The Tennis Club Is Back in Full Swing

Date Night, back row (left to right): Steve Dicker, David Bain, Jill Santy, Gary Forrest, Debbie O’Grady, Roxie Forrest, John O’Grady, Dan Schimmelpfennig, Jeanne Schimmelpfennig, and Jeff Gillen. Front row: Shelley Bain and Jerry Santy. Not pictured: Donna Gillen (photographer).

Ted Ingalls returning an ace serve.

Donna Gillen

October has been a busy month for the PebbleCreek Tennis Club. Our members have returned from their summer escapes and are actively pursuing the courts and attending the special events.

We started off with Date Night, hosted by Jill and Jerry Santy. The event was on the afternoon of Oct. 10 at the Eagle’s Nest courts. There were 14 fun participants vying for wins as we traveled from court to court on a perfect Sunday afternoon. As the restaurants in PebbleCreek are not open on Sunday nights, we concluded the afternoon with goody bags to take home. All in all, it was a great time.

Our next event was Oct. 23. Our tournament director, Aquine Jackson, arranged a competitive Round Robin for those ready to compete again. Once again, the weather was picture-perfect for the event. Our winners were:

* Group 1: a tie in the men’s division, Dan Schimmelpfennig and Clifford Hopps; women’s, Vicki Shaner

* Group 2: Bruce Robinson and Pat Owens

* Group 3: Ted Ingalls and Sharon Connors

* Group 4: Fred Barlow and Nancy Adams

Each winner was awarded a gift card.

Afterwards, Joan Patchin served up some traditional Oktoberfest fare: German potato salad, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and apple cake. She thought of everything, including hand sanitizers on each table. Thank you, Joan! The food was delicious.

We were fortunate enough to have some raffle prizes. Six lucky members were chosen to receive either a gift certificate for restringing their tennis racket, a lovely photograph of the Arizona sunset, cork coasters, or some Tennis Club logo stemless wine glasses with a bottle of red or white wine.

The general consensus was that it was a lovely day for all in this full welcome-back event, after such a long time. We are all looking forward to the upcoming events in November and December.

It was also nice to play on the newly resurfaced courts with bright white borders and a beautiful blue playing court. You never know how bad they are until they have been repaired and refreshed. Thank you to the HOA for facilitating the project.

Just a reminder, Tennis Club membership dues are payable by Jan. 15. We will be starting lessons through JR Lampley in January. Check the website for more details on this and other events.