Julia Sheppard Cole (No photo provided)

 

Hello. My name is Julia Sheppard Cole, and I am running for the position of Secretary for the Green Valley Pickleball Club.

 

In my professional life I worked for over 35 years as a Special Education Teacher. In that role I worked with students from kindergarten through high school and beyond, as well as adults looking to further their careers as teachers. My work primarily centered on working with high-risk youth; those students whose trauma, either through birth or environment, caused behavioral issues to such an extent that they could not remain safely in a regular education environment. This work required me to be highly organized, punctual, and clear in my communication, all traits of a good Secretary. I fully retired from teaching over 2 years ago and haven’t looked back.

 

I first moved to Green Valley about nine years ago. I was living with my husband, Juan, in Paradise, CA when my father had an accident and needed me to come down to take care of him. What I thought would be a short stay while I got my father healthy turned into a two-year stay. That was difficult since my husband and my home were in California. We convinced my parents to move to California to be closer to us, so I could continue caring for them, while still being able to live in my home with my husband. Halfway through their move to California my parents changed their minds and decided to stay in Green Valley because they loved it here. I chose to stay in California for the next two years until my father's health deteriorated to the point where, five years ago, I came here full time to care for him. We have grown to love Green Valley ourselves and bought a home here four years ago after our California home was destroyed by fire. Juan still goes back and forth between Green Valley and Paradise for his work, but I am here year round.

 

When I retired Juan and I began to look around at things that we could do here in Green Valley together (I'm not a golfer and Juan wasn't thrilled about the idea of hanging out at the ceramic studio). I saw the Pickleball 101 class being offered, and we decided to check it out, having never played the game before. One class and we were hooked! We have both been playing nonstop ever since. Juan is currently playing at the 3.0 level, and I have recently leveled up to 3.5. I play nearly every day and have been enjoying playing in the ladies Round Robins as well as friend-group play. I was so happy about being involved in such a dynamic, inclusive, fun, friendly sport and atmosphere that I decided that I wanted to be able to give something in return. For over a year I have been involved in several activities to help the club including helping to coach the summer developing skills classes, mentoring 2.5 level players in the SLP plus one program, and feeding for the testing program. I see the job of Secretary as taking the next step in helping the club.

 

I look forward to getting to know more about our club, it’s members, and how I can support us all. Thank you for your time.

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