Funny name can’t dissuade pickleball’s loyal following

Published April 29, 2016 - www.news-press.com

A little-known sport with a funny name, pickleball inspires a passionate following. Just look around the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships at East Naples Community Park this week.

Nearly 1,000 players have descended on Southwest Florida from all over the country for what is the sport’s largest tournament ever. It’s not only people in town, but entire pickleball clubs that travel nationwide to compete.

Groups from Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia and Utah popped their tents and flew their flags in East Naples Community Park on Friday. The clubs set up lawn chairs and dipped into coolers between the hundreds of skill-level matches during Day 3 of the U.S. Open.

“We all love the game,” said Mike Murphy, 61, who traveled with a group of six from Cleveland, Ohio. “We love the competition, and you need to travel to play the better players.”

While they came from all around to test each other, Sheena Maclean-Bell likely traveled the farthest to seek out top competition. The 39-year-old tennis coach crossed an ocean to be in Naples this week.

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FIRST-EVER U.S. OPEN PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF IN NAPLES APRIL 26 THROUGH MAY 1

Published April 26, 2016 - www.paradisecoast.com

NAPLES, FLA., APRIL 25, 2016 – Eight hundred and thirty-five athletes will compete on 47 courts at East Naples Community Park in Naples, Fla. April 27 through May 1 for prestige and $25,000 in prize money in the first-ever U.S. Open Pickleball Championships while over 3,000 fans descend on the area, filling hotel rooms and RV parks in advance of the courtside action.

Pickleball is America’s fastest growing recreational sport and Collier County tourism officials and the pickleball championship’s promoters hope to make Naples and Collier County “ground zero” for pickleball, now played by more than 2.5 million people worldwide. The tournament agreement with the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau extends three years through 2018.

“The pickleball championship event brings national and worldwide attention to greater Naples and Collier County as a community that supports healthy lifestyles and offers a warm welcome and plenty of amenities for fans of this fast-growing sport,” said Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau.

There are registered players from 39 states and eight countries outside the U.S. - the U.K., the Czech Republic, Australia, Aruba, Canada, Japan, India and the island city-state of Singapore.

Thousands of spectators and players are expected to fill the adjacent U.S. Open Village hospitality zone, the U.S. Open Expo vendor and sponsor tradeshow, and fill the 700 ticketed stadium seats at the Zing Zang Championship Court where pro pickleball players will battle it out for $25,000 in prize money. Ticket proceeds support the charities Pickleball For All (based in Collier County), the Macular Degeneration Partnership and the Conine Clubhouse at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

To open the tournament on Tuesday, April 26, a press conference and ribbon cutting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., followed by a pro exhibition from Noon to 1 p.m. Following the pros, it’s Kids Day, with 75 local school children invited to learn the game. Open play and adult clinics begin at 3 p.m. The full tournament schedule gets underway on Wednesday with 2,100 matches played over a five day period. The tournament schedule is available online at usopenpickleballchampionship.com/event.html.

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Pickleball: 21-year-old Kyle Yates of Fort Myers bringing national game to U.S. Open in Naples

Published April 23, 2016 - www.naplesnews.com

For someone who had never heard of pickleball, Kyle Yates sure took to the sport quickly.

The first time Yates entered a national tournament, he walked out with a gold medal the same day. Just two years later, the 21-year-old Fort Myers native is one of the best pickleball players in the country.

At the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, starting Wednesday at East Naples Community Park, Yates hopes to take home the tournament's top prize and the winner's check. One of the youngest players on the national circuit, he's also hoping to show the local crowd that pickleball isn't just for retirees.

"Pickleball gets a bad rap," Yates said. "When I started playing (nationally), I realized it wasn't an old person's game. The guys I play against are in their mid-20s and former college tennis players."

Yates has won more than a dozen titles at pickleball tournaments from California to the Midwest to the East Coast, all before he could crack a cold adult beverage to celebrate. Yates turned 21 just last week.

For once, Yates won't have to get on a plane or drive overnight to get to a national event. With more than 800 players, the U.S. Open in Naples is the biggest organized pickleball tournament is the sport's history. Yates expects to be on center stage just down the road from his hometown.

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Sun City residents organize pickleball tournament

Published April 20, 2016 - www.blufftontoday.com

The Low Country Pickleball Classic was held over the weekend in Sun City and the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head Gateway campus.

