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Tournament Info Activities About Us
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Community Activities
Have Fun at the St. Pete Shuffle Friday Nights - 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. - weather permitting Play Shuffleboard and Enjoy Great Music (iPod or Live) Shuffleboard Playing Instructions and Equipment Are Available 32 Lighted Courts Beverages and Snacks Usually Available The St. Pete Shuffle Is A Free Event - Donations Are Accepted Look for the Shuffle "Love Jug" to Make a Donation No Registration Required No Unaccompanied Minors Leashed Dogs Only Turkish Culture Night
- November 23, 2007 The dancing, movies, poetry and music took place on the stage area set up in front of the grandstand on courts 4 and 5 with space fillers between the courts and then the whole area was covered with indoor-outdoor carpeting. Additionally, both the clubhouse and the ballroom had been transformed into a gala Holiday Bazaar with dozens of tables displaying a wide variety of hand made gifts created by local artists and craftsmen/craftswomen. Just outside of the west door of the clubhouse, there was a tent with traditional mosaics and other Turkish hand crafts. So early holiday shoppers enjoyed a delightful gift selection at this exciting alternative to the mall. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all of our 32 lighted courts were full of enthusiastic shufflers by 8 o'clock and soon players were playing on 6 of the unlighted courts in section 3. We moved them to lighted courts as soon as they opened up. Parties of four, eight and 12 asked for our help in finding courts after they had waited patiently for over half an hour for playing opportunities. We had to ask a few players who had been playing since 7 o'clock to relinquish their courts to the newcomers. Thanks to all the players for their friendly cooperation. Needless to say, we had a very busy night in every activity. The moon was full, the temperature was cool and everyone had a great time. Thanks to the Turkish Culture Club for their mind expanding display of Turkish culture, thanks to Corletta and Eric for all their work on the holiday bazaar, thanks to Mary Eldridge for the shuffleboard fun and thanks to Chris Kelly for his outstanding community organizational efforts. Thanksgiving
Turkey Shoot For Novices - November 9, 2007 We used courts in Section 3 for the competition and the weather was cool and beautiful with a partial moon shining down on the festivities. This turkey shoot used the “8 and 8” format because of the large number of participants. Each player shot 8 disks from the head of the court (the end with the scoreboard) into the scoring areas at the foot of the court (the opposite end). Then they shot the 8 disks back into the scoring areas at the head of the court. Every disk within a scoring area and not touching any border line of that area counted for the score of that area, such as 7, 8 or 10 points. Any disk in the kitchen (the ten-off area) and not touching any border line of the kitchen counted as 10 positive points. (An “8 and 8” turkey shoot is one of the few times that it is a good thing to be in the kitchen!!) The scores for both ends were added together to arrive at each player’s final score. The top two shooters, Chris K. and Sharon, each received a Publix gift card to select their Thanksgiving turkey or other goodie choice. Bill was in second place when he had to leave before the shoot ended at 10 pm. He requested that any prize that he might win be given to a deserving person. Sharon was able to tie Bill’s score and she became that deserving person. Larry and Mary Gr. each received a one pound Hershey bar for their third and fourth place finishes. A lot of players were surprised by how difficult it can be to score consistently when they felt even a little bit of pressure to accurately execute their shots. Some players had a good score at one end and trouble at the other. Consistent scoring in shuffleboard requires relaxed confidence. Congratulations to the winners and good luck the next time to all the shooters. All novice turkey shooters with scores of 20 or above are listed below.
Our novices in the turkey shoot (and so many more new players who weren't here for the shoot) have discovered the fun of shuffleboard through the weekly Friday Night "St. Pete Shuffle" open houses held here at the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club. A few may have previously shot a few disks on some beach courts and some recall having fun playing shuffleboard while visiting with grandparents. However, for most, their experience at the St. Pete Shuffle is usually their first introduction to the classical game of shuffleboard. They learn the details of the courts and other equipment, the correct shot mechanics, the basic rules and how to keep score. But the main thing they learn is that shuffleboard is fun and more challenging than they might have expected. The primary purpose of the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club is to promote the game of shuffleboard and we are doing this by welcoming new players of all ages and helping them to learn how to play. Then the game sells itself. When the players have fun, they are likely to play more often. Then they might bring their friends and family. And, not only do the players have fun playing shuffleboard, but they also meet new people. So it’s becoming "hip" for players of all generations whether they are part of the “bb-gen”, “gen-x”, “next-gen”, “gen-y” or “the millennials” (and even those not yet labeled) to go to the shuffleboard courts to have fun and socialize. The Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot for the Open Division was held on Saturday, November 10th, after the Saturday Morning Singles competition.
