Former PCPC President Greg Leitzke recently sent greetings from Kenya. While Greg and his wife, Kathy, were volunteering at a hospital and school there, they were able to build a new pickleball court with funds donated by their club in Arizona. The Leitzkes said they had a great time teaching the kids to play pickleball.
Volunteers are the secret of Park City Pickleball Club’s success.
That was proven again on Feb. 19 and 20, when the club held its Winter Showdown tournament at the Park City MARC. From setting up the courts to tabulating scores, directing players, replenishing snacks, managing events and cleaning up, it was volunteers who kept this successful tournament running.
Over 130 players competed in men’s and women’s doubles on Feb. 19 and mixed doubles on Feb. 20.
Medal winners were:
Men’s Doubles 3.5, 3.0
Gold – Tim Boggess and Cody Dale
Silver – Spencer Hall and Neal Chipping
Bronze – Clay Fletcher and Byron Noel
Men’s Doubles 4.0
Gold – Jack Mueller and Cal Regan
Silver – Robert Macdonald and Josh Parry
Bronze – Coy Barnson and Tim Learned
Men’s Doubles 4.5
Gold – Frank Matamoros and Dave Hall
Silver – Kauvaka (Vaka) Ahoia and Jordan Tapu
Bronze – Tanner Hinrichs and Griffin Heider
Women’s Doubles 3.0
Gold – Elise Jackson and McKensie Cragun
Silver – Christine Decaria and Lauren Sibley
Bronze – Brooklyn Thrailkill and Jaiden Farr
Women’s Doubles 4.0, 3.5
Gold – Ashley Miyazaki and Sierra Krebsbach
Silver – Emily Brown and Kate Matthews
Bronze – Jennifer Lansky and Bridget Chiazzese
Mixed Doubles 3.0
Gold – Melissa Allen and Bill O’Brien
Silver – Jill Garner and Corey King
Bronze – Brandi Blount and Ryan Isber
Mixed Doubles 3.5
Gold – Sherie Henley and Brian Bender
Silver – Bridget Chiazzese and Richard Wagner
Bronze – Michelle Wheeler and David Kottler
Mixed Doubles 4.0
Gold – Ashley Miyazaki and AJ Miyazaki
Silver – Sierra Krebsbach and Chris Arena
Bronze – Mary Regan and Cal Regan
Mixed Doubles 4.5
Gold – Valerie Yeoman and Frank Matamoros
Silver – Kim Corrigan and Jimmy Miller
Bronze – Marlo Dwelle and Sir Paul Douglass
Photo by Carol Wexler
Final preparations are underway for the Park City Winter Showdown, to be held this weekend at Park City MARC.
Over 130 players from throughout Utah and several other states have signed up for the tournament, which is sponsored by Park City Pickleball Club.
The action starts at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, with men’s and women’s doubles. Mixed-doubles teams will take the courts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20.
Ever have trouble playing against bangers? Join us on Tuesday as we learn about blocking.
Park City Pickleball Club is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. This Brown Bag Skill Session on blocking will be held at noon on Tuesday, April 28.
To join the Zoom meeting, click this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9204174666?pwd=RjcxREhlS1NBYkt2N2NIcVVsR2VRZz09
Meeting ID: 920 417 4666
Password: 851926
On Tuesday, April 7 at noon, Debbie Matamoros will offer a Brown Bag Skills Session on Zoom.
The presentation, “Deeper Dive Into Dinking Strategies,” will include discussions of placement strategy, when to add pace and when to be patient.
To join the Zoom meeting on April 7, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/9204174666?pwd=RjcxREhlS1NBYkt2N2NIcVVsR2VRZz09
Meeting ID: 920 417 4666
Password: 851926
This “Deeper Dive” builds on the dinking skills session that Matamoros presented on March 31, available for review with this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QEa7AwNiGKSP8apwL4mGtWzM3Dy6qOtK/view
The March 31 session also included instructions for making a rebounder board for home use. The only items needed are some tape and an MDF board (2-by-4-foot, half-inch-thick) from Home Depot. To make the rebounder, elevate the board to a height of about 33 inches from the ground. Then, place a piece of tape across the board at a height of 36 inches from the ground. Finally, measure 7 feet from the board and place a piece of tape on the ground; that will be your kitchen line.
