David Zapatka Are you getting tired of playing the bangers? They have one strategy; hit the ball as hard as they can. They rarely hit third shot drop shots. What can you do? There are two options. The first is the punch volley, a volley hit hard and deep. The second is the soft volley,…
Tag: Pickleball
Sports, September 2020
Pickleball Club Player Profile
Dave Parker Beginning this month, the Pickleball Club would like to highlight some of our members. Our club is over 500 strong and includes young to old and beginners to advanced. No matter what, there is a passion for playing the game and improving every day. This month, we would like to highlight Nancy Fadrowski,…
Sports, August 2020
The Third Shot Drop. Why Is It So Important?
David Zapatka The third shot drop is a shot performed near the baseline that lands softly in the opponents’ kitchen. The shot is designed with one thing in mind—get your team to the net. The mechanics of the third shot drop are simple. The ball sails up into the air and drops into the kitchen…
Front Page, August 2020
Pickleball Skills Development
Dave Parker No matter what level a pickleball player is, there is always some skill to work on. The person at Robson Ranch Pickleball Club that oversees all skill development is Donna Henry. Donna is charged with organizing and developing skills development programs tailored to the needs of each level within the club. Clinics focus…
Sports, September 2019
Interview with Pickleballer Chuck Utzman
Pat Austin Charles (Chuck) Darwin Utzman was born on Oct.1, 1929, by a country doctor in a farmhouse in Miles, TX. As a youngster, he worked behind mules picking cotton and milking cows. He attended a country school through the ninth grade. It was discovered that his actual birth was never filed so there was…
Clubs & Classes, September 2019
Robson Ranch Denton Pickleball Club league champions crowned
Mark Kellam The club’s first league play wrapped up on August 8, with our championship matches. Starting the last regular season week, four out of six teams had a chance to make the championships. But we could only have two finalists. The championship match featured Steve Farabi, Susan Beggs, and Steve Kucharski versus Barb Wise (sub:…
Sports, August 2019
Robson Ranch Denton Pickleball Club – league play underway
Mark Kellam With the success of other club leagues (softball, bocce, Texas toss), Robson Ranch Denton Pickleball Club has started league play. The pickleball club has over 450 members and the desire for more avenues to play is growing. Our first league is from our “A” players. In this league, selection was based on players…
Sports, July 2019
Pickleball on the high seas
Tom Michelsen Recently, a few couples from our Robson Ranch Denton Pickleball Club were on a Holland America TransAtlantic Cruise. Destination: Amsterdam. Pickleball is now becoming an activity offered on cruise ships. This ship had two very nice pickleball courts, with all the equipment needed to have fun! We enjoyed many days of playing and…
Sports, May 2019
Cheers to the volunteers
To show her appreciation to the dedicated volunteers of the Robson Ranch Denton Pickleball Club Social Committee, Pat Austin, 2018 Social Chair, invited the volunteers to her home for homemade pizzas and margaritas. A message from Pat: We had a very busy year with three tournaments, but who’s counting! Then banquets, 4th of July float…
Sports, May 2019
USAPA Mid-South Regional Tournament
Robson Ranch Denton, Texas was the host site for the 2019 USAPA Mid-South Regional Tournament on March 29-31. The Ranch, as it is commonly known, has 16 permanent pickleball courts with six adjacent tennis courts that were set up as 24 additional temporary pickleball courts for a total of 40 courts. Thirty-two courts were used…