St. Pete Shuffle Culture:
India Night 2007 - July 27, 2007 All of our 32 lighted shuffleboard courts filled up early and we were right out straight from about 7:15 on. Later, we had to bring 9 unlighted courts into action to handle the extra demand. We almost ran out of cues. Lots of newbies discovered the fun and challenge of playing shuffleboard with their family and friends. We had to "shoo" players off the courts at 11 pm so we could close up. It was a busy night and the culture, art and shuffling all made it a night to remember. We were also fortunate to have beautiful weather and an "almost full" moon to add to the moment. Thanks to all the helpers who cleaned up and closed up in a flash. We were all able to leave at 11:45 pm. St. Pete Shuffle Ice
Cream Social - July 13, 2007 The weather was hot and muggy and ice cream just hit the spot. The players could choose between a sundae or a float. Almost 65 chose a root beer float. Floats were flying out of the clubhouse left and right. Our new freezer got a good work out. We started serving ice cream at about 8:45 pm and from then until about 10 pm we were "right out straight". Bob, of Tropical Roofing, was busy talking to prospects, Mary was dipping ice cream, Marty was popping popcorn and Chris was taking care of the newcomers. The night just flew by. Many thanks to http://www.tropical-roofing.com for a memorable evening. If any shufflers or friends need some roof work, new windows or hurricane windows, don't forget to call Tropical Roofing at 727-572-5545. Let them know that we appreciate their sponsorship. August 2006 On August 25th we have social shuffleboard and a Sudoku Tournament is scheduled to start at 7:45 pm. The tournament is limited to the first 16 players to sign-up between 7 pm and 7:30 pm. There is no entry fee and prizes will be awarded to the winners of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. If you "do sudoku" then try your luck in the tournament. July 2006 March - June 2006 February 2006 The 17th is the "Third Friday Concert Night" featuring the band "Behind the Rabbit". Social play will be available throughout the evening. On the 24th we have a Draw Doubles tournament scheduled. If you would like to play in the tournament, then be here and ready to play at 7:30 pm. Social play will also be available. January 2006 We have a Draw Doubles planned for January 27th and we are always optimistic. Don't forget to check out the Results page to see how the Draw Doubles tournament turned out. The
"I Love St. Pete" Art Show -
December 9, 2005 It is good to know that the arts community in St. Petersburg is so strong and creative. Chad Mize and Phillip Clark did a wonderful job in presenting the art show along with all the other artists in the Artillery. We had a stage set up using courts 3, 4 , 5 and 6 of the tournament courts where three bands performed during the festivities. Chris Kelly built wooden spacers that fit perfectly between the courts. With the spacers in place an indoor-outdoor carpet was rolled out over the courts which created the stage. There was also a screen behind the bands to view videos that complimented the music. Many (if not most) of the participants played shuffleboard at some point during the evening. We had players all over the club. A large number of the players were complete newbies so we were kept very busy getting them started with a good delivery. The players on courts 21 thru 28 played under black lights and those playing on courts 1, 2, 7 and 8 on the tournament courts played under regular lights and all the players out back played under ambient street light. There are no scoreboards out back (yet) so the players kept score by writing their scores in the alleys between the courts. When people really want to play they will find a way. This was a totally awesome event. December 2005 We will also host "Galactic Shuffleboard" from 7 pm to 11 pm on New Year's Eve - in conjunction with St. Petersburg's "First Night" Activities. Come and play (glow-in-the-dark) "Galactic Shuffleboard" under the black lights. November 2005 Top Gun Shoot Out Results:
We had 46 entrants in the "shoot out" vying for the ten trophies. Some of the shooters were experienced players and a lot were novices. After the Top Gun Shoot Out we evaluated the results and decided to have two divisions in all future individual competitions. At first we thought about dividing the shooters into two skill categories but that could create problems with unknown players. Finally, we settled on "Members" and "Visitors" divisions. Everyone will have to take their chances against either the rest of the members or the rest of the visitors. Each division will have its own prizes. Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot Results:
Publix gift cards (to get a turkey) were awarded to first and second places in the Members Division and the rest of the placers received boxes of cookies. The top four placers in the Visitors Division received boxes of cookies. St. Pete Shuffle Draw Doubles Tournament Results:
