History of the Pickleball club in Sun City Center, Florida
The sport of Pickleball came to life on the South Campus of the Sun City Center Community Association in December of 2001. Don Van Gelder of the Sun City Center Community Association joint programs office and Walter Cawein, past-president of the S.C.C. Community Association, visited pickleball courts at The Villages near Ocala Florida, when considering new facilities for Sun City Center. With the enthusiastic support of our local residents, construction of two pickleball courts and a combination pickleball-volleyball court began in June, 2001. The first informational meeting of the Sun City Center Pickleball Club was held in August, 2001, and organizational meetings followed. The first Officers were elected in November, 2001, with Ron Hammaker serving as the first S.C.C. Pickleball Club President. The courts were completed in December, 2001, and the first players hit the courts immediately.
There have been fifteen presidents since the Sun City Center Pickleball Club was founded:
- Ron Hammaker (November 2001 - December 2002)
- Garry Macferran (2003)
- Neal Nightingale (2004)
- Elizabeth Meadows (2005 - 2006)
- Melony Grazano (2007 - 2008)
- Michael Perkins (2009 -2010)
- Theo Council (2011)
- Gary Nicolay (2012)
- Jerry Benningfield (2013)
- Gary Nicolay (2014)
- Renee Bray (2015 - 2017)
- Frenchy Levesque (2017 - 2019)
- Mary Taylor (2019)
- Tom Hoffman (2020-2021)
- Jeff Williams (2021)
Over the years, the SCC Community Association has supported improvements to the Pickleball facility, in addition to enhancements made possible via SCC Pickleball Club fundraising events. On September 8, 2007, two additional pickleball courts were built as the result of Club funds and a $15,000.00 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Sun City Center/Durward & Janet Siville Fund. During 2010, a new misting system was installed in the player waiting area. Lighting for 3 Courts was also added enabling play after dark. In 2016, the Community Association approved one more additional court to support the growing club membership and popularity of the sport within the SCC community. The club donated funds for upgraded LED lighting on all 5 courts. With the support of the Sun City Center Community Association, the pickleball courts are kept in excellent condition for the Club’s enthusiastic membership that now totals over 345 members.
The Sun City Center Pickleball Club becomes more and more popular with each passing year. Participants benefit from great exercise while having a lot of fun. The residents of Sun City Center Florida , are fortunate to have such an excellent pickleball facility for their enjoyment.