Capital Area Pickleball Association
Serving Dane County Wisconsin

Find a partner and start practicing for the upcoming tournaments that will be held this spring and summer.  Mark your calendar and keep checking the Events page on the CAPA website for more tournament information as it becomes available.

May 16^th – 18^th Hitters Pickleball Championship for Breakthrough T1D  (JDRF)

June 7^th – 8^th Fun Prairie Open Registration open April 4th

June 21st - 2nd Annual Sauk Prairie Summer Solstice Tour 

July 11^th – 13^th Madtown Open  Registration open April 15th

August 15^th – 17^th 3^rd Annual Baird CAPA Cup - More Information to come.

 

Here is some information the CAPA Board would like to share prior to the May Newsletter.

SAVE THE DATES

We have some exciting events coming up, and we want to make sure you don’t miss them!

Friday Night Lights at Wyndham Hills- Free events that are back by popular demand!  Join the Friday night under the light's fun at Wyndham Hills.  This event is hosted by Stacy Weiner and sponsored by the Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.  Feel free to bring your own drinks, snacks and lawn chair and yes, your paddle too!  Mark these dates on your calendar:

Friday, May 16, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., theme neon night

Friday, June 13, 6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m., theme Hawaiian night

Friday, July 18, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., theme 80's night

Friday, August 22, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., theme favorite sports team night

Fun Prairie Pickleball Open 2025 - June 7-8, 2025. The link below will take you to the tournament registration page.  We are using Pickleball Brackets this year for our registration.  Registration opens Friday, April 4th, so you can't register yet but you can view some info and the events.

https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/fc80ea7a-b046-4e1d-99da-c274be307d1e 

Madtown Pickleball Open - July 11-13, 2025. Wisconsin’s largest outdoor pickleball tournament with 400+ picklers. Location: Wyndham Hills Park in Sun Prairie WI. Registration Opens: April 1, 2025.   *First 100 to register will receive $10 off their registration.

Event Highlights

Event Schedule:

o   follow us on Facebook for the latest updates or go to PickleballDen (starting April 1) for registration information.

 

3rd Annual Baird CAPA Cup Tournament – August 15-17, 2025
Get your paddles and partners ready for our highly anticipated 3rd Annual Baird CAPA Cup Tournament! We’re aiming to exceed last year’s impressive 247 players, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. The tournament will take place from August 15-17, 2025, at Bakken Park in Cottage Grove – stay tuned for more details!

CAPA Annual Membership Meeting - August 21, 2025. The location has not been determined.  Watch your emails for more details.

Remember to mark your calendars and get ready for a season full of fun and community!

Check out the events page on the CAPA website for more upcoming tournament information.

 

CAPA MEMBERS PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

Our CAPA volunteers have made an outstanding start, providing CAPA members with a wide range of event opportunities. From September 1st to March 29th in 2023/2024, CAPA members had 1,448 opportunities to participate. In 2024/2025, for the same period, that number surged to 3,014—more than doubling the opportunities, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated volunteers. And with the outdoor season still ahead, when events typically ramp up even more, we’re excited for what’s to come!

WHAT CLINICS WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE OFFERED?

The Player Development Committee is currently planning the clinics for this spring and summer and would love to hear your input! We are seeking suggestions on the skills you’d like to see covered in these clinics. If you have any ideas, please email Jim Halberg, Chairman of the Player Development Committee, with your suggestions. Your feedback is invaluable!

GET INVOLVED TODAY

As you know, CAPA is a 100% volunteer-run organization, and with the continued growth of our membership, we remain committed to promoting the sport of pickleball in the greater Dane County area. To achieve our goals and ensure the success of our programs, we are always looking for passionate and dedicated volunteers to support our mission.

