About Deaf Pickleball USA
Mission
The mission of Deaf Pickleball USA, as the governing and rule-setting body for the sport of pickleball, is to promote the development, growth, and competition of pickleball in the Deaf community in the United States.
Board Members
History
3 weeks prior to hosting the 1st National Deaf Pickleball Tournament (NDPT) event in Encinitas CA, the 1st NDPT committee sent an email to all registrants to see if they were interested in serving on a Task Force team. The Task Force team’s primary mission is to establish a national non-profit 501 (c)(3) Deaf Pickleball organization. Scott Kramer, who has extensive experience running the National Racquetball Association of the Deaf organization for more than 3 decades as the officer, was asked to be a consultant to screen and select the candidates who expressed their interest.
Scott announced 4 Task Force team members at the 1st NDPT banquet on September 25, 2021, in Solana Beach, CA. The team members were as follows:
- Steven Florio of Massachusetts
- Audrey Frank of Maryland
- David Reynolds of California
- Louis Schwarz of Florida
Randi Wille of Arizona joined on the team as a Task Force member on January 6, 2022, as she brings extensive experience and knowledge from playing in many pickleball tournaments.
The Task Force team will be disbanded right after the inaugural officers take the oath to lead the national organization, Deaf Pickleball USA, on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in The Villages, Florida.