The presentation below was 15 minutes long and it was great. But if you don’t have the time to read it all the way through, let me summarize the more significant facts.

STC has added 108 new Members in the last 10 months.67% of these are HOA2 residents.

Tennis, according to a recent survey, is the 4th most popular sport in the world—with 17.9 million players in the U.S. and 1 Billion fans worldwide.

Although PB is deservedly considered a growing sport, it had only 3.3 million players in 2019. It does not even make the Top Ten of most popular. Tennis continues to be a major choice.

Contributing to the demand on Saddlebrooke tennis courts is the addition of a whole new sport —POP Tennis.

There is another demand on the Tennis courts. STC currently has 480 Members, but ALL residents, Members or not, are guaranteed the right to play on HOA tennis courts. It comes with their contracts and is paid for with their Homeowner’s dues. Although we cannot track their numbers, we see them regularly on the courts.

There is a belief that Tennis has fewer players per court than PB. The HOA2 Board has stated repeatedly that they want a fair and equitable use of HOA 2 resources. The Board explained to STC that this ratio was one of their reasons for “temporarily” granting PB use of 2 tennis courts.

So, of the 480 Tennis Members, 301 are HOA2 residents. There are 12 tennis courts in HOA2. 1 is off-line for damage, has been for awhile, and according to what STC has been told by the HOA2 Board, will be off-line until 2026 at least. 2 are being used by PB. That leaves 9 courts and 301 players. Or a ratio of 33.4 players per court. If the Preserve courts are returned to Tennis, the ratio would be 27 players per court.

PB has about 636 Members. Approximately 60% are HOA2 residents—or 382. There are 6 PB courts at Ridgeview with 8 more to be built. All are in HOA2.  So 14 courts, for a ratio of 27 players per court. Exactly the same as Tennis——assuming Tennis retains the 2 Preserve courts. So, the parity the HOA2 Board is striving for.

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To the HOA2 Board of Directors

The Saddlebrooke Tennis Club, representing 480 members, is overwhelmingly OPPOSED to the conversion of 2 Preserve tennis courts to Pickleball.

There is a host of seriously incorrect data being bandied about relative to Tennis, the Saddlebrooke Tennis Club, and Pickleball. It’s happening right now at this meeting. And, unfortunately, residents are using this data to form their opinions and make their decisions.

So, some facts:

#1 DEMAND.

The demand for Tennis in Saddlebrooke is high and growing. We need every tennis court.

STC has added 108 new Members in the last 10 months.67% of these are HOA2 residents. We continue to add new members every month. Many of these are new Saddlebrooke residents, and their stated reason for buying here is because of the large, active tennis community and the many opportunities to play tennis. A major factor in drawing this conclusion quickly while on a sales tour of communities, is the number of courts in Saddlebrooke. Proponents of PB are fond of saying the communities around us are adding PB-—so we need to get on the bandwagon. But, if you’re looking for Tennis, and clearly many are—buyers find Saddlebrooke is the place to be.

Tennis, according to a recent survey, is the 4th most popular sport in the world—with 17.9 million players in the U.S. and 1 Billion fans worldwide. Although PB is deservedly considered a growing sport, it had only 3.3 million players in 2019. It does not even make the Top Ten of most popular. Tennis continues to be a major choice.

Contributing to the demand on Saddlebrooke tennis courts is the addition of a whole new sport —POP Tennis. This is a new and growing sport, backed by one of the largest Sports Organizations in the world— USTA. POP is currently in its infancy, but is expected to have major growth. It attracts many for the same reasons as PB—it uses a smaller court and is easy to pick up and play. A sure recipe for growth in an active adult community. STC adds POP Members every month. 53 POP players have joined in the last 10 months. An additional 9 players have joined that play BOTH POP and tennis. In a recent survey, we found an average of 92% of POP players plan to continue. For the last 6 months, POP players have reserved an average of 13 courts a week. Even in the hottest summer ever. Starting in November, when the weather is cooler and the snowbirds are back, POP players expect to double their court requests.

Not only has STC added many new Members and a new sport, but many of the new players are younger and more active. As a result, there is an increase in normal court usage, and court demand during the approximately 8 months of League play has significantly increased. So it’s not just how many Members vs how many courts. It’s also a matter of how active the Members are.

