Anyone who knows me, knows how much I like games. Board games, video games, word games, card games – you name it, I’ll play it. And, while I may not be an athlete (you’d probably have to blackmail me into playing flag football), my favorite games are of the more active variety. I love badminton, croquet, ping pong, and have even built my own ladder golf set out of PVC.
(To anyone who might be unfamiliar with ladder golf, I command you to stop reading this and go look it up right now. It’s oh so much cooler than horseshoes.)
I tell you all of this not to give you an idea of what my personals ad might look like, but to explain why it’s so very weird that it took me this long to discover St. Pete Shuffle.
Well, “discover” is probably an overly generous verb, here. I’ve actually known about this shuffleboard event for over a year. I have been invited – nay, implored – to try it out half a dozen times. Why did I decline? What took me so long?
I’d never played shuffleboard for the very same reason that many of you are reading this with incredulity: shuffleboard is for old people.
As all Floridians know, shuffleboard is the patron sport of the geriatric set. It is synonymous with buffet specials and leisure suits. It is as obsolete as the foxtrot, just one step away from the Long Shadow Inn.
When I actually turned down a party invitation last Friday to go to the Shuffle, my friends said, “What are you, eighty?”
But you know what? I have never been happier to miss a party.
People, in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t expect to be saying this, but shuffleboard is the coolest game ever! And the Friday night St. Pete Shuffle is the coolest place to play it.
The Mirror Lake recreation area (559 Mirror Lake Drive, Downtown) is home to some of St. Petersburg’s oldest buildings. Though many of them are a little worse for the wear, the shuffleboard courts are in excellent condition. Stepping into the hexblock courtyard is like stepping back in time – it’s like finding yourself in an old Florida postcard.
The playing starts at 7pm every Friday, weather permitting, and when I showed up around 7:15, Chris Kelly, the current head of the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club, was just patching his iPod into the court’s PA system. Once a month, I’m told, live bands play, but Chris’ music mix was mellow and hip enough to please just about everybody. Otis Reading’s “These Arms of Mine” created a surreal time warp – I felt like I was in the Florida version of Dirty Dancing. Being a big history geek, I was nearly giddy with this retro glimpse of old St. Pete.
When the sun goes down, white Christmas lights illuminate the courts, and play goes on until 11pm. Club members, who pay just $20 annually, can play later, if they like.
The St. Pete Shuffleboard Club was established in 1924, and the first Clubhouse was built in 1927. I’m sure the place has seen its ups and downs, but the Friday night St. Pete Shuffle started about two years ago, and is well on its way to reviving the game. Is it still a senior pastime? You betcha. But the folks at the Shuffle are far from geriatric, and there’s an equal amount of families and college kids – all shuffling happily, side-by-side.
As for the main attraction – the game – it’s easy enough to keep you from getting discouraged and challenging enough to be fun. Friday night Shuffle is free (which is a whole lot cheaper than miniature golf) and open to everyone, so bring friends or even the kids. You can play by yourself, but it’s obviously more fun with an opponent or a group of four. I had the privilege of being heartily defeated by St. Pete Councilmember Jeff Danner, and his teammate - the master himself - Chris Kelly.
But, lest you think I’m some kind of slouch, I should warn you: I annihilated the Gabber’s own Cathy Salustri in my very first attempt at shuffleboard, 87-31.
And, I reserved all bragging rights.
Published in The Gabber Newspaper, Gulfport, FL 6/21/07
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