From Dream to Reality: Cloudcroft's Pickleball Courts Make Winning Debut
Local persistence pays off as first-class courts attract players from across the region
Video by Tom Bernhard
On a beautiful Saturday morning, Cloudcroft finally unveiled six world-class pickleball courts with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and a kickoff two-day tournament.
The tournament featured 121 players, mostly from outside the village, and raised money for the Cloudcroft school basketball programs.
Players from El Paso, Hobbs, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Carlsbad, Artesia, and, of course, Cloudcroft came together for a round-robin tournament that featured good play, supportive spectators, and typical Cloudcroft friendliness.
The day began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new courts. Mayor Craig Turner noted that "these pickleball players are persistent people," referring to the Cloudcroft pickleball community's tireless year-long effort to build the courts well and on time.
The tournament's promoter, Samantha Odom, and Linda Hamilton, the club president of The Pickleball Addicts of Cloudcroft ("The PAC"), joined the mayor and other village officials such as Judge Mark Tatum, Police Chief Roger Schoolcraft, Trustee Tim King and Trustee Gail McCoy to cut the ceremonial ribbon with a tiny chain saw.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America and a natural fit for Cloudcroft.  It is an active, fun game for all ages and all genders.  Because of the fantastic summer weather, Cloudcroft is already a popular destination for flatlanders seeking outdoor play in a cool, comfortable environment.
For years to come, pickleball should be a strong tourist draw for the village and a healthy, fun activity for the locals and seasonals who call Cloudcroft home.
The tournament was a spectacular way to kick off the new courts.
"It's been incredible," said promoter Sam Odom, a prominent local artist. "We had 121 registered players, most of whom were from El Paso, Las Cruces, Artesia, Carlsbad, Roswell, and other surrounding areas.  People in the hotter environments were excited to come up."
The tournament also met its ambitious financial goal, netting more than $8,000 to be split between the high school, junior varsity, and middle school basketball programs.Â
"The way it is done in the school systems now," explains Odom, "is most extracurricular activities are left to fund themselves. There's just not a lot of funding for those things."Â
On Sunday, the second tournament day, an early afternoon rain shower forced the games into Plan B — playing indoors at the school gym.
"When the rain started, we moved indoors," said Odom.  "All our planning worked out.  We had discussed that possibility, so we prepared the gym court in advance, laid out the pickleball lines, and brought in nets.  We could transition over in 20 minutes when we announced the move." Players made the switch without fuss and smoothly adjusted to indoor play.
PAC president Linda Hamilton said,
"I thought it was an excellent event. Everything went extremely smoothly, even amid the rain. We had a great switch over to the school, and people are already discussing another September tournament. "
Local businesses also got a lift from the influx of players.  Traveling players stayed overnight on Friday and Saturday and dined in local restaurants.  More than a few people noted that the new Grand Cloudcroft hotel parking lot was full first thing in the morning on Saturday and Sunday.
What's next?  The PAC has submitted a list of several suggestions to the Village Council to enhance the new courts, including providing water stations, wind dampers for the fence, signage, shade benches for spectators, and electrical hook-ups along the fence line. Â
While there are sure to be more tournaments in the future, you can count on seeing dozens of players almost every day playing on the new courts. Â
It's a bright new chapter in Cloudcroft's evolution and its tradition of healthy, active outdoor activities for all ages.
All drone videos by Lauren Bagg.