Michael Hoffman, my husband, and I moved to Montgomery Village in March 2024. Not long after, I started playing pickleball—jumped in without knowing a thing about the reservation system or the rules at The Villages. That led to some funny email exchanges, and thankfully, people were patient with my learning curve.
What kept me coming back was the energy on the courts. I love the laughter, the friendships, and the chance to actually improve. Playing is fun, but practicing has made a huge difference. I used to live for the overhead slam, but now I’ve come to love the dink.
I didn’t plan to become an officer for the club. Honestly, I was talked into it by the board and didn’t totally know what I was signing up for. But here I am and I’ve been busy planning our club tournaments as the Tournament Director.
Michael and I are both retired. We’re part of the Italian Club, Chinese Club, and Table Tennis Club, but my main passion is pickleball. I encourage players to work on individual skills outside of games—it’s helped me and it’s cool to see others level up too.
Fun fact: I love diving off 20- to 30-foot cliffs and bungee jumping. That freefall feeling is my kind of thrill.
Family-wise, we’ve got a blended family bunch. One daughter and granddaughter are in Missouri, and one daughter and our 7-year-old redheaded grandson (you might’ve seen him running around the courts) are here in San Jose.
If you’re new and figuring things out, I’ve been there—feel free to ask me anything as I’m happy to help however I can.
