The game of Pickleball was created in the early 1960’s on Puget Sound’s Bainbridge Island, Washington, near Seattle. The game slowly spread across the United States through high school physical education classes, recreational vehicle parks and retirement communities.
2002
Pickleball was introduced to Sun City West in early 2002 when a new resident, JoAnn Kettman, observed the platform tennis courts at RHJ were the same dimensions to that of a pickleball court. JoAnn had been introduced to the game through demonstrations at physical education conventions in Iowa and Illinois and commenced to add the game to her physical education curriculum in Iowa utilizing lines on the gym floor previously used for badminton. She had also played Pickleball in the Mesa area while visiting her parents at Monte Vista, coached tennis in Iowa and had joined the Racquet club in SCW upon her arrival. Led by her knowledge and love for racquet sports, JoAnn and her husband on their own chalked the “kitchen line” on two platform tennis courts. She had brought wooden paddles and balls from Iowa and invited friends to try the new game of Pickleball. Her friends became hooked on the new game and she ordered racquets and balls for them. At that time a new racquet was $25 and a dozen balls cost $18.
In April of 2002, Pickleball was first referenced in the SCW Racquet Club’s newsletter “SMASH”. The annual “Swing into Spring” tennis tournament included a Pickleball demonstration by Happy Trails to promote interest in the new sport. Happy Trails was a nearby RV resort which had many visitors from the state of Washington and the sport took a strong hold on the residents. As stated in the SMASH newsletter, “According to CL Thompson, Racquet Club President, if there is enough interest in Pickleball, it will become a regular activity with a chairman needed to organize and coordinate play. The May issue of SMASH, listed two websites for more information on the game as well as a website where you could order equipment. In September of 2002 platform tennis courts 18 & 19 were officially committed to Pickleball according the SMASH newsletter. In October the Racquet Club board ordered racquets and balls with the equipment available through the monitor at the RHJ miniature golf check-in desk. Rules of the game and instruction sheets were also made available.
2003
On January 6 of 2003 a wine and cheese social was organized by CL Thompson to introduce the sport to the Racquet Club. Forty people attended the social and played on four courts. JoAnn Kettman agreed to be chairman of Pickleball activities for the Racquet Club and kitchen lines were painted on the platform courts. Play was arranged twice a week for two hour sessions to introduce the game to SCW residents. Play was similar to what drop in play is today. During games, JoAnn instructed participants on serving technique, rules, scoring and strategies of the game. From January to April, participants on the roster grew to number 100 players. JoAnn, being a snowbird, departed for her summer home and Sara Lerch agreed to coordinate activities in JoAnn’s absence. Later that summer, Sara and her husband had to relocate to their home state and Martha Wasserman began coordinating the activities.
Interest in the sport was growing rapidly in the area as articles in the Daily News Sun and the Sun magazine appeared in July of ’03. Communities along Bell Road from Sun City, west to Sun City Grand and Arizona Traditions all had courts and participation in the sport increased rapidly among the retirement communities. Happy Trails had hosted Pickleball in the Senior Olympics three times by 2003.
JoAnn being a snowbird and having a devout interest in golf was willing to pass on the chairmanship of Pickleball. In September of 2003, Martha Waserman was officially approved by the Racquet Club to coordinate Pickleball activities. Martha and Charlie Robinson began giving instructional lessons and Charlie ordered racquets and balls for players. Since we were sharing the courts with the platform tennis players, a schedule was developed for court usage. Platform Tennis used the courts the first session and Pickleball used the courts the remainder of the day. As players’ skills and participation increased it was apparent there was a need for organized competitive play. Martha organized a ladder program for players with Charlie as the back-up coordinator. The ladder provided an opportunity for players to play others of similar ability.
In early November the ladder program reached court capacity and a second session was added to accommodate the growing participation and interest in Pickleball. The ladder became so large, it was split into two groups, AB and CD. Martha coordinated the AB ladder and Charlie coordinated the CD ladder. However, participation continued to grow and by the end of the year the ladder program again exceeded court capacity. Due to the rapid growth, it was difficult to remember player’ names, therefore Martha designed a Pickleball logo and made name tags for all players.
