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,…
Linda Schmidz The benefits of exercise are well documented and familiar by now. We know exercise boosts mood by lowering levels of stress hormones and increasing the production of endorphins. That’s the clinical assessment. But the thing about playing pickleball for healthy exercise is that it also happens to be great fun. It has quickly…
Gary Pelphrey SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association Inc. (SPA) is proud to have eight teams (over 90 players) competing in the 2025 Arizona Pickleball Players League, showcasing the talent and spirit of our players. Teams include women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles of different ages and skill levels. Everyone is invited to come watch and cheer…
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…
Raymond H. Goettsch On Oct. 24 SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) celebrated Halloween early with a costume party, along with music and dancing. Seventy SPA members, mostly in costume, joined in the fun, bringing their beverage of choice and a dish to pass. The delicious dishes created a buffet of an array of tasty treats. David…
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…
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…
Raymond H. Goettsch On April 21 Pinal County honored the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) for clearing trash from Edwin Road for five years. Near the signage of SPA’s clean-up commitment, Jim Higgenbotham, Pinal County Public Works maintenance manager, read a proclamation lauding SPA and its volunteer members for participating in the clean-up program. Jennifer Corrallejo,…
Raymond H. Goettsch On March 31 through April 2, 115 members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) played in an intramural tournament for the first time in several years. The tournament was for Women’s Doubles on March 31, Men’s Doubles on April 1, and Mixed Doubles on April 2. The doubles teams competed in a…
Raymond H. Goettsch On Sept. 2 SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association, Inc. (SPA) held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the expanded and newly constructed pickleball courts. The proceedings began at 7:30 a.m., and a capacity crowd of members and guests attended the ceremony. Guests included Tom Starrs, USA Pickleball District Ambassador for Tucson and…