It was in 1913 in Daytona FL that Shuffleboard “landed” in Florida.  The Ball Family had been on a cruise, AND they were so impressed by the shuffling they enjoyed on board, they drew a court on the sidewalk in front of their Lyndhurst Hotel Hotel.  It was an instant crowd pleaser and by 1915, enthusiasts had constructed courts by the Burgoyne Casino.  I (Stan McCormack) gave this brief presentation during our CNSA Banquet.  Purpose; to stimulate interest in attending the Awards Banquet to be held in St Petersburg on October 25th, 2013.) 

It was in 1924 that the Club, Mirror Lake at St Petersburg, opened.  Mirror Lake was the very first organized Shuffleboard Club in America, and it became the largest, a claim to fame it still holds to-day.  Most of you are well aware that the International Shuffleboard Assn. will hold their 32^nd International Tournament there beginning on October 21^st this year.

THIS INTERNATIONAL EVENT will be the culmination of our Year of Celebration.   BUT HOW DID IT COME ABOUT AND WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE of the ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE?? 

I had contacted Glen Peltier who was at that time, the FSA President, and we discussed the upcoming 100^th Anniversary.  Glen invited me to the March, 2012 Board Meeting of the FSA, and explained to the BOARD why I was there.  I made a presentation and the Board agreed that indeed the opportunity to promote Shuffleboard was ripe and they approved the concept and pledged their support.  The 100^th Anniversary Committee came into being as a result and held their first Meeting at Sebring coincident with the 2012 Masters .   Stan as Chair; Dorothy Wagasky; Jim Allen; Colleen Austin and Ken Offenther.

OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE was to raise the level of awareness of Shuffleboard in the 7 Districts of Florida!!  We did this by offering for sale in all 7 Districts, items which we believed would bring Shuffleboard to the attention of as many people as possible!!  We encouraged Clubs to purchase BANNERS proclaiming the Anniversary, and many did; we offered Shirts; Calendars; Mugs and Pins for sale.  Shufflers volunteered to take on these marketing tasks >> and did a fine job.   We also were able to obtain newspaper coverage AND as evidence of the success of our tactics, we caught the eye of FOX NEWS who came to St Petersburg and filmed a short video which aired on Channel 13, FL.

ONE OTHER SIGNIFICANT feature of the Anniversary Promotion was the awarding of the MVP (Most Valuable Person Award) to past and current shufflers.    The MVP award was a tangible and visible way to recognize these outstanding Shufflers who have built, and continue to build, Shuffleboard through their service, their contributions and their achievements.

Although raising $$$ was not a primary objective, we have donated $500.00 to the WCD of Florida, and we have $5,000.00 in the bank working out the best way to spend the money in support of PROMOTING SHUFFLEBOARD.  Thank You   Stan McCormack  Chair   2013 05 21.

NOTE: As a post script, I believe we had reasonable interest in my proposal with regard to non-participants bussing to the Awards Banquet, The Finals,  a Mid-day Lunch and possibly a brief tour of St Petersburg.   Watch this BLOG for additional information.  Stan