Competition and Fun for Everyone

A banner reading “THIS PLACE MATTERS” above the heads of ghost-like shuffleboard players caught my eye in the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. According to the caption, the world’s largest shuffleboard club in St. Pete was threatened, and a hand-full of individuals were struggling to bring the institution back. At one time the club boasted over 5,000 members but it dwindled to less than 30, and the historic complex risked falling by the wayside. But a determined group of individuals started the St. Pete Shuffle on Friday nights, opening up the club to the community on a weekly basis and kick-started a shuffleboard renaissance in the Sunshine City. I visited the Shuffle and was hooked on the game and was inspired by the idea of starting a Shuffle in Orlando. 

A friend recommended playing on the little-used courts at the Beardall Senior Center and in 2013 we launched the Orlando Shuffle. Since then we’ve held our event twice a month on the first and third Saturday of every month, and thanks to a small group of committed players, the Shuffle has offered fun, free entertainment for six years now. Being associated with the Shuffle has allowed me to teach NBA Hall-of-Famers how to play shuffleboard and even given me the opportunity to participate in the Shuffleboard World Championships.

The logo I developed is based on a vintage graphic that I found in an old brochure, which was modified by adding the Lake Eola fountain. We’ve sold t-shirts, passed out stickers, and been the subject of multiple promotional videos by different media outlets. An old book found in the shuffleboard shed at the Senior Center has given us our mantra: “Happiness is Shuffleboard.”