David Zapatka Reader Ann Howard writes, “Hi David, been reading your column in Robson Ranch Views. I’m a 3.5 player, in my 70s, and got a new paddle almost three years ago. I play regularly two to three times per week. I have been making more mistakes than usual and wondering if it’s me, the paddle,…
Tag: pickleball
October 2025, Sports
Championing Active Living: Meet Quail Creek’s Pickleball and Tennis Pros
Residents of Quail Creek enjoy access to some of the finest sports instruction available. Through the support of the Quail Creek Property Owners Association (QCPOA), the community benefits from accomplished pickleball and tennis professionals who bring a wealth of experience, enthusiasm, and teaching skill to the courts. From newcomers eager to master the fundamentals to…
July 2025, Sports
Pickleball’s Liberating Potential
Ray Hayward It began with a wiffle ball and an idea. Then it gained momentum, first among active adult developments, then high schools and college campuses and communities across the country. Now it’s often referred to as the fastest-growing sport in America. It’s pickleball! And its growth in one community in particular caught the attention…
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
New Pickleball IPTPA Rater
Shireen Kolarik The Quail Creek Pickleball Club has a new IPTPA rater, Tony Fratini. IPTPA stands for International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association. The IPTPA develops teaching standards in the sport of pickleball, including covering specific strokes, strategies, and shot selections specific to pickleball. IPTPA-certified instructors pass a rigorous testing program and continue improving their teaching…
Sports, May 2025
Quail Creek/SaddleBrooke Ranch Pickleball Competition
Dave Mungo On April 4 the Quail Creek Pickleball Club (QCPC) hosted the SaddleBrooke Ranch Pickleball Club for an intercommunity competition. This event was a huge success. Our players and volunteers truly raised the bar for competition events held here, and we certainly showed SaddleBrooke Ranch how to put on a party. Our Social Committee…
April 2025, Sports
Parkinson’s and Pickleball
Don Amour Since this past fall, every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m., a group of Parkinson’s patients, their caregivers, and volunteers from the Quail Creek Pickleball Club get together at courts 1 and 2 at Quail Creek. Over the hour-and-a-half session, there is some social time to get acquainted and share information on our…
April 2025, Clubs & Classes
Parkinson’s and Pickleball: Yes, Those Two Things Do Go Together
Janine Baxter The March event for the Nurses of Quail Creek was an information session about pickleball players here in Quail Creek who have been awarded grant money. Not so unusual until you learn that these players also have Parkinson’s, and the grant came from the Parkinson’s Foundation. A presentation was given by Lenny Friedman,…
April 2025, Front Page
Brian Martin Pickleball Clinics
Shireen Kolarik The Quail Creek Pickleball Club arranged clinics in February and March for its members with pickleball pro player and instructor Brian Martin. Brian Martin is from SweetShot Pickleball out of the Phoenix area, and he plays in the senior pro league for the Coachella Valley Scorpions. Brian provided a variety of sessions for…
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…