Turnouts

Pickleball

Sun City’s Pickleball Club completed its 2010 outdoor season in September with a three-part tournament involving doubles teams. A double-elimination playoff was held in three categories: men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles.

Winners of the men’s division were Ken Andersen and Rich Langworthy. Topping everyone in the women’s category were Liz Gothier and Kay Romano. Winning the mixed doubles were Ken Andersen and Diane Olsen. The tourney was held on the Tennis Club’s courts 3 and 4.

Pickleball activity now returns to the Cosman Center of the Huntley Park District, where the Club members play in the fall and winter.

“Pickleball is gaining popularity among all ages,” said Olsen, who was one of the founders of the club’s indoor activities, along with former Sun City resident Priscilla Scott. “I have two grandchildren who play the sport in their school’s physical education classes in Crystal Lake.”

The sport is a combination of tennis and badminton, with a touch of ping-pong. A pickleball court is identical to a badminton court: 20 x 44 feet, which is smaller than a tennis court. A 36-inch high net is used. Serves must be hit underhand from the back line. Each team must play their first shots off the bounce. After that, they can either volley or play the ball on a bounce. No volleying is permitted within seven feet of the net. Players use a wooden or graphite paddle that is a tad larger than a ping-pong paddle. “It’s a game of shot placement and patience, not power or strength,” says the pickleball.com website.

Games are played to 11 points, and a team must win by two points. Points are lost by hitting the ball out of bounds (out of the striped court), hitting into the net, or stepping into the non-volley zone and volleying the ball. The ball is a plastic wiffle ball, which is the same size as a tennis ball but lighter in weight.

“We had about 30 players participate this summer,” said George Michaels, president. “The number is slowly growing.”

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Softball

Big Hitters, Lumbar Jacks are softball tournament winners

Sun City’s 16-inch Softball Club will hold its season-ending banquet and awards ceremonies at Village Hall Banquets (formerly Donley’s) in Union on Thursday, Oct. 7.

Teams that finished in first place during the regular season and those that won the post-season playoffs will be recognized.

The top four teams in each of the club’s seven-team leagues—American and National—qualified for playoff competition. In first-round games, the Knights eliminated the Fuelers, 11-6; and the Big Hitters topped the Citizens, 6-2, in the National League semifinals. The Lumbar Jacks defeated Model T’s, 15-8; and the Adjusters bested the Tappers, 12-9, in the American League.

In the championship games, the Big Hitters edged the Knights, 4-2, for the National title; and the Lumbar Jacks outscored the Adjusters, 8-4, for the American crown.

Each team played 19 regular-season games this season. Several hundred Sun City men participated in the games at Eakin Field this past spring and summer.

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