Mission Hills Croquet Graduates

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA -- Mission Hills Croquet Pro Ben Rothman conducted an Intro to American & International Rules Croquet Class from November 29th thru December 3rd along with co-facilitators Dick Engebretson and Leo Nikora. Many of the experienced Mission Hills players participated as "coaches"... Aviv Katz, Mike Orgill, Mary Rodeberg (two days!), Len Lyon, Pat Apple, Biff Roche, Jean Engebretson, and Karen Comeau.

Graduates in the above photo from left to right:

Front row -- Coach Jean Engebretson, Lynn Smith, Welles Farago, Lou Ann Evans, Mary Brault, & Coach Mary Rodeberg.

Back row -- Coach Leo Nikora, Paul Christy, Nick Gray, Coach Dick Engebretson, Bob Morford, Bill Courtney, Scott Smith, and Croquet Pro Ben Rothman.

If you are interested in attending a Mission Hills croquet class, contact Ben at (925) 212-2593 or croquetpro@gmail.com for a class outline & details and upcoming dates.


Morning Coffee: NC Open, Mission Hills and the Double Target

Ben Rothman won the North Carolina Open this weekend and Jeff Soo posted a nice breakdown on the CroquetNC.org website with diagrams showing all of the key positions.

Bob Alman has an in-depth feature on the Mission Hills Croquet Club in Rancho Mirage, California, that chronicles how the 10-court club has built membership and become the "NCC of the West."

Featured in the Mission Hills Croquet Club article are several beautiful croquet paintings by Veronique Branger.

Leo Nikora has posted a critical gap analysis of roqueting a two-ball target ... relative to the distance of the two target balls. It includes a nice graph showing the percentage of success.

Check out this set of professional photos taken at the 2010 Rocky Mountain International Open. Very nice.

Morning Coffee: Mission Hills News, Sunflower Wickets and more

Recent activity and news from the Mission Hills Croquet Club in Rancho Mirage, California as reported by Genie Hendry:

• Ben Rothman was on site from November 2009 thru April 2010 as our contract “Croquet Pro.” It is now OFFICIAL ... Ben will return in November on the Mission Hills Staff and will again be offering lessons, clinics and his valuable expertise in directing our tournaments. During the summer, he’ll be playing in tournaments with fellow TEAM USA members in preparation for the MacRobertson Shield Trophy competition, which will be held in August in England. You can catch Ben at the NA Open at the Sonoma-Cutrer Winery in Windsor, CA, and the entire USA Mac-Rob team at the Rocky Mountain Invitational in Denver, CO. GOOD LUCK GUYS ... GO TEAM USA!!!!!
• Mission Hills’ own Ron Hendry has accepted the USCA Western Region Vice President position from Patrick Sweeney of Portland, Oregon. Patrick has done an outstanding job in representing the West through his participation as VP and by hosting the Western Regional tournament each year. Thanks for all your hard work for croquet, Patrick! The 2010 Western Regional will be held in Seattle, WA, August 26-29. See the USCA website, www.croquetamerica.com, for more details.

• Club President Jim Butts reports Jim Bonacci has “retired” as Club Treasurer and Mike Orgill will take up his responsibilities. Jim commends Bonacci on his diligent, responsive, and almost flawless performance for the past seven years of service to the club. Thanks to Mike for taking over this important job!

The Missouri Croquet Association provided equipment and referees for the First Annual Mahaffie Sunflower Wickets golf croquet fundraiser on Saturday morning in Olathe, Kansas. The single-elimination event had 32 players participate and reportedly raised $4000 for an expansion of the main building on the historic Mahaffie Farmstead. More details and photos located on the MCA website.

Scroll down this article to find details on a Bennington, Vermont summer croquet league.

Completed registration forms are due by June 4. Registration for the season is $50 per person plus a membership in the Park McCullough House Association, which is available at a special discounted rate to croquet league members ($30 individual, $20 senior/student, $50 couple/family).

Registration forms can be picked up at the Park McCullough House, and should be dropped off with check at the kick-off party on June 10. For more information, call 442-5441.

The Buffalo Rising website reports that The Olmsted Conservancy and the Buffalo Croquet Club are hosting an open house (more details and a great night croquet photo):

... on Sunday, May 16, from 1pm-5pm, adults are welcome to join in on a round of six and nine wicket croquet. The equipment will be provided, and families are encouraged to come out and watch. By hosting an open house, the conservancy is hoping to attract more players and leagues similar to the Buffalo Croquet Club, which is an organized men's league that plays every Monday night during the summer.

The West River Wickets Club recently appeared in a feature on hometownannapolis.com. Excerpt:

Around 2004, the West River Wickets Croquet Club was officially born. The group now boasts over two-dozen active members and a handful of trophies and titles from tournaments up and down the East Coast.