The following was sent to me by the President of the Florida Shuffleboard Association, Jim Bailey, who recommended that I post on Geezerjock. It was written by Evan Brown.
Shufflin’ From Young Eyes
Intensity and responsible competition thrive under the warm spring Florida sun. Discs slide across a limited sea of green painted cement, guided by the skilled hands of professionals of their craft. The playing field consists of the young and sprightly over-50 crowd of fun-loving young-at-hearters.
Shuffleboard has enjoyed a reputation as a sport for the “elderly.” Something retirees take up in their latter years to escape the boredom of retirement in lieu of Golf, simply a fallacy this argument is. This is a sport not to be taken upon lightly; professionals on the Shuffle circuit practice regularly, developing knowledge in the complex art of shuffle strategy. The sport mixes the geometrical prowess of Pool with the long-distance consistency of bowling and the strategy of chess. To the untrained eye it is naught but a pastime for bored cruise ship passengers, but to the learned man, Shuffleboard is a complex sport requiring finesse, consistency, and a complex series of thought processes.
The shufflers have joined on this beautiful, sunny Monday morning at the hour of 9 am to begin a tournament that will take up most of the next six hours. They meet on the courts, a field of green and grey concrete, and after a good 10 minutes of warm-up, the match begins. The first shuffler bends low, and smoothly coaxes the yellow disc into the “Tampa” position. The following shot launches the first disc off the court. Play like this continues until the last disc for the frame, the hammer comes to rest comfortably in the 8-point area. The score goes on the board and the next frame begins and play becomes more and more complex. A win is no less exciting, and a loss no less disappointing than any other sport. The level of dedication is to the same level. Maybe there are no coaches, or workout routines, or hundreds-thousands of fans in the stands, but maybe there could be, or even should be. This grandson of a shuffler is no less enthralled in the ups and downs of the competition than with a basketball game or track meet, or football game, or golf tournament. The fact that shuffleboard is relegated to the excuse of old age is nothing less than tragedy for this classy sport. What sets it apart though, is the spirit of the shufflers. Though prize money is awarded, it seems obvious that the competitors are just as interested in playing as they are winning and reel from an opponents bad shot almost as much as their own.
Evan Brown
10 March 2008
Tags: Shuffleboard
