Latest news with #MarkMiller
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Highland Park hosts ‘unofficial' world-record pickleball attempt; ‘It's all about giving back to the kids'
The iconic 'pock' sound of pickleballs hitting paddles filled Danny Cuniff Park Monday morning, with more than 400 summer camp kids rotating through a massive pickleball crash course lesson as organizers took a swing at setting a world record. Each round of lessons saw the courts packed with kids, ages 5 through 13, with instructor Mark Miller giving the kids basic lessons on controlling the pickleball and paddle. The event was a collaboration between Miller's Munchkin Programs, the Park District of Highland Park and Chicago Slice, a professional pickleball team. 'I incorporate self-esteem through sports,' Miller said. 'It's all about giving back to the kids.' The number to beat was 300, set by Miller in 2023 in Arizona. On Monday morning, Miller said just over 440 kids were scheduled to come through. He called the youngsters an 'untapped market' for the sport, which skyrocketed in popularity a few years ago. Nick Baird, director of recreation with the Park District, said pickleball is an important sport for the kids to learn. 'It's a different experience than other sports,' he said. 'Any age group, any ability level, is able to play pickleball.' The kids enjoy hearing the unique sound of a pickleball hitting a paddle, Baird said, and it makes for an easy indicator, 'that they're hitting the paddle directly.' Amelia Superfine was one of the hundreds of children having fun being part of a world record attempt. She said she'd played pickleball before with her family in Florida, but that was a 'long time ago.' 'It's fun to do it again, because I haven't really gotten the time,' she said. Silas Trombatore, a counselor-in-training for the summer camp, said he's played the sport himself with friends outside of camp. Trombatore said the kids were having ' a lot of fun' with the lessons. Miller was glad to see his idea come together with so many community partners. The effort is not a Guinness-recognized world record — Miller said that would have been prohibitively expensive — but he said it's unofficially recognized online. Highland Park's head pickleball pro Zach Pellowski was there helping with lessons. He emphasized the sport's inclusivity, noting how the barrier to entry is much lower, and the game's pace a little slower. The social and health benefits were clear for both the kids and anyone who picked up a paddle. 'There's a lot more people who feel they can be a part of it, (and) join in on the fun,' Pellowski said. 'You get to be healthy, be active, but also challenge your brain in more ways than one.' The event precedes the opening of the Park District's indoor pickleball facility, which is scheduled for August. It will be known as Club Pickle & Padel, which will offer 10 pickleball courts and 4 padel courts under a newly constructed 50,000-square-foot dome.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Highland Park hosting biggest pickleball lesson in hopes of breaking record
Highland Park is hosting what's being called the biggest pickleball lesson in the hopes of breaking a world record on Monday. The Park District of Highland Park is hosting over 400 pickleball participants at Danny Cunniff Park. The park district is partnering with the Chicago Slice professional pickleball team and Mark Miller's Munchkin Programs for the world record attempt. Miller set the world record of 300 pickleball lesson participants in Scottsdale, Arizona, back in 2023. In 2024, Miller set a record for The World's Largest Tennis Lesson, gathering 400 kids. "We're going to do it, 444 kids today," Miller said. "It's a record." "The Park District is excited to be a part of this historic event to break a world record and promote youth involvement in the game of pickleball," said Nick Baird, Director of Recreation for the Park District of Highland Park. "We are seeing a huge increase in youth and young adult participation in our own pickleball lessons and programs. Pickleball is a great sport for kids because it is a fun, active game that promotes fitness, coordination, and teamwork."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman escapes Mass. home after man tries to kidnap her using dog-walking app, police say
