Joanne Burch on the PebbleCreek pickleball courts
Cynthia Schwartz
Joanne Burch is the PebbleCreek Pickleball Volunteer/Player of the Month. She is a teacher, international traveler, golfer, sailor, and a pickleball lover.
Joanne was born in Canada, where she taught physical education in a junior high school in Vancouver. Looking for an international adventure, Joanne signed up for a two-year teaching position in Nigeria. She taught physical education at Maiduguri Women’s College. Joanne traveled extensively in Nigeria as coach for the college’s volleyball, handball, basketball, and tennis teams. She commented, “I loved teaching in Nigeria because the women were like sponges. They wanted to learn. We travelled throughout the country. We won everything!”
Joanne’s next assignment was teaching English in Moustakis High school in Kallithea, a town south of Athens, Greece. Joanne said, “I taught English immersion to my students. There was no Greek spoken in class. My students had great results on their exit exams.” Joanne then received a scholarship to the University of Hawaii where she studied how children acquire initial physical education skills.
Joanne’s next stop was Ventura, Calif. While she continued her love for teaching, she met David, who became the love of her life and future husband. Joanne and David had much in common. They were both Canadians, lived on their own sailboats, and were members of a sailboat racing team. Eventually, Joanne and David found another love. They bought a house that they remodeled together. After 25 years, Joanne retired from Fremont Junior High School where she was the Physical Education Department Head.
Joanne’s path took another turn. David went to PebbleCreek to play golf with some of his golfing buddies. He loved PebbleCreek and talked to Joanne about visiting Arizona. Joanne said, “No. I’m an ocean girl.” After some coaxing, Joanne came to PebbleCreek. The moment she saw the palm trees on Clubhouse Drive she fell in love with the community. Joanne and David bought a house and within four weeks they moved into PebbleCreek. David and Joanne walked to the pickleball courts. Her comment was, “I’m not going to play that!” It only took a few games and Joanne fell in love with pickleball and the players, and she now plays several times a week.
Joanne commented, “Pickleball is such a big part of our lives. It’s easy to volunteer. Everyone is willing to help. It’s not a big deal to volunteer. I love volunteering because I get to be with people who I really enjoy playing with.” Joanne works at the check-in decks at the annual PebbleCreek Pickleball Tournament. She helps out with coffee and treats at the tournament and has solicited sponsorships from local doctors. Joanne is involved in organizing social events, including the annual chili cook-off. She is also in charge of organizing the cleaning crews each month for the pickleball furniture.
The PebbleCreek Pickleball Club applauds Joanne and appreciates her volunteer efforts and love for the game and the club.