Game On: Pickleball Finds a Home in Cloudcroft
A once-empty court has grown into organized play, clinics, tournaments, school instruction, and a draw for visitors
On summer mornings at Zenith Park, the sound carries before the players come into view: paddles striking plastic balls, players calling scores, and laughter rising from the public courts near the walking path.
For many people in Cloudcroft, that sound has become part of the season.
What began with one hand-marked court has grown into one of the village’s most visible public recreation scenes. Today, Cloudcroft pickleball includes organized play three mornings a week, beginner clinics, school instruction, a local club, and a June tournament that brings players from beyond the village.
Cloudcroft’s pickleball story starts with Kevin Tharp.
Before the current courts, organized play, and tournament talk, Tharp was trying to prove the sport could work here. He said the spark came from his wife, Kathy.
“Kathy really is what lit that fire under me,” he said.
Tharp was introduced to pickleball in Tucson after retiring and became deeply involved in the sport as a player and instructor. He taught and played in tournaments across the Southwest. When he looked at Cloudcroft, he saw a place where the game could take root.
At the time, he said, there was no pickleball presence.
“My wife, Kathy, was instrumental in saying, ‘Hey, Kev, will you go up there? You need to just start something,” he said.
What he found did not look promising.
“I looked at the courts and said, ‘ These are a mess, but we can make them work,” Tharp said.
After reaching out to village official Jini Turri and getting approval, Tharp laid out a temporary pickleball court on one of the old tennis courts.
“I bought the paint and the tape and markers, and I spent literally about three to four hours myself meticulously marking the court,” he said.
When he returned the next morning, the tape had been torn up and left in a pile.
“That’s how that started. It really made me angry,” he said.
Instead of quitting, Tharp went back to Turri and asked for permission to make the court permanent.
“I said, ‘Well, if you’ll let me permanently stripe one court … we can do this,’” he recalled. “She said, ‘Do it.’”
That first striped court became the start of something larger. Tharp promoted the game, offered clinics, and helped build a regular player base. He said many of the people who play regularly today were among his early students.
“A lot of the people who now play regularly were my original students,” he said.
Tharp also became an advocate for pickleball with the village council. When recreation grant money became available, he argued that pickleball was not only recreation. It could also help the local economy.
“I went and gave them a major presentation and said, ‘You got to use those funds,’” he said.
Tharp still believes Cloudcroft should treat pickleball as an asset for both residents and visitors.
“It is one of the best vehicles to bring commerce and money to the village,” he said.He said hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and the Chamber should be promoting the sport to visitors.
“It’s a money maker,” he said.
He also points to the game’s broad appeal. “Anybody can play and enjoy it,” Tharp said. “Age and gender, you really can mingle.”
That mix of recreation, access, and social connection is what now drives the Pickleball Addicts of Cloudcroft, known as PAC.
Linda Hamilton, a Cloudcroft resident since 1983 and PAC board president, said the group formed around a simple idea: pickleball works best when people play together.
“If you don’t have any kind of organization,” Hamilton said, “people come and stay on their own court and don’t talk to anybody. That’s not the purpose of pickleball.”
PAC provides structured, welcoming play for local residents, summer seasonals, and tourists. The group plays on Cloudcroft’s public courts at Zenith Park, near the center of the village and easy for visitors to find.
Organized play is held Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at 8 a.m.Hamilton said players can often be found there on other days, too.
“All summer, if the wind is good and the weather is good, you’ll find us,” she said.
Hamilton said the goal is to make the courts open and comfortable, especially for people who may be new to town or new to the game.
“Pickleball is as much of a social game as it is an athletic game,” she said. “We want tourists to walk in and feel like they can play with a group of locals. That’s what we want to see.”
That invitation matters. Many players first find the game by hearing it from the walking path, wandering over to watch, and being handed a spare paddle.
This summer, PAC plans to offer a dedicated beginners’ court, along with clinics from Tharp and other local instructors.
Tami Alexander, known to students as Coach A, is also helping introduce the sport to younger players. Alexander is a PAC board member and Cloudcroft Schools P.E. instructor. She is teaching a pickleball unit for elementary students.
Alexander also brings tournament experience. She placed first in women’s doubles and second in mixed doubles at last year’s Pickleball in the Clouds tournament, according to organizers.
Players who do not own paddles can usually borrow one at the courts. Paddles are also available locally at High Altitude and Sparks+Rec.
June Weekend Tournament
The sport’s local profile will grow again June 6-7, when artist and organizer Samantha Odom brings back the second annual Pickleball in the Clouds tournament.
Last year’s tournament drew 121 players, most of whom were from outside the village, according to organizers.
This year’s event is planned as a community fundraiser for We Love Cloudcroft and school athletic programs. Registration is through PickleballDen.com, search by city for Cloudcroft and find the tournament signup information.
The courts themselves are also in need of attention. Village courts are scheduled for resurfacing and repairs following player reports of continued dead spots. Details still to be confirmed include the cost, funding source, schedule, expected closures, and scope of the work.
For Hamilton, the courts are more than a place to play.
PAC members support each other on and off the court. Some players hav dealt with cancer, strokes, and mobility challenges. One member recently celebrated being cancer-free. The group is also grieving the recent loss of a beloved fellow player and friend.
The group sometimes gathers for potlucks after play.
“We try to invite whoever’s out here —from Texas, from wherever — to come eat and fellowship with us,” Hamilton said.
That is part of what has made pickleball stick in Cloudcroft. The game is easy to try, visible from the park, and social by nature. The weather can be ideal. On a good morning, players show up for the exercise and stay for the company.
“It helps a lot of people,” Hamilton said, “in all aspects of their lives.”
Press Play: Second Annual Pickleball Tournament in Cloudcroft
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