First row (left to right): Jennifer Valverde, Nancy Nix, Chris Gray, Alison Haney, Pam Steube, Linda Wright, Liza First, Carol Sacs, Sheila Davidson, and Penny Oster; back row: Joe Valverde, Gary Nix, Joe Gray, Bruce Haney, Milan Steube, Randy Wright, David First, Ed Watson, Marty Knezovich, and Russ Oster; not shown: Russ Sacks, Cindy Valancius, Eileen and Joel Wagner, and Mike and Sue Schuster (Photo by Debbie Witten)
Debbie Witten
In early spring, Alison and Bruce Haney decided to get four SaddleBrooke Ranch couples together each Monday evening to play pickleball. First, they play with their spouses as their pickleball partners against another couple. Then, the group plays round robin for five games, playing randomly with all the members of the group. The last game is again played with their partners.
The ranking of each couple is not considered in this group. Their shared love for playing pickleball with their spouses has them playing through the monsoon and the summer heat. The group has now grown to 12 couples! Since this group is now full, others may want to start a similar group of pickleball couples. You can begin by asking one other couple to join you, and then both couples can invite additional couples to join them. Setting a mutually convenient day and time to play is of course a necessity. There are so many ways to enjoy playing pickleball and Monday night couples is one of them!