Congratulations to our 1st and 2nd place trophy winners. The spectators enjoyed the close games and the good shooting. Several players learned how to keep score for a doubles game using the traditional (non-frame) scoreboards. October 7 - 28, 2005 - Oops October 3, 2005 We are still going strong with the Friday night Shuffles. On September 30th we had 110 players enjoying the delightful playing conditions that the lower humidity provided. We are working on getting lights and scoreboards on another 16 courts - courts 45 through 60 in Section 2 - the courts behind the grandstand. The sixteen courts we have been using this summer can accommodate 64 players at a time but they are not enough to handle the larger number of players that the cooler weather will bring out. Chris Kelly, Kristy Knowles, Chris Page, Paul Maseman and many other members did a great job with the Shuffles while club president, Mary Eldridge, was on vacation in September. August 19, 2005 Players started arriving around 7 pm and soon we had to scramble to complete the set up of courts 21 through 28. Several regulars went over to the Lawn Bowling Club for a little pre-shuffle fun with Bill. When they got back we started our yellow & black activity at 8 pm on courts 26 and 27 because all the other courts were already full. Heavy clouds and rumbling thunder started to approach the club from the east - across Tampa Bay. We got in one full game and had just started the second game when a heavy sprinkle began. Tonight, yellow and black ended up with a 1-1 tie. Lars started getting the cues put away and others chipped in and helped. Mary asked all players to pull the blocks off the courts and put them in their boxes so they would not get wet. We waited a few more minutes to see if the rain would pass and when it only got worse, we went into full shutdown. Shuffleboard is like golf in that it is very weather dependent. If it is raining then it is unlikely that there will be any play. And, whenever there is lightening it is always best to cease play. We ended up getting lots of both rain and lightening. This was the first time this summer we had to shut down in the middle of play so a lot of newcomers got some experience in the practicalities of closing up. We were all closed up and ready to go around 9:15 pm. Better luck next time. August 12, 2005 Tonight the Lawn Bowling Club was open again until dusk. St Pete Shuffle participants were invited to stop over and try their hand at the game. Several went over to see Bill Stokes to learn more about lawn bowling. We started our yellow and black at 8 pm. We had three courts going and we played until 9:45 pm. Yellow won this week. The y & b players were glad to get their ice cream at the end of play. A surprising number of new newbies were here tonight. Mary was busy on courts 21 through 28 getting everyone up and running - while also running the y & b. It's so nice to see so many people having fun and learning about shuffleboard. The St. Pete Shuffleboard Club hasn't been this busy in the summer since the 1980's. It's a dream come true. August 5, 2005 As if that wasn't exciting enough, everyone was invited to a surprise birthday party for Chris Kelly in the big, air-conditioned ballroom. And then to top it off, Bill Stokes and other members of the Lawn Bowling Club opened up their club tonight to give lessons to interested newcomers. The evening started out kind of slow with people just beginning to trickle in around 6:30 pm. The weather was dry and a little bit warm - but, not too bad. However, around 7:00 p.m. things started jumping and the whole complex was busy the rest of the night. We welcomed back friends returning from vacations. Lucky Lars got back from a month in Paris and Bob and Patty came right to the club from the Tampa Airport after a flight from Raleigh, North Carolina. Bob and Patty were able to join tonight's yellow and black competition in the second game. We also welcomed Al and Lois and their friends from the Ellenton area. They played well in the y & b. Black was the winner tonight for the first time this summer and they got their ice cream free. The final score was yellow - 4 wins and black - 5 wins. Those chocolate and vanilla cups sure taste good on a warm August night. We had a number of newbies getting their first taste of shuffleboard tonight. They had a lot of fun and they are excited about playing. They want to learn more - right now. Several kids and teens played pool and table games in the clubroom during the evening. Downtown St. Pete had a lot of planned activity on this Friday night. There was not only our St. Pete Shuffle activity here at the club but there was also the "Get Downtown" program that invites residents to have fun in the downtown area of St. Pete on the first Friday night of each month. Added to those options was an alternative music concert being held in the Vinoy Park. So residents and visitors had quite a choice of activities for tonight. We were delighted to have a "much better than expected" turnout. See you next Friday. July 29, 2005 We had a lot of newcomers to the Shuffle tonight. They