2004
In January 2004 the two ladder programs were combined at the request of the members to allow for more competition among members. Two sessions were held every Wednesday at 10 and 11 and Martha continued to coordinate the combined ladders. The scheduling of play was done manually and became very time consuming. A member of the Racquet Club, Phil Brown, offered to write a program to simplify the process. Drop-in play was scheduled every day except and Friday and Sunday with participation of 100 players.
Martha worked with the Recreation Center and developed a website to post ladder schedules and standings each week and to give players an opportunity to express concerns and suggestions. A roster of participants was included on the website as well as notifications of upcoming events, socials and tournaments.
January also saw the addition of competition outside the walls of SCW. AB members of the ladder were encouraged by Martha and Charlie to participate in a ladder competition that included the communities of Sun City, Sun City Grand, Happy Trails and Arizona Traditions, called PICL. The A ladder played Mondays at 1 pm and the B ladder on Tuesdays also at 1 pm. Play rotated each week between the communities and afforded an opportunity to meet other Pickleball enthusiasts from nearby communities. Several players from SCW also participated in the Arizona Senior Olympics held just down the road at Arizona Traditions. Gold, silver and bronze medals were won in women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles competition.
In the summer months of 2004 Teresa Smith took over the ladder competition in the absence of Martha and Charlie. Teresa also signed on as an instructor and conducted free drills to better the play of anyone interested.
With the snowbirds and new residents arriving in the fall the group increased to 156 active members and changes were starting to take place. Three timeslots were needed for ladder play. Charlie was ordering balls and racquets every week for new players. A decision was made to provide balls for all players. Roberta Keating organized a fun raising trip to AK Chin Casino which raised enough money for the balls to be purchased for the group’s play at drop-ins and ladder competition. Martha and her husband designed, built and installed pickleball holders on each court.
In October the Pickleball group hosted a table at the Rec Centers Newcomers’ Coffee to invite residents to enjoy the game and offered free lessons. Martha organized a ladies only ladder with play on Fridays at 1 pm. Due to the growing membership and increased interest in Pickleball, a request to construct three pickleball courts in the dirt area west of the platform tennis court #20 was submitted to the RecreationCenter by the Racquet Club.
In November, Sherri Reimold took over the coordination of a ladies ladder. Jayne Ferraro organized a couples’ drop-in which played on Saturdays at 6 pm. Due to the increased number of activities and players, the Racquet Club approved the temporary use of tennis court #2 for pickleball play to help alleviate the overcrowding of the platform tennis courts. Two temporary pickleball nets were put up and Martha and Charlie chalked the courts with pickleball lines two or three times a week as the lines wore off or it rained.
In December the first SCW Pickleball Fun Tournament was organized by Martha and Mike Johnson, followed by a potluck dinner at the courts and awarding of prizes (made by Mike). Membership in SCW and the surrounding communities continued to grow and the availability of courts in all communities was at capacity therefore the inter-community play, PICKL was discontinued.
2005
In January of 2005, active players involved in Pickleball numbered 176. The newsletter SMASH reported a goal and priority in 2005 would be to construct three new courts for Pickleball on undeveloped ground just to the west of the platform tennis courts at RHJ. The racket club had already completed the paperwork and submitted it to the Recreation Center. Ground breaking ceremonies took place in August and a dedication ceremony was held in October with Ross Shimabuku of Channel 3 Sports headlining the event.
In August of 2005 the Pickleball players decided to form their own club, breaking away from the racquet club. The Sun City West Recreation Board granted this request in early October of 2005 and Pickleball officially became the 106th club in SCW. On October 20, the first charter club meeting was held. Officers were elected: Martha Wasserman, President, Charlie Robinson, Vice President, Jerry Funk, Treasurer, Sherry Reimold, Secretary and Teresa Smith, Director at Large. Membership dues were set at $10 for the year. The first by-laws were written and approved by the members. In November rules and regulations of the club were adopted. Several sub committees necessary to run the club were developed along with club members volunteering to chair the committees. Other club members volunteered their time to instruct new members.
2006
In January of 2006 the first badges were distributed for the members of the club. The club was now utilizing five platform tennis courts and three Pickleball courts for play. The club grew to 258 members.