It’s been a little over a year since we last sent out a volunteer request, and the board has identified seven key areas where volunteers are currently needed. Below are the categories in which you can get involved:

1.     CAPA Cup Tournament

2.     Organized Play

3.     Assisting with Skills and Drills Events

4.     Social Events – “Fun”

5.     Communications

6.     Support Area Representatives

7.     Wherever I Am Needed

For a more detailed description of these volunteer opportunities, please visit the Members tab on the CAPA website and click on Volunteer Opportunities Descriptions.

It’s not too late to sign up for this year! Simply go to the CAPA Home Page, click on Contact Us in the upper left-hand corner, and send us an email to express your interest.

Thank you for considering how you can contribute to the growth of pickleball in our community. We appreciate your support!

WINNERS IN BADGER STATE GAMES - 2025

The annual Badger State Games were held in Wausau from January 29 to February 2, 2025, and our CAPA members (bolded names) dominated the podiums with medal winners! Our local winners included:                                                                 

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

BRACKET                      LEVEL                       NAMES

Women’s -50’s                 3.5+             Cheri McIlquham/Mary Thomson

Men’s Open Age                3.5+             Robert Reagen/Sam Fung-Smith

Men’s Singles                  4.0+             Blake Lewis

Women’s Open Age         4.0+              Deb Plantz/Donna Campanelli

Women’s Singles             4.5+             Toni Gardner

Men’s 50+                        4.5+             Bill Schaefer/Randy Psyk

Women’s 50+                   4.5+             Dina Weinbach/Lorie Caelwaerts

Women’s Open Age         4.5+             Karie Davenport/Angel Kubly

Women’s Open Age         4.5+             Karie Davenport/Angel Kubly

Mixed Open Age               4.5+             Stephen Beirne/Karie Davenport

Mixed 50+                        4.5+             Stephen Beirne/Karie Davenport

Mixed Open Age               5.0+             Benjamin Gonzalez/Hailey Munz

Men’s Open Age               5.0+             Benjamin Gonzalez/Michael Schnarr

Women’s Singles            5.0+             Emily Stumpf

Women’s Open Age         5.0+             Emily Stumpf/Hailey Munz

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

Mixed Open Age               5.0+             Emily Stumpf/Chad Scott

Men’s 50+                        4.5+             Stephen Beirne/Ryan Kutz

Mixed 50+                        4.5+             Ryan Kutz/Dina Weinbach
Men’s                                4.5+             Sajan Thandassery/Blake Lewis

Women’s 60+                   3.5+             Wendy Matte/Liz Schlagenhaft

Mixed Open Age               4.0+             Toni Gardner/Gabe O’Connor

Men’s Open Age               5.0+             Stephen Beirne/Ian Connors

BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS

Mixed 50+                       4.0+             Deb Plantz/Jason Benrud

Mixed 50+                       4.5+             Bill Schaefer/Lorie Caelwaerts

Men’s                                4.5+             Ryan Kutz/Chad Scott

Mixed                                4.5+             Ryan Kutz/Angel Kubly

Men’s Singles                  4.5+             Stephen Beirne

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

VICTORY BUS TOUR 

The Events Committee organized three exciting opportunities for CAPA members to enjoy an evening of pickleball, socializing, and fun. These trips took place in January, February, and March, and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive. Members had a great time traveling by coach bus to Victory Pickleball in Loves Park, IL. The bus ride was filled with lively karaoke and games, while the Victory Pickleball facility offered food and plenty of pickleball action. Below are some photos of the March event.

 PICKLEBALL IS LIFE! ENJOY IT!

The first newsletter of 2025 was published today.  Don't miss out on the pickleball news updates and great photos!  Click here to read the February 2025 Newsletter.  Enjoy!!

Windsor Athletic Club

4638 Golf Dr, Windsor, WI 53598

https://www.windsorathleticclub.com/

(608) 254-9489

Open 24 Hours.

Facility opened Oct. 1. Has 7 indoor pickleball courts.

3 full size basketball courts marked for volleyball and pickleball. Two courts are marked for badminton. Wood floors.