were not all newcomers to shuffleboard, though. Several courts in section 3 got busy early with knowledgeable foursomes playing doubles. Out on the tournament courts there were spirited pick-up matches - both singles and doubles. We helped about 6 courts of newbies get their "sea legs" tonight. We started three courts of yellow & black at 8 pm and played until 9:45 pm. Yellow took the match tonight with a score of 6 to 3. Therefore, yellow got free ice cream and black had to pay a quarter for theirs. Four of yellow's winning games were decided by 3 or less points. The regular players are becoming more competitive every week. It is nice to see players returning week after week to enjoy an evening of fun and games with friends and family. Chris and Kristy did the closing up honors tonight. Mary headed home after y & b. July 22, 2005 Several courts were filled with regulars who are now able to set up their courts and conduct their doubles matches on their own. The rest of the courts were busy with newcomers "learning the ropes". Throughout the evening, Mary introduced seven courts of newcomers to the fundamentals of recreational play. Newcomers Mike and Linda tried their hand at the game on t-court 3. They were both able to develop a nice delivery and it wasn't long before they were making scores on a fairly regular basis. After about an hour of play, Mike challenged Mary to a game of singles. She accepted. Mike made some good shots in a valiant effort but Mary was lucky to make a couple of kitchens which were just enough to turn the game in her favor. The Friday night St. Pete Shuffles are a great opportunity for the general public to get acquainted with the classic game of shuffleboard in a social and fun environment. Most people attend the Shuffles as couples or foursomes. However, now we are starting to have groups of 10 to 20 friends and/or family members coming in to learn the game and to play together on a set of adjoining courts - as a unit. We like to make sure that everyone has a chance to learn the basics of recreational play, to have fun and to socialize as much as possible - but, the emphasis is on fun. If people have fun then they are more likely to want to "do it again". Lately, we have been especially fortunate to see so many newbies expressing a genuine interest in playing more often and in learning more about the game. We are working hard to convert newbies into regulars. Next Friday we plan to play yellow & black starting at 8 pm - if weather circumstances allow. We'll be looking for you. July 15, 2005 We set up the eight tournament courts (the courts in front of the grandstand) and waited on setting up the courts in section 3 until we saw what the weather was going to do. Players started trickling in around 6 pm. We had planned to start yellow & black at 7 o'clock, but there weren't enough players available at that time so we waited until 8 pm to start. 3 courts of y&b players started their first game at 8 pm. When they were about half way through their first 30 minute game a new group of 16 players came in and they also wanted to play y&b. We set them up on courts 25 through 28 in section 3 and they played their own y&b - independent of the t-court players. Soon all the lighted courts were busy with either y&b or with open play. Yellow Wins Free Ice Cream The ice cream aspect of y&b provides the players an opportunity to mingle and socialize with each other. Many players discussed certain shots that they took or should have taken during their games. Happy Birthday, Chad New Friends Wrap Up From about 9 pm on the weather was delightful and several of us thought about the possibility of doing an "all nighter". Chris and Mary wrapped it up at 11 pm. July 8, 2005 We waited a while to see if the rain would let up. At one point it looked like it might and Chris K. went out and squeegeed the t-courts. No sooner had he finished than it started to sprinkle again. From then on, it was a wash-out. Chris, Chad, Phillip, Kristy and Mary played Scrabble in the club house for about an hour or so while optimistically waiting for the sunshine to come back. Debbie showed up with some cupcakes and a few others stopped in to see what was happening. Around 7 pm we all decided to call it a day. Some went to the movies, some went shopping and others went home. We will try again next Friday. See you there. July 1, 2005 In "Top Gun" the players try to score as many points as possible by shooting their disks from the "head" of the court to the "foot" and back - once. Long time shuffleboard players may have called this type of competition a "Turkey Shoot", but we have opted for a more action-oriented name. There were trophies for the top ten scores and the winners were as follows:
