The expression may actually be derived from the game of cricket, but participants in an inaugural Wine and Wickets event last Tuesday at the John’s Island West Club frequently found themselves in a bit of a sticky wicket as they attempted to master the game of golf croquet. Most had played basic croquet before using the wide wire hoops of family-friendly home equipment, but these were narrow competitive-sized hoops; wickets in American vernacular.
The delightful afternoon was organized by Cathy Filusch, a John’s Island Club member and president-elect of the Education Foundation of Indian River County board of directors.
“We’re always looking for something different to do as a friend-raiser that also ties back to our mission,” explained Education Foundation Executive Director Cynthia Falardeau. “It’s all about community and building relationships for our schools.”
Golf croquet has seen a recent surge in popularity, particularly at local golf clubs which have the space for large courts (105-feet by 84-feet), grounds keepers to keep the lawn flat and smooth, the purchasing power for high-quality equipment, and members with enough time on their hands to master the game.
But Tuesday’s games were played strictly for fun on regulation-sized courts cut down to size to enable multiple games to be played at once. Many took to the courts wearing the traditional whites while sipping civilly on wine; taking a break now and then to also nibble on fruit and cheese.
Participants were given expert instruction from the club croquet pro, Danny Huneycutt.
“He is the national champion in both singles and doubles,” said Filusch, speaking of Huneycutt’s ranking as the USCA (United States Croquet Association) 2015 American Croquet National Champion. “It’s growing all through the nation. Everybody’s turning to croquet golf.”
“I think this is such a fun thing to do,” said Wanda Lincoln, watching with a big smile even as her ball was blasted out of bounds by another player.
“There’s been such enthusiasm for this,” said Falardeau.
“The John’s Island Foundation and the Service League (John’s Island Community Service League) have been longtime supporters of the mission. What we’re most excited about is our STEP into Kindergarten program.”
Funded by a grant from the JICSL, the program provides summertime school readiness instruction to eligible students enrolled in the Voluntary Pre-K program to help them transition into kindergarten.
“That means we’ll have more children prepared for kindergarten when school begins the second week of August,” said Falardeau. “Last year it increased kindergarten readiness to 85 percent; the state average is 65 percent. We’ve reduced the summer slide from nine weeks to one week.”
The Education Foundation also recently received a grant from the John’s Island Foundation to give iPads to 50 non-verbal children at the Wabasso School.
“It’s a project called Speak Up,” Falardeau said.
“We’re giving them a voice through an iPad and we’re also preparing them for a better future.”
