All hail the kings and queens of pickleball

Pickleball has been around for centuries, but one Sun Citian declared a royal change to the game.

Mark Schinler moved into SunCity in May 2019. He started playing pickleball in July 2019. And then, he was hooked.

Schinler has introduced a twist to Sun City’s Pickleball Courts. It’s called King/Queen of the Court, and it is a fun and competitive game variant for all levels. The pilot program started here in Sun City, and residents have taken to the new game. It quickly became a hit.

Mike Christy, current President of the Pickleball Club, said, “Commoners seeking royal status? That’s been a regular occurrence at the Pickleball courts despite some chilly weather. Players regularly compete to earn the title of King or Queen.”

How does the game work?

Schinler said, “With the random draw of playing cards, players are assigned to their courts in groups of four or five. Each player plays with every other player on their court in the qualifying round. Scores are recorded after each game. The two men and two women with the highest point totals from all the courts advance to the finals. They face off in the King and Queen challenge match, a mixed doubles game that ultimately determines that session’s King and Queen of the court.”

This format combines skill, chance, and fun. It takes skill to win enough points to advance and win the King and Queen challenge match. The opponents are chosen completely by chance using playing cards.

Schinler said, “It’s hard not to have fun when you are playing with a great group of people.”

What inspired the creation of the game?

Schinler said, “John Bullard, an esteemed member of our club, made some modifications to an existing club game and it was hugely successful. This gave me the idea to create a brand-new game.”

Although the weather cooperated to allow for an extended pickleball season, the end of the season was in sight.

Schinler said, “It was the end of the organized playing season and we were encouraged to form our post-season playgroups. A bunch of us wanted to keep playing for as long as the weather held out. I wanted to try a new format that was different and added more excitement, so I took the best parts of our club’s organized games, modified some of the rules, and added some others. It’s been a collaborative experience ever since. And that brings us to the end-of-season King and Queens tournament.”

The weather cooperated for the tournament and games started first thing in the morning on Tuesday November 16. At the end of the day, the Club had its King and Queen, Ted Reffett and Bev Perkins.

Schinler said, “Bev Perkins, Tournament Queen. Quite a ring to that, along with a tiara too. Bev was a regular competitor in the King and Queen events. She won a Queen’s Title once and finished runner-up once. This lady never quits. She never complains. She never backs away from a challenge. She’ll compete with you no matter your skill level.”

Schinler also commented on the King.

He said, “Ted has been a regular player during the King & Queen events, rarely missing a chance to play. He came close to winning a previous King’s Title, making the finals twice but falling just a bit short both times. Today was different. Ted fought his way through the Wild Card Qualifier, a 7-game match for non-titlists.”

Carol Smith, another pickleball player said, “I’ve been playing pickleball for about three years. Never heard of it until we moved here. It’s been a great way for my husband and me to get to know people and for us to have an activity we enjoy doing together! We both enjoy Kings/Queens games.”

What did the crowned King and Queen have to say about their victory?

Perkins said, “Thanks to all my partners who held me up and I love this game.”

Reffett said, “It was a great day for pickleball. I enjoyed playing with a fun bunch of people.”

Schinler’s game is traveling across the country.

Lou Farinella has taken the Sun City version of Kings and Queen with him to Florida.

“I haven’t started it as of yet. I’m looking to start it in either January or February. A lot going on right in December so will wait for a good time to introduce the game to our members”

Another resident Janet Robinson is going to introduce the game in Arizona,” he said.

Robinson said, “I am looking forward to starting a ‘Kings and Queens’ group in Mesa at our RV park. It’s perfect. With this set-up, you can play with both men and women at your level. The pairings on each court are completely random and every player has the chance to make it to the ‘King and Queen’ match. This format allows every player to be competitive while still enjoying the social part of pickleball.”

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