Kevin Hillstrom More than a dozen PebbleCreek Pickleball Club members made the 50-minute drive across the urban desert to Mesa to play in the Celebrity Tanning Open. This event attracted approximately 500 souls for three days of competition. I am happy to report that many Creekers came away with hardware! Women’s 3.5 60+ was a…
Tag: pickleball
Sports, June 2021
Pancho Epstein Pickleball Club Championship Medalists
Cynthia Schwartz The 2020-21 PebbleCreek Pickleball Club board organized and hosted the Pancho Epstein PebbleCreek Pickleball Club Championship. More than 130 doubles teams competed over three days for medals in skill level brackets. Wade Johnson, tournament chairman, was assisted by other board members and a team of club member volunteers. Thanks go out to the…
Sports, June 2021
Relishing Pickleball: 12 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them (Mistakes 11 and 12)
David Zapatka This 12 common mistakes column began after playing with some very excited, highly motivated, new pickleball players at our community courts recently. After playing a couple games, this question was posed to me, “What should we do to improve and become 3.5 players?” We reviewed the first 10 mistakes over the past five…
Sports, June 2021
Pickleball Club Celebrates the Life of Pancho Epstein
Cynthia Schwartz Pancho Epstein was one of the founders and a dear member of the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club. In April, the club celebrated his life by hosting the 2020-21 Pancho Epstein PebbleCreek Pickleball Club Championship. Pancho is remembered for his enduring, endearing, irreverent, comical, positive, and always entertaining contributions to pickleball in PebbleCreek. Bob Chester, PebbleCreek Pickleball…
Sports, May 2021
Relishing Pickleball: 12 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them (Mistakes 9 and 10)
David Zapatka This 12 common mistakes column began after playing with some very excited and highly motivated new pickleball players at our community courts recently. After playing a couple games, this question was posed to me, “What should we do to improve and become 3.5 players?” We reviewed the first eight mistakes over the past four months. This…
Sports, May 2021
Pickleball Club Elects 2021-22 Board
Cynthia Schwartz The PebbleCreek Pickleball Club members elected the club board for the 2021-22 season. Officer terms are one year and will begin May 1. The new board is: President Nancy Popenhagen, Vice President Jeff Antrican, Secretary Kathryn Villeneuve, Treasurer Sharon Hadley, and Officer-at-Large Tony Wells. Nancy Popenhagen commented, “Most people know that pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the…
Sports, May 2021
Women’s Pickleball Team Wins League and Competes at State Championship
Chris Stelplugh A talented group of PebbleCreek women pickleball players took first place in the West Valley Region of the Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL). With eight wins and two losses at the 3.5 skill level, Dinkalicious team members earned the right to represent the West Valley Region in APPL’s first state championship, held April 5 through…
Sports, May 2021
Pickleball Club Volunteer/Player of the Month: Theresa Carter
Cynthia Schwartz Theresa Carter is the PebbleCreek Player/Volunteer of the Month. Theresa started her racquet sports career early when she became the ping pong champion in elementary school for two years. Theresa said, “I had an advantage because I was left-handed. My opponents were confused. This advantage has carried through when I learned to play…
Sports, May 2021
Pickleball Players Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Cynthia Schwartz Pickleball players in PebbleCreek celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on the courts. Players wore emerald green shirts, hats, socks, fun necklaces, earrings, bowties, and shoelaces. Heard on the courts: * We’re always looking for a holiday to celebrate on the pickleball courts. * Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’ Day. * Some players blended into…
Front Page, March 2021
PebbleCreek Women Make Impact in New Pickleball League
Chris Stelplugh and Ellen Enright Four teams of PebbleCreek women players have been representing our community and making an impact in the Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL) since early January 2021. APPL was formed in 2019 to develop and introduce competitive team-based league pickleball to Arizona. Last year, 95 teams consisting of over 1,100 players participated…