Pickleball Open benefits United Way and its partners

The second annual Pickleball Open will be held Sept. 1 and 2 at Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia. Sarah Spies, president and CEO of United Way, and Kyle Kendall, tournament director, said the tournament was a big success in 2023, and all proceeds will benefit the United Way of Tuscarawas County, which also will benefit the 13 partner agencies and the 19 health and human services programs supported by United Way.

DoverPhila Federal Credit Union is the premier sponsor of the event. Elizabeth Stephenson is the 2024 campaign chairperson.

Kendall said he was residing in Florida, and pickleball was such a hit in the state he wanted to try it in New Philadelphia. He said in 2023, 88 individuals participated, and there were 100 in the audience. Kendall has since relocated back to Ohio. Kendall and his parents Mitch and Kiley Kendall were the 2023 UW campaign chairpersons of the event. They were playing pickleball at Tuscora Park and thought it would be a great idea to organize a tournament to raise funds for United Way.

Spies said the 2023 tournament raised over $9,000 and netted $6,700 after expenses.

“It is the fastest growing sport in the United States,” Kyle Kendall said. “It is very low entry cost, and all you need is a pickleball paddle (similar to a table tennis paddle) and a Wiffle ball to play.”

Spies got the idea to also include a young adult tournament as so many also play pickleball. The young adult tournament will include some additional vibes and music to make it a more structured event.

The young adult tournament will begin Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at Tuscora Park. There are no division skill levels, and the ages to play are 12-23 and a guarantee of two games. Medals and gift cards will be awarded to the top three teams, and T-shirts are included. The cost is $25 per player.

The men’s, women’s and mixed doubles tournament will kick off Sept. 2 at 8 a.m. at Tuscora Park. The estimated times are men’s at 8 a.m., mixed at noon and women’s at 4 p.m. The cost is $40 per player or $60 for two events.

There will be 16 teams per group and a 40 skills rating and under. Cash prizes will be awarded, and the top three teams will receive medals. A T-shirt is a guarantee with early bird registration. There will be a limit of 100 players.

To register, visit www.pickleballbrackets.com. Those able also can scan to register. Call Spies at 330-343-7772.

According to Wikipedia, the origin of pickleball began in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. In 2022 pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington. Joel Pritchard, a congressman and later Washington lieutenant governor, and his neighbors Bill Bell and Barney McCallum were looking for badminton equipment to occupy their families’ time. They opted for Ping-Pong paddles and a Wiffle ball. Thus pickleball was born.

Pritchard’s wife wanted to name the game pickleball because it reminded her of the pickle boat and crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.