San Juan College Foundation will host its first pickleball tournament on Jan. 27-29 at the Health and Human Performance Center at San Juan College.
The foundation will host a welcome party for players and guests, with appetizers, nonalcoholic beverages, door prizes and raffle items. An entry fee of $10 can be paid at the door.
Pickleball has exploded since it’s origin in 1965, when U.S. Rep. Joel Pritchard, R-Wash., and Bill Bell, came up with the idea after a morning round of golf.
The following weekend, Barney McCallum was introduced to the game at Pritchard’s home and they created rules, relying heavily on badminton. They wanted to create a game that the whole family could play together.
Their creative instincts gave rise to the phenomenon that it has become today. The pickleball boom cannot be denied, with over 36.5 million people playing the sport from Aug. 2021 to Aug. 2022, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals.
Even major star athletes, ranging frrom LeBron James and Tom Brady to Kevin Durant and Patrick Mahomes, have brought more attention to the sport by investing in professional pickleball teams.
And now huge corporations, including Holland America, Anheuser-Busch, Skechers and Carvana, are joining the sponsorship ranks.
Pickleball, possibly the fastest growing sport, is basically a combination of table tennis, tennis and badmitton and can be enjoyed by all skill levels and played as a singles or doubles games.
The tournament consists of intermediate (3.0-3.5) and advanced (3.5-4.0) men's and women's doubles on Saturday, Jan. 28, and mixed doubles on Sunday, Jan. 29.
The north entrance of the HHPC gymnasium will be used as the tournament entrance for players and guests. There is no charge to watch the tournament.
“We are so grateful to Pumps & Service, Morgan Stanley and United Healthcare for sponsoring this event,” Sarah Oliver, San Juan College Foundation donor relations coordinator, stated in a news release.
“Our committee members Nate Lacey, Jim Luther, Marilyn Hazelwood and George Sharpe have been such an asset to the planning process. This tournament has been such a testament to the power of collaboration,” she said.
For information, call Sarah Oliver at (505) 566-3522.
