Joan Van Matre and Bob Koerner
Pete Giljohann
The USAPA Pickleball National Championships were recently held in Casa Grande where a SaddleBrooke Pickleball mixed doubles team won a silver medal! Making it all the way to the Championship Round, Joan Van Matre and Bob Koerner finished second out of 23 teams in the age 65 to 69 division. This was the eighth USAPA Nationals Tournament with nearly 900 players – the largest pickleball tournament in the history of the sport.
Earning a silver at Nationals is quite an accomplishment in the Pickleball world for the Van Matre-Koerner SaddleBrooke team. Most of the top players come from either Florida or the greater Phoenix area. While SaddleBrooke has only six courts for regulation play, The Palm Creek Club in Casa Grande has 32 courts that were kept busy over the nine days of the tournament.
Joan won many medals this summer traveling around the country and she and Bob have been playing very consistently. Bob, who recently moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch from SaddleBrooke, is still a member of SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA).
Other players from SaddleBrooke that participated in the tournament in various age groups were Nancy and Brent Carlson, Steve and Julie Wagner, Paul Frederickson, Ed Mandler, Vic Martin, Randy Olson, Joe Rink, Mark Van Matre, Diana and Pete Giljohann.
Once again, congratulations to Joan and Bob on their Silver Medal. You make SaddleBrooke proud.