by Mike Melendez | Dec 26, 2017 | Weekly Player Profile
Nelson Deida Paddleball Player Profile by Mike Melendez
He is known for his shot-making artistry, quick reflexes and powerful game, as well as for his confrontational on-court behavior that sometimes has landed him in trouble with referees and tournament directors. Nelson Deida is the Paddleball version of the great Hall of Fame tennis player John McEnroe, from whom he says he learned his passion for the game. Nelson, you can’t be serious!
Nelson was born and raised in the Bronx into a Paddleball family – both his mother and father were good players. They introduced him to Paddleball at the age of five at the Yankee Stadium courts and he quickly fell in love with the game. “It was the combination of the speed of the game, its competitive nature, and also the family atmosphere that is very unique and wonderful.” After the stadium courts were demolished to build the new Yankee Stadium, Van Cortlandt Park became his home park.
Nelson continued to play with his Mom and Dad until the age of twelve. At eight, he competed in his first kids’ tournament. This was the era of the Budweiser tournaments and Nelson played with one of his parents in these classics through the age of fifteen. (“Minors” were otherwise prohibited.) He then began competing in tournaments across the tristate area and as his game developed, the Paddleball community quickly took notice of this skinny kid with the afro from Yankee Stadium/Van Cortlandt.
A left hander, Nelson is a fearless competitor with all the tools required of a great Paddleball player. His powerful overhand service motion is unique in Paddleball, with the biggest advantage being his ability to disguise its placement. Known for very quick reflexes and deft hands, he possesses a superior front wall game. He describes his game as “power, touch, passion, excitement.” Indeed, he is an artist on the court with one of the most exciting games to watch. His favorite shot is the drop-shot.
Nelson has now been playing Paddleball for 35 years. He stopped for about four years in total, due to the lack of tournaments and the emergence of one-wall racquetball. Back in the day, he played 4 to 5 times a week until his late 30s, and now he still plays at least twice a week. In the winter season his Paddleball home is Zerega Indoor. In the summer he does not have a home park, instead he travels to different parks in search of tough competition and to get together with his close friends.
Nelson said he was fortunate to grow up playing the game where he was exposed to many different players and he was able to learn from them. He particularly recalls J.C., a very knowledgeable player from Yankee Stadium, who called everyone “Fish.” He taught Nelson how to use his opposite hand and imparted this wisdom: “In order to be good at this game you have to be able to adapt on-the-spot by changing your approach mid-game. To do that you must learn from your mistakes and be able to play different ways.” Among the players Nelson studied were, of course, his parents, as well as Freddy Diaz, who taught him how to use his reflexes and hands. Anita Maldonado taught him to focus on his “tenacity, toughness, dedication and to practice, play hard and have fun.” Kathy Guinan showed him how to use his quick hands, helped with his positioning and maintaining focus. Anthony Fiorino was the model on positioning and playing defense. Craig Ruiz showed him how to use the power game to full advantage. Richard McKnight, who was an important mentor throughout the years, helped him develop the drop-shot. Sammy Cesareo was instrumental in him learning how to play smart, while Frank Savino showed him toughness, speed, diving and turning defense into offense. Brandon Fason was a model for hard and tough play. Sue Stephen helped him learn fundamentals and how to play smart. Richie Miller taught him how to go for it no matter what, and precision. Finally, Ritchie Gonzalez, most importantly, taught him how to play together as teammates and to have fun.
I asked Nelson what he thinks of the sport of Paddleball, “The game of Paddleball is a sport that is not easy, it’s tough and fun and a great sport to play.” I also asked, what is needed to take it to the next level? He says Paddleball has a solid foundation, but “what is needed for the sport to grow is exactly what Mike Melendez and the PFA are doing. Their approach is the right one by bringing in the youth with the kids’ clinics, raising their awareness of the sport and getting them interested in Paddleball. This is so important because Paddleball helped me stay out of trouble. We also need to showcase the sport like Mike and the PFA are doing with the PowPows.” Nelson believes obtaining sponsorship is key, as well as developing a ball that is viewable on television to increase exposure. His advice to his Paddleball peers is to continue supporting the game, have fun playing, and maintain that family atmosphere.
