Winners!
Sun Lakes pickleball players Dianne Zimmerman, Sheila Parkinson and Steve Smitham competed in the 2016 All City Pickleball Tournament. All three players brought medals home.
In the women’s doubles, tough-as-nails Zimmerman and Parkinson bested one of the toughest pairs from Tempe, Diana Brown and Missy Myers 15-3 to get to the bronze medal match. The bronze medal match saw them pitted against Dee Rochel and Karen Iggulden the top seed from Tucson and Florence. Zimmerman and Parkinson put up a masterful fight but were just edged in both games, 11-9 and 11-9.
Sun Lakes residents Sheila Parkinson and Todd Williams paired in the 4.5 mixed doubles and scored the silver medal. The final match of the day, the gold medal match, saw Parkinson/Williams come through the “opportunity” bracket besting one pair after another then beating the only undefeated team of Stern/Pelletier, a very strong team from Mesa 11-4, 5-11, 11-6. This set up the winner-take-all final game of the tournament where our Sun Lakers came up short 15-7.
In the men’s 4.0 doubles, Sun Laker Steve Smitham teamed with Tucson Dennis Meyers making it all the way to the winners’ bracket final where they lost a close match in the narrowest of margins 7-11, 14-12, 11-7. Next playing in the bronze medal match, they ran out of steam and lost 11-8, 11-1 securing the bronze medal.
Congratulations Dianne, Sheila, Todd and Steve on your outstanding tournament results!