Group wants The Villages to have the most members in national pickleball association

By CAROLINE KLAPPER, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — Even Villagers who don’t play pickleball know how popular the sport is among residents here. But surprisingly, the community is not well represented in the USA Pickleball Association.

The community of Surprise, Ariz., leads the nation in USAPA membership with 72 members, while The Villages trails behind in fourth place, with only 23 members.

That number could be much, much higher, said Village of Alhambra resident Mike Heinke.

“With the hundreds of pickleball players that we have ... I think we could be recognized as number one in the USAPA,” he said.

Although Heinke only has been playing pickleball for about three years, he and two other Villagers, Carol Ravotti and Charlie Spinks, have become USAPA ambassadors in The Villages. Their job is to promote pickleball in any way they can.

“I’d never heard of the game when I moved to The Villages, and now, like everybody else, I’m addicted to it,” Heinke said.

The three ambassadors all are volunteer pickleball instructors, and they are united in their new goal to make The Villages known for pickleball.

“We’re recognized as an outstanding golfing community and an outstanding softball community,” Heinke said. “We just want it known how much pickleball is a part of the community.”

The USAPA can be found online at usapa.org, and enrollment can be done through the Web site or by contacting any of the ambassadors in The Villages for a mail-in form.

Membership is $20 per year, and all members receive a membership card, a USAPA T-shirt, a USAPA decal and access to the online monthly newsletter.

The association was created to promote the growth and development of pickleball on a national and international level, but on a more local level, Ravotti, of the Village of Briar Meadow, said she wants to see The Villages become a center for the game.

“Our main goal is to make the country aware that we are No. 1 in pickleball. We know we can surpass them (other communities) easily,” she said. “I love this community. When we get behind things, we’re always No. 1.”

In Spinks’ opinion, The Villages definitely should be able to achieve the No. 1 spot in the nation for pickleball, “where we really belong.”

“Since we’re trying to be No. 1, the word has gotten out, and Seattle is trying to compete,” the Village of Santo Domingo resident said. The state of Washington was where pickleball was invented, and Spinks said they probably would like to be known as the No. 1 place for pickleball, too.

Although the ranking with the USAPA is just a number, Ravotti said she feels it would give all Villager pickleball players a sense of pride to be known as the best place for the sport in the nation.

“It’s really for the community that we’re in this,” she said, adding she hopes to see more Villagers register with the USAPA every day.

For information about the USAPA, visit the organization’s Web site at usapa.org. For information about joining the USAPA, contact Mike Heinke at 753-9440, Charlie Spinks at 751-2432 or Carol Ravotti at 750-3107.

Caroline Klapper is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9018, or caroline.klapper@thevillagesmedia.com.