On the personal side, Nelson is married with four beautiful kids. In addition to Paddleball, he plays baseball and softball and a little handball. His sports hero is Bo Jackson. He also claims that he is a good dancer!
Nelson’s dream has always been for the sport of Paddleball to make it big and he hopes that happens in his lifetime. “I would like to say thank you to the sport of Paddleball and the people who play, for giving me an outlet, and teaching me so much about life and for keeping me out of trouble.” Trust me, Nelson can be serious!
by Mike Melendez | Dec 21, 2017 | Weekly Player Profile
Kim Avena Paddleball Player Profile by David Siegel
She has done a wonderful job furthering the cause of women’s paddleball. Kim Avena founded the Women’s Empowerment paddleball Alliance three years ago to give the ladies the chance to show off their talents and to compete in tournaments of their own. Until W.E.p.A., the only organized competition available to women in recent years was the “men’s” tournaments. Focusing on big ball, she has organized several very successful women’s and mixed doubles tournaments in NYC and Florida, including a fundraiser for the PFA. W.E.p.A. now has over 600 members, with many men involved too. Under Kim’s leadership, women’s paddleball has grown significantly, with more and more ladies becoming involved in our now flourishing sport.
Kim started playing paddleball at Dyker Beach at age 12 and soon was competing in real games on the “other side.” In a few years, she packed her paddleball bag and moved to the big time games at Bay 8th Street, which is her home park. She also is a regular at Hollywood Beach Garfield Park during the winter months. The move to Bay 8th was spurred by her interest in the many tournaments they conducted, although she couldn’t compete in them because of the demands of her job. Ironically, now that she has the time, she can’t play in the tournaments because of several nagging injuries. She currently is playing twice a week.
Kim has an outstanding game, sparked by two good hands, excellent anticipation and steady play. Her favorite shot is her topspin drop, which is a “heartbreaker” that she executes with either hand. One of her greatest assets on the court is her anticipation, enhanced by studying the angle of her opponent’s paddle during play. Because Kim has not been a tournament player, her skills on the court are not as well known as they would be if she had participated. However, those that have played with and against her over the years are very cognizant of her high level of play.
Who is her favorite player? The usual, but besides their obvious skills, she also sees some unique qualities in Robert Sostre and Kathy Guinan. Robert’s “eyes dilate and move like a bird’s while playing” and Kim admires Kathy’s “court sense, dancing ponytail and smile.” Also up there is Bay Lui, who happens to be her husband. She loves the way he perfectly combines offense and the ability to retrieve almost every ball. A commonality among these players is their outstanding sportsmanship, a trait that Kim values highly. I asked Kim if she has played much with Bay as a partner and how did they get along? Her answer tells it all: “Are you kidding!” She qualifies this by saying “It’s not him, it’s me!,” furthering the observation that paddleball teams linked by blood or marriage, more often than not, don’t work well.
Speaking of sportsmanship, Kim is also an active participant in the PFA’s ongoing efforts to upgrade the overall conduct in the competitive game. She was involved in the development of the Code of Conduct and serves on the PFA Disciplinary Committee. At her recent tournament at Zerega, she implemented the player signoff on the COC, which is an important step forward in addressing the behavioral issues of the few players that are holding back the growth of the game.
Like the leaders of the PFA, Kim is passionate about growing the game. She feels that the best way to introduce the youth to the game is by continuing the efforts to draw in the many handball players in their late teens and early twenties. More and more she sees them picking up paddles, and staying with our game.
