LA PICKLEBALL By Mark McDuff Pickleball is in full swing this winter here at Lake Ashton. In February we hosted a Valentine’s mixer for our members. There were 16 mixed doubles teams competing for the couples’ championship while enjoying the opportunity to celebrate the holiday with Pickleball friends. We also fielded both a women’s and a men’s team in the pickleball community league. In March we will be hosting a farewell mixer for our Snowbird friends. As always, the courts have been full during our open play times. If you are new to Lake Ashton or just new to pickleball, there are many opportunities for you to join in the fun. Open play pickleball is from 8 to 11 am Monday to Saturday. It is open to players at all levels and you do not have to be a member of the Lake Ashton Pickleball Association to play. All you need to do is show up and rotate in. For the more advanced players, we have Advanced Open Play from 2 to 4 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For new players, Coach Dennis Santino has resumed his Newbie Clinics. If you are interested in participating, just watch for the email blast and sign-up. If you would like to be a part of the Lake Ashton Pickleball Association, membership forms can be found at the HFC. Dues are just $12 per year and are prorated based on the month that you join. The dues are used to provide pickleballs for everyone’s use as well to fund our mixers and social events. We look forward to seeing you out on the pickleball courts! FRIENDLY BOCCE GROUP By Stephanie Iszak We would like to invite all Lake Ashton residents to come out on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am to 1 pm to play some fun games of Bocce Ball. No experience is required. Anyone who is playing would be more than happy to teach you and go over the Lake Ashton Friendly Bocce Ball rules and regulations. Our Friendly Bocce Tailgate parties for 2025 will be held through April from 4 to 6 pm on the first and third Fridays of the month. Bring your non-alcoholic drinks and an appetizer to share. (Alcoholic drinks must be purchased from Charm City.) This is a great opportunity to socialize and play some games. 38 The Friendly Bocce Tournament will be held April 5, with a rain date of April 6. The tournament will host sixteen teams (32 players) and is single elimination. The day begins at 8:45 am with pictures and play begins promptly at 9. Come prepared with your chairs, drinks, and snacks to watch some great competition. The Award Ceremony for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be held on the Charm City Patio at 4 pm. Jim and Kay Weaver have graciously agreed to sponsor our tournament again this year. They deserve a “BIG THANK YOU” for their generosity. A Tournament SIGN-UP email will be sent in the beginning of March to all Friendly Bocce Players. Any questions, please contact Stephanie Iszak at 609-980-9505 or siszak@comcast.net or Tammy Shields at 863-632-2024 or tammy.shields1221@gmail.com. Looking forward to having many new Friendly Bocce players. LA SWIM CLUB By Sandy White Thanks to those res ident s who stopped by the club's information table at the Club Fair. Thank you to members Mary, Kerry, and Sandy P. who helped with that table. Residents learned that swimming is one of the best and safest forms of whole-body exercise. They also learned that doing it as part of a group is good motivation to be consistent. Swimming on a regular basis also helps to prevent age-related loss of muscle tissue. Additionally, they learned that there is nationally organized age-group swimming competition for those 50 and over. FYI - our club has had participants in Senior Games for the past 6 years, including the National Senior Games, and we were represented by Sharon Swanson at the 2025 annual Polk County Senior Games on March 1. The club welcomes new participants to attend our organized workouts on Monday and Wednesdays 1-2 pm and Saturdays 10-11am at the HFC. All abilities are welcome, but we do ask that you be able to swim two lengths of the pool. We also have a 100-Mile Challenge, where one tracks their laps on a board in the hallway by the restrooms. Set a goal to swim (virtually) to Daytona Beach or some other 100-mile destination. Come swim with us !
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