Y
ou never know what the
background of the server across
the net from you is going to be. In
the case of Dr. Sheryl Zimmerman
of Goodyear, Arizona, you’d be
returning a serve from a practicing
pediatrician, relatively new player
and global humanitarian.
With just 14 months and counting in the sport,
Zimmerman describes herself as a pickleball addict whose
primary focus on the sport is the social aspect it offers
players.
“I moved to Goodyear from Texas back in December and
looked up the local pickleball group before I even packed,”
she said. “Everywhere I’ve played, the people have always
been friendly and welcoming. Pickleball people are just
good people.”
Unranked with one unsanctioned tournament under her
belt, Zimmerman can be found at a local park in Goodyear
playing pickleball nearly every weekday morning and
Tuesday and Thursday nights. The year-round play has a
solid core of locals to support it, and their numbers swell
to 40 or so when snowbirds fly into Arizona during the
winter months, she said. While she’s competitive and may
play in a few more tournaments, Zimmerman’s not looking
for a ranking, as she’s content with the fun, camaraderie
and support she feels from other people in the group.
That local support, led by local pickleball ambassador
Ron Wilks, provided her with unexpected money for
supplies she took on a medical mission to the Democratic
Republic of Congo in Africa in May. For three weeks,
Zimmerman saw patients of all ages and distributed
medicine and supplies to those in need in the town of
Lodja, which, population-wise, is just a tad smaller than
Goodyear.
“Lodja is in the middle of the country. They have a
general hospital and a clinic. I spent time in both facilities
and it’s hard to put a positive spin on it because medical
care there looks like something out of the 1920s,”
Zimmerman said. “Malnutrition is huge. Malaria and AIDS
are also awful problems. Those were the big three things
people there are facing. Of course, malnutrition is the
biggest target because you can’t fight off disease if you’re
malnourished.”
Despite the need, the DRC doesn’t receive humanitarian
aid from the United States. Instead, Zimmerman said,
donated medication comes in from China and India,
and very little of that reaches beyond the capital city of
Kinshasa, which is home to more than 12 million people.
“Of the immunizations I saw there, some of them
were stored incorrectly, so determining whether a child
was fully vaccinated was difficult, because the dose they
receive could be ineffective,” she said.
Add to that the fact that travel to the DRC is
discouraged by the U.S. State Department due to pockets
of crime and civil unrest, and Zimmerman’s determination
to her cause becomes even more apparent.
“I was a little apprehensive about going, because of
what I read in the news, but found that the crime and
dangerous places are only in certain areas,” she said. “I
felt safer in Lodja than at a family reunion I attended in
downtown Philadelphia two years ago. There are some
hot spots. Some places are unsafe to go, but we stayed
away from there and never had any problems.”
Her next goal is to return to Congo in May 2019,
bringing pickleball with her to teach the locals how to
play. Pickleball has been introduced to South Africa and
Kenya with overwhelming success. Zimmerman said she
could see it taking a foothold in Congo as well.
“Men and boys are heavily involved in soccer and
there’s not much activity for girls,” she said. “I could see
pickleball being a great sport for girls and women to
adopt to fill that void.”
For now, however, Zimmerman is looking forward to
continuing her weekday morning matches and balance in
her life.
“I have fingers in a lot of different things,” she said.
“I sing and am still working full time, but pickleball is a
priority, and I will continue to play as much as possible.” •
Of course, malnutrition is the
“ biggest
target because you
can’t fight off disease if you’re
malnourished.”
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 |
MAGAZINE
51