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HOST INTRO: This is “The Sweet Spot.” where we take a closer look at the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona. I’m Austin Hepola, and welcome to our first show this year. We’re excited to have everyone listening in, and we will be bringing you episodes about interesting people and their inspiring stories throughout the semester.
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HOST: On today’s show we take a look at how the University of Arizona football has turned around its program in just a few years, a NASCAR luncheon with current and former racers that benefits the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and a new pickleball center located in Glendale that brings both a family-friendly atmosphere and the community together.
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Arizona Football looks to keep up the positive trajectory of the football program
HOST: Arizona football has been steadily improving over the past few years and is now entering its last year in the Pac-12. Since the Wildcats brought in Jedd Fisch as their head coach, Arizona football has gone from one win in the 2021 season to five wins in the 2022 season. As they enter the 2023 season, the team and their coaches have greater aspirations for this upcoming season. Alex Chenevey has more from Tucson.
CHENEVEY: After the Wildcats winless 2020 football season where U of A fired head coach Kevin Sumlin, it was clear that change was needed in order to right the football program. Wildcat leadership looked towards hiring someone who had experience coaching not only at the collegiate levels, but also in the highest levels of professional football, in the NFL. They would find their new head football coach in Jedd Fisch, who was the quarterback coach in 2020 with the New England Patriots. Fisch has a wealth of coaching experience, coaching for various colleges and professional teams since 1999.
CHENEVEY: In 2021, the Wildcats would only get one win, but in 2022, that’s when they would start showing signs of life, pulling off a four-win improvement, winning five games in 2022. That tied the second-biggest single-season win improvement in program history. The Wildcats were also able to pull off a stunning upset of No. 9 UCLA last season on the road, which would be their first road win against a top 10 team since 2015. They also snapped ASU’s five-game winning streak against the Wildcats. Now entering the 2023 season, it’s fair to wonder what the Wildcats ceiling truly is, as they enter their last season in the Pac-12 conference. Coach Fisch believes his team is now more ready than ever to succeed.
<< JEDD FISCH: “ When you’re coming off a 1-11 season and an 0-5 season and losing seven the year before, your whole mentality is so unique. And we didn’t know last year going into San Diego State, are we ready to make the jump? Were we ready to become a team that could compete with a lot of these PAC-12 programs? We learned that we could compete, we can compete with anyone we play against and now we brought in more players that are coming from winning programs, we brought in players that could help us immediately as starters.”>>
CHENEVEY: The Wildcats made big strides on both sides of the ball in 2022. On defense, they racked up more turnovers under first-year defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, going from 10 in 2021 to 16 in 2022 . On offense, with Washington State transfer quarterback Jayden De Laura coming into the picture, the Wildcats were able to air the ball out more, as Arizona finished the 2022 season with 318.4 passing yards per game, which was the sixth most in the whole country. Offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll believes that in order to keep succeeding with a potent aerial attack, running the ball has to factor into the equation.
<< BRENNAN CARROLL: “I think it’s really important to stay balanced, that we can do both run and pass. I think the numbers will be there, if that’s important, but I really like what our team has done in terms of the offseason, really focusing on being balanced.”>>
CHENEVEY: With Arizona football now 1-0 following their 38-3 win over Northern Arizona University, the team has now officially hit the ground running. What they will do this season is unclear, but they look poised to keep improving on a solid few years that has helped rebuild the program. For Cronkite News reporting, I’m Alex Chenevey.
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NASCAR Ignition Luncheon raises funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital for a second year
HOST: This last Tuesday, NASCAR held its second annual Ignition Luncheon in an effort to raise funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The luncheon event featured racing legends Dale Jarrett, Kyle Larson and more. Ben Yates has that story.
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YATES: This last Tuesday, NASCAR held its second annual luncheon in an effort to raise funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital, or PCH. The luncheon event featured racing legends Dale Jarrett, Kyle Larson and more.These racers were here to help raise funding in aid of PCH and to promote the NASCAR championship race. The NASCAR drivers endure a grueling 36-race season, and for Larson this was a worthwhile cause to take a much needed break from the oval ring.
<< KYLE LARSON: “It’s sad, but then I will say any time I’ve met children that are sick, they’re always the most happy people I’ve ever met. They just seem to find joy in life, and that definitely also gives you a lot of perspective on life and it gives you kind of a different attitude with how you treat each day.”>>
YATES: And the same is echoed by retired racers,such as Jarrett.
<< DALE JARRETT: “We’re talking about children here, and getting behind this, and it only takes a little bit of effort to put forth that could make a huge difference in someone’s life and I think if you look at that perspective, that just a little bit of good can go a long way, it’s easier to make things happen that way and get people involved.”>>
YATES: PCH has announced that thanks to the gained support and funds, it will be expanding services to new locations across the Valley in addition to its central phoenix site. One of the new locations PCH is planning for its expansion is in Avondale, where the NASCAR championship race will be held on November 5th. For Cronkite News, I’m Benjamin Yates.
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The rapid growth of pickleball, how it’s impacting local communities:
HOST: Pickleball has been rapidly growing in popularity over the last few years. According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals, an estimated 36-and-a-half-million people played the sport in the U.S. in 2022. Glendale is one of the cities receiving a new Chicken ‘n’ Pickle. Now, you may wonder, what is Chicken ‘n’ Pickle? According to its website, it’s an entertainment complex. I visited the new location to learn more about the pickle part.
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HEPOLA: A modern sports phenomenon, Pickleball, is capturing the attention of millions around the country. It is a game played on a court with elements of tennis, badminton and even ping pong. In Glendale near State Farm Stadium a new establishment, called Chicken ‘n’ Pickle, opened its doors this summer. While the business prioritizes a fun, family-friendly experience; they also aim to bring the community together.
<< JENNY HINSLEY: “Every Chicken ‘n’ Pickle has a community impact person and our whole job is to partner with nonprofits to help them fundraise on our campus. And through that, we offer a whole bunch of different ways that we give back to our community.”>>
HEPOLA: Pickleball is a sport that anyone can play, mainly because the rules are simple and you don’t need top-level athleticism to participate. Shirley Sumner is an Arizona resident and has played the sport for four years, she is retired and has enjoyed the sport ever since she picked up a paddle.
<< SHIRLEY SUMNER: Well we moved to a new city when we retired. I think it’s kind of like that old saying is they told two friends and so on, and so on and so on; and it just grows and doubles. And, what we found is a whole new group of friends for us to get to know that all do the same thing as we do.
HEPOLA: Pickleball is truly creating an impact on local communities, as there are more than 44,000 pickleball courts located in the United States From Cronkite Sports in Glendale, I’m Austin Hepola reporting.
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HOST: And this is The Sweet Spot. This show was produced by Alex Chenevey. Special thanks to Alex and Ben for their contributions to this week’s show. I’m your host Austin Hepola. Thanks for stopping by The Sweet Spot!
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