On December 10 and 11, the City of Savannah hosted the Savannah Pickleball Championships at Bacon Park. Clearly, I’m a bit late getting this out, but life occasionally gets in the way of good intentions. I trust I can be forgiven by the Landings Club participants who were there in strength, played exceptionally well, and deserve all the accolades they earned.
The tournament was divided into the usual three broad categories: Men’s and Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Each broad category then was subdivided by age and skill level. Approximately twenty-five Landings Club players participated.
The Landings Club sent a strong message to the competition by taking home eighteen medals. It was a terrific performance by the good guys. While we medaled in all of the broad categories, we excelled in Mixed Doubles where we accounted for thirteen of the forty-two medals awarded. That included four gold, five silver and four bronze medals. We took home four more medals in Women’s Doubles while the men garnered six.
That the Landings Club team corralled forty-three percent of the medals awarded is no small accomplishment. Special kudos to Claudia Gaughf, Courtney Neely, Betsey Andersen and Vanessa Marin, all of whom medaled in Mixed and Women’s Doubles. Congratulations to Johnny Moran, Einar Andersen and Adam Hecht who medaled in Mixed and Men’s Doubles. Other winners include: Kristen Berger, Chris Phillips, Chas Ferrelle, Mary Jane Martin, Andrew Nash, Dee DeClerque, Wayne Pero, Brad Whitfield, Jeff Tocci, Jim Dwyer and Steve Holst.
On a separate subject, all pickleball players will be pleased to note that construction has commenced on the four new courts that we’d hoped to have by early last fall. Current estimates call for a completion date in late January or early February, depending on weather. The new courts give us a total of fifteen, and should alleviate some of the congestion we’ve been experiencing. More on this as construction progresses.
