SUNCOAST’S PREMIER ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY BECOMES LEADER IN TRENDY ‘PICKLEBALL’

Kings Point Sun City Center, FL – Resident leaders of Kings Point Suncoast (kingspointsuncoast.com) will break ground Monday, January 18, 2016 at 2 p.m. on a new athletic complex for a sport that is going viral across the United States among active adults: Pickleball, the fun variation on tennis with smaller courts. When the eight new Pickleball courts are complete, Kings Point Suncoast will be the area’s Pickleball facilities leader.

“We have listened carefully to our neighbors throughout Kings Point and we are delivering what they want: More and better fitness and wellness options,” said Liz Argott, president of the Federation of Kings Point Associations, which budgeted $450,000 for this project. “The Pickleball Complex fits into our long-range plan for enhancing the quality and variety of recreation amenities in this 55+ community,” Argott said. The complex should be complete in three to four months.

“We are very excited about this project,” said Ginger Anzalone, Vice President of Vesta Property Services, Inc., who oversaw the project on behalf of Kings Point, where Vesta manages the community’s extraordinary array of amenities. “The Pickleball League began in 2001 when we built courts at the newly-opened Kings Point South Club,” she said. “Through the efforts of their passionate and dedicated players, this group has grown to over 200 fans of the sport. We look forward to their continued enthusiasm for the game with this new beautiful Pickleball Complex!”

No one is more thrilled than Cathy Drinkard, president of the Kings Point Pickleball Club. “We’re so excited,” she said, “and the Federation and the Recreation Board [Recreation Facilities Executive Committee] have been so great.” The complex will make Kings Point an even more attractive place to live, Drinkard said. “Oh , it’s going to bring people in. I already know people who have bought in because of Pickleball. I’m telling you we’re looking at tournaments, senior games, clinics and much more.”

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, with more than 100,000 active players in all 50 states. There are folks of all levels of athletic ability, ranging in age from 30 to 80. The pickleball court area is one-third the size of a tennis court, with play similar to that of tennis, without the intensity or speed. Like tennis, it can be played with two or four players. The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) promotes the growth and development of the game on national and international levels. Kings Point’s 8-court complex takes the community ahead of nearby Valencia Lakes in Wimauma (seven courts) and the Sun City Center Community Association (5 courts). The groundbreaking event is open to all Kings Point residents and guests.

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Kings Point is an exclusive active adult community located in West Central Florida 20 miles south of Tampa in Sun City Center, FL. Nestled between the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolis and the white sands of Sarasota’s beaches, Kings Point on the Suncoast is an ideal place to retire. With over 5,550 homes, 8,000 residents, 45 holes of golf, 6 indoor and outdoor pools, theatre, TV, and hundreds of social groups, Kings Point in Sun City Center is a great place to really live.

Groundbreaking: 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 at Kings Point