Jacque Texeira, Ray Texeira, and Jacquie Nedderman at the Cottonwood Open House 2024
Ray Texeira
It’s a Thursday at 1:10 p.m. in the Phoenix Room at Cottonwood, and preparations are being made for the start of the Senior Games meeting. Several conference-size tables with seating for 20 fill the room, along with spectator seating for 15 more. The team has been meeting for the past seven months. Members start filing in and fill all the seats, some in the spectator section. The meeting starts as everyone introduces themselves, and afterwards the discussion begins.
The SLCC Pickleball Club talks about the social game at their courts. A pickleball player from Cottonwood volunteers to join their team to help work out the details. The IronOaks Pickleball Club is getting ready for their competitive games. The Cottonwood Tennis Club members plan to visit the IronOaks Tennis Club to watch how they play short court tennis and plan on sharing ideas. Robson Reserve is hosting two board games, and one member of Cottonwood and another from IronOaks join the Robson team to help set the rules and manage the games. Team members from around the table will manage the golf games at the Oakwood Golf Course. Many of the host clubs are making plans to invite residents from all four communities to an exhibition and/or practice round before the games start. The Sun Lakes Lady Putters and the Sun Lakes Bocce Ball Club are donating prizes for the games, and the CWPV Cornhole Club is making trophy boards for the winners of cornhole. The teams are given a presentation on how to give an “elevator speech” to provoke interest in the games to prospective sponsors and players. The ambassadors give updates on how they are doing with various HOA management. All seems well. This is what a community team looks like.
Discussions ensue on how the website is doing, what events will accompany the games, how to give community points to both players and spectators, how to get folks who do not use computers to sign up for games, and more. Thoughts and ideas come in from all around the table. The meeting ends with hugs all around, and then, of course, the “trash talking” begins on which community will win the overall trophy. “Suck it up, boys and girls, as we’re taking all of you down and winning the trophy,” comes from one end of the room. “In your dreams,” comes a quick reply from the front! “Anyone for a beer?”
The Senior Games are designed to provide a range of activities offered to all residents of Sun Lakes, regardless of age, gender, or skill level. Registration ends in January, so sign up early before the spots get filled up. Come play with us next March 14 through April 4. One game will be played each day, so sign up for as many as you’d like. Win prizes, make new friends, and win the grand trophy for your community. Visit us at www.sunlakesentertainment.com or send an email to [email protected].