So that’s the paddleball life of Kim Avena. What about her real life would we like to know? Well, she considers herself to be a highly intuitive person, and she’s not talking about anticipating shots on the court. She says everyone has the power, but only a few are able to use it to advantage. Sounds like something we want to know more about!
by Mike Melendez | Dec 7, 2017 | Legend of the Game, Weekly Player Profile
John Bruschi Paddleball Player Profile by Howard Hammer
The consummate professional and the ultimate team player. Those are the words that come to mind when describing John Bruschi. In the 1960s and 1970s, I had the pleasure and great fortune of having John as my doubles partner, and I could not have asked for a better partner on the court. The success we were fortunate enough to enjoy was due to how well we worked together, and that success would never have been possible without John. Our partnership continued into the 1980s, as we and Marv Rosenberg and Howie Solomon put on exhibitions throughout the tri-state area and beyond, spreading our love of the game.
John was always recognizable on the court, with his familiar eye protection and helmet. Although not the fastest player or the hardest hitter, his amazing success came from the neck up: John was one of the smartest and best defensive players in the game. He was often a step or two ahead of his opponents, setting up shots and never giving in. His trademark lob shot would leave our harder hitting opponents bewildered. Perhaps the best thing that one partner can say about another is that “he made me look good.” John always made me look good. I can still remember like yesterday his defensive play. John was never out of position, and he never “hung me out to dry.” Victory after victory, and championship after championship was his paddleball legacy.
People that remembered John playing can recall the greatness and effortlessness with which he played. I was lucky enough to be witness to it day after day, and tournament after tournament. John also never rested on his laurels. I can recall John calling me in the middle of winter to practice, and I’d tell him I’m not sure we should because it’s 30 degrees out! But that was John, whose dedication to the craft, and always striving to get better, is another one of his qualities.
So too was his class, and the always respectful way he conducted himself on the court. As our competitive days were winding down, the next great doubles team of Andy Krosnick and Bobby Schwartz had the good fortune to compete against John and witness his play, and they continued to uphold the mantle of John’s skill and class.
I’ve known John for a half century, and I am honored to have played with him and learned from him. Most importantly, I’m proud to call him a friend. I’m glad he is remembered as one of the greatest paddleball players of all time.
by Mike Melendez | Nov 28, 2017 | Weekly Player Profile
Keith Jackson Paddleball Profile By Dave Siegel
OK, let’s get you thinking. Who is the best father and son paddleball team in history? Wait, we must be politically correct. Who is the best parent and child team? Although I’ve been around the game for over 50 years, I admit I’ve not seen many such teams, but I’ll cast my vote anyway. Not counting Peter and Hank Grassi from my blog “The Incredible Day Howie Hammer and John Bruschi Met their Match,” Barry and Keith Jackson are by far the best. Barry Jackson is a Staten Island paddleball legend, one of the top Island players from the 70s through to the early 2000s. Keith is one of the elite big and small ball players in the game today and probably the best player ever to come out of Staten Island.
Barry introduced his son to the game at the tender age of five and by ten Keith was playing in the “men’s” games. As Barry nurtured him, Keith’s game improved by leaps and bounds through his teenage years, and they rose to become one of the most formidable teams on the Island. They almost always did well in tournaments, even off-Island. As is often the case with teams joined by blood or marriage, they were often very vocal with each other between points, but they meshed beautifully together during play. Once he got his driver’s license, Keith was off to new competition, mainly in Coney Island, but he remained a frequent partner of his Dad.
Keith’s game is highlighted by his deceptive power, which he unleashes with a compact swing, driving the ball with unexpected velocity. He is a multi-tooled player, with a large variety of shots, his favorite is to the right corner, which he can angle, kill or drop. He has excellent anticipation, is terrific defensively and his left hand is outstanding. I’ve seen him play since his teenage years and the most significant improvement is his mental toughness. In those early years, he could be beaten by him beating himself. But that is over and done. He now is not fazed by level of competition or the pressure of tournament play. Over the years, Keith has had several regular partners besides his Dad, among them Glen Winokur, Godfrey Brown, Troy Varsik, Greg Scarlatta and Adam Brodsky.