Hot and Humid Busy Night Yellow and Black Next Friday "Yellow and black" is a doubles activity and before the activity starts the players must draw their court number and their position on that court. After everyone is in their correct position - that means which end on the court they are going to play and which color - then they play a 30 minute game. At the end of 30 minutes a whistle will sound to indicate the end of the game. The scorekeeper will then go from court to court to record which color won on each court. The scorekeeper will then announce the overall score such as "yellow won 3 games and black won 2 games" or they just might say "yellow 3 and black 2". Now the players erase the scoreboards and the director will announce that the players on the yellow disks should go to the next court on their right and play the yellow disks on that court. When all the players on yellow are in their new positions, the director will announce that the players on the black disks will move two courts to their left and play the black disks on that court. The reason the players move after each game is to give everyone a new partner in each game and to give them a new opponent in each game. When all the players are in position the director will sound the whistle and play begins for the second 30 minute game. At the end of that game the scorekeeper records the games won for each color, adds the new scores to the previous scores and announces the updated overall score such as "yellow 4 and black 6". The players then erase the scoreboards and the director will announce the moves needed for the third game. At the end of the third game the scorekeeper will announce the final score such as "yellow 7 and black 8". That would mean that all the players on black are the winners. When "yellow and black" is finished, all the players get ice cream. If your color won then you get free ice cream, if your color lost then you have to pay a quarter for your ice cream. So play to win. In "yellow and black" a player can lose all three games and still be a winner because their color won - overall. Of course, the opposite is also true. The main objective of "yellow and black" is that the players have a chance to play and socialize with a variety of other players. Come on out next Friday and win some ice cream in "yellow and black". June 24, 2005 We were delighted to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Lee Metzger as a team in our doubles tournament. Lee Metzger is the Director of Recreation for the City of St. Petersburg. They played a good game, but finally fell to the tough team of Amanda and Tami. Other teams competing were Ashley and Caylor, Dallas and Rob, Conchita and Jerry and Lauren and Jen. These tournaments are an adventure because the players are learning tournament protocols, scorekeeping and the value of good shooting - all at once. There is never a dull moment. Slow Start - Big Finish The new lights on the scoreboards improve the playing experience for everyone. Now we can all see the scores from anywhere. Thanks to Cameron for the great job. "Top Gun" Next Friday In "Top Gun" each player tries to get as much score as possible by shooting 8 disks from one end of a court to the other end and then back. All disks within the scoring areas (and not touching any border lines) count for the usual points of that scoring area with one notable exception - the ten-off. In "Top Gun" the "kitchen" (the ten-off) counts as 10 good points. Sound easy? Wait till you try it. The highest possible score is 160, if you can score 16 tens by shooting your disks into the ten area and/or in the kitchen. No one has ever scored 160 - yet. Trophies will be awarded for the top ten scores. Make sure you warm up your shooting arm before you try your luck because you only get one chance to be the "Top Gun". Hope to see you there. June 18, 2005 This tournament was only for very novice beginners so that our newbies could have a good chance to get a taste of competitive play. These beginners can be quite surprising when it comes to accuracy. Some are beginning to see the benefits of using a little strategy. Some of them are even trying to play kitchen - already. (I don't know where they are getting that from!!) The players were of all ages from about 10 to the 70s. The first and second place winners are all in their 20s. The team of Amanda and Tami gave finalists Atem and Josh quite a run in the semis. Their match lasted more than an hour. They all played very well. Paul and Jennifer had to do some fancy shooting to win out over Eric and Kristy in the other semi-final match. The final round started at 10:20 pm and finished at 10:55pm. The winners were Paul and Jennifer. Atem and Josh won second place. The two teams received trophies for their good play. Our late night digital shots of the winners with their trophies were under exposed so we apologize for the lack of photos of the happy winners. Congratulations to the winners and "better luck next time" to all the rest.. This tournament is the first in a series that we will be holding this summer to acquaint the new players with the whole tournament process. We plan to hold competitions on most Fridays - so everyone has a chance to win a trophy this summer. We had to delay the first tournament by two weeks because of rainy weather. Orchids Brancusi Scoreboard Lights T-Shirts and New Web Site Thanks June 6, 2005 The first Friday