Left to right: Bill Vollink, Tom Dean, Jim Malone, Greg Dinnocenti, Doug Warren, Steve Shapiro, Dave Mungo, Doug Stacken, Doug Christy, Pat Kolark, Dave Thomas, and Brian Leikhus. Absent from photo: Jeff Grass and Al Skoglund
Steve Shapiro
The Arizona Pickleball Players League (APPL) expanded to the Tucson area in 2021. Before the expansion, the league had been in the Phoenix Metro/Casa Grande area. The APPL is made up of a men’s and women’s league for skill levels 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5/5.0. Quail Creek took part in the Tucson area league with a men’s 4.0 team. The league had a nine-week season (five home games and four away games in the Tucson area), followed by regional and state play-offs in Casa Grande. Because of COVID, the Creekers had to play their home games at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson. The league started in January and ran through mid-March.
The Creekers finished third in the 4.0 bracket, with a record of five wins and four losses. The interesting part of the league is that the games are played on the points system, two points if you win a game, one point if you lose but score six points or more, and no points for a score of five or less. The Creekers finished the season with 220 team points and 172 opponent points (points scored by the opponents). All players enjoyed the camaraderie among all the teams and the competitive aspect of the games. The Creekers are planning on playing in 2022 and bringing home the first place state title. Hopefully, in 2022, the home games will be in Quail Creek, and we will have more skill levels (men and women) taking part.