Do you like playing tennis? Do you like pickleball? Then perhaps you should try POP tennis. It’s played on a reduced-size tennis court with a paddle and 75% inflated tennis balls. You play doubles, so there is less court to cover versus tennis, and it’s not as quick and has less side-to-side movement than pickleball.…
Tag: Pickleball
September 2024, Sports
Mary Gajeske Embroiders the Flags for SaddleBrooke Pickleball
Raymond H. Goettsch SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) has adopted a new logo. Now, this is where Mary Gajeske comes in. Mary has been embroidering items for 20 years, and she has embroidered flags and T-shirts with SPA logos for 17 years. She uses a sewing machine with a hoop attachment for embroidering. When Mary receives…
August 2024, Sports
Rally Scoring Can Take Many Forms in Pickleball
Raymond H. Goettsch Under standard pickleball scoring, players can only score points when they are serving, and players cannot score points when their opponents are serving. However, rally scoring is often used in group play or round robin play when players are on more than one court and will play with different opponents in the…
August 2024, Sports
Proposed New Rules for 2025 Could Change the Game of Pickleball
Raymond H. Goettsch Every year pickleball players submit proposed changes to the rules of the game to USA Pickleball, and other players have the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. The decision as to which proposed rule changes will be adopted is made at the end of the year. This year has generated many…
May 2024, Front Page
SPA Members Shine at State Tournament
Raymond H. Goettsch The SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) sponsored four teams in the Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL), and three teams advanced to the Arizona state tournament and earned medals. Other SPA members advanced to state in separate teams, advancing to state and receiving medals. On April 7 in Mesa, SPA’s Soft Serve team (women…
April 2024, Sports
SPA Players Compete in Dinking in the Desert
Raymond H. Goettsch On March 15 through 17, more than 148 members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) played in the second annual Dinking in the Desert intramural tournament. The tournament was for men’s doubles on March 15, women’s doubles on March 16, and mixed doubles on March 17. Due to the weather, the men’s…
April 2024, Sports
SaddleBrooke Pickleball – April 2024
SPA Members Volunteer for Edwin Road Trash Removal Raymond H. Goettsch On Feb. 17 SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) members volunteered to remove debris and trash from the sides of Edwin Road. SPA Board President Terry Jackson supervised the semi-annual clean-up project. SPA’s Ladies APPL Team Victorious Nancy Dowell A hard-fought pickleball match took place at…
April 2024, Sports
Four SPA Complete Their Regular Season, and Three Teams Advance to State Play
Raymond H. Goettsch The four teams fielded by SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) to compete in the Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL) have completed their regular season play, and three teams advanced to state play. The Tire Biters team (men’s 3.0 65+) finished its season with three wins, four losses, and one tie. The only opponent…
March 2024, Sports
SaddleBrooke Pickleball Play Is Now Televised
Raymond H. Goettsch Pickleball play at the Ed Robson Pickleball Center is now on television. SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) has installed a 43-inch television monitor in the Michael and Shirley Hovan Ramada. The monitor lists the daily schedule for the forms of play, court by court, from 7 a.m. through 5 p.m.: drop-in play, round-robin…
March 2024, Sports
SPA Members Donate Plants to Decorate the Pickleball Courts
Raymond H. Goettsch Last summer, SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) member Jeanie Medema noticed that the potted live plants decorating the Ed Robson Pickleball Center were dying. As an instructor in ceramics, Jeanie thought that ceramic plants could replace the dying plants. She made the proposal to the SPA Board, and the board agreed. Jeanie created…