With the growth of the club it became evident more courts were needed to accommodate the number of players. In January of 2006 the Recreation Board Space Utilization Resource committee (SUR), a sub committee of the SCW Governing Board Property Committee requested information from the Pickleball club concerning the amount of court usage and the numbers of people playing. In April the SUR committee reported to the Property Committee, Sun City West was underdeveloped for Pickleball courts compared to other active adult communities in the area. If Sun City West wanted to stay competitive and attract new residents, more Pickleball courts should be created. The study led to the Pickleball club creating a committee with the direction of developing a 5 year plan to determine future court needs, where additional courts could be placed and how they would be financed. It was decided at this time for the Pickleball club to start a reserve fund for the construction of additional courts. Four dollars of each member’s paid dues was designated to this fund. Membership grew to 367 by the end of December.
2007
Studies by the Pickleball Club and Recreation Center’s Space Utilization Committee in 2007 led to several ideas of increasing the number of courts for Pickleball. Studies indicated the tennis courts at Palm Ridge were underutilized. Therefore, the recommendation of converting three tennis courts at Palm Ridge into ten Pickleball courts proved to be the direction that was chosen by the planning committees to pursue. The plan was approved by the Recreation Center’s Property Committee. Cost of the conversion was set at $395,000. The Recreation Center budgeted $72,000 toward the new courts and would loan $60,000 to the Pickleball Club to be paid back over a five year period. In June the Recreation Center applied for a grant through to the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority for the remaining two thirds of the total cost ($263,000) which was later denied because the courts were not open to the public.
2008
On April 24, 2008 The Sun City West Recreation Center’s Governing Board voted unanimously to approve the conversion of three tennis courts at Palm Ridge to ten Pickleball courts. Pickleball Club members started brainstorming on fund raising ideas. Architects were contacted to draw plans for the courts. Membership grew to 425 by the end of the year.
2009
The construction of the new courts progressed slowly in 2009. The Governing Board approved $200,000 toward the new courts. Engineer and architect plans were completed. Permits were approved and bids for the construction were submitted. Construction began in November. The Pickleball Club voted to donate $5,000 to the Recreation Center to help light the new courts. Membership at the end of 2009 grew to 460 players.
2010
The year 2010 proved to be an exciting year for the Pickleball Club as the dream of additional courts finally came true. Ten new courts were dedicated on January 15. The club also held an Amazing Race through Sun City West as a fund raiser to construct a bulletin board at the new facility. $1000 was donated to the club for this purpose.
2011
It didn’t take long for the Pickleball Club to share their new courts with others. The first invitational tournament, Fun in the Sun (FITS) was held March 13-17 in 2011 and was co-chaired by Mike Johnson and Martha Wasserman. Seventy five teams from forty five Pickleball clubs and players from thirty states and Canadian provinces participated.
In the September General Membership meeting of the Pickleball Club, a motion passed to submit the necessary paperwork to the Sun City West Recreation requesting the remaining three tennis courts at Palm Ridge be converted to Pickleball courts. In October the Properties Committee of the Recreation Board ruled in favor of the request. The proposal then moved to the SCW Governing board for consideration where it passed as well. Fundraising started immediately focusing on securing sponsorships and advertising from the business community and donations from members.
A change took place on the badges when the Pickleball club decided to print the member’s resident state on the name tags. Membership in January started at 252 and grew to 683 by the end of December of 2011.
2012
The focus in 2012 was on fund raising for the new courts. Dues were raised to $15 with $9 going to the new court fund. The fund raising committee reached out to the community businesses by selling banners for advertising purposes. This project generated $15,800 for the club. A golf cart from Discount Golf Cars of Arizona raised $4,700 in profit. The FITS tournament was also very successful netting just short of $18,000.
Other notable happenings saw the Pickleball club participate in the Arizona Centennial parade held in Sun City West. The first Snowbirds vs. Sweatbirds tournament was held. On October 12th the Pickleball club released a website available to the membership. Progress on the new courts ended with permits being in the hands of Maricopa County for approval. Membership increased to 696 Pickleball players by end of 2012.
2013
In January of 2013 permits for the new courts were approved by Maricopa County with construction slated to start immediately after the FITS tournament in March. However revisions in the building plans pushed the starting date of construction back to October 15. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on October 2. Cost of the eight additional courts was $267,000.
