"An Active New Way Of Life."

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by BPearson, Mar 4, 2018.

  1. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    It was used a one hundred times over; again and again the mantra, the tag line for Del Webb's Sun City Arizona was "An Active New Way Of Life." It appeared in magazines, newspapers, billboards and video's. Their goal was to paint a picture in potential buyers minds a way to live that far exceeded anything they could imagine.

    It was an uphill battle, because back then (the 196o's) seniors just did not leave the family unit to traipse off to the middle of nowhere. Webb's people understood if this was to have any chance, they needed to make retirees hungry for something better/different than they had.

    Clearly the weather was a draw, but it wasn't enough. The essence of this new way of life was captured in the clubs/activities developed by the Del E Webb Development Corporation and those moving here. Clubs grew in an explosive way. In fact, space was a huge problem as the two rec centers, Community Center (Oakmont) and Town Hall (Fairway), simply couldn't handle the demands for space.

    Funny thing is, some 58 years later, the fighting for space is still going on. Clubs come and go, but the battle for dedicated club space is still an issue. The only requirement to start a club is petition with the names of 25 residents interested in a new venture. After that, where they meet and when is a whole different ballgame.

    Once approved by the RCSC board, the challenge begins. Obviously craft clubs with equipment are on a different level than a card club that needs some tables and chairs once or twice a week. Sporting clubs often need venues, with costs associated with building and maintaining them. Dance clubs hold weekly dances that require space, but seldom take up more than 4 or 5 hours per week.

    It is a massive undertaking and one that often leaves the clubs office juggling any number of balls in the air at once. But alas, the setup of this thread has taken more space than intended and getting to my point was pushed to the back of the bus. I'll take that effort up in my next post. Till then, what clubs do you belong to?
     
  2. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I tend to stray when starting a new thread because i think historically people should have a basic grasp of how the community was constructed. As i rambled, i was eventually wanting to get to this question/point: When moving here, do you/others tend to latch on to one or two clubs and stay with them forever? Most people gravitate to those clubs that interest them; but do they tire of them? Do they feel a need to move on or stay rooted in what they know?

    Using myself as an example; when first moving here, aside from the volunteerism, i took up golf and lawn bowling. The golf lasted less than 5 years, it was expensive and time consuming. Lawn bowling was my passion and have played almost non-stop for 14 years. I lived for the tournaments and traveled as far as Canada and California to play competitively. The strange thing for me is i now find myself almost without interest in the game. Stepping on the green these days leaves me looking forward for it to just be over.

    I've always understood the beauty of living in Sun City and our unique way of life; we have countless options to find joy in what we do. And when there are so many choices, sometimes i suspect we do things because they become more habitual than because we love to do them. One of the primary differences in boomers from the greatest generation was how they volunteered. Once they started something, they stayed with it till they could no longer do it. Boomers tended to want to volunteer for shorter periods of time, a lessor long term commitment. I wonder if the same is true for activities?

    It would be interesting to look closer at the habits of those in their 80's than those in their 60's. Understanding what motivates Sun City residents would help get a better handle on what is ahead for the community and the direction we go in. But alas, my fear is we will just keep flailing away blindly without rhyme or reason.
     
  3. BruceW

    BruceW Active Member

    Hey Bill, good stuff to ponder.
    I suspect you are right about flailing away trying to figure out what the younger generations might want in a retirement community. My son-in-law would love the golf, I on the other hand think it is a time sink... to each his own.

    When we get there I first plan to figure out how to adjust to retirement... looking forward to the challenge. ;)

    I will likely look at a board position at some point to see if I can make a difference. I think I would need some partners in crime to do this.

    For activities, the leather club looks quite interesting and who knows I might even try to learn golf, but I doubt it.
    Pickle ball and lawn bowling sound fun, but I'm not the competitive type so would just enjoy the fun of it.
    The sportsman's club would be on my short list and maybe even the RV club.
    Kay would jump right in to a quilting club and possibly join me with the sportsmans and RV club.
    I promised Kay I would give up my motorcycle for a golf car... I may have to renege on that promise for a little while.

    So many things to choose it will be difficult to decide, but I will have plenty of time.
    I am more of the type to try it out, if I don't like it... end it. If I do like it I'm there for a while.

    Volunteering? of course, it is what we do, but the trick is to balance it.

    Looking forward to the opportunity to investigate the wide variety of activities.
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2018
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Love your comments Bruce. It's posts like yours that help amplify the joy of finally getting out of the rat race and finding that next phase of your life. So many things to do and so little time to do them. Damn, how does it get any better than that?
     

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