Sheila Davis had an eye-opening experience and wants to share it.
Submitted by Sheila Davis
I arrived in Clermont on the first of January to visit my parents. My dad, George Snyder, decided that I should learn Shuffleboard, the game he loves so much. Reluctantly, I went to the courts and practiced the basics of the game and found it to be not only fun to play but resulted in me making many new friends as well. It also provided me much needed exercise.
I learned terms like kitchen, bumping, drift, and many other terms in a completely new context. I learned how to hold the cue, aim and follow through. The amount of information floating around in my brain was overwhelming, but I kept going to the courts, practicing and sliding the disk down the court into the scoring areas.
The Clermont Shuffleboard Club members travel to or host shuffleboard teams from other nearby cities. My Dad insisted I be his partner to play in these visitation matches. To say I was nervous is an understatement. You see, I don’t like letting other people down; and, also, I don’t like embarrassing myself. I was sure both would happen. But with my Dad as my partner, we did pretty well. I found that all those instructions floating around in my head started to fall into place. I started seeing the shots I should take and a little of the strategy of playing the game. I found that I absorbed a lot more information than I thought I had at the time it was being said. I started leaving games knowing I had played a pretty good game and contributed to the victory.
By the end of the season, I had qualified for the Super V tournament in the” A” group (against a lot of pro players). I knew I did not belong in that group but had won enough games since January to qualify. With my Dad as my partner, we played 5 matches and came home with a second place victory. It made me feel good about myself, knowing it was a big accomplishment for a beginning player.
Long story short – What I’m saying is, “Get out and try shuffleboard”. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the information you may be given. Just pick out a couple of things and work on them, then add some more. As I said, it did all fall into place. The people you meet, the friendships you make and the fun and frustration you have are all worth it.
Everyone at the Clermont club helped me learn the game and many people from other clubs offered advice when playing with them. I not only gained a lot of new friends, had a lot of fun playing the game but spent a lot of quality time with my Dad. I am returning home a winner thanks to my visit to Clermont and learning the game of Shuffleboard.
The Club plays every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday at 9:00 am from April thru October at Kehlor Park, 466 W. Minneola Ave. In March the time is 1:00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. There is no equipment or cost to try the game out.
For more info call George at 407-484-7242 or Jean at 352-242-9756