To help fund the cost of the new courts, Liberty Buick committed to provide the Sun City West Pickleball club an amount of $93,750 over the next 25 years. In return Liberty Buick was granted naming rights, with a monument erected at the court entrance with the name “Liberty Courts”. An additional 15,000 was donated to the Pickleball club by Liberty Buick for the naming rights.
Additional fund raising was created by seeking businesses to sponsor Pickleball events such as the volunteers program which recognized and celebrated the volunteer efforts of the Pickleball membership. This program was sponsored by Larry Ott Realty. Seeking additional sponsors for future club events and tournaments will be an important means of raising funds for the club.
Revisions were made to the Bylaws and Rules, Regulations and Procedures to enhance the operation of the club. One Officer at Large was added replacing the Past President position on the board. Staggered election cycles of terms of office were implemented to provide better continuity from year to year and leadership transition on the board.
In December of 2013, an incentive to renew membership early (by Dec. 15) was put in place. A $100 gift certificate was given away at the 2014 January membership meeting. Membership at the end of 2013 totaled 838.
2014
The grand opening of the new Pickleball “Liberty Courts” was held February 28 with over 400 in attendance. A new Pickleball Skills Plus Program was implemented and sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Services. A new state of the art Pickleball Machine “Simon” was purchased to be used in the Pickleball skills training.
The FITS tournament held in March profited just over $16,000 with nearly 300 teams competing.
A special celebration event was held March 25 at Palm Ridge for all Sun City West Pickleball volunteers, thanking them for their service to the club. Dinner and a dance were provided.
The third Snowbird vs Sweatbird Tournament was held in April with 208 members participating. The tournament pitted members that leave for the summer against those that are full time residents. The Sweatbirds were victorious.
A sun-shade was erected in the new Pickleball court area providing a nice place for members to gather when not playing.
Pickleball membership reached 1000 in November recognizing Anita Wiebel as the 1000th member.
The Pickleball Club initiated events to give back to the community for the first time this year. A Turkey Shoot and Food Drive Tournament was held in November with 650 lbs. of food donated to Saint Mary’s Food Alliance. This event was sponsored by Arizona Smiles. An “Ugly Sweater” tournament was held December 5. Participant in the tournament brought unwrapped toys that were donated to the Women’s Auxillary for the Toys 4 Kids Program.
Membership at the end of the year totaled 1021.
2015
The first Charity Challenge Tournament was held January 10 as a means for the Pickleball Club to give back to the community. All proceeds went to the Sun City West Helping Hands Foundation. In partnership with the Sundome Plaza over $10,000 was raised.
To help raise funds a ball drop was held. Numbered pickleballs were purchased by club members and residents, placed in a large cage and hoisted by the Sun City West Fire Department over Court #2. They were then dropped simultaneously to a bullseye target below. Prizes were given to those purchasing balls that landed nearest to the center of the target.
The FITS tournament held in March was very successful with 424 players from 24 states and Canada participating.
The Sun City Recreation Board sponsored a “Happy Camp” for grandchildren visiting their grandparents during March. The camp provided many fun activities for the kids and the Pickleball Club participated by providing an afternoon of activities that introduced the sport to those wishing to participate.
The forth annual Snowbirds vs Sweatbirds tournament was held with the Sweatbirds were once again victorious.
During the summer, the Recreation Board remodeled and updated the restrooms near the pickleball court. A new bottle filler fountain was also installed and dedicated in memory of Frank Lightle for his great contribution in securing community sponsors to help support the Pickleball Club.
Furniture consisting of 8 tables and 36 chairs was purchased for use under the shade canopy at the Palm Ridge Courts. In addition to the furniture, two fans were also installed under the shade canopy to provide relief from the summer heat. Lights were installed along the walkway between courts 1 and 2 and the grass knoll.
The Pickleball Club once again ended the year giving back to the community. A Turkey Shoot tournament was held for members with an entry fee of a food donation. Participants donated 67 lbs. of food to the Saint Mary’s Food Alliance. The Christmas Party in December saw 150 members participating and 110 toys collected for the Toys 4 Kids Drive.
Membership at the end of 2015 was 1141
2016
The second annual Charity Day / Ball Drop tournament was held on January 16. The Alliance for Community and the Pickleball Club teamed up to present a check for $14,032 to the North County Fire Department and Sun City West Helping Hands Foundation. The funds were split evenly between the two charities.
