LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT
BARBARA WINTROUB ’ S
Desert Pickleball League
Barbara Wintroub has played tennis for 60 years and has taught tennis as a USPTA teaching pro for 20 years . Her experience made running a pickleball league much easier .
Seven years ago , when she first moved to the Coachella Valley ( Palm Springs / Palm Desert ), Ambassador Chris Thomas helped Barbara become the first female ambassador in the area . “ We opened so many new venues with so many unanswered questions , I decided to start a free inter-club social league to bring the community together ,” says Barbara . “ The league has grown from eight to 25 clubs with more growth on the horizon .”
Every year in November , either a pickleball captain or tennis / pickleball pro attends a pre-competition meeting to discuss issues such as
converting tennis courts to pickleball , growing membership , what companies build good courts , how to set up clinics , etc . The group also determines who can field a team of eight players and who can ’ t . If some clubs have only two or three players , they combine them with another club or two so all can participate .
The season is January through April and Barbara organizes a list of captains and sets up two competitions a month . The other two weeks of the month the captains can choose two more clubs to compete against . The play is very laid back . Captains might pair one partner from each club to compete against other mixed teams . Most players are 3.0 to 4.0 . Scores are not recorded .
“ In the future , as players get more competitive , the league dynamics might change . I do this for free because I enjoy helping players and giving back ,” says Barbara . •
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