A coloring page activity sheet is now available for fans of pickleball and the book How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter.
Children are asked to find and count the pickleballs hidden in the picture, which can also be colored. The printable activity sheet is available on the activities page.
How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter is the story of four critters who become fast friends and learn that pickleball is for everyone, regardless of age, size or where you’re from. The book was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.

Recently, I saw the movie "Charlie St. Cloud" for the first time. One of my favorite parts was when star Zack Efron repeats an E.E. Cummings poem, called “Dive For Dreams,” to co-star  Amanda Crew. 
The poem is about taking chances and trusting your heart, as is the movie’s theme. You really have to see the movie to understand the context of the poem; nonetheless, it has a powerful message. The poem reflects the core of what the critters in my book—and all of us "non critters"—are seeking and needing:  hope, purpose, and dreaming beyond the present.
Here is the poem: 
dive for dreams
or a slogan may topple you
(trees are their roots
and wind is wind)
trust your heart
if the seas catch fire
(and live by love
though the stars walk backward)
honour the past
but welcome the future
(and dance your death
away at this wedding)
never mind a world
with its villains or heroes
(for god likes girls
and tomorrow and the earth)

Children’s Book Author Larry Blundred will sign copies of How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter May 8, 2021 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Coffee Peddlar, 112 Harrison Ave., Harrison Ohio 45030.
Hardcover books will be available for purchase and cash, check or Venmo payments will be accepted on site. The author will contribute $1 of each $20 sale to Coffee Peddlar’s Be Movement, a fund used to bless customers.
Blundred was inspired by the acceptance and support he received from the Cincinnati pickleball community while his wife battled brain cancer. His first children’s story depicts four critters who become fast friends and learn that pickleball is for everyone, regardless of age, size or where you’re from. The book was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.
The book is also available for purchase online.

Interest in pickleball is growing in Harrison, Ohio, and the local newspaper has taken notice.

The Harrison Press featured How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter Author Larry Blundred on the front of the February 10, 2021 issue.

“Lawrence Blundred turns to the pickleball community for support, stress relief and fun. He loves the game so much that he wrote a children’s book about it,” The article starts.

A subscription may be needed to read the full story online.

​Copies of the book may be purchased here.

A word search activity sheet is now available for fans of pickleball and the book How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter.
The activity features the names of characters from the story as well as common pickleball terms. The printable activity sheet and answer key are available on the activities page.
How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter is the story of four critters who become fast friends and learn that pickleball is for everyone, regardless of age, size or where you’re from. The book was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.

Children’s Book Author Larry Blundred will sign copies of How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter during the Cincinnati Pickleball Club March Mania tournament March 13, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Hardcover books will be available for purchase and cash, check or Venmo payments will be accepted on site. The author will contribute $1 of each $20 sale to the Cincinnati Pickleball Club.
The pickleball tournament is at Five Seasons Crestview Hills, 325 Thomas More Parkway, Crestview Hills, Ky. Tournament details and player registration is available on the Club’s website.
Blundred was inspired by the acceptance and support he received from the Cincinnati pickleball community while his wife battled brain cancer. His first children’s story depicts four critters who become fast friends and learn that pickleball is for everyone, regardless of age, size or where you’re from. The book was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.

Author Larry Blundred received many texts, calls and emails from friends when they saw him on the cover of the January 30, 2021 Hometown Enquirer, a special weekly section of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

He also received orders for his book, which chronicles the discovery of new friendships—and pickleball—by four critters from different parts of the world. In the end they all meet up… but we don’t want to spoil the story.
​
The Enquirer news article explains how Blundred came to play pickleball and was inspired to write the story of Ollie Otter and his furry friends. A subscription may be required to access the article online.

Author Larry Blundred and other pickleballers will compete in the St. Pete Grand Slam Pickleball Tournament Feb. 13 at Coquina Key Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Inspired by the support he received from the Cincinnati pickleball community, Blundred wrote a children’s book, How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter, which was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.

“The sport challenged my athletic skills and other players became a source of support, in the game as well as in life,” Blundred said. “Pickleball was just what I needed physically, mentally, socially and emotionally.”

Blundred lost his wife, Donna Blundred, 67, in August 2020.

“I wrote two books with Donna while she battled a brain tumor diagnosis,” Blundred said. “This book is for her.”
​
The tournament will include men and women with skill-level rated at 3.0 to 4.5 and up.

Pickleballers across the U.S. are ordering their hardcover copy How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter after seeing the book advertised in the January/February 2021 issue of Pickleball Magazine, the official publication of USA Pickleball Association.

"Adorable!" said Sam Louras. "A great opportunity for Grandma & Grandpa to share their favorite sport with the grandkids!"

Author Larry Blundred is a member of USA Pickleball, the Cincinnati Pickleball Club and the Middletown (Ohio) Pickleball Club.

​In his story, Ollie Otter, Robby Raccoon, Pauly Penguin and Wally Wallaby become fast friends and learn that pickleball is for everyone, no matter your age, size or where you’re from.
Blundred was inspired by the acceptance he received from the Cincinnati pickleball community. Ollie Otter is his third book and was released in hardcover by Winters Publishing in December 2020. The book is available for purchase online.

When Ollie Otter met Robby Raccoon, Pauly Penguin and Wally Wallaby, they became fast friends and learned that pickleball is for everyone, no matter your age, size or where you’re from.
Author Larry Blundred was inspired by the acceptance he received from the Cincinnati pickleball community. His third book, How Pickleball Saved Ollie Otter, was released in hardcover and paperback editions by Winters Publishing in December 2020.
“The sport challenged my athletic skills and other players became a source of support, in the game as well as in life,” Blundred said. “Pickleball was just what I needed physically, mentally, socially and emotionally.”

Blundred lost his wife, Donna Blundred, 67, in August.

“I wrote two books with Donna while she battled a brain tumor diagnosis,” Blundred said. “This book is for her.”

In 2019, Donna’s third brain tumor was discovered. While she had beaten poor prognoses in the past, this time she would not. Blundred began to play pickleball to cope with his stress and grief. And then, his grandson Ollie was born. In fact, all the book’s critters—who each find love and acceptance on the pickleball court—are inspired by people in Blundred’s life.
​
According to the USA Pickleball, the number of places to play pickleball has more than doubled since 2010. There are now nearly 8,000 locations on the USAPA’s Places to Play map. The sport is played on badminton-size courts, typically with “doubles” (two people on each side of the net). The first team to get to 11 points with a two-point lead, wins.

The Blundreds’ first book, “Staying Resilient When Life Throws You More Than A Curveball,” published in August 2017. “Rise Above: Survivor, or Thriver?” published in October 2018. The couple also formed a Thriver Ministries, LLC, to remind people that adversity can be the catalyst for resiliency.
Larry and Donna Blundred raised three children on the west side of Cincinnati. Larry now resides in Cleves and attends Crossroads Church. He is a retired financial advisor and worked in marketing at Skyline Chili and JTM Food Group. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s in marketing from the University of Illinois-Champaign.