League play is an integral part of the Tennis experience. Pickle ball has not yet reached this stage in its development—-but Tennis has been providing League play for many decades. So potential new residents and new Members naturally expect Saddlebrooke to have teams and play League.

STC members are enthusiastic participants. Over the last few years League play has grown dramatically. We used to play in 3 Leagues. Now we play in 5. We field multiple teams per League. Some Leagues require 3 contiguous courts, some require 5. Multiple teams in multiple Leagues can play on the same day. The Preserve is a significant site for League play because it has 3 courts and can host a League match. With just 1 court that is impossible. Last League season the Preserve courts were critical to our teams.

And League play has proven to be excellent advertising for Saddlebrooke. We are justifiably considered the best courts in Tucson. Some of our Members came here as opponents and ended up moving here.

And last, but definitely not least, there is another demand on the Tennis courts. STC currently has 480 Members, but ALL residents, Members or not, are guaranteed the right to play on HOA tennis courts. It comes with their contracts and is paid for with their Homeowner’s dues.

Although we cannot track their numbers, we see them regularly on the courts.

#2 USAGE.

We have seen the usage numbers used to determine that Tennis has courts to spare. We disagree. These numbers are inherently inaccurate because our data acquisition processes differ. The numbers Liam presented are very limited and do not represent full court usage.

STC does not have an on-line reservation system. Our reservations are done by our staff coordinators. These reservations are done for 3 sessions a day. The vast majority of these reservations are specific requests and all players on the court are known. So we know the court reservations are actually used. That does not mean the courts are not in use outside of these bookings. They most definitely are. Members play outside of the 3 sessions all the time. Non-Members and Members can walk onto a non-reserved court at any time. STC knows these are regular occurrences. But we have no way of tracking that usage and neither does anyone else.

Pickleball does have an on-line reservation system. It is quite full some, and can show reservations all day. BUT, we are all aware that those reservations are not actually the same thing as usage. Players change their minds but don’t cancel, courts reserved for Drop In do not draw any players, group play leaders don’t cancel when they don’t have players, and so forth. So Tennis usage numbers show less usage than actual.

And PB usage numbers show more usage than actual.

#3 PARITY.

There is a belief that Tennis has fewer players per court than PB. The HOA2 Board has stated repeatedly that they want a fair and equitable use of HOA 2 resources. They explained to STC that this ratio was one of their reasons for “temporarily” granting PB use of 2 tennis courts.

So we calculated the ratio of players- per-court for Tennis and Pickleball. In calculating this number, we included only HOA2 resources and HOA2 resident players. This is an HOA2 problem and should be determined using the relevant HOA2 facts. Plus, the reciprocity agreement will soon expire and no one knows if there will be any access to HOA1.

So, of the 480 Tennis Members, 301 are HOA2 residents. There are 12 tennis courts in HOA2. 1 is off-line for damage, has been for awhile, and according to what STC has been told by the HOA2 Board, will be off-line until 2026 at least. 2 are being used by PB. That leaves 9 courts and 301 players. Or a ratio of 33.4 players per court. If the Preserve courts are returned to Tennis, the ratio would be 27 players per court.

PB has about 636 Members. Approximately 60% are HOA2 residents—or 382. There are 6 PB courts at Ridgeview with 8 more to be built. All are in HOA2.  So 14 courts, for a ratio of 27 players per court. Exactly the same as Tennis——assuming Tennis retains the 2 Preserve courts. So, the parity the HOA2 Board is striving for.

But, if PB is granted the 2 Preserve courts—for an additional 8 PB courts, they would have 22 pickle ball courts for 382 Members. A ratio of 17 players per court! In this scenario Tennis’ ratio is 33.4 players per court. Approximately Twice as many as PB. Definitely NOT parity.

Clearly, the goal of parity is only reached with the completion of the Ridgeview Center and the return of the two Preserve courts to Tennis.

#4 THINGS TO CONSIDER

PB says: “We have far more tennis courts in Saddlebrooke than in any other retirement community”. Anecdotal until proven, not facts, but even so, in our eyes that’s a good thing. We attract the retirees that want an active tennis community. Real estate brokers are not complaining.

There is a serious lack of inventory and median prices are rising in Saddlebrooke. And in the Preserve, the major development area of SB & HOA2, houses are selling faster than they can be built. And PB says—“PB members who travel find themselves playing on converted tennis courts.” Again anecdotal.

