David Zapatka Dinking is often misunderstood as purely defensive play—a soft, patient exchange while you wait for your opponent to make a mistake. The most effective pickleball players know that dinking can be a powerful offensive weapon. Aggressive dinking transforms you from a passive participant into the player dictating the pace and creating opportunities to…
Category: January 2026
January 2026, Sports
Tucson Firebirds’ Let Freedom Swing B Division Tournament Champions
Morlin Hastings The SaddleBrooke Rattlers softball team brought home a hard-fought championship from the Firebirds’ second annual Let Freedom Swing Tournament held in Green Valley. The Rattlers finished the seeding round with a record of 3-1, earning them the second seed going into the single elimination round on Sunday. Injuries started to pile up for…
January 2026, Sports
Putters November Winners
Pat Albu The snowbirds have returned, and our Ranchette Putters’ numbers are increasing every week, with an average of 82 putters each week. Here are our November prize winners: Lowest Gross Average: Sue Marx, 34.25 2nd Lowest: Terri Stewart, 34.33 3rd Lowest: Mary Anderson, 35.25 Lowest Net Average: Bernice Casey, 32.60 2nd Lowest: Vickie Keller,…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
National Parks Club Is Expanding
Linda Harvey The SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) National Parks Club is pleased to announce that it will be expanding its topics to include all Public Lands, including State Parks. * Our Jan. 13 meeting features two guests from Catalina State Park. Park Historian Pat Damiani will present a program entitled “Catalina State Park—Past, Present, Future.” Ranger…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
Ranch Democrats Hosted Important Water Lecture and Food Drive
M.C. Nelson SaddleBrooke Ranch Democrats invited Arizona Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan from Tucson’s Legislative District 18 to review the state of water locally and in Arizona. Priya, a Tucson native, has taught natural resource law at the University of Arizona and previously advocated for sustainable resource management with the Environmental Defense Fund. She holds…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
Minnesota Club Holiday Happy Hour and Holiday Trivia Time
Donna Pedota The Minnesota Club met for a Holiday Happy Hour and some fun (but challenging) holiday Minnesota-focused trivia questions. We played two rounds of themed questions such as “What would be the percentage of having a White Christmas across Minnesota?” “What famous Christmas movie was filmed in Minnesota?” and “What do Swedish children leave…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
British Club: Carols, Cocktails, and Canapes
Mary (Twink) Gates Carols, Cocktails, and Canapes kicked off the holiday season for 42 members of the British Club at the home of Lynne Pendlebury and Mike Sachse on Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. It was so much fun with each member being decked out with choices of necklaces of flashing Christmas lights, headdresses of…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
Ranch Roots Genealogy Club Announces Beginning Genealogy Class
Karen Daly Peltier Are you intrigued by family history? Always wondered how your family came here and what they left behind? Are you unsure how to even start building your family tree? Then this is the place for you! The SaddleBrooke Ranch Genealogy Club, Ranch Roots, will host a Beginning Genealogy class on Jan. 7…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
Spotlight on Ron Lenz
Joyce Wainscott Intensely observant, intellectually curious, precisely diagnostic, and laser-focused on problem solving: all terms defining Ron Lenz, past president of SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary. Ron was born in Wisconsin in 1947; his brother Russell in 1955. Their father was a sheet metal worker, their mother a homemaker. In 1957 Ron’s family moved to the maternal…
January 2026, Clubs & Classes
New Year, Stronger You: Fitness Resolution
Debbie McGrady, Certified Personal Trainer Well it is that time of year again! Time for that New Year’s resolution. Especially time and opportunity to make this the best year ever! As we all know, as we age it becomes even more important to keep our bodies healthy as well as maintaining a healthy brain. One…