Bill and Velma Prest Just Never Seem to Stop!! Their summer home is in small town ON, Warsaw, north east of Toronto. Winter home is Lakeland, FL.

Both are members of the Lakeland Shuffleboard Club; both District Amateurs; and both competing in the 2006 Reiny Schleier end of season play off to determine who will have “bragging rights” for their division. The colourful vests the Prests are sporting have become their standard wear.  As shufflers will know, the vests denote that they are Callers, that is, making those difficult calls the players cannot between themselves agree. 

Velma and Bill were in service at the final State Event at Lakeland on 2006 03 20 & 21. Every one of the 32 Courts was full, and it seemed that everyone wanted a Call at precisely the same time!! Not only that, as the day progressed, many teams requested beads, and many requested that their court be swept and beaded; guess who had that responsibility??  Right; the Prests!!  At one point I met Bill making his way to the court furthest from the office ~~ beads and broom in hand.  It was obvious that he was hurrying; it was obvious that he was hot; the temp was in the 90s! One of the players shouted that they were “waiting for a call”, apparently insensitive to the fact that Bill was fully occupied, and that he only had one set of body parts?  However; Bill dropped his broom, put down his beads, and said: “Yes that is one of my jobs”, and he said it courteously and with enthusiasm!!  

Velma was equally kept “on the run”; if one needed any evidence of that, all you had to do was to take note of the colour in her face!! 

Hats off to Velma and Bill for keeping this event moving!! Shuffleboard Needs More Willing Workers!!

Stan and Alf of The Shuffler. www.theshuffler.org   2006 03