Jim & Nancy Geddes:

35th wedding anniversary 6-20-06 at Friday Harbor WA.

Founder of the Pistols, Jim Geddes was born in Auburn and attended school at the old Lincoln way Elementary School. His family moved to Meadow Vista in 1962-63 where he finished the 8^th grade. He graduated from Placer High School where he played football, basketball, track and baseball.

Jim married Nancy in 1971; she was a cheerleader at Placer. Jim and Nancy had two children Corey and Meadow. Corey, and his wife Amanda, have a daughter named Maya. Jim and Nancy’s daughter, Meadow, graduated from Humboldt State University in 2003.  Jim started coaching at Alta – Dutch Flat Elementary School in 1985. He coached football, girls’ and boys’ basketball there until 1991 when he started coaching at Thayer Douglass High School in Auburn. He coached for the Placer Union High School District from 1991 through 2002.  He is the photography instructor at Maidu High School. In his spare time he enjoys traveling and taking nature photographs. Recently he has started his own Photography Company called Take Your Best Shot (www.takeyourbestshot.com).

In 1990, after conversing with Cynthia Ahr, who had just returned from national AAU competition, Jim started his AAU girls’ basketball club. His first team was called the Foothill Bullettes. In 1991-92 Jim’s team advanced into the finals at the AAU Nationals in Kenner Louisiana by defeating Washington State and Vermont. . This earned the club a place in the top 32 teams in the US. In 1992-1993 Jim formed the AAU YDL so that girls and boys in the Auburn area could raise the standard of their play to what he witnessed at the AAU Nationals. Jim was elected president of the league and ran a successful program with 56 teams the first year from the areas surrounding Auburn. Charles Jergo, Sally Truscott and Glen Youman were instrumental in the leagues formation and operations. The league grew to over 125 teams. Jim also coached three local girls’ teams that year, including the first Pistols team.

After attending the National, he felt compelled to think more globally about basketball and the programs in the Sierra foothills.  Jim wanted to form a club of elite players that possess the drive and desire to play at levels which exceed what was expected in the area schools. In 1993-94 He recruited aggressively in the Sacramento area as well as the foothills. The Pacific Pistols were born with the concept of representing the Pacific AAU division rather than the local area. The first team included USC standout, Tiffany Elmore. As the team enjoyed success at the national level, the local talent wanted to be part of the winning program. In 1996 the Pacific Pistols Club started different age groups and teams for girls. These high caliber players perpetuate the powerhouse Pacific Pistols Club from year to year. The Pistols have had at least 1 team qualify for AAU Nationals in 1992, 94, 95, 97 and 2000, 01, 02 and 03.  The girls have defeated several state championship teams while competing at the National level and have a solid background and reputation in California, Oregon, Arizona, British Columbia, Washington and Nevada.

Jim has relocated to the Seattle area in Washington where he is enjoying partial retirement while photography sports action from around the Seattle area. When time allows, Nancy Cosmo and Jim travel to many of the beautiful scenic areas in WA. Jim's scenic photography, Eagles in the Wild, and fine art prints can be ordered from this web page. Jim also creates sketches from photos with the emphasis on sports but not exclusively. Jim currently works with photographers from around the US creating poster art and sketches for athletes and parents. You can visit the sketches site here.

Jim can be contacted at j_geddes@msn.com