Summary: Pickleball Community

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The sound of the paddle hitting the ball, the grunts, arguments, and overall sense of community is what makes the pickleball community within The Villages special. Throughout The Villages there are hundreds if not thousands of residents that enjoy the sport either as a competitor, spectator, or in a behind the scenes role. Johnny Kong of The Village of Fenney serves as a referee for various PickleBall Community Volunteer Groups, a position he's filled for the past two years. Prior to coming to The Villages in 2017, Kong worked 30 years at Ernst and Young, in their NY office, then their Atlanta office, and finally finishing up in their Orlando office. In his time with the company he has had many roles but ended up finishing as a program manager …show more content…

“It keeps you socially involved with people, its a great time, I've met more people being socially involved with Pickleball since, I've been in The Villages most of the friends I've meet has been through pickleball. I didn't get a chance to start playing until my mom passed away, I've only been playing for about three years.” Despite cultural differences, sports unites people and brings them together on a unified front. Undoubtedly, not only is Pickleball a growing and thriving sport in the United States, it is growing in the international state. According to the Singapore Pickleball Association, the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in Singapore, the sport was introduced to the country in the 1980s. Kong's, family is from, Singapore, their nation is a strict one, Kong uses this strictness when he's officiating a …show more content…

Being a licensed official is very important, they must possess several qualities that will attain the respect of their peers, and the competitors on the pickleball court. They must have good judgement, communication, consistency, and most importantly integrity. “I keep it honest with everyone”, Kong said. “ I try and be consistent and try and stay out of the game.We're there to make sure that scores are being kept, and that we're in the right position. A good ref keeps the game moving along without interfering so they can play the game. In rec leagues, we have to keep scores, make calls because in the heat of a game its really hard to see whether a ball is in or out. When Kong isn't refereeing pickleball games, he's teaching the game through the P.C.V.G. to beginners at Everglades Recreation Center on Wednesday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., where he will instruct various group

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