July, 2022
Beautify El Paso ... Build Pickleball Courts
Before construction began ...
One of the two tennis courts at Ascarate Park is being converted into four PERMANENT, dedicated pickleball courts, the first in El Paso! No more bringing you own net, or trying to beat the tennis players ... or find the kitchen. This is a place for us! The project will be done in phases. Phase I is repair/resurface the court and paint with pickleball only lines, install nets, and put post holes for additional fencing (between courts), which will be done in Phase II. Our club will schedule some fundraiser scrambles to help the County offset the cost of installing the additional fencing AND resurface the second tennis court for dual purpose.
Completion is tentatively for mid-September, with a Dedication Ceremony and inaugural play date to follow. Watch for updates.
Great Turnout at Mary Francis Keisling Park Public Input Event!
Over half of all of the people who turned out for this event asked for pickleball courts!
Thank you for coming and voting for pickleball: Terri Wilson plus D and two friends, Kati Hunyadi, Kathryn Watson, Doug Watson, Kelly Groves, Adriana Boykova, Claudia Morales, Robert, Randy Limbird, Dr. Laura Pareso Houston, Patty May, Patty Morrow, Leah Shelton, Paige T. Bowling, Franklin Stubbs Lebaron and anybody else I might have missed. And pat yourself on the back if you completed the on-line survey. Persistence, persistence.
YMCA Group on Snow Rd Looking For More Players
This group meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 - 1:00 off of Westside Dr. near Tennis West. They are looking for more players. It is indoors and there is a $5 fee so please go join them!
Fall Event
Your club is planning a fall event - stay tuned.
Texas Police Athletic Federation Games Coming to El Paso
For the first time in 40 years these games, which are expected to draw 1,000 to 2,000 visitors, will be held in El Paso, and the hope is that El Paso can host every five years. The Police Federation asked that pickleball be added to the events, so those four courts I told you in paragraph one are not going to be enough. Beau Bagley, VP El Paso Sports Commission, and I spoke at Commissioner's Court on August 1 to thank them for El Paso's first permanent courts, and to give a heads up that ... it won't be enough for the games scheduled for June 11 - 17, 2022. Things are moving fast.
The format for TPAF Games is similar to Senior Games in that you can participate in several events out of 30 to choose from. Participation is limited to law enforcement, but the event helps the local players by putting an urgency on getting more courts. Our club has been asked to help run the pickleball event.
Play on,
Jamie Fisher
President, Pickleball El Paso Association