The Early Years

2004 - 2010

In the beginning there was no formal setup. People just showed up and played. Everyone was so welcoming and there was a lot of kibitzing going on. Players donated balls. Maxine Lindenfelser and Shirley Kadrmas donated cookies and coffee. When people came by and watched, they were invited to come in and play. Gary Randall was one of the original players and he taught anyone who was interested in playing. Mark Fuerstenberg was an original and played with a wooden paddle.

Paul Lindenfelser made a wooden box to hold the wooden paddles. The box was left out on the court for people to access and when it rained, the box would fill with water. The paddles would swell and had to be replaced. He also made two plywood boxes (24" by 24") and filled them with sand. He added a 4" X 4" post to each box coming up from the center on which to tie the nets. After a number of rains, the boxes needed to be repaired. One year Paul and Maxine took them home and discovered they were full of termites. Ambrose reschny also repaired them one year.

The club purchased a white board and waiting players would add their names to a list. As they entered the courts, someone would erase their names and new names would be added.