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Tournament Recap and Thank Yous

Elena Arnold posted about 16 hours ago
This weekend's Memorial Shootout was remarkable in so many ways.  We were able to remember and honor players who impacted pickleball in our area in some way- by helping get courts built, donating time and/or money, teaching others to play, or by showing up and being part of our beloved pickleball community.

We had our largest registration numbers ever- bringing in 90 players throughout the two days.  25% of the players traveled from around the tri-state area, Arizona, and even as far away as Thailand! 

We hosted our first ever all youth division for players 10-17 years old. These eight youth players showed composure under pressure, great sportsmanship, and they cheered each other on throughout the day.  It was truly heartwarming to see the future of pickleball compete. 

We had father/son teams, mother/daughter teams, and even grandfather/grandsons facing off against each other!

After battling record high temperatures on Saturday, we made it 3/4 of the way through the weekend before the skies opened and a downpour ruined our fun.  Luckily, we were able to think fast and shift indoors to Around the Post- a quick 3 minutes away from Baldwin Park!  

After making the decision to relocate, a team of helpers leaped into action and got all of the supplies moved in record time.  Around the Post generously donated the courts to EPPA and the competition started again!  Thank you for being flexible with the change of plans. 

The park, and later ATP, were packed with players and spectators.  It’s amazing to see the support of this annual event.  Thank you to all who showed up to say hi and cheer on the players. 

Two day tournaments are a ton of work and we hold ourselves to a high standard that we want things to be perfect. Dozens of people asked, “What can I do to help?” and that is very appreciated. Kudos to the tournament committee who helped (leading up to the event and throughout the weekend) and to everyone else who was willing to assist, especially with the relocation efforts.

Andre and I want to give a huge shout out to Bill Wozniak, Mike Arnold, and Emily Francis for their tireless efforts in helping this weekend! We are so grateful for you.

We get many positive comments on our tournaments, but we can't do it without YOU!  Thank you.