Since everyone loves pickleball as well as supporting local organizations, The Volen Group at Keller Williams Luxury in Ponte Vedra Beach decided to combine both for one special event. On Tuesday, November 15 from 4PM – 7:30PM, The Volen Group is hosting a Pickleball Fundraiser supporting INK!’s (Investing in Kids) initiatives to elevate St. Johns County Educators. This event is made possible by the amazing event supporters and friends at Crockett Title, LLC and First Coast Mortgage Funding.
Who is INK!?
Investing in Kids (INK!) is the direct support organization for the St. Johns County School District. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, INK! leads efforts to directly benefit the educators and students within the St. Johns County School District. Since 1994, INK! has rallied to provide the tools and resources needed for students and leads the efforts to create success for both students and teachers through funding and initiatives.
Let’s Rally
Together we can make a huge difference. The goal is to raise at least $1,000 for INK!, local students and educators. If you’re interested in joining the efforts to support you can donate or sign up here.
Why Pickleball?
Pickleball has become all the rage these days. It seems like since the start of the pandemic this sport has exploded everywhere – and anyone and everyone is playing it! So when it came time to host a fundraiser, we wanted to do something fun that everyone enjoyed and we thought “why not a pickleball tournament?” And the rest is history — well no, not exactly. I was uber curious about pickleball and did a little digging into how pickleball came to fruition.
History of Pickleball
Did you know that pickleball started in 1965? Me either. Basically, a congressman and two businessmen were on vacation and bored after playing golf. To kill some time they decided to play badminton. Only problem was they couldn’t find the badminton racquet and birdie so the improvised with ping pong paddles and a ping pong ball over a volleyball net on an asphalt surface. With some tweaking of lowering the net from 60″ to 36″, creation of rules and some “lingo” pickleball apparently came to life. How did they come up with the name? Pickleball was lovingly named after their dog, Pickles.
Today, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A.) has over 53,000 members plus an unprecedented amount of folks just playing for the fun it. Pickleball also has its own lingo with everything from “falafal” to “rally” and even yelling “pickle!” at the start of play. If you’re wanting to get into the sport of pickleball (yes, it’s a sport!) be prepared to learn the over 60 terms related to the game …. or you may find yourself pickled!
About the Author
Jenn Heller is the Operations Manager for The Volen Group, Keller Williams Luxury International, with over 18 years experience in Real Estate. She is an Atlantic Beach resident via Long Island, NY since 1991, a book worm, and loves sports, dogs and the beach.
