The Pickleball Charter Club celebrated a major milestone on August 5 when the club presented a ceremonial check for $11,843 to Sun City Board President Vito Benigno and Executive Director Deanna Loughran to close out a $30,500 debt two years early. The loan was originated on March 1, 2018 and the agreement was to pay it down in five years.
“Our membership growth has allowed us to pay off the loan two years early,” said Mike Christy, President of the Pickleball Charter Club.
Approximately 200 members of the Sun City Pickleball Charter Club celebrate the retirement of the $30,000 load used to build eight Pickleball courts at Sun City. The $11,843 check paid off the balance of the debt 2 years in advance of its due date. (Photo by David Goode/Sun Day)
According to Christy, the game is challenging, but fun.
“It’s easy to learn but difficult to get good at,” he said.
Pickleball got started in Sun City in 2009.
“We started with about 50 members and now we have 336,” said Christy.
There are eight pickleball courts on what had been two tennis courts at the Tall Oaks Tennis Courts. The total cost of the conversion was in excess of $60,000. The Charter Club entered an agreement with Association Management to pay roughly half of the cost. A $30,500 loan was established as the club’s portion of the conversion costs. The club agreed to pay installments of $5,100 a year for five years after the initial $5,000 down payment.
“The courts are open to all Sun City residents,” said Christy. “We have blocks of time for non-members to use the courts.”
The schedule is posted by the courts.
According to Christy, “We offer Pickleball 100 classes monthly. And they often result in new members joining the club.”
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, WA. The court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long. The game is played with what could be described as oversized ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball with holes, similar to whiffle balls. Points are earned by the serving player or team. The serve is underhand and the games normally go 11 points, winning by 2.
And what’s in a name?
A player or team that scores no points is said to be “pickled.”
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