Also in January, an outside monitor was hired to check recreation cards before allowing players to enter the pickleball area.
The entry area to Liberty Courts took on a new look as bushes and trees outside courts 1, 3, 5 were removed in preparation to install rubber mats called GeoPavers. The GeoPavers were then put in place outside of Court 5 and will be added this summer outside Courts 1 and 3. Their installation provided for a level surface to be utilized for tournament setup stations and still provide necessary water drainage.
Pickleball continues to grow by leaps and bounds, not only with the addition of new members but also with the creation of new programs and activities for its new and existing members. From October of 2015 to February of 2016 there were 462 people who took the Pickleball Orientation Class and out of that number 256 joined the club, in addition, over 624 members took advantage of the Pickle Skills+ Lessons.
Several new programs were added at the beginning of the year. Two men’s Round Robins on Thursday and Saturday were created. Reciprocal play for Ladies skill level 4.5 was organized for Wednesdays and the Ladies 3.0 Social play was added on Sundays, a social play group for men and women on Friday and one new beginner’s round robin on Thursday.
To accommodate the large number of players during drop in play and to play with players of similar ability, a color coding system was initiated in January. Courts were designated with a particular color that corresponded to a level of play. It was hoped that this new system would provide an opportunity for all members to play during peak times and to be able to play with people of a similar skill level.
In February renovation took place in the bulletin board area. A new roof was constructed over the existing board, an additional bulletin board was erected and both were painted to match. The renovation provided needed space to display all the Pickleball Club’s activities and information. Also in February, club members were able to join, renew their memberships and pay for tournament registrations online, using PayPal or a credit card.
The first Club Championships was held in February with participants competing in a Men’s and Women’s division. Forty men’s teams played in three skill levels while the women’s division saw 33 teams play in four skill levels. Club champions were presented medals for the top three places in each skill level. Pinnacle Financial Services sponsored the event.
The FITS tournament, held in March, was once again well attended with 400 participants netted approximately $20,000.
The Snowbird vs Sweatbird tournament saw around 160 members participate with the Sweatbirds narrowly defeating the Snowbirds for their fifth win in five years. Larry Ott Realty sponsored the event.
In April the final loan payment for the eight new courts at Liberty Courts was made. The club is “DEBT FREE!!” However it will not last long as plans were made to construct eight new courts to be placed at the RH Johnson recreational complex. Many hours of planning and designing took place over the summer. Runnings Construction Inc. was selected as the contractor, permits were secured from the Rec Center and a ground breaking event will take place in January of 2017. Once the construction is completed, the three courts at the RHJ tennis complex will no longer be used by the Pickleball Club.
A Good Neighbors Initiative was created to work with the households near the Liberty Courts at Palm Ridge to create a better relationship with the homeowners in the area. A few of the amenities offered to nearby homeowners were play on the courts ceased at 9 pm, more controlled parking took place during the FITS Tournament and offers of free tickets to lunch at the FITS tournament were given to those living nearby that were affected by the increased traffic and noise.
Leadership meetings were instituted to educate club members about opportunities to volunteer and assist in the running of club event in the hope the members will step up and give of their time to keep the club active and viable.
In the fall several new happenings occurred:
Reciprocal team play was organized with Sun City.
An Oktoberfest event was held replacing the Turkey Shoot. The first time event was sponsored by Toni Froese/Long Realty and saw 104 members participating with proceeds going to the V-Club account.
A new logo was developed for the club and FITS tournament using the Rec Center’s new logo colors. The new logo features the SCW colorful sun with a paddle and Pickleball.
The club started using the Sun City West Broadcast club to advertise monthly events.
Plaques for the Club Championship, Past Presidents and Snowbird vs. Sweatbird tournament were created and hung on the walls at the restrooms near the Liberty Courts.
Bag hangers and a new mailbox were added to the Liberty courts.
Dues were raised to $25 by a vote of the membership to keep up with the club’s operational expenses.
The Onix Pure 2 ball was approved as the official club ball. It has proven to be more durable and will last longer.
The Pickleball Club continues to give back to the community with the “Toys for Kids” event netting 186 toys in December. The toys were donated through the Women’s Auxiliary to Dysart Community Center, El Mirage Family Health Center, Army Group at Luke AFB and Eve’s Place, a shelter for abused mothers and children.
