Players with patriotic attire (photo by Peggy Albrecht)
Anne Williams
Who says summer in SaddleBrooke is too hot? Fortunately, the temperatures in late May/early June were moderate. This allowed 32 POP and 48 SaddleBrooke Tennis Club (STC) tennis players to enjoy two hours of lively court competition on May 29 for a Memorial Day Tennis/POP play event and potluck luncheon. Members, many of whom chose their own partners while others left that to fate, started the play at 9 a.m. After an hour, a swap with players from the next court over occurred. Lots of the players took to the challenge of dressing in their patriotic colors, providing a joyful appearance to match the laughter heard on every court in SaddleBrooke (eight main courts, five at MountainView, four at DesertView, and three at The Preserve). This time the POP players got the long straw and were able to enjoy the beautiful, newly painted courts (5–8).
Running around the court brought on appetites, and that was a good thing. Close to 100 members and guests shared a potluck luncheon of chicken, potato salad, pasta salad, green salad, coleslaw, veggies and fruits, chips and dips, and lots of gooey, sweet, yummy desserts. STC members know how to cook and know how to eat. No one went home hungry.
The most common words heard while the crowd mingled on the tennis center patio were, “This was fun.” An event like this takes a village to plan and execute. Sincere thanks go to:
Brian Stocks: Online registration and system support
Landon Sheat, Melanie Murphy, John Sochacki: Player/court pairing and assignments
Roe Callahan: Setup and office phone coverage
Denise Phillips, Grover Ligon, Jeff Williams, Deb McGeehan, JD Davis, Keri Davis, Tracy Reingruber, Ellen Freeman: Patio setup, food prep, and cleanup
STC typically has five social events a year. The next event will be the 2023 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Nov. 4. In early March 2024, we will host the second annual Battle for the Saddle, a three-day tournament against SaddleBrooke Ranch (the winners of the 2023 tournament). There is always something for club members looking to participate and to help. What a great club, what great friends, what great court time, and what great fun!