ANNOUNCER: Canadian Snowbirds Stan and Maureen
were introduced to the growing sport of pickleball on a family visit to Arizona.
With a new interest in pickleball, they made their way to the world renowned Palm Springs area...
known for its gorgeous weather and friendly atmosphere and settled in nearby Cathedral City.
Once established in this new community, their pickleball adventure began.
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»STAN: Maureen and I were born on the same day in the same hospital. We met
when we were 16 years old. »MAUREEN: He was the bad boy in town.
He was the one that had all the fast cars. »STAN: I've always had a love for cars. She just
gives me a hard time because I spend too much money on it, that's all. »MAUREEN: Well I always was
into fitness. I was a runner. Mostly that's what I do. I've done yoga.
I like to run, I like to hike, I like to bike. I do that kind of thing. I like to read.
»STAN: Then when we first started going together, I don't know, there was a chemistry there that just said...
yeah, we like being around one another. When we retired we were really worried because
our kids were gone. Here we've got this house. So I said, "Well, either we're going to fight...
»MAUREEN: What do we do now? »STAN: ...or be happy. No, we ended up
just changing our lives. We knew we wanted to stay in Palm Springs.
There's more to do here, for us. We stopped in Phoenix
to see Maureen's brother and sister-in-law. They have a house in Surprise...
...or just outside Surprise. And that's where we got introduced to pickleball.
So they took us out on the court and showed us how to play. And we said, "Gee, this is kind of fun, you know...
... we could do this!" So then we came down here. »MAUREEN: We bought the paddles.
»STAN: Yeah, we bought paddles there. »MAUREEN: Then we started looking for places to play pickleball.
And that was a search. We just kept circling around this area looking
for pickleball courts. And there just wasn't anything. And then somebody finally said 2nd Street Park
had them. But then we found it and it was just two tennis courts
over-striped with two pickleball courts. So, it was a place to start. So we started
bouncing the ball back and forth. And we met a lady here and she came with us. So the three of us were there.
And we said, "We have to get some more people playing. This could get pretty boring." So last January
about the 15th I said, "Let's have an organizational meeting
for pickleball." And then on Saturday about 6 people came.
And then they talked to some people. And then the next day there was another four or five.
And then there was another four or five. »CINDY: Stan and Maureen have been instrumental
in creating the club, sustaining the club and just taking us
forward. I mean, in this small amount of time, they have just taken this under their wing.
And without them, you know, I mean we just, we wouldn't have this at all.
»STAN: Within two weeks we had outgrown the two courts that were there.
We realized that this thing is gonna go bigger than what we thought.
So, I said to Maureen, I said, "Well, let's go see Cathedral City and see if we can
make some kind of deal with them. Maybe they'll put in some courts or resurface or do something."
»MAYOR DE ROSA: Yeah, I got a call from Stan.
He introduced himself. He wanted to talk to us about pickleball.
And we all kind of looked at each other and kind of laughed. What is he talking about? And I invited him
into our office. And he began to unfold what pickleball was, how the game was played...
what they needed. »STAN: If we're playing here, we're gonna shop
more here and we're gonna spend more money here at restaurants and other things.
When I told them that would probably happen, they took a chance and...
believed us. But that's what's happening today. »MAYOR DE ROSA: And we were able to then
accommodate them. It was exciting. It was just great that they were able to
convert an old park that wasn't being used into something vital and alive today.
»TED: And now we've turned it into a great facility that
people now just come here because they know we meet five days a week from
8 to 10 in the morning. »STAN: So that was about the first of March of last year.
So we had approximately thirty people at that
time playing pickleball. By the end of March we had sixty people
playing pickleball. »MAYOR DE ROSA: And the park has just exploded. It is so
wonderful to see the people that are down there most mornings. But here in tiny
Cathedral City there are literally hundreds of people that come out to play pickleball.
»STAN: To date I think we have just under 200 members.
»MAUREEN: Yeah. 192 I think. ♪♪ upbeat music ♪♪
♪♪ upbeat music ♪♪ »MAN: It's just fun being here in Cathedral City.
The mayor was so kind enough to put pickleball here. »WOMAN: It's just so addicting.
And it's so fun. Any ages can play.
»ANOTHER WOMAN: Well, with Maureen and Stan, it was amazing. They got two
people to start and now - this. I mean, just take a look around.
So that tells you something. »MAUREEN: Well, what we love about it is that we invite everybody.
Everyone that comes up to the fence we invite them in. We teach them how to play.
There's a lot of people from Cathedral City. There's people from Desert Hot Springs that are coming down.
It's really getting to be a drawing area for the whole Cathedral area...
for anyone that's interested in pickleball. Stan was trying to get the Mayor... »STAN: Oh, this is not funny.
»MAUREEN: This is funny. The mayor and her husband to come down and play. »MAYOR DE ROSA: You know, I threw one
over the net and hit it short on purpose. And he went to get it...
and he went down. And I'm sorry he got hurt but I
was winning. [ laughs ] »MAUREEN: Anyway, he came back the next day and had
a little band aid and some scrapes. But he says, "No, no, I'll be back, I'll be back."
I really like the social aspect of pickleball. You get to meet
some interesting people. You have a lot of laughs on the court. That's probably the best thing about it.
»CINDY: It's been phenomenal. And it's given me a venue to experience
and be active. And it's done that for so many people.
»MAUREEN: And you know, it's a great fitness thing too. You know, I bike down there. I play pickleball for three hours. I bike back.
This is pretty good for an old lady. You know, you get to think that your fitness level
is really much, much better. »STAN: You know, I've taken from society for so many years.
As a kid, you know, you take, you take, you take. You always want. Finally we're having a chance
to give back to our community. »MAYOR DE ROSA: The Stan and Maureens out there - if you
have an idea I strongly encourage you to go to your elected leaders
and talk to them. Sit down with them. And say to them, "Listen. We have an idea. How can we...
work together?" This has truly become for me a partnership with the community.
»STAN: That just makes me feel so good, you know. And I think that's my greatest love
for pickleball right now is the reward that we're finally giving something
back to the community that we've taken so much from.
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»ANNOUNCER: Just like with Stan and Maureen, pickleball can bring us together
to celebrate community, learn new things and have fun.
If you know someone we should feature on a future episode, we would love to hear from you. All you have
to do is send us an email and tell us your idea. This episode of "I Heart Pickleball"
has been brought to you by Hyland's Leg Cramps.
America's number one over-the-counter leg cramp medicine. For more information go to...
Hylands.com.
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