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…
Raymond H. Goettsch The board of directors of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) met on March 16. Gary Stevens reported that a court allocation committee has been established to create court schedules for the forthcoming 14 pickleball courts at the Ridgeview location. The committee’s goal is to maximize the use of the courts by SPA…
Raymond H. Goettsch On Dec. 15, 2021, the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) held its year-end membership meeting in the DesertView Performing Arts Center theater. Retiring President Pete Giljohann reviewed the year’s significant developments for SPA, including the preparation for the construction of eight new pickleball courts and the designation of SPA as an amenity by…
Raymond H. Goettsch SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) members enjoyed SPA’s annual holiday party in the MountainView Ballroom on the evening of Dec. 1. The festive party was organized by SPA Social Director Donna Hollingsworth, and she was assisted at the party by Jen Wilkins, Pat Carney, and Lexi Phillips. Nearly 100 members and guests attended…
Raymond H. Goettsch Many members of the SaddleBrooke Pickleball Association (SPA) are youngish, that is to say, in their 50s, or even 40s. In talking to more of these members, you learn that they chose to relocate to SaddleBrooke for the express purpose of playing pickleball. Jen Wilkin, age 58, and her husband, Jim, a…