Keith still calls Staten Island his paddleball home where small ball is the game. He also plays occasionally at Clifton and he gets his big ball games at Bay 8th and Coney Island. Overall, he tries to play twice a week. Now in his mid forties, Keith is playing close to his peak, which actually is quite remarkable. His career has been marred by many injuries which have kept him off the courts for long chunks of time. He has had surgeries to his right shoulder (twice), left shoulder, left knee (twice), two back surgeries, and throw in carpal tunnel surgeries to both hands. That adds up to nine! He is now finally healthy and let’s hope it’s nine and done!
For those unaware of what Keith does in his spare time, he is a Doctor, actually a Dermatologist. For the past 14 years he has had a successful practice on Staten Island (trust me, the waiting room is always packed). Most of you also know that he was part of the three person team that saved the life of fellow paddleball player Tony Cascella when he was felled by sudden cardiac arrest two years ago. He also has quite a large family with 5 kids, ages 17 (twins), 15, 10 and 8. One of the twins, Shawn, a high school senior, is the top public school tennis player in NYC and has won a partial scholarship to Hofstra. Of course his proud father attends most of his matches. Keith is also a tennis player, plays racquetball and most recently has taken up pickleball.
We asked Keith for his take on the sport of paddleball and where it’s at today. He is concerned that there is a great deal of room for improvement in the overall behavior, particularly at tournaments and he feels that it is imperative that this happens for the sport to flourish. This is a belief held by many, and let’s hope that the present ongoing efforts being made by the outstanding paddleball leaders, as well as the paddleball community, reverse this blemish.
by Mike Melendez | Nov 12, 2017 | Weekly Player Profile
Mark Villarico Paddleball Profile By Dave Siegel
He’s one of the best players ever from Long Island – one of the 10 best small ball competitors in the game today. Mark Villarico has all the tools. He has great power and is exceedingly fast with his hands, using strong forearms and wrists to “snap” his shots. He is able to dominate the court using excellent footwork to position himself to mount his offense, especially off the return of serve. Mark has all the shots: killers, spikes, a devastating low well-placed serve, steady left hand and he is a winner. But who is he really? He is also low key, humble and most of the paddleball community doesn’t know much about Mark’s background. Also, I’m sure very few, if any, know something very, very remarkable about Mark’s late mother, but this profile is about Mark and paddleball, so you’ll have to wait.
Mark actually started out playing tennis in Newbridge Park in Bellmore and he couldn’t help but notice the adjacent competitive paddleball action. He just had to be part of it! He started playing the game at age 15 at Newbridge and continued until he was 17. A little historical note: Newbridge Park was the original mecca of paddleball back in the late 60s and early 70s (before Mark’s time), where the first successful paddleball organization, the American Paddleball Association (APA), originated. All of the early big tournaments were under the auspices of the APA. Getting back to Mark, he started playing paddleball really seriously when he was 25, traveling to many parks throughout Long Island, Queens and the Bronx. He had the good fortune to learn from some of the best players: Richie Miller, Anthony Fiorino, Donnie Ciaffone and Hoppy.
Mark’s game continued to develop and by the late 90s, he was among the best players. In 1998 he soured on tournament play and took a five year hiatus from competitive paddleball, after which he re-emerged once again as a serious player and his game continued to ascend. He has been playing at his present high level for approximately 6 years. Mark works hard to hone his skills. He exercises regularly to stay in paddleball shape, plays at least twice a week, eats well and he feels that his game is still improving. One of the factors that keeps him going is his desire to help the sport to flourish. He has great respect for the people who are leading the drive to accomplish this like Mike and all the hard work he puts in, including the kids clinics, as well as Jay and Charlene. He especially values the efforts to maintain professionalism, especially in tournaments.