A woman entered the Southbridge Police Department's headquarters last Friday to report an attempted kidnapping — which she escaped moments earlier, police said Thursday. She entered the station at around 8:10 p.m., the department said in a statement. Earlier, she was working for a dog-walking app and was contacted by a woman who asked if she could watch her dogs for a few hours. Mark Miller, 62, of Southbridge, was charged with kidnapping, police said. He was held on cash bail during his arraignment at Dudley District Court on Monday. The dog-sitter arrived at the home but met with a man, Miller, outside before entering the residence, police said. The interior of the home was dark and she did not see any dogs inside. Miller stood in front of the door and asked her to go upstairs, police said. The woman was able to run out of the home and drove to the police headquarters. More local crime stories Mass. man drunken drove, sped at over 100 mph prior to crash in N.H., police say Two women charged with animal cruelty after dogs die in hot car in Bridgewater Boston man charged in connection with attack on couple, police officer Fight over lottery ticket ends in felony charges for 2 Springfield men Leader of notorious Mass. gang sentenced to prison following decade of violence Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Massachusetts man charged with kidnapping 19-year-old dog sitter
A 19-year-old woman is warning others after showing up to a dog sitting job in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and says she ended up being held by a man for five minutes. Now, police have charged 62-year-old Mark Miller with kidnapping. "In the moment, I thought I wasn't going to come out of that house, and It was the worst feeling I have ever felt in my life," said the woman who didn't want to share her identity but voiced her warning. "I just don't want someone to go through what I did." Police say the 62-year-old man is charged with kidnapping the 19-year-old woman. The alleged victim says a woman reached out to her on the dog walking app Rover about watching her dogs for a few hours. But when she got to the house, investigators say Miller greeted her instead. She went inside the house and said there were no dogs. "I just knew when I got there, something seemed wrong, but I didn't really listen to my gut," said the 19-year-old. "I got in there and the house is black, and he just blocked the door, put his arms up and just stood there and I'm like what do I do." Police say Miller locked the door and blocked it, saying weird statements like, "I don't bite", and "go upstairs," then charging documents say "...the male tried to convince her to go up a set of stairs in the home that was closed off by a padlock door. " She says when Miller motioned her to go upstairs by the padlocked door, she made her move to run. "I've watched too many SVU videos to realize this is not right, so since he was away from the door at that very moment, I took my chances and ran as fast as I could," said the young woman. "I did not look back because I didn't know if he would have been behind me or not." WBZ reached out to Rover. The company sent WBZ a statement saying in part, "When these concerns were raised to our team, we took immediate action to suspend the pet parent's account and are committed to supporting the pet sitter." But Miller's wife says he's innocent. "My husband never touched her or kept her from leaving," said Carol Miller. Miller says the whole family was all upstairs, and she reached out to the young woman, and they really have dogs. "It's supposed to be a night of celebration, and it's turned into a nightmare. I just got a new French bulldog, and I wanted a babysitter for her so we could go out and celebrate as a family and this young girl comes to my house," Miller said. Mark Miller was held on $500 bail. He is now released.
Globe and Mail
02-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Analysts Offer Insights on Technology Companies: SanDisk Corp (SNDK) and Robinhood Markets (HOOD)
There's a lot to be optimistic about in the Technology sector as 2 analysts just weighed in on SanDisk Corp (SNDK – Research Report) and Robinhood Markets (HOOD – Research Report) with bullish sentiments. Don't Miss TipRanks' Half-Year Sale Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. SanDisk Corp (SNDK) Benchmark Co. analyst Mark Miller maintained a Buy rating on SanDisk Corp today and set a price target of $62.00. The company's shares closed last Monday at $45.35. According to Miller is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 15.2% and a 52.6% success rate. Miller covers the Technology sector, focusing on stocks such as Axcelis Technologies, Western Digital, and Onto Innovation. ;'> Currently, the analyst consensus on SanDisk Corp is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $62.00, which is a 31.3% upside from current levels. In a report issued on June 18, Bank of America Securities also initiated coverage with a Buy rating on the stock with a $61.00 price target. Robinhood Markets (HOOD) Mizuho Securities analyst Dan Dolev maintained a Buy rating on Robinhood Markets today and set a price target of $99.00. The company's shares closed last Monday at $93.63. According to Dolev is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 6.5% and a 54.7% success rate. Dolev covers the Technology sector, focusing on stocks such as Fidelity National Info, Shift4 Payments, and Affirm Holdings. ;'> The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Robinhood Markets with a $69.68 average price target, which is a -18.6% downside from current levels. In a report released yesterday, Barclays also upgraded the stock to Buy with a $57.00 price target.
