Andrea Molberg
Julie Wagner and Lou Powers won gold on February 1, 2018 at the Sun City Marinette Center Super Senior Circuit Tournament in Surprise, AZ. They competed at the combined skill levels of 4.0 and 4.5 in the 65- to 69-year old category of Women’s Doubles, coming in first in the 4.0 category and second in the combined grouping.
As Lou described, “This was a beautiful facility to play at with a combination of 20 outdoor and indoor courts, along with a state of the art fitness center, outdoor spa, half-court basketball court, horseshoes court and rubberized walking track. The investment in this complex was featured on national TV, with Sun City residents applauding the investment that significantly increased their home sales.”
To help them practice, Julie and Lou call upon our talented SB players, many who have earned a lot of medals over the years. “We find ‘being in the groove’ helps. So, we practice as much as we can with the limited courts that are available here, and keep a can-do attitude that helps us never give up no matter what the score is!”
In January at the sanctioned USAPA SW Regionals held on the Surprise, AZ city courts, Julie and Lou brought home the silver in women’s doubles 4.0, age 65-69. They report that top players in the country were participating and fun to watch, and over 380 pickleball players aged from 19 years old to 80+ competed.
Lou said, “It was nice to see how the city of Surprise has embraced pickleball by building this nice facility of 16 lighted courts for their community to use. Major hotels have built adjacent to the park to take advantage of the popularity of the sport and the revenue players bring to the city.”
According to Lou, one of the most fun parts of tournaments is getting to know the other players who come from all over the country. “The camaraderie is infectious and you make lots of new friends!”
For those considering playing in their first tournament the time couldn’t be better. Several tournaments have now added categories for lower levels, so you don’t need to be high up on the skill level ladder to participate. Find out more at pickleballtournaments.com. Lou recommends paying attention to when registration begins, because pickleball tournaments are known to fill up in certain categories very quickly. You can sign up to hold a spot and then search for a partner or add your name to the Players seeking Partners section.”