Mark’s very early years were spent nomadically living in many countries, including several years in Italy, where he learned to speak fluent Italian. He eventually came back to the United States, settling in Queens, then Long Island. He is married, has 3 kids, ages 25, 13 and 8. Mark has been a successful home improvement contractor for 22 years. He also plays tennis, volleyball, baseball, softball, he mountain bikes and is an avid paintballer.
OK, what’s so astonishing about Mark’s mother? Well, in her youth, she lived for a time in Beverly Hills and one day she hid in the garage of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Yes, that’s none other that Elvis! And they hit it off!! They dated for several years!!! In Elvis’ later years, they even reconnected. All I can say is WOW!!!!
by Mike Melendez | Oct 22, 2017 | Weekly Player Profile
Lisa Michaelessi Paddleball Profile by David Siegel
When Mike Melendez asked me to write a profile of Lisa Michaelessi, I said that I was not familiar with her. Mike replied, “What!! you don’t know Lisa? She was a top player in the ladies division back in the 80s and 90s….one of the best women players, bar none!” Well, though I have been involved in paddleball for over 50 years, for most of the last several decades, I’ve been insulated from the paddleball world outside of my home parks. So I needed to find out who is this Lisa Michaelessi, apparently a great player that I knew nothing about. A little Facebook search yielded a telling comment from Donnie Ciaffone: “Lisa Michaelessi, in my opinion, the best female southpaw in the Game.” I went on to find out that she is a champion, having won many women’s and mixed doubles tournaments, mostly with the likes of Kathy Guinan and Robert Sostre. Not bad! And, she’s still winning tournaments.
Lisa’s paddleball career started unconventionally. Because paddleball is a “city” game, not an elite club sport like tennis, I would venture to say most of us picked up the game on our own, usually not until adulthood. We were attracted to it because it is readily available, inexpensive and a cool way to exercise and hang out with our friends. We never had lessons! But Lisa started at age 5, encouraged and taught by her parents who were dedicated players at Marathon Park. However, it’s been my observation that terrific young paddleball players invariably fail to emerge as the stars we think they can be. A kid starts out playing the game, becomes a prodigy and looks like he or she will eventually become the greatest of all time, but then as a teenager, discovers boys or girls, tennis or other interests and paddleball goes down the tubes. Mike’s Kids Clinics is a heroic effort to reverse this trend and we all are hoping for its continued success. But getting back to Lisa, this, happily for our beloved sport, was not the case with her. She loved the game and stuck with it! Her late father, Charlie, became her mentor, teaching her the intricacies of the game, how to control the play from the right side and even had her study the top lefties of the day, like Steve Rothfeld. She became an expert at positioning and learned to play offensively, shooting for her opponent’s weakness, patiently waiting for her shot. Charlie not only taught Lisa the game, but attended all of her tournaments and most importantly, encouraged her to always do her best. Charlie certainly was the right person for the job. He was a paddleball lifer, a top B player back in the day who got turned on to paddleball at Orchard Beach.
By the time she was 13, Lisa’s skills had advanced to the point that she was competing in tournaments and she won her first Budweiser “B” in 1986 – the women’s singles. She continued to excel in paddleball over the years, winning many events. Except for a five year hiatus to raise her two children, she’s continued to play paddleball through to today, eventually switching to big ball, always calling Marathon Park home. She is still one of the top woman players, having won the W.E.p.A. tournament at Bay 8th St. and the Women’s Open Big Blue at Orchard Beach, both during the summer of 2016.
Lisa is an all-around athlete, combining paddleball with tennis, pickleball and softball. In the past, she was a baseball player (that’s baseball, as in hardball, not softball!), having played for 3 years and even tried out for the pros (“A League of their Own”?).
For these paddleball profiles, we ask the subject what is unique or interesting about their lives that the other players may not be aware of. Lisa has been steadfast in her response: “Nothing.” We doubt it, so perhaps others can share something we’d like to hear!
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