NOMINEES FOR PICKLEBALL CLUB

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1/1/2025 - 12/31/2026
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Chris Prellwitz
My name is Chris Prellwitz and I am running for the Pickleball Board.  Currently I serve the Board as the treasurer and hope to continue for another term to help see some long-term projects through. I have been a member of the club since 2016 and have seen this club grow exponentially. There have been so many changes and opportunities for players of all ability levels. My hope is that we continue to grow and change as needed.
 
My background is accounting. My club volunteer duties included being a former court cleaner, chairing the Hen House tournament and being a coach for 3.5-4.0 lessons last Spring. Some of my other prior volunteer experience includes being elected and serving sixteen years on the Mt. Pleasant Community School District board, serving as president for four years.  In addition, I was elected to the Iowa Girls Athletic Union Board and served for eight years. This board oversaw, made rules/policy for all public and private schools in girls’ sports in Iowa as well as running all the state sport competitions.  I was elected and served as trustee to Iowa Southeastern Community College for five years. I served as board president for one year.  My husband and I chaired a committee which raised $230,000 to build a six-court pickleball facility on the Middle School property in our community. We modeled this after our courts here at Wagner.
 
My only goal as a Board member is to listen and make decisions based on what is best for the club as a whole. I appreciate your vote.
Kirk Olesen
Hello. 
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I have been a part time Festival resident since 2010 and many of you may have played pickleball with me over these past years.  This is my second year of full-time retirement and being a full-time resident.  Over the past 14 years I have seen the massive increase in pickleball participation.  Festival has expanded from 8 courts to 24 courts and that still seems like too few courts.  I now have the time to use my 55 years of racket sport experience to help Festival's members with some of the tasks it is always facing.  

In 2020 I became an ITPA Level 2 certified pickleball instructor and have taught several pickleball classes here at Festival.  Last year I participated in running the in-house tournament and will continue with a management role in this year's tournament.  I believe my ability to solve problems, get things accomplished and to communicate with players of all levels are my biggest assets.
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Thanks for considering me to represent you on the board.
 
Kirk Olesen
Diane Vierkant
I worked for Wells Fargo for 35 years in marketing. I worked for various divisions of the company including the corporate office, commercial banking and insurance. My roles in marketing included brand management, website design, and the production of TV and radio commercials. I was on the board of my HOA when I owned a townhome in Minnesota. My third year on the board I became President. After retiring from Wells Fargo, I volunteered at our local hospital. My husband Jack and I picked up pickleball while still in Minnesota playing indoors at local schools. We fell in love with the game, and it became a huge part of our decision to move to Arizona and specifically, Sun City Festival.

​Diane Vierkant
Tannie Chow
I am throwing my Pickleball visor into the court for an open volunteer position.
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My name is Tannie Chow and I am a Pickleball junkie!

I enjoy working with people through my experience for numerous years as a Delta flight attendant. Therefore, I know how to listen and work with people and to hopefully help improve and keep our fabulous Pickleball program going.

Extremely enthusiastic about the game, I love to encourage new and old (OK Most of us are old), to enjoy this amazing program we have here at SCF. What other game can promote health, camaraderie, skill, and be able to wear fabulous Pickleball outfits?

Because there are four open positions, I highly encourage anyone and everyone who can elevate and continue this program to volunteer even as time is precious for all of us.

Thank you all for your consideration and vote!

​Tannie Chow
Wayne Long
Rather than outline extensive details regarding my professional background, which includes Training & Development, Problem Solving, Process Improvement, Team Building and Change Management, I think it is more important to mention I have a passion for all things pickleball (learning, playing, coaching, watching). And regarding club interests, and whether you wish to vote for me, you only have to read my below questions & closing segment to quickly discover who I am, what I believe, and where my focus will be placed, if elected to The Board. 

 As a SCF Pickleball Club Member, are you concerned with the direction our club is going? Are you troubled by the inadequate means to share ideas & opinions, to offer improvement suggestions, or even have an avenue to voice concerns? 

 Are you of the opinion our rotations & court availability have gotten progressively WORSE, these past few seasons, and are left to question the way these growing concerns have been (& will be) managed? 

 Do you feel your play & developmental interests are adequately represented? Do you get frustrated by the overwhelming club calendar restrictions, which basically dictates what days & times you are “allowed” to play? 

 Do you recall the days when rotations were FUN, before everyone was able to “blindly” self-rate his/her skill level, which merely served to dilute each rotation to a “social hour” event, at best. Do you miss the welcoming feel of “Open Play” for all levels? Do you miss the time when rotations were 2 hours (not 90 minutes), back when you had time to warm up before playing, had time to complete quality games, and did not feel pressured to rush on & off the courts? (For those of you who lived in SCF prior to Covid, you know exactly what I am speaking of. For those of you who moved into our community during or after Covid, sorry, you missed out on what was once a more fun & genuine “community” event.) 
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 As you can see, I am not running to maintain the “status quo.” I am running to help STOP THE MADNESS, before it becomes worse. I look to create a more fair-minded club culture, by implementing change that benefits the current & future growth of our club and not just select groups. 
​Sun City Festival Pickleball Club 
Sun City Festival
26501 W Desert Vista Blvd
Buckeye, Arizona  85396
Contact:  [email protected]