2016 Midwest GC Regionals Player Report

The ending to the first-ever USCA Regional to be held in Kansas City lived up to expectations. Cheryl Bromley and Matt Griffith faced off in a final that went the distance earlier today as Griffith took a 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 win at his Kactus Creek Croquet Club in Parkville, Missouri. The match featured great play by both players with lots of long clears and good hoop battles throughout.
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2016 USCA Selection Eights Availability Deadline: July 31

The Selection Eights will be held October 27-30, 2016 at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is an AC Selection Event — players will be selected by the Selection Committee from those who make themselves available to compete. 

The availability form is in the members area of the USCA website under Official Forms. The deadline for availability is July 31, 2016. The selections will be made on August 14, 2016.

KC to Host 2016 Midwest Regional

USCA Midwestern Regional VP Matt Griffith has announced Kansas City as the host city for the 2016 USCA Midwest Regionals to be played as golf croquet singles and Waterford doubles. The event will be held June 24-26, 2016 at Griffith's Kactus Creek Croquet Club and The National Golf Club of Kansas City in Parkville, Missouri (northern part of the Kansas City metro).
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Survey: What Can the USCA Do For You?

Now is the time to answer that question. Five years ago, we surveyed the membership to get a sense of who they are, why they play, and other questions about their croquet world. Included in the multiple choice survey was an opportunity to voice any concerns about what and how the USCA was doing (or not).
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2016 USCA Croquet News Volume 1, Web Edition

The 2016 Volume 1 issue of the USCA's Croquet News magazine mailed in April and should be arriving in member's mailboxes soon. Today, the web edition PDF is also now available to USCA members on the magazine page of the USCA website. A few of the highlights include:

USCA PRESIDENT'S ROUNDTABLE
In this feature, I held an email roundtable discussion with current USCA President Johnny Mitchell and recent presidents Eugene Young and Rich Curtis. The discussion touched on a range of topics around current USCA challenges and the future vision. Excerpt:

"Promoting the sport is an entirely different issue. I know that all those who are involved in croquet truly have a passion for it and have a hard time understanding why more don’t play. Yes, we have seen pockets of expansion. North Carolina is a good example of this, but I feel it is not as easy as just trying to follow that model. Each area of the country is unique. What works in one may not be effective in another. Development is dependent on having local support. No matter where or who you may sell the idea of croquet to, unless some local support or the drive to keep it going is there, it just won’t work."
--Johnny Mitchell

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Young Players Ready For ACWC Exhibition

Younger players are setting a new tone for elite level Association Croquet with a special exhibition game open to visitors and press at noon on Friday, April 15, 2016, at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  

Some, like 17-year-old football player Matthew Essick from North Carolina, grew up in croquet families.   Others, including the two teenagers from New Zealand, learned croquet at secondary schools in a program sponsored and run by the country's national croquet organization. They are in West Palm Beach to compete at the WCF World Assocation Croquet Championship next week and will go up against a field of 80 players from 13 different countries.
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Wassink Officially Takes Lead in USCA Grand Prix

In last month's look at the USCA Grand Prix Top 25, we gave Stephen Morgan the headline, but officially there was a tie with Derek Wassink at 6,000 points. This month Wassink has established a slight gap with a 200 point lead based on his total of 7,540. Randy Cardo is now chasing Wassink with 7,340 for second place, while Morgan is in third with 7,120.
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