More than 200 players took part in the event, including 57 locals. The round-robin format allowed each team to play four to five competitive matches, tournament director Reuben Oder said.

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East Naples (FL) Hosts Inaugural Pickleball Championship

Published April 17, 2016 - www.coastalbreezenews.com

The U.S. Open Pickleball Championships was founded by racquet sport professionals and life long athletes, Terri Graham and Chris Evon. Graham and Evon spent over two decades working for Wilson Sporting Goods in Chicago, where Graham was the Business Director for indoor racquet sports and spearheaded racquetball, squash, badminton, platform tennis and most recently, you guessed it, pickleball!

The two recognized the time was right for a world-class international pickleball event and in 2014 they started Spirit Promotions, LLC to organize the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships. To their delight, these Marco Island part time residents needed to look no further than neighboring Naples for the perfect venue. In January 2015 Collier County CVB signed on for a three-year commitment to host the tournament.

Donna Fiala, Collier County Commissioner says, “East Naples is the fastest growing community in Collier County. Hosting the fastest growing sport in America seemed like the perfect fit! We are committed to investing into this event and into the park to make it the best place for people to play! Kids, parents and grandparents are learning the game. It’s great for families and great for the community. We look forward to being a part of this event for many years to come.”

Graham and Evon teamed up with the local USA Pickleball Association District Ambassador, Jim Ludwig, and the three set to work in early 2015 to organize a world class sporting event. Ludwig is equally passionate about pickleball and founded the nonprofit “Pickleball for All” to introduce the sport to every school in Collier County and beyond. “The U.S. Open Pickleball Championships has opened doors to not only help us grow this charity, but to help us make Naples the pickleball mecca of the world!” says Ludwig.

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Fun sport, funnier name: Pickleball enthusiasts looking forward to inaugural championship coming to

Published April 14, 2016 - www.naplesnews.com

Richard Nadeau was an avid tennis player for more than 20 years.

The Toronto native and part-time Naples resident had a number of back surgeries and couldn't effectively execute the overhead serving motion in tennis that had once come easily.

In a pickle, he turned to a sport with a peculiar name. Pickleball, a racquet sport blending elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton, is rapidly gaining popularity throughout the United States. Naples will soon be the sport's epicenter, with the first U.S. Open Pickleball Championships set for April 26 through May 1 at East Naples Community Park.

Nadeau, 63, said he's been playing pickleball since last January and can't get enough of it.

"I enjoyed tennis, but I've found pickleball to be much more addictive and fun," Nadeau said. "In tennis, if you have a really big serve, the rallies are short. You see some pros crank up a serve to 135 miles per hour and just blow the other guy off the court. In pickleball, the game is structured in such a way, that you have to rally. There's a tremendous amount of strategy involved."

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Atlantic South Regional Tournament

Congratulations to Regional Director Karen Parrish on another successful tournament!  The tournament was held this past weekend at the Mobile Tennis Center in Alabama.  The weather was beautiful and the venue was super.  Sixteen temporary Pickleball courts were set up on 8 of the center's 60 tennis courts.

185 players from 18 states played 344 matches.  There were 75 mixed doubles teams, 45 men's doubles teams, 36 women's doubles teams, 30 men's singles players, and 15 women's singles players.  The matches ran without a hitch under the management of Pickleball Tournaments (Melissa McCurley).  Spectators enjoyed seeing some fierce battles on the courts.

Referees got to experience calling the matches while sitting in the tall chairs used by tennis chair umpires.  What a different perspective!

The sponsors supported the event in grand style.  Paddletek, Pickleball Rocks, Pickleball Up, Engage Pickleball, WhipperSnapper, and Pro-Lite Sports had extensive displays of their products for all the Pickleball enthusiasts to peruse and purchase. 

In addition to all the great play, Joe Borrelli, District Ambassador for North Carolina Coastal Plains, received the 2016 Pickleball Pioneer Award.  Joe has done a phenomenal job of growing the sport in North Carolina.  Although Joe was unable to attend the tournament, he made an appearance by FaceTime at the reception on Thursday evening.

A BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped make this tournament so impressive!

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Local pickleball players trying to find place for burgeoning sport

Published April 8, 2016 - www.tribuneledgernews.com

The sport of pickleball has grown rapidly throughout the nation in recent years, and Cherokee County (GA) has not been exempt from that trend.

