Corey Loyd The SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) includes a wide range of members, but one standout group is the Octogenarians—those aged 80 to 89—who continue to impress both on and off the court. These remarkable players bring experience, tenacity, and sharp skills to every match, playing four to five times a week around golf games…
Tag: Pickleball
Sports, August 2025
Pickleball—Why Do I Play?
Gary Pelphrey As I sit here, benched by surgery and watching the Arizona sun turn the courts into a frying pan, I can’t help but hear Joni Mitchell singing in my head, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” Right now, my pickleball paddle is gathering dust, and when I am in the…
July 2025, Features
I’m Not Too Old To …
Rhonda Murray When I moved to SaddleBrooke at 55, people kept asking me the same thing: “Are you even old enough to live here?” I’d laugh and reply, “Apparently just barely—but I made it!” What I didn’t expect was how right it would feel. Before we even unpacked a single box, I had been eyeing…
December 2024, June 2025, Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Beating the Bangers
David Zapatka From 2.0 to 5.0, we have all faced the “bangers,” those players who prefer to hit everything hard rather than play the soft game hitting dinks and drop shots. Would you like to defeat these hard hitters? Consider adopting these tips. Hit deep returns. Keep the banger at the baseline with a deep…
June 2025, Sports
Beat the Heat and Play Pickleball
Linda Schmitz As summer arrives in the desert, opportunities to play pickleball are sometimes limited, especially for heat-sensitive individuals. Generally, the best times to play are early morning (starting at 7 a.m.) or in the evening once the sun sinks below the mountains and there is still plenty of light. Here are some other options…
May 2025, Sports
SaddleBrooke Pickleball Teams Compete in Statewide League
Evelyn Wiltshire This winter, eight teams from the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) proudly represented our community in the Southern Region of the Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL), competing against teams from Tucson, Oro Valley, Udall Park, The Ranch, and Quail Creek. Founded in 2012, APPL was established to provide adult players with a structured, team-based,…
April 2025, Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Resetting the Rally
David Zapatka You’re in a crosscourt dinking rally and your opponent continues to put you under pressure with consistent dinking that tries your patience. The rally becomes more difficult as your opponent pushes you closer to the sidelines with shots close to the net. How long can you dink like this? Is it a battle…
February 2025, Sports
Relishing Pickleball: Teaching Pickleball to Your Relatives
David Zapatka With the holidays behind us, there has been quite a bit of talk about how to introduce relatives to pickleball, the game we discovered and love. The debate about how best to do this centers around two concepts. The first is to begin teaching new players how to serve. The second is to…
January 2025, Sports
SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association Celebrated Grandchildren’s Day
Raymond H. Goettsch The SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) celebrated Grandchildren’s Day on Nov. 29 on four or more courts at the Ed Robson Pickleball Center. Twenty-some grandchildren participated, with grandparents and parents watching and joining in. SPA Board member Tina Donovan organized the event with several other SPA members. The grandchildren were introduced to pickleball…
Sports, December 2024
SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association Honored Greg Davis
Raymond H. Goettsch On Oct. 24 SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) honored the late Greg Davis by naming the first aid location at the Ed Robson Pickleball Center the “Greg Davis First Aid Station.” Greg was a longtime, loyal SPA member. He was a medic in Vietnam, and after his service, he became a paramedic in…