David Zapatka While playing at the IronOaks courts in Sun Lakes for my first time last month, I ran into a group of very excited and highly motivated new pickleball players. We played a couple games together, and when we departed, this question was posed to me, “What should we do to improve and become 3.5…
Tag: pickleball
Front Page, January 2021
Pickleball Players Bring Cheer During the Holiday Season
Cynthia Schwartz On Dec. 4, the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club hosted the annual Toys for Goodyear Kids (TGK) event. This event supports the city of Goodyear’s holiday season program that provides gifts for families in need. Judy Parker, the club’s officer-at-large, organized TGK with the help of Carla Woodward and Shirley Seymour. Judy commented, “It is…
Sports, December 2020
Relishing Pickleball: Dink Responsibly
David Zapatka Often called the most important shot in all of pickleball, the dink is the critical shot aspiring players must learn to improve their game. The dink is a shot hit slowly and softly into the opponents’ non-volley zone, as close to the net as possible. If the opponent hits this ball hard, it goes…
Sports, December 2020
Pickleball Club Player/Volunteer of the Month: Mark Clark
Cynthia Schwartz Mark Clark was a traveling Air Force brat living in Oklahoma, Germany, California, and Japan. Growing up, Mark’s passion was sports, and he dreamed of flying fighter jets. He earned a B.A. degree in Physical Education from Florida State University, enlisted in the Air Force, and went on to do what he really…
Sports, December 2020
Pickleball Players Are Back on the Tournament Circuit
Cynthia Schwartz PebbleCreek Pickleball Club players are back on the tournament circuit. In October, 451 players participated in the Arizona Open at the Mesa Tennis Center in Gene Autry Park. This event was a Pro-Am tournament, drawing some of the top professional players in the sport and amateur players from Alaska to Florida. Thirteen members…
Clubs & Classes, December 2020
Pickleball Players Are Winners in Local AAU Tournament
Cynthia Schwartz The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an organization dedicated to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs in the United States. The AAU philosophy is “Sports For All, Forever,” and includes pickleball in the list of 44 sports that it supports. The AAU recently sponsored a pickleball tournament, the…
Sports, December 2020
Pickleball Players Celebrate Halloween
Cynthia Schwartz On Oct. 31, PebbleCreek pickleball players celebrated Halloween at the courts. Players dressed up in costume and decorated the common areas with blow-up ghosts and pumpkins. Everyone had fun as they tried to guess who was behind the mask. Comments heard on the court: * “We are fun people and love to dress…
Sports, November 2020
Pickleball Player/Volunteer of the Month
Cynthia Schwartz Steven was born and raised in Seattle, Wash. Growing up, Steven spent summers at his grandfather’s cabin in the San Juan Islands. He enjoyed scuba diving, hiking, playing ping-pong, waterskiing in 45-degree water, flying homemade kites, and fishing for salmon. Steven was a pole vaulter, played soccer, and embarked on his journey to…
Clubs & Classes, October 2020
PC Pickleball Volunteer and Player of the Month
Cynthia Schwartz Beth Kelly is the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club Player/Volunteer of the month. Beth is an artist, a teacher, dog trainer, and an avid collector of Major League Baseball memorabilia. Born in New Jersey, Beth received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado’s Women’s College, with a major in art and minor in education. Beth was an…
Sports, October 2020
Relishing Pickleball: The Overhead Smash
David Zapatka When your opponent hits the ball high in the air, above your shoulders, think overhead smash! The smash is one of the most fun shots in all of pickleball. It ends rallies with an exclamation point. Execute this fun, rally-ending shot, using these seven steps. 1. Use many small steps to position your…