Pickleball players at the Clemmer Classic take pictures during a stoppage in play during a recent open play session at The Bullitt Sports Center in Rowlett. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Teaching has always been a passion for Staci Clemmer.
She taught third, fourth and fifth grades during her 26-year teaching career, retiring from Allen ISD after teaching 11 years in Ector County ISD in Odessa.
Clemmer is also a published author of two children’s books, Conquer Cursive and Multiplication Magic, written to help elementary students build confidence in cursive writing and math skills.
In recent years, Clemmer has expanded her teaching talents beyond the classroom — to the golf course and, more recently, to the pickleball court.
An avid tennis player in her youth, Clemmer’s transition to pickleball was a natural one. The sport quickly captured her focus and energy.
She has launched Clemmer Classic pickleball programs in Murphy, Sachse and Wylie, added new offerings in Allen and Garland in fall 2023, and most recently, in Rowlett. New lessons are offered at the start of every month.
Clemmer, a certified instructor with the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association, first reached out to the Murphy Community Center, Wylie Recreation Center and Michael J. Felix Community Center in Sachse to propose adding pickleball lessons and open play. Just a few months later, play was underway.
“Half of them didn’t know what pickleball was when I first approached them,” she said. “I said, ‘Let me show you, see what I can build.’ If you build it, they will come. Sure enough, we started with beginner lessons, and right after had drills and skills. I just love everything about pickleball.”
One age group Clemmer has specifically targeted to help grow the sport in Northeast Collin County is adults ages 60 and up.
Connie Smith, a former tennis player of 30 years, said pickleball is an ideal sport for older adults — especially those who find it difficult to grip a tennis racket.
“Any pickleball group is great,” she said. “The people are wonderful. Every place that I’ve ever played at has great people that I’ve played against. Every place that I go has people with different skill levels. Any place that I go to will accommodate me. My skill is not as great as the 60- and 65-year-olds, but I can hold my own.”
Ron Herrick, 84, started playing pickleball 12 years ago at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Texas in Rockwall. He now plays at The Bullitt Training Center in Rowlett, where he’s known Clemmer since their time playing in Sachse.
“It’s an easy game to play. It’s a hard game to master,” Herrick said. “It’s a lot of hand-eye coordination. I’ve played against people that have had knee replacements, but you would have never known it when you were out there.”
To reduce the risk of injury, Clemmer enforces one main rule on the court: no running.
Herrick appreciates the rule.
He says he doesn’t move like he used to, due in part to age and also a major health scare. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung and throat cancer in September 2023. He is now in remission.
Despite health challenges, Herrick said he’s just grateful that open pickleball sessions are widely available — giving him a way to stay active and social.
“It’s just getting out of the chair and getting out and playing,” he said. “It’s a lot better than sitting at home.”
Smith echoed the benefits of the sport, saying she’s felt better physically since she started playing.
“Anybody that doesn’t play needs to,” she said. “I love pickleball. I could play every day if I could.”
Knowing that the popularity of pickleball was on the rise, pickleball court lines were added to the gym floor at Wylie Recreation Center in 2019.
Through professional conferences and in talking with neighboring cities, the staff at the Wylie Recreation Center knew that pickleball players would be coming.
“We just needed a boost, and that boost came from Staci Clemmer,” said Jenny Lambert, Recreation Programmer for the City of Wylie Parks and Recreation Department.
Clemmer made first contact with the Wylie Recreation Center in the winter of 2022, at which time she submitted her original activity proposal.
Wylie Recreation Center Programmers Ally Holmes and Lambert met with Clemmer and were intrigued with the ideas on how Wylie could break into the pickleball world, including instructor-led classes and increased open play time for participants to continue developing their skills.
The first instructor-led class was offered weekly, beginning in the April of 2023, which was an immediate success, with the first class reaching the maximum enrollment of 26.
When asked about how pickleball was received at the center, Brittany Williams, Wylie Recreation Center Supervisor, said, “Offering pickleball at the Recreation Center has been a huge ‘dill.’ Our guests love the variety of ways they can participate, and it has been a wonderful addition to our amenities. Wylie Parks and Recreation strives to provide the community with ways to stay active and healthy, and pickleball is doing just that for guests of all ages.”
The Clemmer Experience recently expanded to Rowlett thanks in part to mutual friends that Clemmer and Bullitt Sports Center co-owner Melvin Bullett had in their pickleball group.
Clemmer came to Bullitt with an idea about creating open pickleball sessions for seniors. Currently, The Clemmer Experience has open play at the Bullitt Sports Center every Monday and Thursday from 1-4 p.m.. Starting this fall, the schedule will increase from two to four days per week, Monday-Thursday, from 1-4 p.m.
Bullitt, who played high school football at Naaman Forest before playing collegiately at Texas A&M and then for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts from 2007-11, says that the Bullitt Sports Center wanted to provide the use of the pickleball courts at a reasonable cost.
“I remember going bowling with my grandmother when she was in her 60s and just having that nostalgia,” Bullitt said. “That was her hangout spot. I just want to have that here now for that age group.”
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