night of the month is always "Get Downtown" night in St. Petersburg and that always delicious event called the "Taste of Pinellas" got started Friday night, too. And, if that was not enough, we had the threat of rain at every moment. (It had rained off and on all day.) We lucked out, though. The players came and the rains went someplace else. We used the tournament courts and 21 through 28 in section 3. The new lights on courts 21 through 28 are great. Now everyone can see what is happening at the opposite end of the court - on those courts. We still have players playing in the dark on some of the courts in section 3, most nights. The electrician is now working on the scoreboard lights for the tournament courts and courts 21 through 28. On May 27th we had the ceremonial "turning on" of the lights on courts 21 through 28. Chris Kelly from the Pinellas Heritage, Mary Eldridge from the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club and Ethel Haskins from the City of St. Petersburg were on hand to do the honors. A festive atmosphere prevailed and everyone joined in for cake and beverages before getting back to the business of winning shuffleboard games. We are working on developing new elements to add to our Friday night fun. May 24, 2005 Last Friday, May 20, 2005, we had more than 130 players with at least 75% new faces. They filled the tournament courts, plus Section 3 courts 21 through 28 as well as courts 7 through 17. The tournament courts are lit but the rest are not lighted. The players were so determined to play that they played in the dark until 10:30 pm - with only the street lights to throw any light at all. We are helping players of all ages (from 4 to 80) to learn to enjoy the great game of shuffleboard. First, we teach them about the diagram and the court lines then we teach them how shoot and keep score. Then we turn them lose and let them have fun with their friends. We are all pretty busy from 6 pm to 11 pm. We offer soft drinks and light snacks and we have a donation bottle set-up to collect funds to off-set the expenses. So far, we have been doing ok. On Tuesday, May 17, 2005, from 6 pm to 8 pm we held a work-night. Some new fans of shuffleboard showed up to dig weeds, power-spray concrete, scrape paint off windows, plant flowers, wash windows and sweep out the grandstand. It was a sight to behold - so many enthusiastic workers. Those participating in the work night were Chris K., Debbie, Phillip, Chad, Kristy, Ken, Barbie, Chris P., Randall, Heidi, Alan, Shirley and Mary. . After we finished our work, Shirley ordered pizzas and boy, did they taste good. Then it was out to the courts for some competitive play. We played until around 10 pm and we all slept well that night. On Thursday, May 19th, a large group of interested residents attended the City Council meeting to support Chris Kelly's presentation about our project. He brought the council up to date on the exceptional public support our activity has enjoyed. He asked that additional lighting be installed on courts 21 through 28 so that fewer players have to play in the dark. Phillip Clark and Chad Mize prepared a video to give the Council an idea of the community support and the needs of the physical plant.. Chris' presentation was well received by the council and we met with Lee Metzger, the City Recreation Director, after the meeting and he ok'ed the lights. Jay Morgan, the Adult Centers Director and Ethel Haskins, Supervisor of the Sunshine Center did much work on our behalf. Our hearts are filled with thanks for every single supporter of the project. Yesterday morning, May 23th, the electrician was here and he began the installation process for the lights on 21 through 28. Scoreboard lights will be added, too. Lights on the tournament court scoreboards are also to be added. Cameron also fixed three lights over the tournament courts that were on the blink. Every day is an adventure this summer. May 14, 2005 Jay Cridlin wrote an excellent article about the Friday Social Shuffle and it appeared on the front page of the B section in the Wednesday, May 11, 2005, issue of the St. Petersburg Times. The text of Jay's article is available here. A photo gallery of shots related to Jay's article (taken by Times photographer, Michael Rondou) is available through the following link: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/11/shuffleboard-gall/page1.shtml Max Linsky, a writer for the Weekly Planet, wrote an article about the new St. Pete Shuffle activity. It appeared in the May 11, 2005 edition of the Weekly Planet. The following link connects to Max's article: http//www.weeklyplanet.com/urban_explorer_x.html When you reach the site, click on the "St. Pete Shuffle" item in the right hand column.
Many thanks to Jay and Max for their excellent articles. They both
tried their hand at playing with good results.
A few participants are bringing their young children to enjoy this
family activity. The little fellow in the photo to the left looks
like he is concerned about Mom's shot. Most of the children are
old enough to play.
