BPBlog
The US Open Pickleball Championships Scores a Winner
The US Open Pickleball Championships Scores a Winner
Well, it is over. The First Ever US Open Pickleball Championships have concluded. The announcements of “report to court 17 or court 31 or court 6..." along with "we need a ref or line judge for a gold medal match” have ceased cutting thought the hot air of East Naples Community Park. All the matches have been played and the US Open Pickleball Championships has to be considered a resounding success.
Ten plus 1 of the best from the US Open Pickleball Tournament.
- Participation: Ages 11-89, 2.5 to 5.0 pros playing; everyone having a go.
- Pickleball courts: 48 courts that looked good and played well.
- Play: Excellent Pickleball at every skill and age level.
- Location: Easy access to East Naples Community Park.
- Conversation: Loads of people chatting about Pickleball all the time.
- Volunteers: Terrific volunteers at all levels (parking, serving food, refereeing, etc).
- Hydration: Free water and sport drinks were provided near all courts.
- Attitude: In keeping with the spirit of Pickleball, the event was FUN.
- Atmosphere: A happy, easygoing camaraderie amongst participants, visitors & vendors.
- Weather: It was hot, but better than rain.
+1. Hometown story line: Yes, the hometown kid came through. Kyle Yates "the face of Pickleball in SW Florida” and his partner Dave Weinbach won in the featured men’s doubles match, playing Wes Gabrielsen and Daniel Moore. The match will be shown on CBS sports channel at Friday May 20th at 7pm
For the US Open’s first go, there were surprisingly few glitches.
A few ideas to put forward for year two are:
- Food trucks with a variety of food.
- Additional perks for refs and all the volunteers.
- More lighting in the vendors’ tent.