But, OK, so— so what? HERE, in Saddlebrooke, demand for tennis courts is growing not declining. This is where the issue is, not out there somewhere.

And PB says —“Real estate professionals have reported to us that persons looking to buy in Saddlebrooke ask about pickleball more than any other amenity”. PB has been saying for years that people won’t buy in Saddlebrooke because there aren’t enough PB courts.

Again, I refer you to our prior statement. Real estate sales and home values are not being negatively impacted by the fewer number of PB courts in our community. Quite the opposite. What would impact sales is putting 8 PB courts in the middle of a quiet, upscale residential community.

One community cannot be everything to everybody—nor should it try. Saddlebrooke was created as a golf and tennis community. There is nothing wrong, and much still right about that today.

And PB says, there is a noise study commissioned by PB, that proves MT View and DV cannot pass the noise test but the Preserve can. The HOA2 Board explained that this is why the Preserve courts were chosen. This study is from 2009, seriously outdated, AND, PB has refused to allow STC to see this study. You have to ask— why?

And—There is much reliance on the various HOA2 sponsored survey findings. We do not have time today to review the problems built into each of these, but consider this one thing: just because some residents stated more PB courts is a good idea, DOES NOT mean those same residents want PB courts anywhere near their home. The 2019 DV Upgrade Survey is a case in point.

And—STC has just been told by J. Sarsam, a Robson VP, that the reciprocal agreement for 6 PB courts at the Ranch should be back in place by Oct 19. Since the stated reason for temporarily using the Preserve tennis courts

was the loss of the Ranch courts because of COVID-19 restrictions, this means that the Preserve courts will no longer be needed, even temporarily, as of Oct 19 and should be returned promptly.

And—Pickleball has offered to pay the $67,000 they say it will take to convert the 2 courts into 8 PB courts. BUT, if ever in the future they return to Tennis courts they want to be reimbursed $38K. Why should the HOA residents have to pay them? If residents were allowed to vote and they voted for PB, knowing this clause was included, that would be a different story. But they are not and have not.

And last, contrary to popular opinions, the Tennis community is not opposed to Pickleball. We are opposed to the idea that the only solution to PB’s expressed desire for additional courts is to take over tennis courts. We do not believe diminishing one amenity to satisfy another is in anyone’s best interest.

We do support the expansion at Ridgeview to create a PB Center. HOA2 homeowners already paid for the land to do this during transition. All PB courts in one area allows for use and events that scattering courts from one end of Saddlebrooke to the other does not. Yes, the construction process is slow. But impatience does not justify demanding tennis courts be converted. We need to stay the course, and push to get the PB Center completed.

We support the DEMAND, USAGE, and PARITY facts that all clearly show the need for tennis courts to remain tennis courts.

We support our residents and Members who are passionate about Tennis . Who bought at Saddlebrooke so they could play the sport they love. Who bought with the understanding that the Tennis courts were here to stay.

We support understanding that buying into a community that does not have what you want, with the belief that it can be forced to fit your needs, is inherently short-sighted and selfish.

We support the return of the 2 Preserve courts to Tennis.

Thank you. STC Members

To the HOA2 BoD:

The Saddlebrooke Tennis Club, representing 480 members, is overwhelmingly OPPOSED to the conversion of 2 Preserve tennis courts to Pickleball.

There is a host of seriously incorrect data being bandied about relative to Tennis, the Saddlebrooke Tennis Club, and Pickleball. It’s happening right now at this meeting. And, unfortunately, residents are using this data to form their opinions and make their decisions.

So, some facts:

#1 DEMAND.

The demand for Tennis in Saddlebrooke is high and growing. We need every tennis court.

STC has added 108 new Members in the last 10 months.67% of these are HOA2 residents. We continue to add new members every month. Many of these are new Saddlebrooke residents, and their stated reason for buying here is because of the large, active tenniscommunity and the many opportunities to play tennis. Amajor factor in drawing this conclusion quickly while on a

sales tour of communities, is the number of courts in Saddlebrooke. Proponents of PB are fond of saying the communities around us are adding PB-—so we need to get on the bandwagon. But, if you’re looking for Tennis, and clearly many are—buyers find Saddlebrooke is the place to be.

