Pickleball Club Happenings

Mimi Blythe

Pancho Epstein Bench Dedication: Through private donations, a bench has been purchased in honor of our late friend and mentor, Pancho. A well-attended dedication of the bench happened on Oct. 10 by Court 12. Thank you, Pancho, for your years of dedication to our club.

Fundraising: A super fun dance was organized by Lynn Manns on Aug. 28 and attended by more than 200 Creekers for a night of games and dancing. The night was a huge success, and over $5,500 was raised for the new courts. Mark your calendar for the next Fun Night on Nov. 14. The snowbirds will be back, and we expect an even bigger crowd. Dust off your dancin’ shoes!

More Fundraising: A car wash fundraiser was held Oct. 1 through 22 to help raise money for the new courts. Creekers visited the 3-Minute Express Car Wash at either the PebbleCreek Parkway or Estrella Parkway locations. Thank you all for your generous support!

Round Robins: The club is moving forward with a pilot program that will offer a plus system for players who qualify. In November and January, each level will have a shootout, and the players with the most wins will move into the plus division at their same rating level for the remainder of this winter session.

Ladders: Open to all members, both men’s and women’s ladder play began in late October. Ladders are different from round robins, as they are considered more competitive. If you’ve never tried ladder, perhaps November is the month you start.

Court Allocations: As the snowbirds return to PebbleCreek, and until the new courts are built, the need for court allocations becomes more important. The Court Allocation Committee (CAC) works to ensure the equitable and efficient use of court time for the maximum enjoyment of all players at all skill levels. They try to make the pickleball courts work for everyone. In response to a questionnaire sent to the membership, the four reserved courts have been reallocated to open play to better serve the total membership. A special thanks to the members of the CAC for your hard work and dedication to the total membership for the efficient use of all the courts. It’s a tough job, and I wouldn’t want to do it!

Player Comments:

“I like drop in when I have some time to play but don’t want to organize a foursome. It’s really convenient, and I always see friends I haven’t seen for a while.”

“I’m okay dropping the reserved courts, which allows the courts to be used more efficiently. I also like the open play, because, as the temperatures start to cool, we won’t have to wait as long between games. It’s all good.”

Upcoming Events: Get them onto your calendar!

  • Nov. 10, Final Four Mixed
  • Nov. 10, Annual Membership Meeting
  • Dec. 4, Toys for Goodyear Tots
  • Jan. 16, Chili Cookoff
  • Every day is a fun pickleball day!