Sports

Relishing Pickleball: 2019 Pickleball Rocks Players-of-the-Year

Ben Johns, 2019 Player-of-the-Year

David Zapatka Last month, we announced the 2019 female Player-of-the-Year mother/daughter duo of Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters. This month, we are announcing the 2019 male Player-of-the-Year. You will recall last year’s male Player-of-the-Year was none other than the Valley’s very own Dick Johnson, known to so many of us around pickleball in the Phoenix…

IMGA News and Events

Bruce McCorkle At the time of this printing, the Ironwood Cup results were not yet in. Stay tuned. President Joe D’Amore and Bruce McCorkle have appealed to BlueStar to provide the four Ironwood Golf Leagues with an appropriate trophy case in the clubhouse after the upcoming renovations. Treasurer Dan Jonker reports that the league’s financial…

OLGA News and Scores

Ladies-only Demo Day is a great way to check out new clubs.

Carol Smith We had our charity tournament for the Maricopa Animal Care and Control. We raised $2,500 to help the county animals. We presented the money to Jose Santiago. The winners of the tournament are 1st the team of Mary Figgis, Dolly Eide, Carol Smith, and Luann Barr; 2nd team of Sharon Bowditch, Phyllis D’amore,…

Senior Olympic Table Tennis Results

Gerry Vogelsang (left) and Ken Nichols (right)

Gerry Vogelsang Gerry Vogelsang won gold in the Senior Olympics with Ken Nichols in Table Tennis Advanced Group Doubles 85 to 89 age division. He also won a bronze medal in the Advanced Singles Table Tennis competition. Ken Nichols won gold in Table Tennis Doubles and gold in Advanced Singles competition in the 85 to…

Senior Softball Short Hops

Dennis LePore (No. 2) scampers toward second base as Gary Hillabolt awaits the throw. Foreground: Coach Tom Vitolo (No. 30) and first baseman Wayne Newman (No. 14) (Photo by Color Shot Studios)

Larry Wolfe At press time, one week remained in our Winter League sessions. In the Lakes Division, the Young Home Team Realty squad, managed by Tom Erpelding, had a two-game lead over the A-1 Golf Carts and Core Photography teams. In the Sun Division, The Farmers Insurance Team, managed by Ron Carmichael and sponsored by…

IMGA Golfer of the Month

Dick Winkelman, IMGA Golfer of the Month

Bruce McCorkle The Nazis invaded Poland, The Wizard of OZ premiered in Hollywood, gas cost 10 cents per gallon, and Richard (Dick) Winkelman was born in his parents’ bedroom in Belleville, IL. Dick is the IMGA Golfer of the Month for March. Born into a working-class family with his dad working in a munitions plant in…

Softball Player Profile: Jerry Hester

Larry Wolfe Minutes after he smashed a long grand slam homer that iced a recent win for his team, I sat down to interview Jerry Hester. Jerry’s a modest guy and not one to boast, but teammate Larry Kaufmann walked by and said, “Tell him about the Vegas tournament when you hit 11 homers!” As…

Sun Lakes Lady Niners

Left to right: Dottie Wodraska, Rose Gallagher, Rosie Raisanen

Sheila Barton The Sun Lakes Lady Niners had only three days of league play in January, the fourth being their Partner Scramble. In writing this article, I thought I would include some famous golf quotes for your entertainment. The game for Jan. 7 was Low Putts. In Flight 1, Irene Anderson took first place with…