There are two new indoor pickleball courts available to the public in Madison at a place called Ignite Pickleball on Madison’s West Side. The address is 7429 Mineral Point Rd, Madison, WI, 53719. During the week of October 28 – November 3, 2024, you can create an online account and reserve a court for free to try them out by going to https://app.courtreserve.com/Online/Portal/index/13402. Their general website address is madisonignite.com. From looking at the website, the courts appear to have wooden floors that are dual-marked for volleyball and pickleball. It also appears that they make use of temporary pickleball nets (rather than permanent ones). More information about Ignite Pickleball is available on their website.

We’re excited to publish our first Annual Report on our fiscal 2024 performance. By publishing an Annual Report, we’re creating a document that memorializes CAPA’s activities and accomplishments for all of our members.  We hope this document is useful to you and welcome any questions you have about its contents. You can view the report by clicking here 2024 Annual Report.

We hope this message finds you well and enjoying the warm fall weather! As we begin our new fiscal year, the new board is working on objectives for the upcoming year along with the budget and calendar. In addition, CAPA’s first ever Annual Report will be published in October. As an all-volunteer organization, we appreciate everyone’s input and want to remind you of a few ways you can get more involved.

Board Committees are Forming Now:

Our Board Committees are where most of the organization’s work gets done. If you’d like to help out, our Organized Play, Player Development, Events and Communication/Marketing committees are always looking for new members. Respond to this email with your area of interest and we’ll put you in touch with the appropriate Committee Lead.

Newsletter Pictures, please:

We have made some changes to the newsletter publication schedule. The next edition will be released in mid-November. If you have any Halloween events planned, please be sure to send us your pictures to be featured! 

Newsletter Articles, too:

If you enjoy writing and have a pickleball story or any pickleball related information you’d like to share with fellow CAPA members, please reach out to Jack Ferreri, our assistant newsletter editor. We would love to include your contributions in the upcoming newsletter. 

And, in case you missed it:

The Annual CAPA Membership Meeting took place on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 6:00 PM at Hitters Sportsplex. Due to predicted storms, we had to change the venue, but we still enjoyed a fantastic turnout of about 100 members. President Kevin McPherson led the meeting, which included key updates and reports from our dedicated board members and committees.

We also want to take a moment to recognize our retiring board members: Karen Jerg, a founding member of CAPA; Jerome Klein; and Heidi Lawton. Their significant contributions over the years have been invaluable to our community.

Exciting News - More New Courts!

We are thrilled to announce six new dedicated pickleball courts at Veterans Park in Verona! This expansion will provide even more opportunities for our members to enjoy the sport. Veterans Park is located at 113 Lincoln Street in Verona, WI, 53593.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your Halloween photos!

The CAPA Board

On behalf of the CAPA Election Committee, we are pleased to announce the results of the 2024 CAPA Board Election.  Firstly, we would like to thank all of the candidates for showing an interest in running for the CAPA Board. We are a volunteer-run organization and each candidate's passion and support of the sport of pickleball in the CAPA membership region is greatly appreciated.  And now for the results:

Shelley Reynolds ran unopposed for the office of Vice President, therefore she was elected without a vote.

There were five candidates for the four open At-large Director positions. Per our CAPA Bylaws we followed the ranked choice method of voting.  We had 337 members cast a vote and we are pleased to announce that the four candidates who have been elected are:

Mark Blitz
Jim Halberg
Ari Karbassi
Michael Wedge

Please join us in congratulating these new and continuing board members and wishing them the best for their upcoming terms.  If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Election Committee:

Jerome Klein, jeromelklein@gmail.com, (608) 334-8405
Rico Goedjen, rg53705@gmail.com, (608) 358-7161
Mike Barone, mbar511@aol.com, (608) 770-2003

Best regards!!

The newsletter is published today, July 31, 2024. Catch up on all the pickleball news happening in the CAPA region. 

Stephanie Gander takes on the volunteer role, last filled by pro player Dave Weinbach, to locally promote the game that's still the fastest growing in the U.S.

Check out the article and learn more about Stephanie.