1060 Ridgewood Ave, Holly Hill, FL 32117
A Smashing Success
6th Annual Pictona Open
Sponsored by Emerge Insurance Services
| Over 4 days (October 23-26, 2025) 741 players ranging in age from 10 years to 85 played 1925 matches mostly in sunshine with a bit of breeze from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Only in the final hours on Sunday did the weather woman show us some moisture, but we completed the tournament under Pictona’s 13 covered courts without having to shorten any matches.
Players praised the tournament format which consisted of 88 divisions playing on pods of 2-4 courts followed by a playoff of 4 teams in each division. Pod managers kept games moving along and our team of referees were able to referee most medal matches. The quality of play was outstanding among the 449 male and 292 female players who came not only from Florida but 26 other states. Sportsmanship was high and injuries low. We enjoyed giving 213 gold medals, 177 silver medals, and 150 bronze medals for a total of 540 medals. It takes a coordinated team to conduct a successful tournament. A shout out to Scott Thornton, tournament manager, who was ably assisted by former tournament manager Bob Panzak who returned from Vermont for this event. Nick Kovacs is our Volunteer Coordinator who was blessed with the services of 93 volunteers contributing a total of 553 hours. Our Referee Coordinator was Robbie Walton who assigned 14 referees to the matches. Members of Pictona’s staff who played a significant but less visible part in the tournament included Angie Gustafson, operations director, Gregg Sibigtroth, facilities director, Deb Christensen, exhibit coordinator, and Chris Stahler, marketing director. We thank all of you, especially our wonderful volunteers who make Pictona’s tournaments affordable and successful. We hasten to add our appreciation to Emerge Insurance Servicesfor their sponsorship of this tournament as well as our March 2026 Pictona Challenge tournament. Julie and Rainer Martens, Pictona co-directors |
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BIG THANK YOU TO OUR TOURNAMENT SPONSOR & EXHIBITORS! Emerge Insurance Services bridges the gap when the unexpected happens and your deductible hasn't been met. Don't let a broken bone cost you an arm and a leg! |
Many of Pictona’s repeat tournament players will recognize William S. Boddie, who goes by GOAT, by his snowy white beard, contagiously positive personality and his colorful apparel donned with his self-titled nickname.
Goat, originally from Alabama, spent over 20 years as a military officer and another 20+ years as a professor of Transformational Leadership at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He and his wife live in St. Johns, FL, where he started playing pickleball a little over 3 years ago. His golf buddies miss him but can’t seem to convince him to head back to the links! He loves that pickleball provides an opportunity for quick response play, cardiovascular exercise and most of all an outlet for fun and community. Goat is devoted to improving his game and drills with a ball machine a couple of times per week.
His hard work paid off last week when he and Nick Caruso, whom he met when volunteering at Pictona, took Gold at the Pictona Open in Men’s Doubles 3.5, 65+ age group. They won the first game 11-5, went down on the second game 11-9 but then rallied and beat their opponents in the final match 11-6.
Congrats Goat and Nick! We look forward to seeing you at the next tournament!
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Court Monitoring
At last, our long-awaited court monitoring system is fully in place.
We installed 12 cameras to provide a view of every court, all 49. If you have been on campus, you likely have seen the two monitors, one mounted on the P1 wall by court 3 and the other on the wall inside the stadium by the Championship Court. The screen is divided into quadrants showing 4 camera views and rotates through three screens to see all 12 camera views and then repeats.
Now we introduce Pictona.Live. You can view the courts from anywhere you can access the internet. You want to know how busy the courts are or whether the courts are dry, just enter Pictona.Live into your browser and select the courts you want to view. You will also find the link to Pictona.Live in the right column of our website’s homepage.
We hope you enjoy this new service. We thank our IT wizard Mark Brigandi for setting up the system.
⭐ Join the Fun at Pictona! Part-Time Bookkeeper Needed
Help keep the numbers balanced at one of Florida’s premier pickleball clubs!
Pictona at Holly Hill is seeking a detail-oriented part-time Bookkeeper to
manage daily accounting, reconciliations, and reports. Flexible hours and
a fun, team-focused environment. Knowledge of QuickBooks is a must!
Please send your cover letter and resume to Angie at angieg@pictona.org.
Join single like-minded Pickleball enthusiasts for a weekend of Pickleball fun, open play, a Round-Robin
tournament, King of the Court competitions Friday night Steak and Chicken Fajita Buffet, Saturday night Dance Party,
socializing, merriment, and more! Pictona's MetroHealth Stadium offers the Depot concessions with food, beer,
and wine, music jamming on the courts, and a huge deck to relax and socialize between the games.
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Pictona Escape |
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| Get ready for an exciting new season at Pictona starting November 11th with our 8-week league offerings.
Tuesday - Men’s or Women’s Set Partner Leagues at the 3.5 skill level for competitive and fun match play. Thursdays - Co-Ed Set Partner League, featuring two divisions: 3.0–3.49 and 3.5–3.99. Each league offers great gameplay, skill development, and community connection. Grab your partner and sign up today to be part of the action at Pictona! |
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We have a terrific lineup of tournaments for you in 2025-26.
Go here to see our lineup. Tournaments provide you with an opportunity to
test yourself, play with different opponents, and learn from watching other
players in action. And for Pictona, they are a significant source of revenue that
helps keep our membership rates among the lowest in the nation. And a major
reason we make money from our tournaments is because of the many members
who volunteer to help conduct these events. We thank you.
Please Note: The Club Invitational Cup, scheduled for November 22-23,
has been postponed for a future date.
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How to grow and nourish a confident mindset through your pickleball journey. Featuring senior pro and coach Dayne Gingrich and pickleball yogi Jill Martin, this on-court conversation and clinic will focus on the mental and physical aspects of playing your best pickleball as a senior. More info HERE. |
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We're excited to offer Rookie Rally 2026 in January! Players in the past, often first-time tournament players, have told us how much fun this tournament is. It is your opportunity to play others of like skill and age in a fun round robin format. Team up with your partner to play men's, women's, and mixed doubles at the 2.5 and 3.0 skill level. And for our 2026 tournament, we're adding a Junior Division with two age groups and three skill levels. Here are all the facts about the Rookie Rally 2026. Adults Juniors |
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Florida Health Care Plans Helping people and communities |
 Pickleball and yoga. Together at last!
Fridays I 10:30-11:30 am Having discovered pickleball in 2022, Greg Adkins realized quickly how beneficial yoga practice would be to his game. “The stretching and strengthening in yoga have been invaluable,” he says. “And although I still have so much to learn on the court, my time in the [yoga] studio has made a huge and positive impact on my game, both mentally and physically.” The FHCP Activity Center offers exercise classes that include yoga, strength training, balance training, and chair exercises, line dancing and ballroom dancing. Free with most insurances or a $5 donation! |
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Annual Enrollment Period Retention & New Member Seminar
Come and see what a geriatric Primary Care is all about!
We are more than just a clinic!
Dates:
November 4
November 18
11:00 am - 1:00 PM
Must Call to RSVP: 407-733-2701
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Pictona was built through a public-private partnership with the City of Holly Hill and Martens Charities, and $2.9 million in Volusia County ECHOgrants.
