Shufflers season already in full swing
While the North Fort Myers Recreation Center was closed for two weeks to redo the gym floor, next door, at the Lee County Shuffleboard Center, the courts were full as members played in a tournament Saturday.
A full parking lot is a frequent occurrence at one of the biggest shuffleboard leagues in Southwest Florida. More than 170 members go to the LCSC to play a game that has become a staple with many of the older residents in the area.
And this year will be no exception as they have played in league, area and state tournaments weekly since the beginning of October. With many of the members now in Florida for season, the competition is only expected to get hotter, culminating with the big three-day Masters tournament at the end of March.
Ray Buck, president of the Southern District of the Florida Shuffleboard Association, said things are going well in the area for shuffleboard.
“We’re holding our own and we’re hoping tournaments like this will bring younger members to come and play,” Buck said. “We have a lot of players in the parks, but it’s hard to get them to play in tournaments. We’re pleased. It’s a great shuffleboard family.”
There are some changes. Dick Wittis is no longer the league president, having resigned to take a full-time job. John Holder took over in the interim before Jim Goodrich returned and took the helm.
Goodrich said he doesn’t plan to be in charge for the long term, meaning Holder, the LCSC first vice-president, could be in line to become the permanent president.
Holder said the great turnout for the tournament is a good sign. But the club is down 15 to 20 members from last year. Holder said that isn’t too surprising.
“We have to work to bring in new, younger people to come in,” Holder said. “The younger players are starting to come, but all our people come from parks. They’re all snowbirds more or less.”
The sport is geared toward older people. As many of them are retired, they are looking for something to do beside watching television, Holder said.
However, shuffleboard has found competition with pickleball and bocce, so it has to be aggressive in recruiting. In fact, the FSA has to compete with the park leagues in the area, such as Bayshore Shuffleboard Travel League.
It’s selling point as is the opportunity to meet new people.
“It’s fun, you get to meet real nice people. We have seven or eight state tournaments and district tournaments that go through the end of March,” Holder said. “There is at least one tournament a week, sometimes two. The pro tournaments are on Monday and district tournaments on Thursday.”
On this day, it was a state tournament, with extra prize money thrown in to encourage some of the amateurs and beginners to compete, Holder said. They just shouldn’t expect to make much money.
“We went to a tournament in Lakeland last year. We finished fourth and won $4 and it cost us $5 each day,” Holder said. “Our club tournaments aren’t bad. You could win $40. If you count your expenses, you’re not making anything.”
The main idea of the game is to come, have fun, make friends and learn the game from people who want to see you succeed.
“It’s about pride and camaraderie. They do it for fun and the satisfaction of doing it,” Holder said.