The November election saw Donna Maloney elected as President, Linda Valencia as Secretary and Cheryl Crawford as Member-at-Large.nMembership at the end of 2016 was 1269.
2017
On January 6th ground breaking took place for the new pickleball courts at RHJ. On January
25th construction began by pouring the first set of courts. The second set was poured on the
next day.
The Third Annual Ball Drop/Play for Charity was held at Liberty Courts on Saturday, January
21st – the sun came out and so did the community to support the SCW Pickelball Club’s 3rd
Annual Day for Charity. The Club’s 1300 members teamed up with area businesses and SCW
residents to raise money for the SCW Foundation Helping Hands Division and SCW PRIDES.
The SCW Pickleball Club, in partnership with the SCW Alliance of Business and Community
(ABS) and the Sundome Plaza Merchants, staged the third annual Day for Charity Saturday,
January 21, 2017, and raised $17,535.
February saw the 5th Annual Snowbirds vs. Sweatbirds tournament. The Sweatbirds were
victorious. Only 5 points separated the two teams.
The FITS pickleball tournament was held March 13-15 with the rain date of the 16th used.
Lifesaving training classes were held on March 27th. The class included a short video and
instruction on how to use the defibrillator machine, chest compressions, etc. Attendees even got to work with a “dummy.”
The Pickleball V-Banquet was held on March 28th. A good time was had by all.
This year the Pickleball Club joined the ARC Club in selling tickets for a car drawing – 2016
Outlander by Mitsubishi. The Pickleball Club was to receive 50% of the ticket sales.
On April 7th the membership celebrated the grand opening of the 8 new RH Johnson pickleball
courts. There was food, beverage, music and fun pickleball.
The Pickleball Club, after a membership vote approving the event – announced that SCW would
host a World Team Pickleball Tournament December 6-10. The Sun City West Rec Center
Board approved the event and signed the contract.
With the opening of the new pickleball courts the Recreation Center announced rules indicating
the SCW Pickleball Club must dedicate 10% of the total number of pickleball courts to non-
member play, or SCW community play. There are total of 26 pickleball courts – so 3 courts are to
be dedicated to non-member/community play. Those designated courts are located at the RH
Johnson location. The Sands courts number 1, 2, and 3 are so designated as 1C, 2C, and 3C
for that reason.
Members are requested to use only Courts 4-8 for Club scheduled play and may be reserved
when there are no Club scheduled events.
Members were reminded of the requirement to follow Club rules to wear their name badge and
to sign in either with the rec center monitor or via the sign-in sheet. The Club rules are in effect
year-round. Further, members were reminded that non-compliance could result in Rec Center
intervention.
The Pickleball Club added a new event to its list of membership events – the 1st Wine tasting
event was held on September 15.
During the month of October, the SCW Pickleball Club had 2 members who were nominated for
the USAPA Hall of Fame: Martha Wasserman and Alice “Jo” Hancock.
Membership voted on rewritten/reorganized Club Bylaws.
Liberty Courts was resurfaced.
The SCW Pickleball Club started its second season of Reciprocal pickleball team play against
Sun City. Play takes place once a month on Sunday afternoons, October-March.
The World Team Pickleball Tournament was held December 7-10 and the club received a
$10,000 check per the contract!
The annual Christmas Party was held with 265 members and guests in attendance. 256 toys
were collected.
Submitted by Linda Valencia
2018
Club members (2) built a practice wall at Liberty Courts.
The 4th Annual Day for Charity was held and $22,009 was collected for Helping Hands and
SCW Community Funds. The SCW Pickleball Club has donated a grand total for the last 4
years of $64,123 to various community charities.
The Pickleball Club participated in the Sun City West 40th Anniversary Parade held on February
20, 2018. There were nets advertising Liberty and Sands being pulled by cars with Pickleball
Club members walking along the parade route and dinking pickle balls back and forth.
OPS/Procedures Manual on line – lists duties of Board members and volunteers.
On August 8th the shade was in place for Sands Courts. The cost of the shade was $17,510.
New sign placed at Sands Courts calling for a Sands Monument Sign Celebration! Held on
11/13 with Sands Chevrolet and Kia representatives on hand.
