dinks continued
ARIZONA’S
HIGH COUNTRY
UNVEILS NEW
PICKLEBALL
FACILITY
In 2011, Prescott, Arizona, had about
250 pickleball players. In just five short
years, that number has ballooned to
nearly 2,500, and the number keeps
growing. But, like many communities
throughout the U.S., courts were either
not available or were on private property
and had a fee attached.
Peg Travers, a pickleball lover
dedicated to the growth of the sport,
rounded up a small group of committed
pickleball players and drafted a clear
and articulate project plan and mission
statement. With Rita Kavanaugh, Billie
Orr and USAPA Northeast Director
Bob Atherton accompanying her,
they presented their plan to the City
of Prescott. While desirous of public
pickleball courts, the City did not want
to renovate existing tennis courts, and
they also lacked funds to build a public
pickleball facility.
With these obstacles firmly in
place, the group decided to begin a
fundraising campaign. With the help
of Prescott’s Director of Recreation
Services, Joe Baynes, the group began
the arduous task of creating a public
pickleball facility. The Prescott Pickleball
Association (PPA) was created, and
within weeks prescottpickleball.com
and a logo were developed—and a clear
identity was born that donors would
support. As a newfound association,
the group found a 501(c)(3) to partner
with—Arizona Community Foundation.
With these necessary ingredients in
place, the group once again approached
the City of Prescott to receive approval
for the project. A site was also found that
was agreeable to the Prescott Recreation
Services, and after it was agreed they
would prep the land for construction, a
final proposal was put together. After
another presentation to the City, the
project was finally approved!
Within the first two months, PPA raised
$30,000 from local pickleball players
and donors. Needed was $175,000 to
complete the project. Another $55,000
was collected from the local business
community, so their goal was nearly half
met. The PPA staged some tournaments
and fundraising events, and accepted
“in-kind” donations from local contractors
who were excited about the prospect of
pickleball in their city. All in all, the City
of Prescott warmly embraced the idea of
its own public pickleball facility.
The project was a private/public
partnership with the City of Prescott and
Yavapai County. With City approval, PPA
awarded the contracts and paid the bills.
With land originally from Yavapai County,
they contributed parking and a roadway
valued at $25,000.
USAPA NATIONALS
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT INDIAN WELLS!
On Thursday, February 1, USAPA
and Desert Champions, LLC, parent
company of the world-renowned
Indian Wells Tennis Garden, agreed
to terms on a multi-year deal to host
the USAPA National Championships
at the facility. While terms of the deal
have not been disclosed, USAPA
and Desert Champions, LLC will be
releasing a joint press release soon
with the details.
This year, the USAPA National
Championships will be held
November 3-11, 2018. Indian Wells is
10
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
located just outside of Palm Springs,
California. The facility is home to
the BNP Paribas Open--the largest
combined men and women's tennis
tournament in the world. Indian Wells
Tennis Garden features the second
largest tennis stadium in the world--
an impressive 16,100-seat Stadium
1, as well as a permanent 8,000-seat
Stadium 2. The venue also boasts
28 world-class courts and will soon
be adding championship pickleball
courts to the site.