Tennis, according to a recent survey, is the 4th most popular sport in the world—with 17.9 million players in the U.S. and 1 Billion fans worldwide. Although PB is deservedly considered a growing sport, it had only 3.3 million players in 2019. It does not even make the Top Ten of most popular. Tennis continues to be a major choice.

Contributing to the demand on Saddlebrooke tennis courts is the addition of a whole new sport —POP Tennis. This is a new and growing sport, backed by one of the largest Sports Organizations in the world— USTA. POP is currently in its infancy, but is expected to have major growth. It attracts many for the same reasons as PB—it uses a smaller court and is easy to pick up and play. A sure recipe for growth in an active adult community. STC adds POP Members every month. 53 POP players have joined in the last 10 months. An additional 9 players have joined that play BOTH POP and tennis. In a recent survey, we found an average of 92% of POP players plan to continue. For the last 6 months, POP players have reserved an average of 13 courts a week. Even in the hottest summer ever. Starting in November, when the weather is cooler and the snowbirds are back, POP players expect to double their court requests.

Not only has STC added many new Members and a new sport, but many of the new players are younger and more active. As a result, there is an increase in normal court usage, and court demand during the approximately 8 months of League play has significantly increased. So it’s not just how many Members vs how many courts. It’s also a matter of how active the Members are.

League play is an integral part of the Tennis experience. Pickle ball has not yet reached this stage in its development—-but Tennis has been providing League play for many decades. So potential new residents and new Members naturally expect Saddlebrooke to have teams and play League. STC members are enthusiastic participants.

Over the last few years League play has grown dramatically. We used to play in 3 Leagues. Now we play in 5. We field multiple teams per League. Some Leagues require 3 contiguous courts, some require 5. Multiple teams in multiple Leagues can play on the same day. The Preserve is a significant site for League play because it has 3 courts and can host a League match. With just 1 court that is impossible. Last League season the Preserve courts were critical to our teams.

And League play has proven to be excellent advertising for Saddlebrooke. We are justifiably considered the best courts in Tucson. Some of our Members came here as opponents and ended up moving here.

And last, but definitely not least, there is another demand on the Tennis courts. STC currently has 480 Members, but ALL residents, Members or not, are guaranteed the right to play on HOA tennis courts. It comes with their contracts and is paid for with their Homeowner’s dues.

Although we cannot track their numbers, we see them regularly on the courts.

#2 USAGE.

We have seen the usage numbers used to determine that Tennis has courts to spare. We disagree. These numbers are inherently inaccurate because our data acquisition processes differ. The numbers Liam presented are very limited and do not represent full court usage.

STC does not have an on-line reservation system. Our reservations are done by our staff coordinators. These reservations are done for 3 sessions a day. The vast majority of these reservations are specific requests and all players on the court are known. So we know the court reservations are actually used. That does not mean the courts are not in use outside of these bookings. They most definitely are. Members play outside of the 3 sessions all the time. Non-Members and Members can walk onto a non-reserved court at any time. STC knows these are regular occurrences. But we have no way of tracking that usage and neither does anyone else.

Pickleball does have an on-line reservation system. It is quite fullsome, and can show reservations all day. BUT, we are all aware that those reservations are not actually the same thing as usage. Players change their minds but don’t cancel, courts reserved for Drop In do not draw any players, group play leaders don’t cancel when they don’t have players, and so forth.

So Tennis usage numbers show less usage than actual.

And PB usage numbers show more usage than actual.

#3 PARITY.

There is a belief that Tennis has fewer players per court than PB. The HOA2 Board has stated repeatedly that they want a fair and equitable use of HOA 2 resources. They explained to STC that this ratio was one of their reasons for “temporarily” granting PB use of 2 tennis courts.

So we calculated the ratio of players- per-court for Tennis and Pickleball. In calculating this number, we included only HOA2 resources and HOA2 resident players. This is an HOA2 problem and should be determined using the relevant HOA2 facts. Plus, the reciprocity agreement will soon expire and no one knows if there will be any access to HOA1.

So, of the 480 Tennis Members, 301 are HOA2 residents.

There are 12 tennis courts in HOA2. 1 is off-line for damage, has been for awhile, and according to what STC has been told by the HOA2 Board, will be off-line until 2026 at least. 2 are being used by PB. That leaves 9 courts and 301 players. Or a ratio of 33.4 players per court.

If the Preserve courts are returned to Tennis, the ratio would be 27 players per court.