Special notification was provided to members concerning use of outside instructors. Members
advised that there is a formal procedure that must be followed, set by the Governing Board, and requires the Pickleball Club Board to assess need for such instruction.
Sunday reciprocal play with Sun City was again held October-March.
In May a TV monitor was mounted between the restrooms at Liberty Courts. The monitor
provides an up-to-date display of all programs and reservations for both Liberty and Sands
Courts.
A new system of counting the number of members using the Liberty Courts began in May. Using the SCW Rec Card, the card swipe provides an accurate count for providing useful information on court usage. Such information will assist in future court planning.
At the October General Membership Meeting a vote was passed which allows the instructions
committee to charge fees for some instructional events. Such fees will begin January 1, 2019.
Club Board members were directed to provide a reminder from the Rec Centers of SCW
concerning Altercations, Inappropriate Conduct or Unsafe Conduct on Association Property. This statement was provided to all chartered clubs. In essence it states that anyone involved in such behavior may lose their privileges to utilize certain Association facilities and/or suffer other
penalties.
On December 12th the SCW space Utilization Committee presented recommendations to the
SCW Governing Board. In conjunction with Dig Studio (a national design/build consultancy firm
that has worked with SCW on many major building and redevelopment projects)
recommendations were presented in steps. The thrust of these recommendations was to insure sufficient pickleball court space to support the growing play demand for the SCW community.
Submitted by Linda Valencia
2019
January brought on another successful Day for Charity. This is an annual event of the SCW
Pickleball Club with the Sun City West Alliance of Business and Community and the Sundome
Plaza Merchants. The event raised $23,560, which was split evenly between the Sheriff’s Posse
of Sun City West and Helping Hands of the Sun City West Foundation. Ken Holtz accepted an
special recognition award on behalf of the club for its many charitable efforts, including its Day
for Charity.
On January 14, the SCW Pickleball Club hosted Jennifer Lucore, a 17 time National Champion,
for instructional clinics. The clinics sold out quickly.
On February 25 the SCW Pickleball Club hosted National Champion Dave “Badger” Weinbach
for two clinics. 45 members of the club signed up for the sold-out events at Sands. Dave
Weinbach put on clinics to instruct club members on techniques to improve their skills according to skill levels. The clinics were endorsed and facilitated by the club’s PickleSkills Plus
Instructional Program.
Club Championships for Men, Women and Mixed were once again held in February. Tim and
Betty Sullentrup were the tournament directors. The event featured 104 members in 5.0/4.5,
4.0, 3.5, and 3.0 skill levels. The number of participants was a 37% increase from 2018.
Medalists were presented with medals.
The Snowbirds won the Snowbird/Sweatbirds Tournament.
In February the club approved the purchase a new ball machine for approximately $1107.70.
The Lobster was purchased from Pickleball Central.
The 9th annual Fun in the Sun (FITS) tournament was held March 11-14. This is a USAPA
sanctioned tier two tournament featuring more than 500 players and 300 volunteers from across the U.S. and Canada. Chuck and Jan Dominic were the tournament directors. Many players told the club this was the best tournament they have played in and will be back next year. Despite the inclement weather the club was able to accommodate all players, including the men’s matches that were rained out on March 11. All volunteers stepped up and covered the extra rain day and extra venue at Sands.
The annual V-Club Banquet was held on March 26th in the Summit Hall at Palm Ridge. The
Club had 513 volunteers on record. 362 volunteers attended the event. Larry and Rachel Ott
Realty sponsored the night, Fuzzy’s provided the food, and Boomerang and the Sunsations
provided the music.
The SCW Pickleball Club participated in SCW’s Happy Camp in March.
New membership data base, Membee, was purchased in April.
The SCW Pickleclub hosted a Mark Renneson Showcase, November 12-14. 140+ members
participated in 27 hours of training. Under the Lights was at the conclusion of the event and just
under 200 people registered.
Members voted on the officers for 2020-2022. Officers elected were: Greg Steger, Vice
President; Pam Vermeer, Treasurer; Eileen Freydberg, Officer at Large; Rosie Mullen, Officer at
Large.
Membership as of 12/31/2019 was 1563. The Club continues to grow at a rate of approximately
100 new members per year.
Submitted by Laura Amundsen