The APTA Visits Tar Heel Territory
BRAD EASTERBROOK
OCTOBER 10, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, NC
The Date: October 10th
The Time: High Noon
The Place: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The Mission: Spread the Word of Paddle
The Ambassadors:
Anton “the Big Russian” Mavrin
Mark “I Eat Pulled Pork for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner” Fischl
Johan “Opulence” DuRandt
Brad “the Bradford” Easterbrook
Nestled underneath the brick façade of an Athletic Building on the University of North Carolina Campus approximately one hundred yards from the Dean Dome Basketball stadium sits an unlikely sight; three platform tennis courts. On October 10th, an even more unlikely sight occurred; all three courts filled to capacity, four pro ambassadors teaching clinics, spectators watching from outside the cages, and passersby stopping to wonder what all the hoopla is about.
I know you’re all thinking that everyone there was simply trying to get a glimpse of 2010 APTA Champion Johan DuRandt and possibly get his autograph. Or maybe they just wanted to see him smash a ridiculously hard overhead at Easterbrook’s gullet and watch him scramble up the side wire for a feeble return. Now, those things are possible, and I have to admit that may have been part of all the energy, but what I think was really going on was the growing spirit of Tar Heel Paddle!!!
Chapel Hill was the latest in a series of APTA sponsored exhibitions and clinics. There have been stops across the country as far west as Bozeman, Montana and as far south as The Villages in Florida. The goal is to raise interest, teach players the basic techniques and strategies, and to grow the game of platform tennis.
Those of us who play know that there is no game with greater camaraderie off the court and intense competition on the court. The very nature of the game, its teamwork, and the strategies that exist for success, seem to feed the spirit and social aspect of the game. That spirit was in full force in Chapel Hill, NC.
Participants ranged from 5 year old Ethan, to College freshman roommates Eli and Zach, to former top tennis players, to UNC Athletic Facilities Director Marty Pomerantz and Chapel Hill Paddle enthusiast Rich Green. All participants enjoyed hours of clinics, a mini Pro-am, and an exhibition featuring some spirited warm weather paddle complete with volley exchanges, slashes, and hard, back wire drive scrambles.
The event was a blast and a great success. But like any event great efforts go into pulling it off. Thanks need to go out to Rich Green and Marty Pomerantz for a tremendous weekend and a great grass roots event.
