M
ike Leeper discovered pickleball when he got his
SilverSneakers at age 65. The fitness program built
into the majority of Medicare plans nationwide
has gotten millions of senior citizens off the couch and into
fitness—and Leeper was no different.
“I became a gym rat at 65,” he says, except going to the gym
really wasn’t his “thing.”
“I noticed people in the basketball area having fun. I wasn’t
thrilled to be at the gym, so I thought I’d try it,” Leeper recalls.
The fun emanating from the group was pickleball. A childhood
tennis player who played through college, Leeper left sports
altogether to live life, despite the tremendous enjoyment it
gave him.
He signed up for the Skills & Drills program at the Apex
Recreation Center in Arvada, CO, and took a few lessons. “It
took some getting used to because the ball didn’t bounce
like a tennis ball, but once I had that down, it was a
piece of cake,” says Leeper. “I love the social aspect
and competitiveness of pickleball and discovered
we had outdoor courts, which were more
appealing. I started having fun and have never
looked back.”
Leeper became so enamored with the sport
that he became an employee of Apex Center,
where he teaches pickleball to others. Always
dressed in neon, Leeper is easy to spot in a
crowd, which is good because he’s the go-to
guy if you want to learn more about the sport.
Leeper admires Craig Hospital’s policy of never turning anyone
away regardless of means. “It’s a big rehab hospital, and if
you show up with an injury, they won’t turn you away as long
as they have space, which is a wonderful thing,” he explains.
“It’s well-known in the Rocky Mountain region as one of the
top hospitals for traumatic brain injuries. The tournament
supports that and has gotten pretty good participation
throughout the region. We made it to the fifth year, which
means we’re doing something right, and it’s nice to see the
community support events that aren’t strictly for competition.”
Shauna Hilgers, a player and volunteer for the event, says
she’s just one of many who know Leeper, but to everyone,
he’s someone special. “He’s just one of these good guys you
come across in life and his passion is pickleball,” she adds.
“He’s a constant here at the outdoor complex of
24 courts. If you want to play and don’t
have a partner, or you need help,
Mike is the person you ask. He’s
just that kind of guy.”
“He’s just
one of these
good guys you
come across in life
and his passion is
pickleball.”
“I’m also the guy who has a trunk full of balls
and paddles. I carry loaner paddles. I walk
the courts once or twice a day looking for lost
souls, explaining the game, getting paddles in
their hands, to see if they enjoy it,” he explains. “I
distribute cards with the rules on them and places to
play. I explain the Skills & Drills aspect and tell them we
have lessons twice a week at the center. New people always
say, ‘These people look like they’re having lots of fun. What are
they playing?’ And it just goes from there.”
In the Arvada area, pickleball’s popularity has grown so much
in the past decade that the region went from having one place
to play in 2010 to 74 places currently. Leeper’s twice-a-week
classes enroll 20 to 25 people each session.
And that popularity is also why Leeper and other enthusiasts
in the area have put together a pickleball fundraiser that’s
become one of the most successful of its kind—the Pickleball
for Heroes Tournament—an annual event to raise money
for the Craig Hospital in Englewood that caters to veterans
suffering from brain and spinal injuries.
In addition to Leeper’s ongoing donations and involvement in
obtaining sponsorships for the annual tournament, he was the
lucky charm this year as the Front Range Pickleball Club's
winning entry in the HEAD Penn Sweepstakes. Thanks to him,
the FRPC won $1,000 in HEAD Penn pickleball gear, which
was donated to the online auction, with 100 percent of the
proceeds going to benefit veterans at Craig Hospital.
Leeper got involved not only because he loves pickleball, but
because he’s also a Naval Air veteran who served aboard an
aircraft carrier during Vietnam. “I got reclassified 1A when
I turned 19, and I didn’t want a gun,” he says. “So I got into
supply. How do you serve your country and not shoot anybody
or get shot at? Naval Air.”
Hilgers feels that one
of Leeper’s biggest
contributions, aside from
the tireless work he puts
in for the Pickleball for
Heroes Tournament,
has been to ensure that
the sport is as inclusive
as possible at Apex.
“Mike’s really been
a big part of that. We
have people playing in
wheelchairs, players in
their 90s, as well as kids, all
out here playing,” she says.
“Recently, Mike had both knees
replaced, which was a big challenge
for him, and I wondered how he was
going to handle that, and he’s out there teaching
young people. That’s incredibly special. Here he is trying to
recover from these knee replacements and when he can’t play
himself, he’s channeling his efforts into these young people to
teach them to play.”
Helping others is definitely something Leeper continues to do
through the Pickleball for Heroes Tournament and through
growing the sport locally.
Leeper says pickleball is not only growing on the courts and in
recreational arenas in the region, but in the schools, bringing
a younger demographic into the ranks that seems intent on
playing for the long haul.
“We’re out there talking to gym teachers all the time. The
kids go on break and we’ll meet up with the teachers and
run them through the basics of the sport. Some embrace it,
some don’t, but most find it’s a nice fill-in between football
and basketball,” he says. And the seeds planted in the schools
have increased enrollment on public courts.
“We’re seeing more and more kids on the courts, lots of
teenagers and youngsters really enjoying it. It’s the future of
pickleball. They have all the energy and skills. It’s wonderful
to see,” adds Leeper. “When the lights go out at 10 p.m.,
you’ll hear a groan throughout the center. They don’t want
to leave.” •
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 |
MAGAZINE
25