Vail Recreation District welcomes Ben Moore as the new director of pickleball at Golden Peak
Moore takes over for recently retired Jerry Stevens
Vail Recreation District/Courtesy photo
The Vail Recreation District is pleased to introduce Ben Moore, who will take over as director of pickleball at the Golden Peak Pickleball Center in Vail this summer.
Moore replaces Jerry Stevens, the VRD’s original director of pickleball, who retired in January of 2023. Moore previously worked for Stevens, helping out with all aspects of programming at Golden Peak. Originally from Medocino, CA, Moore has been living in the Vail Valley for 20 years.
“I grew up as a multi-sport athlete; I’ve always been into sports, especially anything with a ball!” he stated.
Moore resides in Gypsum and first started playing pickleball at the Gypsum Recreation Center. “Someone let me borrow their paddle and before I knew it, I was hooked!” he said. “As I got better, I spent more time in Vail in order to play with different people, which really helped my game. That’s where I met Jerry Stevens and eventually started working for him.”
Moore finds that the sport of pickleball fits well into his busy life as a father, husband and small business owner.
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“I don’t play a lot of sports anymore, so pickleball was a good way to get back in to doing something active,” he said. During the winter months, Moore is focused on running his business, Benjamin’s Transportation, but for him, the summer is all about pickleball. As Moore put it, “to get to spend the summer outside in Vail — that is a lot of people’s dream job!”
“Pickleball is special because it’s a sport you can play at any age. That’s what I like about the Vail program — you see many generations playing,” he continued. “In one game you can have young children playing with their parents and grandparents. It’s a whole family event.”
Moore is looking forward to running the youth summer camps, which he helped to lead when he worked at Golden Peak in the summer of 2022. These weekly camps take place Monday-Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. throughout the summer.
“I am excited to maintain the fun energy for the campers, and also keep the camps convenient for parents. I really want them to be enjoyable for everyone,” he stated.
He is also looking forward reconnecting with familiar players and meeting new people. “I get along with pretty much everybody, and I feel like I understand the needs of our players — whether it’s a pass-holder who plays every day of the week, or a visitor who is just here for a few days or weeks,” Moore said.
“I feel just as comfortable running the youth camps as I do running the advanced programming with expert 5.0 players. I want all our players to feel confident that they are going to have a good experience when they are out on our courts.”
To sign up for youth summer pickleball camps, visit http://www.vailrec.com/register. For more information about pickleball and other Vail Recreation District offerings, visit http://www.vailrec.com.