The Earley family’s farm has emerged as the area’s destination for top players, while neighborhood clubs have developed for beginners in communities such as Lake Arrowhead and Harmony on the Lakes.

However, with the rise of the sport — particularly popular with senior citizens — there has been a divide between those who strictly want to play recreationally and those who want more competition.

“There are really two groups of pickleball players,” Chip Hullender said. “There are people who want to come out for the fun, exercise and social aspects of it, but there’s another group who really are a little more competitive.”

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Pickleball picks up fans in Decatur

Published April 6, 2016 - www.decaturish.com

Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping pong, is picking up fans in the city of Decatur (GA).

Decatur Active Living Program Supervisor Portia Langley brought the sport to the city last year and said it has taken off. “It is gaining a lot of interest, not just here in Decatur, but throughout the state,” Langley said. “When I attend different conferences I see rec centers that are offering it. It’s definitely picking up some momentum, especially here in Decatur with our program.”

Langley said she played pickleball in college and when she started working with the city about a year and a half ago, she wanted to bring it to Decatur residents. She applied for and received a grant from the USA Pickleball Association which sent two free nets. Now residents can play for free at the Ebster Recreation Center Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. It’s free for residents and costs $3 for non-residents.

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Women hold first pickleball shootout

Published April 2, 2016 - www.highlandstoday.com

In 2011, the South Central Florida Pickleball League was formed to give players in various communities the opportunity to test their skills against other pickleball devotees. Local teams have done extremely well with Highlands Ridge taking the league title in 2013, 2015 and 2016 while Tanglewood captured top honors in 2014.

Each team in the league put four doubles teams on the courts to battle for supremacy. Although women were more than welcome to play, teams seldom had more than one or two women on a team of eight players.

From time to time, the ladies from Tanglewood, Highlands Ridge and Del Webb-Orlando got together for fun tournaments. This year it was agreed that the women needed to take the next step and have a more formal competition. Recently the three teams met at Del Webb. Each team fielded four pairings ranked from one to four. The top two teams from each community competed in the Tier One round robin with each team playing against the other five teams in games to eleven points. The remaining teams competed in the Tier Two round robin.

In Tier One play, the Highlands Ridge team of Donna Landers and Sandi Cisler plus sub Susan Price and the Tanglewood pairing of Sandie March and Tracy Vernesboth took 50 out of a possible 55 points but the Ridgers were awarded first place having defeated the Tanglewooders in their match. Tanglewood’s Alisa Blackburn and Tracy Smith combined to take third place having accumulated a total of 46 points while Sue Schinderle and Ellen Nesbitt (a recent defector from Tanglewood) plus their sub, Susan Shaner, finished fourth with 43 points.

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Pickleball easy to pick up regardless of age, athleticism

Published April 1, 2016 - www.jacksonville.com

Invented on the west coast, pickleball shot across the nation in recent years and is now rallying a growing fan base in Neptune Beach.

The quirkily-named sport combines tennis, badminton and pingpong into a fast-paced game that can be played inside or outside. In Neptune Beach, however, pickleball aficionados — and pickleball amateurs — gather almost daily at Jarboe Park, which boasts the largest concentration of courts in the area. The outpouring of response since the beachside city began offering pickleball is unprecedented, according to the Senior Activity Center Director Leslie Lyne.

Coming in May, the city plans to hold its second pickleball tournament in Jarboe Park as a small fundraiser for the Senior Center. The event will be held May 14 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and city staff expects approximately 75 players to participate. Both the tennis courts and the pickleball courts will be unavailable for general use that Saturday.

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Naples (FL) – World Pickleball Capital

Published April 1, 2016 - www.coastalbreezenews.com

Save the date! On April 26 Collier County will become the pickleball capital of the world when the gates open for the first-ever Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championships.

For six event-filled days, America’s fastest growing sport will take Naples by storm when over 800 athletes compete for top prize money while thousands of spectators fill the hospitality village in East Naples Community Park. This premier event will feature special Gold Box seating, parties, live entertainment, charitable fundraising activities, a Kids Day, a unique Zing Zang Championship Court, and of course the greatest pickleball players in the world.

Saturday night CBS Sports Network will be filming the finals of the Pro Mixed, Women’s and Men’s finals. For ticket information contact, chris@usopenpickleballchampionship.com.

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