Work Projects May 12, 2005
February 3, 2005 The concrete workers are repairing the curb wall along the east side of the section 1 courts. This set of 16 courts is the one closest to the office. This curb wall (or edge) has been leaning and tipping over for many years. During the removal of the debris created by the removal of the south wing of the grandstand, the Bobcat machine backed over this curb wall several times and broke it in various places. The workers have totally removed the curb wall and the walk-way along the entire length of the court and are replacing both structures with new concrete. They have it about half done now. There is still some discussion concerning the best way to finish the side walls of the grandstand. Plans are in the works to create an ADA approved entrance to the Club Room - Lunch Room building. The door in the lunch room will be removed and that entrance will be enlarged to accommodate the necessary ADA specifications. This entrance will require some modifications to the lunch room. Plans are also in the works to lay a concrete slab between the restrooms and the two story building to eliminate the steps in that area. Slowly, but surely. January 24, 2005 December 28, 2004 All the hex blocks have been taken up and now the ground beneath them has to be leveled. Then the blocks will be repositioned in the historic manner. The task is labor and time intensive. We will host a 1st Night event for the general public on New Year's Eve and we hope the job will be done by Friday afternoon. The following pictures show the work on the walkway in progress.
December 7, 2004 The broken water pipe was repaired and the water was turned back on last Wednesday (Dec. 1). However, another break appeared that same afternoon and a large amount of water was discharged into the parking area. The water had to be turned off again. The pipe was replaced on the 2nd and the water is back on again. The water faucet at the end of court #1 was broken off by the Bobcat on November 29th so a new faucet has been installed below ground. These pictures show work being done on the pipes.
The grandstand has orange safety fencing on the south end to keep people from tripping over the uneven ground. However, the fencing was not enough to keep a man (a club member) or a lady (a bridge player) from trying to take a short cut. They both tried to climb over the fencing and they both fell but neither was injured. They did not want to bother with walking around the grandstand. The walkway between sections 2 and 3 was rendered unsafe because the Bobcat caused the hexagonal blocks to be displaced from their flat positions. The whole walkway has to be dug up, leveled and the blocks repositioned to a flat surface. The walkway is surrounded by yellow caution tape.
December 1, 2004 November 30, 2004 Later in the afternoon we noticed a lake developing out in the parking lot and went out to check the situation out. Apparently, there was a broken or damaged water pipe under the asphalt at the end of the walkway - near court #1. Water was bubbling up out of the ground. The Water Department was called and they turned the water to the facility off and planned to fix things in the morning. The following pictures are from the 30th.
November 29, 2004 The north wing produced a lot of dust as they sawed the masonry and there was a light easterly wind which blew the dust towards the parking lot by our workshop. The crew sprayed the areas being sawed with water to reduce the dust but there was still a lot of it. The courts all have a white coating of dust on them. Our daily players were here and played as usual - even amidst the clatter of the saws and the blowing dust. The electricians have begun the process of rerouting the wires from the grandstand to the club room and to the workshop. Some of the hexagonal (six sided) concrete blocks have been removed and the underlying electrical conduits have been dug up so that new lines can be installed to restore power to the club room and lunch room. All the power lines to the club room, lunchroom and office will now be underground. A new conduit is also being created to restore power to the workshop. Power was cut off to the workshop when the canopies were removed during hurricane season. The power lines had been routed along the roofs of the canopies. The pictures below show the work in progress.
Many of the hexagonal concrete blocks in the walkways have either been broken or have been displaced from a flat position because of the weight of the Bobcat as it has been driven over them to facilitate the deconstruction of the wings and to move the debris to the dumpsters. We expect the blocks to be replaced or returned to their previous flat positions so that they do not pose a safety hazard to members and others from the general community. November 26, 2004 The work crew's next task will be the removal of the north wing (on the 4th Ave No side). It may take several days to complete that task. The crew has to wait for the asbestos report for the workshop by the restrooms before they can complete the job over there. The following pictures show the work in progress on the south wing on Wednesday, Nov. 24th.
November 23, 2004 We have covered the courts close to the work area with blankets and ply wood panels to protect them from any incidental damage. The following pictures show the work in progress.
