CURRENT HOOPS HOOPLA

ORTHO MEMPHIS EXPERIENCED SOME REFRESHING OUTDOOR “TEAM BUILDING” THERAPY FOR THEIR PHYSICAL THERAPIST TEAM ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, ON THE BEAUTIFUL CROQUET COURTS AT THE JOHNSON ROAD PARK IN GERMANTOWN, TN.

The idea for this occasion was conceived when Mark Temme, the Rehabilitation Director for ORTHO MEMPHIS, learned that one of his patients, Bill Martin, was the local Resident Pro for the promotion of The Sport of Croquet. Mark, who is from Australia, had fond memories of being exposed to the international version of croquet when he was in elementary school and was very receptive to the idea of a croquet outing for his PT team. Martin, a long time member of the United States Croquet Association and past winner of the USCA National Seniors championship assured him that his team would have a great time playing a relative new version of the sport called Golf Croquet. Mark had no problem enticing seven members of his staff to accept the challenge. Bill and his brother Leon volunteered to host the event.

At 10:00 AM Saturday the wickets were set and the weather was perfect for the ORTHO MEMPHIS TEAM, which consisted of Mark Temme, Suzanne Williams, Jason Ward, Sam Bush, Julie Scarpace, and Karen Grigsby. Karen brought her own cheerleader, daughter Lydia. The stands were occupied by Bill’s special friend and visitor from Knoxville, TN, Katie Vaughan. After about ten minutes of basic instruction from the Martin brothers, the stage was set for the games to begin. The format called for doubles competition, so the teams were selected by random drawing of names.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised at how quickly all the participants got involved in immediate competition. The “Team Building” aspect of this event was apparent from the beginning. Equally surprising to the players was the interaction between partners and the good hearted “gamesmanship” aimed at their opponents. It was impressive to observe the strategy being discussed between partners. Comradery, laughter, high fives and extraordinary shot making was the order of the day. The photos with the appropriate caption tell the story. It was a great two hours enjoyed by all.