THE VOICE OF THE EAST VALLEY SINCE 1891 AND WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR LOCAL REPORTING
Longtime Mesa volunteer Rick Jones dies
THE SUNDAY
Tribune
PAGE 5 West Mesa Edition
INSIDE
This Week
COMMUNITY ......... 12 L.A. couple moves acting studio to Mesa, ready to make stars
BUSINESS ................ 20 My Sister’s Closet consignment store celebrates 25 years
FAITH .......................... 24 Looking for convenience, businessman creates pocketsize rosary
EAST VALLEY
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All-Tribune: Badminton, girls & boys golf PAGES 21-23 Sunday, December 18, 2016
Next generation of golfers being grown in East Valley Sport is robust for now, but millennials needed COVER STORY BY MIKE BUTLER Tribune Staff Writer
J
ason Patterson and friend Megan Looser felt like hitting some golf balls on a recent Friday morning. Instead of heading to a golf course, however, they decided to try Topgolf in Gilbert for the first time. It was chilly that morning, but the two were comfortable in their heated bay, lounging on the sofa and sipping mimosas between shots. “It’s fun. I like it,” Patterson says. Looser agrees. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” she says. It’s the kind of scene that gives operators of daily-fee golf courses in the East Valley pause. Although the health of East Valley golf is robust—for now—operators know they must attract millennials and their kids if the game is going to be a viable business 20 years from now. In 2014, the Arizona golf industry contributed $3.9 billion in sales to the state economy. That’s according to a report
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Annabelle Johnson, 17, tries her hand at Topgolf before going to a formal dance with her friends from Heritage Academy.
released Dec. 13 from the Cactus and Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association and the University of Arizona College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. That number is up from the $3 billion economic impact golf had in 2004, the last time the two groups conducted the statewide study. Those sales generated $72 million in state and local taxes. The golf industry employs
18,700 full- and part-time workers. But when you throw in multiplier effects, the industry supports an estimated 41,700 Arizona jobs and $1.5 billion in labor income. Residential real estate premiums associated with homes built on or near golf courses is estimated at $2.1 billion. Arizona golfers played 11.6 million rounds See
GOLF on page 4
Childhood cancer survivor gives back, becomes a nurse BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
THINGS TO DO..... 26
Where to find real outdoor ice rinks in the East Valley OPINION......................... 17 BUSINESS .......................20 SPORTS............................21 FAITH ..............................24 CLASSIFIED ....................30
C
all it fate, call it kismet, call it karma. Joel Nava calls it the opportunity to live his dream. Nava is a registered nurse at Cardon Children’s Medical Center, where he began working a couple of months ago. But, his connection to the children’s hospital goes back much further. Nava is a childhood cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 13 and underwent 2½
years of chemotherapy before being declared cancer-free. It was a short-lived celebration. Three months later, Nava relapsed and was readmitted to the hospital. He remembers well the conversation with his doctor when he was initially diagnosed. He was just about to complete seventh grade. “The doctor told me I had leukemia. I was like, ‘Give me a vaccine or whatever,’” Nava said. “I thought they could just fix it.” His doctor explained that leukemia is blood cancer. That sunk in, Nava said. “I knew cancer was bad,” he said.
He was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he stayed for two weeks before going to Banner Desert Medical Center, which then housed Banner Children’s Hospital. The separate Cardon Children’s Medical Center, next door to Banner Desert, opened in November 2009, close to the time Nava was declared cancer-free for the second time. Nava remembers his nurses at the Banner hospitals well. “Thanks to the nurses, it was a lot better See
SURVIVOR on page 3