When EPC members donated 35 paddles and a couple dozen balls to a rec center in Germany this summer we never expected to make the sports pages of the local newspaper. The 3rd Rhön Open tournament in Heustreu drew 60 competitors from different German towns, Belgium and Ukraine.

According to Dale Jeffries who, along with Dianne, initiated the exchange between countries, the article “kind of explains what pickleball is and how it's fun for seniors to play, too.

“The picture on the left shows Ukrainians using EPC-donated paddles in the tournament. It says the two players found an interest in pickleball after fleeing Kiev. Clearly, EPC played a big part in fostering their participation in this event.”

Caption to the photo: “Ukranians Tatyana Svintova (left) and Tatyana Dihun (right) discovered each other after fleeing Kiev pickleball.“ We think we lost something in the translation.

Fred Schlichting, pickleball coach at TurnGemeinde Schwalbach sport club in Schwalbach, Germany sends us a picture. “Attached you'll find a photo that will be part of a press release about our pickleball club. Again, thank you so much for the paddles and you and your club's support!”

Makes us proud.

Muno’s Clinics Gave Dinkers an Advantage at Dinkeroo

Last week’s clinics with pickleball pros Bill and Nan Muno couldn’t have been better timed - the day before the Dinkeroo. While Mo Gohlke and LIz Stensing set the record for the longest dink rally at the clinic - 173 consecutive dinks - it was Sally Griggs, Claire Roberts, Nikki Baer and Maggie Boyne who took the clinic and then went on to win, place and show at the Dinkeroo the next day. That’s a lot of good dinking.

In all, 30 EPC members took the three-hour clinic last Tuesday. Bill and Nan want to come back next year for the beautiful setting, awesome courts and enthusiastic players.

173 consecutive dinks! Can you beat that?

Let’s Name the Red-Tail Hawk

It’s now a thing. The red-tail hawk is hanging out again and watching us play. It seems to prefer the southwest post as a roosting stand. We ought to come up with a name for our playing partner. The Marshdale Marauder? The Ball Hawk? ATP? Send us your suggestion and we’ll share it.

Tim and his buddy; photo by Claire Roberts

Sign Up for CPR/AED Classes Slated for Oct. 15 and Nov. 16

Evergreen Fire Rescue has openings for upcoming CPR/AED classes. Now that we have the AED right outside the main gate to the courts, we should know how to use it. At least a dozen of us were certified at an EPC member class Aug. 26. That’s reassuring to know.

You can register here for public classes on Saturday, Oct. 15, 9 am - 1 pm; or Wednesday, Nov. 16, 5 -9 pm. at Station 2 on Bergen Pkwy. Or, EPC board member Jim Hunsaker can arrange classes for EPC members if you’re interested in a group session.

Jim tells us, “certified students are offered the opportunity to be part of the Evergreen Public Access Defibrillation network,” where they can be alerted by JeffComm to respond to a nearby AED site to assist while EFR is responding. A victim’s chance of survival drops an astonishing 10% per minute without CPR and defibrillation. EPAD’s devices and public CPR have saved the lives of 6 victims of sudden cardiac arrest since the program started.

Quick Tip of the Week from Hiwan Pickleball Pro Tom Karas: If you are under duress or the ball is low, go soft and reset.

Often, when we are not properly set up to return the ball we tend to strike the ball while running, hitting too hard, and hitting into the net or out of bounds. In this situation, you have about a 90% chance of hitting a bad shot. If you just try to reset, and drop the ball softly into the kitchen, you will keep the ball in play and often put your opponent in a position where they have a weak return shot.

EPC Paddles for Ukraine Show Up at International Tournament in Germany

EPC Fall Social at The Wild Game, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 4 - 6 pm

Dinkeroo Was Cool, No Really