You can vote for up to 3 candidates. To vote, email Brad Hemminger (bmh@ils.unc.edu) and cc Robb English (renglish@townofchapelhill.org) with the name of the candidates you wish to vote for.
Votes are due by midnight Wednesday May 31st. Only one email per email address on the Chapel Hill Pickleball list will be accepted.
The candidates and their statements in alphabetical order are:
Gracia Barry
I was introduced to Pickleball four years ago when Jim taught an intro class at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club, and I’ve been hooked ever since! I currently play several times a week (as much as my schedule allows!) at the Ephesus courts.
Last November, JB asked me to play with some players new to Pickleball. After a fun-filled introductory match, they asked if we could repeat it soon, and thus, a “Newbie/Beginner” group was formed! It is so rewarding to see improvement in skills but more importantly, camaraderie fostered among players of similar abilities! It gives me great pleasure to encourage the love of Pickleball in new players!
As a resident of Chapel Hill for 40+ years, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several local boards and Outreach-based committees, and I look forward to bringing my perspective and knowledge gained from those experiences to the Pickleball Steering Committee.
Dennis Caren
My name is Dennis Caren, I’m 76 years old, and my wife, Pat, and I moved to Chapel Hill from Northern California about two and a half years ago be closer to our grandchildren. I consider myself a “racquet / paddle sport person” – tennis, table, platform and Pickleball. While my main sport continues to be tennis, I try to play Pickleball, which I very much enjoy, at least once a week.
I started playing Pickleball about seven (7) years ago in California. It was just getting started and we played at the town gym. There were just a few of us….but it quickly grew…however not always in the right direction. From a fun time learning a new sport, word spread in the Bay Area and in a relatively short time advanced players from 50 miles and beyond were coming to our town to play PB. Unfortunately, this (recruiting stronger players) was supported / encouraged by the informal leaders who had taken charge. While I could play with the advanced players, I withdrew from the group in protest of how the lower level and newcomers we’re seeing their court time reduced.
When we moved to Chapel Hill and heard of PB at the community center, I thought that I should give it another try. Since then I have been very impressed with how the organizers have structured the play with emphasis on exercise and having fun at all levels.
Regarding my recreation organizational skills, I have been captain of USTA tennis teams; president of a Tennis Club; and presently captain of the Men’s Senior Tennis Team at Chapel Hill Tennis Club. I also organized the league our team plays in, Men’s Senior Interclub League in the greater Chapel Hill area. Also, most recently I helped organize a program called “Pickleball for Parkinson’s” (P4P) and we recently had our first P4P clinic at Seymour Senior Center.
If elected to the Steering Committee, I would try to continue to have pickleball played in Chapel Hill as a sport for all ages and levels with continuing emphasis on exercise and “Having Fun”.
Stan Friedland
After playing Pickleball on modified tennis courts on Long Island, New York, my wife and I moved here over a year ago to discover the “Pickleball Paradise” of Ephesus Park. Not only did we relish the wonderful courts themselves, but we were just as delighted by the warm “invitationality” of all the players there! We are Octagenarians, yet we always have been invited to play, with friendliness and enthusiasm, which make games here so enjoyable for everyone.
As a former, veteran high school principal, I am in awe of what our Pickleball Ambassadors have built in their respective tenures, probably the best community Pickleball program in the State, if not region. My objectives as a possible member of our new Steering Committee would be to maintain and strengthen this positive and friendly spirit we all enjoy, as well as be receptive and responsive to your perspectives and points of view. As a mature group, we will welcome divergent opinions and ideas, but let’s always do so with the same civility and mutual respect that we show to each other on the courts. That will make it a “win-win” for everyone, and that’s what we should want for each of us.
Nick Galvez
I have been playing Pickleball since 2011 and enjoy being a competitive runner, tennis player/coach and Ultimate Frisbee coach. Like Ultimate, Pickleball welcomes varied level of players and encourages sportsmanship over winning. I enjoy helping others learn any sport and get a thrill when someone gets “hooked” on Pickleball.
I hope to help the USAPA/CH Pickleball improve outreach to local schools, as Pickleball is a great sport to introduce to younger players. I see high potential for leagues, ladders and tournaments not just for the local youth but to welcome all ages. I believe the ambassadors and steering committee can encourage competitiveness, while accommodating developing players and being open to many age levels and socioeconomic classes.
The timing is right for our Pickleball community to think strategically to promote Pickleball, takes steps for growth of the sport in the area and secure local resources for future (hooked) players of the fastest growing sport in America!
Jen Johnson
Henry Ford put it best. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” As we continue to grow pickleball in Chapel Hill, it is extremely important to build a great steering committee and team. My skills as an entrepreneur, as well as a player, coach and referee in a variety of sports will add a unique voice to our team and help ensure that there is a player advocate and voice on the steering committee. I would love to help build a more welcoming atmosphere, spearhead coaching for new players who work, create an after school program for young adults as well as a possible week long summer AM camp. I am certain we can do great things together, if you elect me to the steering committee.
David Langmeyer
I started pickleball play in October of 2016 as a way of increasing my level of physical activity as I aged into my mid 70’s. What I found exceeded my original goal with the gift of a group of players who I look forward to seeing when I get a chance to play. After almost a year of playing indoors, I’ve been playing almost exclusively outdoors about 3-4 times a week in Chapel Hill. I have also played in Mebane, Walltown, and Charlotte. And fortunately, each venue has provided the same warm welcome. As to my level of play, I leave that judgement to those I’ve played with. It varies.
As far as what I would bring to the steering committee. I would promote the group’s stated vision of playing pickleball because it is fun, and fun for all who participate. I would also encourage the steering committee, and all players, to actively include all who want to try pickleball. When I see a new face, particularly a beginner, on the court, it feels like an accomplishment. More so if they keep coming back.
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