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Through the efforts of the USCA Management Committee and President Sara Low, I am pleased to announce that the 2017 Volume 3 issue of the Croquet News magazine is now available as a true digital edition and open to the public. A full intro is below, but the timing is perfect as this overdue edition is a tribute to the 40-year anniversary for the USCA. We are incredibly pleased to provide this issue to everyone who shares a passion for the sport. The print copies are on press and should be starting the mail process for USCA members next week.

2017 VOLUME 3

In the 20 years I have played the sport of croquet, I've never had a more challenging and rewarding experience than I did in working through this long overdue 2017 Volume 3 Croquet News tribute to the 40 year anniversary. The central feature is a 22-page look at just some of the players, leaders, supporters, moments and events that make up the fascinating story of croquet in America. Of course, the full magazine was a team effort across the board, but Bert Myer was the engine behind the tribute and beside providing photos and copy, he kept the project moving steadily along even as I would disappear to work on the advertising side or help chase down missing tournament pieces.

The full story of how this issue was built is a tale for another day, but the greatest challenge from my perspective was accepting early on that there would be no way to cover the entire of story of American croquet in a single magazine issue. So what our work evolved into is what I would call more of a visual outline with sporadic detail limited by space and in some cases limited research material. In fact, from our early notes, I can confidently confess that we've left dozens of people and events off the table that I think are key to the overall history. I do know those omissions will disappoint many as they have disappointed me. I've simply had to box up that list up in my mind as opportunities for future articles or as known gaps for the release of a more comprehensive project on the history croquet in America.

On the upside, the deep dive into the project has given me a much greater appreciation for what has come before and how fast the sport has evolved here and how the progress continues. I have certainly read my share of croquet history and have heard a number of entertaining stories, but I had never before tried to grasp the full timeline and how it all had to stack up to bring us to current era. In the majority of my free time over the past several months, I've lived in a bubble of croquet history. And what I've learned from that time, is simply that we are where we are now -- with a growing number of multi-court facilities, a robust tournament schedule and competitive international players/teams -- through the great efforts, perseverance and passion of the many leaders, supporters, benefactors and players that built the USCA. I am grateful for those efforts and I hope this issue demonstrates the gratitude for all who took part in the founding and building of the USCA.

CONTRIBUTORS 

As I mentioned before, Bert Myer was the major collaborator to the tribute piece. Jeff Soo helped out knowingly and unkowningly, Eric Sawyer offered input on GC, Anne Frost Robinson and Rhys Thomas answered questions. Bob Alman provided info. I even checked in briefly with Myles Ludwig on a photo from his era as publisher. I checked in with Karen Kaplan as well. My long time editor Julie Jantzer-Ward powered through the 15,000 word tribute with ease. And our new art director, Brandy Ferguson made record time in piecing together a 64 page layout that had a lot of back and forth. It was a giant collaboration and though challenging, everyone involved embraced the concept. Thank you to all of the contributors for the 2017 Volume 3 Issue. Bob Alman, Bob Baker, Bob Chilton, Missy Chilton, Rich Curtis, Garth Eliassen, Brandy Ferguson, Matt Griffith, Doug Grimsley, Shereen Hayes, Genie Hendry, Bill Hightower, Julie Jantzer-Ward, Jackie Jones, Karen Kaplan, Bob Kroeger, Sara Low, Myles Ludwig, Bert Myer, Johnny Mitchell, John C. Osborn, Jennifer Othen, Marsi Parker Darwin, Ursula Peck, Eric Sawyer, Sue Sherer, Bobbi Shorthouse, Jeff Soo, Ryan Thompson, Rich Watson, Onifer Wilmoth, Phyllis A. Young

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

ABOUT THE DIGITAL EDITION: You will find live website, e-mail and video links through out the digital edition. If you see an interesting reference, you can click through to dig deeper or reach a contact right away. This digital edition should be viewable on all devices.