Pickleball pro John Sperling spent 90 minutes online with the Park City Pickleball Club on April 4. He donated his time for this exclusive presentation, in which he reviewed and discussed the techniques and tactics used in one of his most successful matches.
Sperling was very engaging, taking club members’ questions and getting everyone involved.
If you missed the live presentation, you can catch it on this video.
Pickleball pro John Sperling will conduct a free online clinic exclusively for the Park City Pickleball Club on Saturday, April 4 at 4 p.m. on Zoom. Club members are invited to join the event by clicking https://zoom.us/j/148782429.
Sperling is donating his time and expertise to present the clinic, which was arranged by PCPC board member Tracey Swenson.
Sperling is a professional pickleball player and instructor with over 30 years of teaching experience on the courts. He won medals at the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, at the 2018 AAU National Indoor Championships, and at the 2019 USAPA National Tournament.
He has served as an instructor for institutions including Grand Oaks Resort in Florida, the Country Club of Ocala, Engage Pickleball Academy, Bollettieri Tennis Academy, and Professional Pickleball Registry.
Sperling’s success on the courts began in his teenage years, when he achieved a top rating among young players in his home state of Michigan. While playing tennis for the College of DuPage in Illinois, he reached a collegiate ranking of No. 7 nationally. He also began his teaching career at that time, at a tennis club near Chicago.
The former tennis pro now combines his newfound love of pickleball with his longstanding expertise in teaching, as he leads pickleball clinics and workshops throughout the country.
In his spare time, Sperling likes to teach tennis and pickleball to underprivileged kids.
Even though we can’t get together and play, we can keep learning and improving our pickleball skills.
On Tuesday, March 31, from noon to 1 p.m., Debbie Matamoros and Tracey Swenson will offer a virtual skills clinic on dinking. The dink shot is the foundation of all the other shots. Learn and master the fundamentals of the dink shot and you’ll be on your way to improving your overall game.
Wear your pickleball clothes, have your paddle and ball handy and if possible, be near a wall you can hit the ball against. We’ll gather online to watch a video on dink fundamentals and another on dink strategy from two of the best players in the world, stopping to imitate their form, try their recommendations and answer any questions.
To join this Brown Bag Skills Session, join the Zoom meeting.
Click here: https://zoom.us/j/9204174666
Meeting ID: 920 417 4666
For further information, contact Debbie Matamoros:
ParkCityPickleball.Debbie@gmail.com
(310) 850-9554
Starting this week, we have a great lineup of online clinics and discussions to help ease the social isolation.
Saturday, March 28, 2 p.m.
Kyle Yates, world champion
It all starts with an online clinic by current world champion Kyle Yates, organized by and presented exclusively for the members of Park City Pickleball Club.
We will be discussing a point-by-point breakdown of a U.S. Open gold medal match. Topics such as partner strategy, shot selection, movement and communication will be analyzed.
Join us for this one-of-a-kind event, exclusive to Park City Pickleball members, hosted by Eric Wheeler.
Things to remember:
HERE IS THE LINK
Just click the above text and the meeting should open up for you.
Tuesday, March 31, noon-1 p.m.
Brown Bag Skills Session
Spend your lunch with Debbie Matamoros and Tracey Swenson as we watch instructional videos from the pros. Have your paddle handy as we try out some of the techniques taught.
Join Zoom Meeting for Debbie’s clinic by clicking https://zoom.us/j/9204174666
Enter meeting ID: 920 417 4666
Thursday, March 31, 7:30 p.m.
Review and discuss technical and mechanical videos broken down by Eric Wheeler and his guests. We will break down points of recorded matches and discuss all things pickleball.
Click THIS LINK to join Eric on Thursday night.
Additional online content you may want to check out:
Pickleball Kitchen and podcasts hosted by Barrett Kincheloe at https://pickleballkitchen.com/videos/
The Daily PB Drop hosted by Mark Renneson at https://www.facebook.com/markrennesonpickleball/posts/1705664796258452
I hope this helps you cope with living inside for the next week. Feel free to share any feedback or ideas as we continue to move this program forward.
– Greg Leitzke
President, Park City Pickleball Club
Park City Pickleball Club 