementary to play pickleball.
The students and coaches alike had lots of fun learning and playing and are looking forward to our return next year to expand on what they have learned.
Many thanks for all the coaches, Janet Banks, Kathy Goliszek, Diana Kelly, Eileen and Mike Kopunek, Diane Norton, Kim Nowakowski, Robin Pantalena, Karen and Jan Pasquale, Cathy Rienth, Marilou Rubright, Stacey Stanzel, Linda Troiano and Deb Warner.
The students were also very appreciative of the new nets and pickleballs donated by the St. James Pickleball Association’s Sunshine Committee. They have made a significant improvement in the program.
The 55 players who attended the SJPA Mixed-Up Doubles event on April 24th did not let the wind deter them from having a great time!
The Round Robin format helped ensure that all players had a great experience and the random selection introduced more players to one another. Smiles and laughter were a testament to the good time and provided instant feedback that the event was a success.
We love to see new players make new friends and to see old friends reconnect.
Kindness, respect, and fun was obvious on all the courts during this social event which mixed all levels of players.
Thanks to all of the players who came out to have FUN with us on the courts and special thanks to those who donated food to the Southport-Oak Island Southport-Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship (SOIIF) Food Pantry. Our donations are truly appreciated by SOIIF.
Finally, thanks go to Andrea Velez for setting up the event, to the volunteers who helped ensure that the event ran smoothly, Lynn and Peter Albrecht, Leo Pacyna, and Robyn Smith, and to our wonderful volunteer photographer, Carolyn Graziano. Their work and dedication to St. James Pickleball makes these events possible.
Here are a few photos for you to enjoy. If you’d like to see all of the pictures that Carolyn took, just click here.
After several days that included heavy rain and high winds, over 100 members of the SJPA gathered for a perfect evening at the beach bonfire party. The party included s’mores, games, catching up with old friends, meeting new, and a perfect sunset.
Huge thanks, once again, to Liz Wilson and the SJPA Social Committee. You all always do a great job!
Special thanks to Carolyn Gaziano for the wonderful pictures of the event.
Enjoy the photos below and be sure to check out the other photos, including some wonderful portraits, taken by Carolyn.
