Pickleball Magazine 1-3 | Page 32

Men ’ s Pro Singles Champion : Marcin Rozpedski .

Photo courtesy Rusty Howes / The Pickleball Channel

Within a couple of months of negotiations , a three-year agreement was made to host the Open at the East Naples Community Park .

To help ensure the success of the event , 250 volunteers were recruited . This small army took care of everything from registration , to favors , parking , food , refereeing , draws , vendor assistance , sponsors , courts and so much more .

Graham said , “ The volunteers were the real rock stars of this event . They were there at 6 a . m . until the last match finished up around midnight every day . They made a good event turn into a great event .”

Prior to the event , tennis courts had to be resurfaced and lined to accommodate 46 pickleball courts . At the same time , stadium seating had to be brought in to handle 1,000 viewers at the center court . Finally , two giant-sized “ Vendor Expo Tents ” were set up for the 24 sponsors selling their latest products on site .

From April 26 to May 1 ( 2016 ), pickleball history was made . There were 819 players ( ages 12-89 ) from 39 states and 7 countries

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