Janet Myrick Our new season of pickleball is upon us! Our SLPCIO club has a lot of exciting social events planned for this coming season. We will compete in the East Valley Interclub League and other tournaments. In addition, we will compete in an exciting new challenge called the Robson Pickleball League. This league includes…
Tag: pickleball
Sports, September 2016
When I get old I will try Pickleball

Janet Myrick We pickleball players hear this all the time, especially from other racquet sport players. We just look at each other and smile. Then we ask, have you tried playing? Well “no” they say. I get more exercise playing my sport. “Maybe when I get old, I will try it.” Pickleball is great exercise…
Front Page, August 2016
Vacation Picklers
Janet Myrick Going on vacation? Make sure you pack your pickleball paddle. You can pick up a game in just about every city in the whole country. Just google pickleball places to play or go to usapa.org/places-to-play-pickleball and it will show you where you can join a group in the area you are visiting or…
Sports, August 2016
Never too hot for SLPCC Pickleballers

Not even Arizona’s heat can stop the Sun Lakes Pickleball Club Cottonwood (SLPCC) members from having fun! The summer social was held in the evening on July 6 at the Cottonwood pickleball courts and a good time was had by all. The social was a blind draw, round robin. The winners: 3.0 Level, Gene Nelson…
Sports, June 2016
Robson Ranch Pickleball Tournament

In their last 4.5 mixed doubles tournament together, the Zimmerman/Zapatka pair wanted to go out in style. It was extremely tough but that’s exactly what they did. Surviving a 7-11, 11-8, 12-10 semi-final winners’ bracket match and an 11-7, 12-10 winners’ bracket final match, they faced the strong Dex Decker/Michael Cooper pair in the final…
Sports, June 2016
PebbleCreek Pickleball Championships

David Zapatka With the sport of pickleball becoming so popular in the Valley and across the United States, pickleball clubs, city park courts and tournaments are springing up all over the country. Sun Lakes residents David Zapatka and Dianne Zimmerman scored big in the inaugural PebbleCreek Pickleball Championships winning a bronze medal in the 4.5…
Sports, June 2016
Palm Creek Duel in the Desert

The13th annual Duel in The Desert was held at Palm Creek’s beautiful 32 pickleball-court garden in Casa Grande. This ever-popular tournament draws players from numerous states and out-of-towners were exactly what Simmons and Zapatka faced in the 4.5 men’s gold medal match. Rodney “Rocket” Grubbs, owner of Pickleball Rocks, Inc. from Indiana and Mark Beltz…
Sports, June 2016
Leisure World Pickleball Championships
Sun Lakes resident Steve Smitham teamed with ex-Sun Lakes resident Bruce McClain to make a big splash in the inaugural Leisure World Pickleball Championships winning the bronze medal losing in a tight match to familiar Ahwatukee competitors Steve Speight and Don Cantrill.
Sports, June 2016
Grand Canyon State Games

Outside of the USAPA Nationals, the Grand Canyon State games is the granddaddy of them all when speaking about pickleball tournaments in Arizona. This is a four-day tournament that drew nearly 500 participants from all over the country and is the only Arizona qualifying event for the State Games of America to be held in…
Sports, June 2016
2016 All City Pickleball Tournament

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…