Shuffleboard savior Christine Page bids St. Pete farewell

St. Pete history, Christine Page can tell you, is the gift that keeps on giving.

The outgoing president of the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club recently discovered U.S. coins subtly embedded in the top layer of concrete of a few courts. They’re from the 1960s, which means they were likely left there when the courts were refurbished (the city-owned public facility, on Mirror Lake, opened in the 1920s). “Even though they’re right there on the ground, it was several years before I found them,” marvels Page, who’s been associated with the club since 2004. “You would think that I’d seen everything.

“But just a couple years ago I was moving a cabinet, and stuck behind it were some bylaws from the ‘30s that must have fallen there. I love it. It’s like a living museum.”

In her 10-year tenure as head of the organization, Page – who is quick to point out that she is surrounded by dedicated and hard-working staff members, board members and volunteers – shuffleboard club membership has reached an all-time high of approximately 2,600.

That’s why the City Council will honor her with a Distinguished Citizen Award at its Thursday meeting.

Page is returning to Indianapolis, Indiana, her hometown, to be close to her elderly mother. And she’s going to work for an historic preservation group there (“I’ve always had the passion, but now I have the experience”).

RELATED READING: Vintage St. Pete: The shuffleboard renaissance

Christine Page arrived in St. Petersburg in 1997, for an internship as a software company website developer. Then she worked as a freelancer, from home.

“At first,” she remembers, “I felt I was just here. In St. Pete. I was home alone a lot, and I thought I needed to do something. To volunteer somewhere. And so I did, and around 2004 I really started falling in love with the city.”

She discovered the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, which at the time had something like 26 members. “I love historic buildings. I wandered in … and my knees went weak. It was in the evening, and the twinkly lights were on, and it’s just beautiful at night.

“But it was the people who were starting this radical idea that shuffleboard can be fun for all ages. They wanted the community to get involved and fall in love with the club, just like they did. It was a simple, grassroots idea that to save historic buildings, you need to use them.”

She began as a volunteer and later graduated to board president.

The enthusiastic staff had begun adding art events, live music and special-event nights to attract … well, whoever might be interested in reviving a long-dormant recreational activity.

It was, Page insists, an uphill climb at first. “Now, this is 20 years ago. The baby boomers did not want to come and play shuffleboard. Because shuffleboard was for old people, and they weren’t old! That type of mentality.

“It was easier to get the younger people to come. So many of us were working all day on our computers, not having a lot of face-to-face interaction, and this idea of the very hands-on experience of playing shuffleboard was appealing for people.

“Now, we have adults whose parents brought them as little kids. Now, it feels like it should have felt all along, that shuffleboard is a quintessential part of St. Petersburg.”

It’s a social event.

Club manager Amy Marshall will taking over many of Page’s responsibilities until the board finds a new executive director. “That poor woman,” Page laughs. “She already has enough on her plate.”

Page’s last day with the club is Friday. “I’m going to miss St. Pete like crazy,” she says, “But there is shuffleboard in Indiana, so I’ll have some places to play. So that’s good.”

The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club celebrated its 100th anniversary in January, 2024. Photo: City of St. Petersburg.