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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | FEBRUARY 2024 | 55 This article appears in the February 2024 edition of the Lifestyles but it was composed as 2023 was ending. Your scribe thought it appropriate to take this turning-of-the-calendar to reflect on how far our beloved club has come in just a few years. Not so long ago, we were part of the Paddle Tennis group. Our friends, the Willcoxons, brought pickleball to Sun Lakes from their visits to RV clubs in Arizona. As pickle began to take hold, the club became Sun Lakes Paddle Tennis and Pickleball Club. We shared the three courts next to the Championship Golf Pro Shop, which the Master Board authorized striping to accommodate both sports. As pickleball became more and more popular, there was competition for the limited space. Eventually, pickleball separated into its own club and we worked out a weekly sharing of the courts. Pickleball came to have morning use on only three days a week and our members often traveled to nearby venues on our off days here. It is rather striking to consider that the 2012 roster of the combined club held only 17 members! Over the last decade, our club membership built steadily. Last year we had over 70 members. Going into 2024 we already have boosted that total to over 100. Happily, the Master Board worked with us over the past five years to prepare for this phenomenal growth. From three shared courts we now have exclusive use at the Sun Lakes Pickleball Pavilion on the north side adjacent to the Executive Pro Shop. By converting two tennis courts we have squeezed eight very professional courts for pickle. The transition to a first-class pickleball venue was aided by our Paddle (now Pop) Tennis friends. They gave us space on the old courts during the months-long work needed to build out the Pavilion. We now are able to host occasional tourneys with neighboring clubs in the Pass Area and beyond. The lighted courts make evening play on warm summer nights very inviting. In just a mere 10-year span, we have launched Sun Lakes into the first tier of senior communities with the hottest amenities offered. There were seven members out of the original 17 in 2012, who are still part of today's club. You were the pioneers and we doff our caps to you! Pickleball is without question the fastest growing sport in America. If you want to come out and see why, give our club VP Judy Luna a call at (949) 929-2390. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club