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I moved to Erie originally to study at LECOM in 2020, but after a crippling spinal health diagnosis meant that medicine would never be in the cards for me, I lost myself.
I lost myself as I lost my mobility. As I lost my mobility, I lost my metabolism, my mental health, and worst of all, my faith in myself. Physical therapy told me the best I could hope for was to manage the pain, reduce the neuropathy, and postpone surgery for as long as I could handle. Volleyball, basketball, and pretty much any other athletic pursuit I had planned for my future were non-options. I was just under 300 pounds, 45% body fat, and couldn’t manage washing the dishes without shooting spasms of pain.
Eventually, I graduated from PT and had to strike out into the world of self-maintenance, so I got a membership at the Glenwood YMCA. One day when I came in, the gym where I normally warmed up by (attempting) to shoot some hoops was filled with people. Smiling, giggling, cheerful seniors who were enjoying the magic of pickleball on three taped courts.
Pickleball?? We had done something similar in gym class at Meadville Area High School, but nothing near this organized and with so many weird rules. But I watched the people playing, and I realized it was something I might still be able to participate in.
Dennis O’Donnell was my first partner. He let out a big sigh when I said I’d never played before and told me to play as his partner... in that "reluctantly helpful" way that my friend Dennis always does.
That evening, I was so enamored that I showed up to the concrete front courts at Baldwin (long before the days of a wonderful permanent professional surface) at the suggestion of some of the Glenwood folks. There, I met four more players: Jackie Ballay, John Fitzgerald, Barb Samuels, and my future idol, BFF, big sis, and mentor all rolled into one, Elena Arnold.
The next day I went to COTC, and there I really began to develop. Don Wolfe and Bob Griffin took me under their wing. My small business, "N-Able," was in its infancy back then and my schedule was flexible, so every weekday morning from 8:30–11:00, you would find me at COTC with some of the most wholesome, supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
There, I met people like the then-President of EPPA, Bob Borgia, Rob Ricart, Jack Benson, Rick Seibel, and many other pillars of the fledgling pickleball community. Eventually, I improved enough that I was asked to play in Bob’s Sunday morning Westwood group—an honor many of you I’m sure have had—and there Bob asked if I’d be interested in serving on his newly formed tournament committee.
Over the next couple of months, I developed as a player and as a person, finding purpose and motivation as my mobility slowly but miraculously improved. Pickleball was giving me my life back.
Mike Arnold and Derek Sieber eventually gave me an invite to their lunch group, and I remember being so humbled in the presence of their skills. I don’t think we were even playing the same sport at the time! I had just barely learned to play and wasn’t even 3.5 yet, I had thought I was so great but humility had found me, but ignited in me a desire to be competent.
I soon realized that not only did I love pickleball, I OWED pickleball. It had given me community in a town where I had no friends and health when I thought I had lost mine. EPPA was the driving force behind that.
The next year, when the founding members who had carried us so far were stepping down—specifically Bob Borgia as President and Tom Wisinski as VP—everyone knew Elena was the only person to take the reins. If Elena was driving, I wanted shotgun.
Over the next few years, I got my teaching pro certification to help expand grassroots instruction and playing, I played (and lost badly) in all kinds of tournaments both amateur and pro, and most of all, I learned what leadership in such a large and diverse organization looks like. It is full of conflicting ideas, priorities, and personalities, but it is unified behind one guiding principle: A love for the sport of pickleball.
I miss the old groups I played in, the mentors, the hugs on the days the pain was so great I could barely walk onto the court, and the feeling of winning my first 3.5 medal. But most of all, I miss the cohesiveness the community had when I first started.
Today, we have the privilege of selecting from over 13 different locations in the Erie area. Our mission is to advocate for and support that growth, and I’m honored the board has trusted me to take over from someone who set the bar so unbelievably high.
For those of you who don’t know Elena personally: she has single-handedly done more for the growth of pickleball in Erie than anyone I know. As a full-time teacher, she spent every free period and evening doing something pickleball-related. She showed me how cooperation and a cool head get far more done than obstinance and brute force. For the past few years, I have had the privilege of learning by observation. Accompanying and collaborating with Elena on (almost) every issue big and small.
As I transition, I knew I needed someone I could lean on. While Elena is staying on as Secretary, I am thrilled that Melissa Hart agreed to serve as my support system as VP. The board endorsed her and voted her in unanimously. Please take the time to get to her know her if you don't already have the pleasure!
As I step into this role, my main fear is messing up what Elena and the board have created. Thankfully, they are all just a phone call or a game away.
In no particular order, here is what I will be focusing on:
In the spirit of this new Board, I will be hosting a FREE Pro Clinic (thanks to ATP’s generous donation of court time) tentatively on January 24th. Expect to see myself, board members, and other local pickleball personalities there!
Letter from the (New) President
Andre Francis
posted 3 days ago
Hello EPPA! This is the longest post I will write you, I promise!
My name is Andre Francis, and I am a product of all of you.
I moved to Erie originally to study at LECOM in 2020, but after a crippling spinal health diagnosis meant that medicine would never be in the cards for me, I lost myself.
I lost myself as I lost my mobility. As I lost my mobility, I lost my metabolism, my mental health, and worst of all, my faith in myself. Physical therapy told me the best I could hope for was to manage the pain, reduce the neuropathy, and postpone surgery for as long as I could handle. Volleyball, basketball, and pretty much any other athletic pursuit I had planned for my future were non-options. I was just under 300 pounds, 45% body fat, and couldn’t manage washing the dishes without shooting spasms of pain.
Eventually, I graduated from PT and had to strike out into the world of self-maintenance, so I got a membership at the Glenwood YMCA. One day when I came in, the gym where I normally warmed up by (attempting) to shoot some hoops was filled with people. Smiling, giggling, cheerful seniors who were enjoying the magic of pickleball on three taped courts.
