Richard Holloman, Managing Director of The House of Pickleball will be Guest speaker at The May 10th 10:00am meeting. 

Prior to moving to Brunswick Forest in January, 2014 Holloman was an entrepreneur in the software business since the early 1980's.  After retiring in 2013 they decided to downside and move to Leland to be closer  to two of their children and 4 grandchildren. Holloman was an avid tennis player and golfer. After being in for a week or so he went out to play tennis and saw about 10 people playing a racquet sport with what looked like an over-sided ping pong paddle, a wiffle ball, a portable tennis net, on a small tennis court. He immediately took note of how much fun the group was having playing the game. They invited him to play and loaned him a paddle.  The rest is history. I started playing 4 to 5 times a week. 

About 6 months later I began playing in tournaments throughout the Southeast.  Holloman has won over 150 medal in pickleball  tournaments and has been Gold Medalist the last 3 years in the State Senior games for 60-65 age category.

Because of advance signup most of the tournaments were played indoors - gyms, YMCA, colleges tennis facilities. Pickleball was an after thought for all the venues.  There were 4 or 5 different lines, temporary nets and glare. I always made note and took pictures of what I liked and disliked.

One night Holloman told his wife he was getting bored and was considering  going back to work. She suggested why don't you look into building an indoor world class pickleball facility in Brunswick Forest. That was the start of a fun, challenging and fulfilling endeavor. My new job could not be more fun. Afterall the #1 word to describe pickleball is FUN!!!!

Kemp Burdette is the Cape Fear Riverkeeper and works to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River. He is a Wilmington native who grew up on and in the water. Kemp has lived and traveled around the world as a US Navy search and rescue swimmer, a Fulbright Scholar, and a Peace Corps volunteer. At home and abroad Kemp has always been interested in the way humans interact with their environment.

His academic background is in geology and history, graduating from UNCW magna cum laude with honors, and he holds a master of public administration (MPA), also from UNCW. He also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University.

Kemp spends most of his free time with his two daughters Olivia and Caroline, working in his garden,  tinkering in his workshop, or exploring the waterways and swamps of the Lower Cape Fear Region. Kemp paddled the entire length of the Cape Fear River, an adventure documented in Our State Magazine. He has been the Riverkeeper since 2010 and is a member of the international Waterkeeper Council, and the regional representative for the South Atlantic Region representing 30 Waterkeepers in five states.   

Since 1993, Cape Fear River Watch has been working to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River Basin through Education, Advocacy, and Action. Cape Fear River Watch engages residents of our watershed through programs to preserve and safeguard our river.

The Cape Fear Riverkeeper is a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an international clean water advocacy organization. Kemp is a member of the Waterkeeper Council, a small group of Waterkeepers from around the country who help determine the direction and priorities of the Waterkeeper Alliance. CFRW works in a variety of coalitions including Waterkeepers Carolina, the Cape Fear Arch Collaboration, the Watershed Alliance, the Eagles Island Coalition, and the Stop Titan Action Network. CFRW has a 20 member Board of Directors made up of scientists, community activists, lawyers, environmental consultants, fishermen, river enthusiasts, and others concerned with protecting and improving the Cape Fear River for everyone.