Last week, I met with Jim Harris, president of the pickleball club in the active adult resort known as Trilogy at Vistancia. Located northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, it is a beautiful community that is still growing.
Jim Harris, President A few years ago, resident Mike Pagliarulo and a group of pickleball enthusiasts were playing on taped, temporary courts. After much work, they succeeded in convincing the community HOA and the builder, Shea Homes, to build four new pickleball courts which became a reality in December of 2013.
The adage, “if you build it, they will come,” is true in Vistancia. Suddenly the new courts were full of players, and the club continued to grow.
Last year, the group held their first tournament. They set up four temporary courts on space borrowed from the tennis club and arranged with PickleballTournaments.com to oversee the brackets.
The tournament was well attended with 167 players, and many of the locals enjoyed their first tournament. Jim and his coordinators were gratified by the many comments they received afterward, saying how well the tourney was run, how much fun it was, and asking when the next one would be.
The adage, “if you build it, they will come,” is true in Vistancia. Suddenly the new courts were full of players, and the club continued to grow.
Last year, the group held their first tournament. They set up four temporary courts on space borrowed from the tennis club and arranged with PickleballTournaments.com to oversee the brackets.
The tournament was well attended with 167 players, and many of the locals enjoyed their first tournament. Jim and his coordinators were gratified by the many comments they received afterward, saying how well the tourney was run, how much fun it was, and asking when the next one would be.
This year, they have tier 4 USAPA sponsorship for their age 50+ skill-level tournament, and they’ve drawn an even larger crowd: 225 players from seven different states. The tournament,
with 3.0, 3.5, an 4.0 brackets, will take place from October 16–18. Not bad for a club that began on taped-off borrowed courts just six years ago.
Of course, there will also be more sponsors and booths. The Worth Group, Shea Homes, Liberty Buick, and Massage Envy are just a few of the sponsors, and many more have helped make this tournament a reality. If you are nearby and need equipment, come see Selkirk, ZZT Sports, Omni, Paddletek, and many others who will display their goods. The funds from this tournament will go toward creating shade structures over the seating areas around the courts.Jim says his club has about fifteen 4.0-ranked players now, with more on the way. Some of the Trilogy Vistancia residents medaled last year, and he hopes more will again this time. When I asked if he had difficulty finding people to referee, Jim said no—perhaps because the club buys lunch if the refs work four matches.
Talk turned to Jim himself, and I learned that he was sidelined for a while not long ago with a head injury sustained while playing pickleball. He admitted that he used to be a “go for it” kind of guy, and that extended to reaching for a far ball that was too near the fence. The fence got the better of that encounter, and Jim has the scar to prove it. He says he thinks about it more now when shots like that come along.
He also told me that his wife, Sharol, is now a better player than he is, a fact of which he’s proud. Neither of them had heard of pickleball when they moved to Arizona from Oregon in 1999. They both fell in love with the sport immediately. Sharol kept playing while Jim was recovering, and she has surpassed him, although they’ve started playing together again recently, which Jim says he loves.
Knowing how fast clubs outgrow their facilities, I asked if they had visions of more courts in their future. Jim said he's been negotiating with the HOA and Shea Homes again about expansion, and now a new area of Vistancia is being developed, and the builder plans to include both new tennis and pickleball courts.
I enjoyed getting to know Jim better, and I wish all the folks at Trilogy at Vistancia well with their upcoming tournament.
Of course, there will also be more sponsors and booths. The Worth Group, Shea Homes, Liberty Buick, and Massage Envy are just a few of the sponsors, and many more have helped make this tournament a reality. If you are nearby and need equipment, come see Selkirk, ZZT Sports, Omni, Paddletek, and many others who will display their goods. The funds from this tournament will go toward creating shade structures over the seating areas around the courts.Jim says his club has about fifteen 4.0-ranked players now, with more on the way. Some of the Trilogy Vistancia residents medaled last year, and he hopes more will again this time. When I asked if he had difficulty finding people to referee, Jim said no—perhaps because the club buys lunch if the refs work four matches.
Talk turned to Jim himself, and I learned that he was sidelined for a while not long ago with a head injury sustained while playing pickleball. He admitted that he used to be a “go for it” kind of guy, and that extended to reaching for a far ball that was too near the fence. The fence got the better of that encounter, and Jim has the scar to prove it. He says he thinks about it more now when shots like that come along.
He also told me that his wife, Sharol, is now a better player than he is, a fact of which he’s proud. Neither of them had heard of pickleball when they moved to Arizona from Oregon in 1999. They both fell in love with the sport immediately. Sharol kept playing while Jim was recovering, and she has surpassed him, although they’ve started playing together again recently, which Jim says he loves.
Knowing how fast clubs outgrow their facilities, I asked if they had visions of more courts in their future. Jim said he's been negotiating with the HOA and Shea Homes again about expansion, and now a new area of Vistancia is being developed, and the builder plans to include both new tennis and pickleball courts.
I enjoyed getting to know Jim better, and I wish all the folks at Trilogy at Vistancia well with their upcoming tournament.
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