Croquet Tournament coming to Elms Park

The Kiwanis Club will be hosting a croquet tournament at Elms Park Sept. 24 from 10 a.m-6 p.m. Pictured from left to right are Jim O'Brien, Jean Florence, Jim Florence, Bruce Lanning, Sandy Raffaelli, Al Hitzelberger, Richard Mattson, Peggy Mattson, Phil Bracey, Ronna Gettel, and Max. Photo by Doug Stephens SWARTZ CREEK — In 2010 Doug Stephens was on a hunt for a croquet set for his grandchildren. In doing so, he came across a website for the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach Florida. There he traveled shortly after, and came back with his idea for The Swartz Creek Kiwanis Meadows Croquet Club.

Keeping the community and youth in mind, Stephens brought the backyard staple of nine-wicket croquet to his home turf, as a six-wicket “addictive” club.

Using a variation on the traditional nine-wicket setup, the one chosen by Stephens is the most played form in the United States and is the dominant choice of associations across the country.

Stephens along with Richard Mattson and Jim Florence “were the core driving force to it's formation.”

Of the club members, Stephens said, “None of us had heard of this two years ago. We pretty much taught ourselves the game.”

“ The combination of skill and strategy appeals to us, It's also a very social game with lots of interaction between the players, as well as with the spec- tators,” he said.

The Kiwanis Club wants all ages to be involved in the nostalgic pastime that has survived through decades of backyard barbecues, family gatherings, and fundraisers as the go-to lawn sport of choice.

“If you can walk and bend over you can play croquet. We are at a point in the club development now that we can break the players into skill levels, so good players can play competitively and new players can play and still have opportunities to win,” said Stephens.

“It's a sport you can grow into for the rest of your life. It requires a lot of skill and strategy to be a really good croquet player, but a beginner can easily catch onto the basics of the game before the first game is complete,” he said.

Stephens likes the competitive nature of the game and how it forces players to “act like ladies and gentleman.”

It also supports a good cause, because proceeds from membership fees benefit children around the world and that includes Swartz Creek locals.

Currently comprised of 16 members, some of which are not Kiwanis members, the club is geared towards social enjoyment and community bonding.

“ We have three husband and wife teams. We have one excellent player with extensive experience in playing the game at a high level, at large club in South Carolina,” said Stephens.

Twice last year the club traveled together to the Waterloo Croquet Club near Jackson, Michigan where they were able to play on some new courts and compete against heavy competition.

The club recently held a championship game on Sept. 13, where “the canny shooting of Jim Florence made the day,” according to Kiwanis member Richard Mattson.

Florence also won all three doubles league championships and a singles championship, since the club’s inception.

The Swartz Creek Kiwanis Club will gather again for a tournament this Saturday Sept. 24. It will be held at Elms Park, located North of Interstate 69 on Elms Rd. The event begins at 10 a.m and will continue with many games throughout the day until 6 p.m. Visitors are welcome.

“If you have an interest in participating in the tournament there may be an opening or two,” said Stephens.

For more information visit www.swartzcreekkiwanis.org/croquet, or call Doug Stephens at 810-423-6385. Stephens also offers free lessons to interested residents.