SPORTS
ment management, clinics, instruction and organized play.
He also teaches at Riverland Tradition.
Still working full time as an IT director for XChange of
America, a currency exchange service in Stuart, Casino is
sponsored by Adidas. Currently recovering from surgery for
an Achilles tendon injury, Casino hopes to become certified
as a pickleball referee and go professional.
Skill ratings in pickleball range from beginners 1.0 to professionals
5.0. Official status is obtained through tournament
play, such as the tournament Casino and his friend attended.
Although pickleball is fun for individuals, Casino sees
father-son teams and families playing in groups. His daughter,
a competitive cheerleader, likes pickleball, too. “It’s the
coolest thing,” he says. “You’ll see a 13-year-old playing a
78-year-old. There’s no age limit. There are mixed groups,
men playing women. We’re very inclusive.
“It’s like a playground for adults,” he continues, “one of
the only sports where you can just walk in and get right
into the mix. We get people with tennis backgrounds, or
squash and racquetball, but also people with mobility issues.
I’ve looked across the net at an older guy in a knee brace,
thinking it’ll be an easy win — and then he places the ball so
perfectly that I lose.”
A good pickleball player, of course, handles a loss with
grace. Good sportsmanship is one of pickleball’s founding
elements. The USA Pickleball rule book encourages behavior
that reflects this: courtesy, respect, fairness, inclusion. There
is a sense of civility attached to the game.
Could pickleball help bring our polarized society closer
together? In Port St. Lucie, it’s already started — and the
trend is growing. E
WANT TO PLAY PICKLEBALL?
INDOOR
MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center
9221 Southeast Event Center Place, Port St. Lucie,
772.807.4488
Robert E. Minsky Gym
750 SW Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie, 772.344.4142
OUTDOOR
Whispering Pines Park and Tennis Center
750 SW Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie, 772.344.4142
Winterlakes Park
5241 NW Jannebo St. Port St. Lucie, 772.878.2274
INSTRUCTION, TOURNAMENTS
BigDill Pickleball: www.bigdillpickleball.com,
call or text 772.742.3465
SOCIAL MEDIA
Treasure Coast Pickleball’s Facebook page
In2Pickle YouTube channel
EQUIPMENT
Fleet Feet: 11586 SW Village Parkway, Port St Lucie,
772.340.3440, www.fleetfeet.com
Tennis Frenzy Plus 2: 2591 East Ocean Blvd., Stuart,
772.224.7820, www.tennisfrenzyplus2.com
Port St. Lucie Magazine 23
25ANNIVERSARY
With the largest and top-rated team of orthopaedic experts on the Treasure Coast
Same or Next Day Appointments
Mon - Fri 8 am - 5 pm, No referral needed | (772) 288-2400
Stuart: 1050 SE Monterey Road, Stuart, FL
Tradition: 9401 SW Discovery Way, Suite 101, Port St Lucie, FL
Ortho Injury Walk-in Clinic (Tradition Office)
Mon-Fri, 8 am - 6 pm & Sat 8 am - 2 pm | (772) 261-OUCH (6824)
feelbetterfasterortho.com.com
Scan the code with your camera’s phone to request an appointment.
/www.feelbetterfasterortho.com
/www.bigdillpickleball.com
/www.fleetfeet.com
/www.tennisfrenzyplus2.com
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