Andrea Molberg
With Tucson temperatures over 100 degrees for more than a month, SaddleBrooke pickleball players creatively find ways to play this popular sport. Most players seek to be on the courts very early when they open at 7:00 a.m. With over 600 SPA (SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association) members and only six regulation courts, this is a challenge, but Arizona’s intense heat requires caution.
Many flock to drop-in at the six Ridgeview courts, a great place to meet others who love this extremely popular sport. To allow the maximum number of people to participate, SPA has decided to play shorter games in the mornings until more courts become available. After noon regulation-length games are allowed.
Some picklers reserve early morning courts at the Preserve while playing with the “quiet ball” instead of the regulation ball. This slightly smaller, dense foam ball is used to keep the ball noise at a lower, acceptable level; however, the ball bounces and plays differently than the regulation ball.
Some SPA club members are taking advantage of the agreement with SaddleBrooke Ranch, which allows SPA members to reserve courts and play there on the six courts assigned to SPA. Lights at SaddleBrooke Ranch allow for evening play when the thermometer mercury goes down.
Besides getting out early, players wisely prevent trouble from the heat by taking frequent breaks, moving into the shade, wearing cooling towels and hydrating a lot. You can spot pickleball players inserting ice packs into their shirts and squirting themselves with hand-held battery operated fan misters because they realize extreme heat is a killer – literally.
“Extreme heat is not just an inconvenience.” (Time.com, June 2, 2015; usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wheat1.htm). According to Claude Piantadosi, a medicine professor at Duke University, heat exhaustion requires immediate attention and should be treated as a medical emergency.
When someone’s body temperature exceeds 104°F (40°C), heat stroke can cause a number of ailments and often death. The dangers of heat include heat cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. 30 to 40% of people who suffer heat stroke die, even if they receive modern medical treatment. Heat stroke symptoms are lethargy, confusion and lack of consciousness. If you have a suspicion that someone might be suffering from heatstroke, get medical help immediately. Heatstroke can kill.
Some communities, like Sun City, Arizona, have built pickleball courts under a permanent roof to shade players and thereby increase court usage during summer months. Not yet an “official budgeted amenity” for SBHOA1 or SBHOA2, SPA is solely responsible for court maintenance and court improvement costs. At present SPA’s funds are in reserve for additional, new court construction and those funds are not sufficient for adding a roof or sun sails like those which shelter our community pools.