David Zapatka Is pickleball a good bet? The Pickleball Players Association (PPA) and Genius Sports, a publicly traded sports data and tech company, recently announced a long-term deal that sets the stage for sports betting in pickleball. Can you imagine walking into one of our local casinos, hearing raucous cheers, and seeing a pickleball match…
Tag: pickleball
Sports, August 2021
Relishing Pickleball
David Zapatka Reader Liz Houser writes, “I just moved to SaddleBrooke in April and learned to play pickleball in early May thanks to my enthusiastic neighbor Shawne. I just read your article about Common mistakes numbers 11 and 12, I found them to be very helpful. Would you be so kind as to send me…
Front Page, August 2021
Pickleball Club Social Benefits Students
Kathryn Villeneuve A big win for both PebbleCreek pickleball players and for students at Eliseo C. Felix Elementary School during the Pickleball Club’s 4th of July Social. For over 175 members, there was an abundance of fun, play, and food. For the teachers and students of the elementary school, our members donated a huge amount of school…
Sports, August 2021
Join Us for a Night of Dancing and Games
Lynn Manns Join us on Aug. 28 in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom for a fun-filled night packed with something for everyone. At the Dance & Game Night fundraiser you can shake your booty on the dance floor, play cards and table games, join your friends in a corn hole competition, sing Karaoke, or chill out…
Sports, July 2021
Relishing Pickleball: 2020 Pickleball Rocks Players of the Year
David Zapatka 2020 was a crazy year. Many pickleball tournaments were cancelled. Public pickleball courts were closed and padlocked. That being said, Arizona pickleball players found ways to safely play, and, even through the pandemic, new players found pickleball in record numbers. For 2020, Pickleball Rocks Clothing and Equipment Company recognized a mixed doubles pair…
Sports, July 2021
Pickleball Club Tournament Results
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…
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…