Since this is a holiday week, the workers will not be working on Thursday (Thanksgiving) or Friday, so they will not be able to complete their work on the south wing until next week. We can expect them to start working on the north wing (near the water fountain) when they finish with the south wing. We had scheduled a 1 Day NW Singles for Tuesday, November 30th, but in the interest of the player's safety and in the interest of peaceful and quiet playing conditions, we have cancelled this NW Singles Tournament. We apologize for any inconvenience to the players. (Please pass this message of cancellation on to any players you might know who were planning to play in the NW Singles.) We expect to be ready to play the Draw Doubles on December 14th, as scheduled. We will try to post a daily update to keep everyone tuned in to the situation. November 22, 2004 Dumpsters are parked out in front of the Club to hold the demolition debris. Work was suspended in the afternoon so that an evaluation could be made concerning possible asbestos content in the old building material of the workshop. The following pictures show the work in progress.
They may start work on the south wing of the grandstand (the one close to the office) tomorrow while they wait for the asbestos report for the workshop area. November 19, 2004 Some workers learned a little bit about playing shuffleboard when they had a break. They did some playing on the tournament courts and Mary helped them to develop good shooting form. They were able to frequently score disks and to also hit blocks they were aiming at by day's end. November 15, 2004 Further updates will be issued as they become available. November 6, 2004 October 15, 2004 It is estimated that this work will take at least two months to complete - once they get started. August 21, 2004 June 28, 2004 The most recent visit was to assess aspects of the club room and the lunch room for the air-conditioning project for that building. We will post any developments. Hurricane Frances - A Two-Day Report September 8,
2004 - Day 2 Report -The Roofs Are Gone (The roofs (canopies) at both ends of the Section 2 courts were built in 1966 after a tornado spawned by Hurricane Alma tore out all the previous roofs over sections 1, 2 and 3 and deposited them over on 5th Ave North. Guy J. Ehart (then a club member) financed the rebuilding of the canopies in July 1966.) For 38 years the roofs provided shade for untold numbers of recreational and tournament players. (See the left photo at the top of the Home page to view the roofs between sections 1 and 2, as they were several years ago.) Over the years though, the wind, rain and termites have taken their toll on the canopies. They have been "fixed up" several times and they have been due for a redo for a long time. Today, all the roofing debris will be removed to prevent Ivan (and any others of his ilk) from having any extra ammo. The club now has a wide open "look and feel". We will begin the clean up of the small debris and the leaves, etc from Frances when the coast is clear from possible impending hurricanes. We have been expecting some changes here at the club this summer and we are grateful to the City for removing the weak roofs. Safety first, is always a prudent way to do business. We hope Ivan does not head our way and cause any unplanned changes. September 7, 2004 -
Day 1 Report - Hurricane Frances Gets The Ball Rolling Concern was expressed about the possibility of flying corrugated metal sheets causing damage to club buildings, neighborhood buildings and parked cars. Therefore, in the interest of safety, it was decided today to remove the roofs and the wooden posts from both ends of section 2 (the courts behind the grandstand). The roof section behind the tournament booth and over the courts beside the chess club will also be taken down at this time. This roof section has been especially weak for a long time. This work has been in the talking stage for several years and now Frances has precipitated action. The benches from sections 1, 2 and 3 are stacked in four piles to keep them out of the way of the work. A large dumpster was brought in to hold all the debris. The following pictures show the work in progress. Click on a thumbnail picture to see a larger version of the photo.
The humidity is around 100% today and it is hot, so it is a tough job for the city work crew. They are doing a great job, though. No club members reported any damage at their homes other than small branches, leaves and palm fronds down. Three trees on the bank of Mirror Lake were destroyed. One of them was in the road in front of the club this morning and a work crew removed it pronto.
We feel very lucky about Frances. No club damage and a necessary job has been undertaken. Our regular members were here this morning and played their usual three Daily Games.
Good Life Games - March 11 & 12, 2004 This year's official regional shuffleboard Good Life Games were played at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. A frame-game format is used in the Good Life Games - Senior Games competitions. This year we decided to play the games as afternoon events. It worked out a lot better than the previous year's morning events. We had beautiful weather and everyone had a very pleasant time. We are thinking about holding the events on week-end days next year. March 11th - Singles Results:
March 12th - Open Doubles Results:
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