PB has about 636 Members. Approximately 60% are HOA2 residents—or 382. There are 6 PB courts at Ridgeview with 8 more to be built. All are in HOA2.  So 14 courts, for a ratio of 27 players per court. Exactly the same as Tennis——assuming Tennis retains the 2 Preserve courts. So, the parity the HOA2 Board is striving for.

But, if PB is granted the 2 Preserve courts—for an additional 8 PB courts, they would have 22 pickle ball courts for 382 Members. A ratio of 17 players per court!

In this scenario Tennis’ ratio is 33.4 players per court.

Approximately Twice as many as PB. Definitely NOT parity.

Clearly, the goal of parity is only reached with the completion of the Ridgeview Center and the return of the two Preserve courts to Tennis.

#4 THINGS TO CONSIDER

PB says: “We have far more tennis courts in Saddlebrooke than in any other retirement community”. Anecdotal until proven, not facts, but even so, in our eyes that’s a good thing. We attract the retirees that want an active tennis community. Real estate brokers are not complaining.

There is a serious lack of inventory and median prices are rising in Saddlebrooke. And in the Preserve, the major development area of SB & HOA2, houses are selling faster than they can be built.

And PB says—“PB members who travel find themselves playing on converted tennis courts.” Again anecdotal. But, OK, so— so what? HERE, in Saddlebrooke, demand for tennis courts is growing not declining. This is where the issue is, not out there somewhere.

And PB says —“Real estate professionals have reported to us that persons looking to buy in Saddlebrooke ask about pickleball more than any other amenity”. PB has been saying for years that people won’t buy in Saddlebrooke because there aren’t enough PB courts.

Again, I refer you to our prior statement. Real estate sales and home values are not being negatively impacted by the fewer number of PB courts in our community. Quite the opposite. What would impact sales is putting 8 PB courts in the middle of a quiet, upscale residential community.

One community cannot be everything to everybody—nor should it try. Saddlebrooke was created as a golf and tennis community. There is nothing wrong, and much still right about that today.

And PB says, there is a noise study commissioned by PB, that proves MT View and DV cannot pass the noise test but the Preserve can. The HOA2 Board explained that this is why the Preserve courts were chosen. This study is from 2009, seriously outdated, AND, PB has refused to allow STC to see this study. You have to ask— why?

And—There is much reliance on the various HOA2 sponsored survey findings. We do not have time today to review the problems built into each of these, but consider this one thing: just because some residents stated more PB courts is a good idea, DOES NOT mean those same residents want PB courts anywhere near their home. The 2019 DV Upgrade Survey is a case in point.

And—STC has just been told by J. Sarsam, a Robson VP, that the reciprocal agreement for 6 PB courts at the Ranch should be back in place by Oct 19. Since the stated reason for temporarily using the Preserve tennis courts was the loss of the Ranch courts because of COVID-19 restrictions, this means that the Preserve courts will no longer be needed, even temporarily, as of Oct 19 and should be returned promptly.

And—Pickleball has offered to pay the $67,000 they say it will take to convert the 2 courts into 8 PB courts. BUT, if ever in the future they return to Tennis courts they want to be reimbursed $38K. Why should the HOA residents have to pay them? If residents were allowed to vote and they voted for PB, knowing this clause was included, that would be a different story. But they are not and have not.

And last, contrary to popular opinions, the Tennis community is not opposed to Pickleball. We are opposed to the idea that the only solution to PB’s expressed desire for additional courts is to take over tennis courts. We do not believe diminishing one amenity to satisfy another is in anyone’s best interest.

We do support the expansion at Ridgeview to create a PB Center. HOA2 homeowners already paid for the land to do this during transition. All PB courts in one area allows for use and events that scattering courts from one end of Saddlebrooke to the other does not. Yes, the construction process is slow. But impatience does not justify demanding tennis courts be converted. We need to stay the course, and push to get the PB Center completed.

We support the DEMAND, USAGE, and PARITY facts that all clearly show the need for tennis courts to remain tennis courts.

We support our residents and Members who are passionate about Tennis . Who bought at Saddlebrooke so they could play the sport they love. Who bought with the understanding that the Tennis courts were here to stay.

We support understanding that buying into a community that does not have what you want, with the belief that it can be forced to fit your needs, is inherently short-sighted and selfish.

We support the return of the 2 Preserve courts to Tennis.

Thank you. STC Members