Pickleball?? We had done something similar in gym class at Meadville Area High School, but nothing near this organized and with so many weird rules. But I watched the people playing, and I realized it was something I might still be able to participate in.
Dennis O’Donnell was my first partner. He let out a big sigh when I said I’d never played before and told me to play as his partner... in that "reluctantly helpful" way that my friend Dennis always does.
That evening, I was so enamored that I showed up to the concrete front courts at Baldwin (long before the days of a wonderful permanent professional surface) at the suggestion of some of the Glenwood folks. There, I met four more players: Jackie Ballay, John Fitzgerald, Barb Samuels, and my future idol, BFF, big sis, and mentor all rolled into one, Elena Arnold.
The next day I went to COTC, and there I really began to develop. Don Wolfe and Bob Griffin took me under their wing. My small business, "N-Able," was in its infancy back then and my schedule was flexible, so every weekday morning from 8:30–11:00, you would find me at COTC with some of the most wholesome, supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
There, I met people like the then-President of EPPA, Bob Borgia, Rob Ricart, Jack Benson, Rick Seibel, and many other pillars of the fledgling pickleball community. Eventually, I improved enough that I was asked to play in Bob’s Sunday morning Westwood group—an honor many of you I’m sure have had—and there Bob asked if I’d be interested in serving on his newly formed tournament committee.
Over the next couple of months, I developed as a player and as a person, finding purpose and motivation as my mobility slowly but miraculously improved. Pickleball was giving me my life back.
Mike Arnold and Derek Sieber eventually gave me an invite to their lunch group, and I remember being so humbled in the presence of their skills. I don’t think we were even playing the same sport at the time! I had just barely learned to play and wasn’t even 3.5 yet, I had thought I was so great but humility had found me, but ignited in me a desire to be competent.
I soon realized that not only did I love pickleball, I OWED pickleball. It had given me community in a town where I had no friends and health when I thought I had lost mine. EPPA was the driving force behind that.
The next year, when the founding members who had carried us so far were stepping down—specifically Bob Borgia as President and Tom Wisinski as VP—everyone knew Elena was the only person to take the reins. If Elena was driving, I wanted shotgun.
Over the next few years, I got my teaching pro certification to help expand grassroots instruction and playing, I played (and lost badly) in all kinds of tournaments both amateur and pro, and most of all, I learned what leadership in such a large and diverse organization looks like. It is full of conflicting ideas, priorities, and personalities, but it is unified behind one guiding principle: A love for the sport of pickleball.
I miss the old groups I played in, the mentors, the hugs on the days the pain was so great I could barely walk onto the court, and the feeling of winning my first 3.5 medal. But most of all, I miss the cohesiveness the community had when I first started.
Today, we have the privilege of selecting from over 13 different locations in the Erie area. Our mission is to advocate for and support that growth, and I’m honored the board has trusted me to take over from someone who set the bar so unbelievably high.
For those of you who don’t know Elena personally: she has single-handedly done more for the growth of pickleball in Erie than anyone I know. As a full-time teacher, she spent every free period and evening doing something pickleball-related. She showed me how cooperation and a cool head get far more done than obstinance and brute force. For the past few years, I have had the privilege of learning by observation. Accompanying and collaborating with Elena on (almost) every issue big and small.
As I transition, I knew I needed someone I could lean on. While Elena is staying on as Secretary, I am thrilled that Melissa Hart agreed to serve as my support system as VP. The board endorsed her and voted her in unanimously. Please take the time to get to her know her if you don't already have the pleasure!
As I step into this role, my main fear is messing up what Elena and the board have created. Thankfully, they are all just a phone call or a game away.
My Priorities & Concerns
In no particular order, here is what I will be focusing on:
- Collaboration: Working with ALL pickleball facilities to expand access and support our membership. I will be visiting every single venue sometime soon to gather information on their needs and how EPPA can help.
- Membership Growth: Continuing to grow the EPPA base. Getting expired members re-enrolled and bringing in fresh new ideas and talent.
- Infrastructure: Expanding our business systems so this non-profit can sustain itself organically long beyond my influence.
- Consistent Tournaments: Establishing a reliable schedule of 4 tournaments a year (two 2-day large-scale and two 1-day smaller-scale shootouts).
- Events: Continuing the two fully catered events and refocusing other gatherings around play and socialization.
- Youth & Community: Increasing community awareness and youth-focused initiatives.
- Non-Profit Support: Continuing our support of local organizations like Urban University, not through monetary donations but through support in their events and tournaments.
- Community Unity: Addressing the "splintering" of our community that comes from players growing in different directions (skill levels, injuries, etc.).
-
Accountability: Remaining transparent to our membership.
Upcoming Event and Final Remarks
In the spirit of this new Board, I will be hosting a FREE Pro Clinic (thanks to ATP’s generous donation of court time) tentatively on January 24th. Expect to see myself, board members, and other local pickleball personalities there!
Finally, if you have ANY ideas for EPPA, please reach out to me! What divisions do you want to see? What activities are we overlooking? What vendetta from a past life do you have with me? No question or concern is too small. I promise to reply to every message—a goal I'm sure will become harder to maintain as time goes on, so strike while the iron is hot!
Preferably reach out to me via email at Dre@Nablist.org or via text at 814-720-9665. I’d be happy to speak on the phone too but we might have to set an appointment for the future!
Thank you for trusting me as your next President, and thank you to all of you who helped me get here.
Andre` Francis
Preferably reach out to me via email at Dre@Nablist.org or via text at 814-720-9665. I’d be happy to speak on the phone too but we might have to set an appointment for the future!
Thank you for trusting me as your next President, and thank you to all of you who helped me get here.
Andre` Francis