The Fun in the Sun Pickleball Tournament was a great success Saturday at the Sawicki Park tennis courts.
A total of 26 regular players had to endure 12 highly-contested matches, each match to 11 points (must win by two points) with some games going to 14 before a winner was decided.
“We gathered at 8:30 a.m. and finished all the matches by 1:30 p.m.,” said tournament director Wally Hermann. “After, we all gathered for a barbecue at Bruce Simpson’s garden.”
The winners were Joey Toolsie with 56 points out of a maximum 60. Second was Bruce Simpson with 53 points, followed by Greg Thompson with 51 points.
The top female was Christine Reid with 48 points. Molson/Coors supplied all the players with special gifts.
Pickleball is a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The sport is played on a court with the same dimensions as a doubles badminton court. The net is similar to a tennis net, but is mounted two inches lower. The game is played with a hard paddle and a polymer wiffle ball.
Although pickleball appears to be very similar to tennis, there are key differences that make pickleball more accessible to a wider range of players.
Chief among these differences is the speed of the pickleball ball which typically moves at one-third of the average speed of a tennis ball. The size of the court is just under one-third of the total area of a tennis court.
If interested in playing pickleball, call Hermann at 250-542-3797.
