T
hree people who have grown the
sport of pickleball by donating
countless hours of their time
and talents were recognized by
the Pickleball Hall of Fame at its
second annual induction ceremony on Nov. 6.
Bob Lanius, Earl Hill and Fran Myer were
honored for their work toward growing the sport
to what it is today.
Seymour Rifkind, President of the Pickleball
Hall of Fame, said this sophomore-year
slate of inductees will most likely be the last
contributors inducted, with future inductees
honored for their performance on the court.
“These three really helped expand and
grow the knowledge of the game and provide
opportunities for tournament play,” Rifkind
explained. “We’re hoping now, after year two,
the emphasis will be more on the players.
The Hall of Fame should really represent the
players.”
Last year’s inaugural inductees were Mark
Friedenberg, Billy Jacobsen, Barney McCallum,
Arlen Paranto, Joel Pritchard (deceased) and
Sid Williams (deceased).
Bob Lanius wrote the code to run pickleball
tournaments. His software, despite being more
than a decade old, is still being used today,
allowing players and tournament directors to
organize and execute larger tournaments.
“We take it for granted,” noted Rifkind. “Early
on, however, tournaments were run by paper
and pencil.”
Earl Hill, a charter member of the USAPA,
is the father of the Ambassador Program that
every player is familiar with today.
“He’s the person who added the fuel to grow
the game across the country. With around 1,600
to 1,700 ambassadors today, if there was one
program the USAPA put out and got right, it was
the Ambassador Program,” Rifkind said. “This
network of selfless, passionate players exposes
new communities to pickleball everywhere—
from rec centers to churches.”
The final inductee, Fran Myer, was the
tournament director for the very first Nationals,
but that’s not why she was honored this year.
“Fran was the first person to have an online
store where everybody could go as the sport
exploded,” explained Rifkind. “Before that,
nobody knew where to get paddles or balls
because everything was so spread out. Her
store, Pickleball Stuff, was the prelude to the
explosion on the Internet as far as pickleball
is concerned. It went from a handful of online
stores to more than a couple hundred, but
there’s always a pioneer, always a first.”
The event drew the same size crowd as
last year, but Rifkind noted that it would have
been larger if it weren’t for a happy accident
that, while limiting this year’s attendance, set
the stage for future Hall of Fame induction
ceremonies.
“We had some logistical changes. We were
planning the banquet at the same facility as
the National Championships, but that didn’t
work out so we had to find another venue,”
he explained. “Marcin [Rozpedski] was able
to assist us to have the banquet at the Lakes
Country Club in Palm Desert.”
The venue change was such a success for
the Hall of Fame that the decision was made to
hold future ceremonies there.
“Everything was first-class—the food, the
accommodations... Those who attended said
it was one of the best meals they ever had,”
Rifkind said. “The facility was exquisite and
the staff bent over backward for us. It was an
incredible evening and many people have told
me already it was a highlight of this year’s
Nationals activities. I think with a little more
coordination with the USAPA, we can provide
a greater opportunity for more people to
attend. It’s a huge undertaking to run a big
tournament like that. The Hall of Fame is
important and the USAPA is there to run the
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 |
MAGAZINE
51