Last week, for the first time at The Landings Club, the pickleball pros hosted a Beginner’s Tournament. Open to any player who had never before played in a pickleball tournament, regardless of skill level, the only requirement was that they know the rules. The idea for the tournament was the brainchild of Alex Fox and Bradley Morse who noted that newer players were often reluctant to sign up for tournaments because they assume they are reserved for the best players.
Many new pickleball players learn the game by playing with New Neighbors. In time, some become extremely accomplished, eventually engaging in tournament play. That said, very few actually enter tournaments. Alex and Bradley felt that giving the new players the opportunity to dip their toe in the water would show them how much fun and inclusive tournament play can be. That new found confidence will hopefully encourage more players to participate in the club championships, Special Pops, league play and other tournaments.
New player response to the tournament was overwhelming. A total of forty-four players signed up creating twenty-two teams. There were two events: men’s doubles and women’s doubles – ten teams for the men and twelve teams for the women. The teams were further divided into two brackets, with each team playing one game against all the teams in their bracket. Given time constraints there were no mixed doubles matches.
The tournament was a round robin event. The teams with the best records after an elimination round, played in the semifinal round, after which the final round determined the winners of the tournament gold, silver and bronze medals.
It might be that calling this event a Beginners Tournament did the players a disservice. The quality of play was remarkably competitive for a group of spirited picklers playing in their first tournament. The games began at 6:00 PM, in the hope that the temperature might be something less than an inferno. It wasn’t. By the time the semi-final matches started, the wind was blowing hard, definitely affecting players shots. The finals finished just as the skies opened and it started to rain.
Medals were awarded before everyone ran for cover. In the men’s event gold went to Chad Curry and Neil Salyer. Silver medals went to Vince Steis and Marc Wolfrum, while Andrew Armstrong and Hermann Coolidge garnered bronze. On the women’s side, Gina Rahimi and Suzanne Curry won the gold after a hard-fought match against Harriet Andersen and Melinda Tucker who took silver. Bianca Rodrigues and Arden Bartlett won bronze. Congratulations all. Everyone, whether medaling or not, played inspired pickleball.
On a separate note, don’t miss the opportunity to participate in the league this fall. The signup period for the fall league started on August 15th and closes on September 12th. The first night of play is October 3rd. Additionally, don’t forget to sign up for the Special Pops tournament, either as a contestant or a volunteer. The three-day tournament begins on November 3rd.