Idaho ’ s Coeur D ’ Alene Classic Boasts Record Turn-out
For those of you who haven ’ t been to Coeur D ’ Alene , let me paint a quick picture . The city has a population of over 45,000 but has a rustic quaint feel . The downtown has streets lined with restaurants and boutiques , and the main attraction is the beautiful lake that gives the town its name . With this as the backdrop , the North Idaho Pickleball Association ( NIPBA ) hosted a spectacular event .
The Coeur D ’ Alene Classic is a tier 2 USAPA Sanctioned tournament , held at the Cherry Hill Park which offered 18 pickleball courts located on the tennis courts ( 6 painted and 12 temporary ). This year , 291 players participated in the event . A breakdown of participants by event is listed below .
|
WDS |
MDS |
WSS |
MSS |
MXDS |
3.0 |
30 |
14 |
6 |
8 |
28 |
3.5 |
24 |
46 |
3 |
9 |
58 |
4.0 |
24 |
40 |
8 |
16 |
50 |
4.5 |
14 |
26 |
7 |
9 |
38 |
5.0 |
14 |
26 |
7 |
11 |
34 |
One of the most important factors that determine the success and enjoy-ability of a tournament is the promptness of court assignment . Speaking with the tournament director , Ken Hayden , this is what he had to say . “ Letha Rodrigues , Shay McHenry , and Nancy Kelly coordinated our volunteers where they were needed , from local members and players … Coeur d ’ Alene is a very sharing volunteer community and people just step up where they are needed .” He added , “ As for our tournament organization , we made the right choice a year ago to bring Dee Davison on our team . She kept our team on track and provided the experience and expertise we needed as a new tournament to make it successful . ”
On the first day of the tournament events , Men ’ s singles and Women ’ s Doubles kicked off the tournament . In Men ’ s 5.0 singles , the medal winners were : Ty McGuffin ( Gold ), Mills Miller ( Silver ) and Kurtis Campbell ( Bronze ).
BY ROB DAVIDSON
In Women ’ s 5.0 Doubles , the medal winners were : Joy Leising / Bonnie Williams ( Gold ), Laura Fenton Kovanda / Irina Tereschenko ( Silver ), and Lynn Syler / Miok Lee ( Bronze ).
The day ended with a Meet & Greet dinner , located next to the venue , with food being provided by one of the tournament sponsors , Pita Pit . The dinner also included live entertainment , which was a young local fiddler , who has won national acclaim . It provided an excellent atmosphere to enjoy a meal with pickleball friends .
The second day progressed with the largest event of the tournament , mixed doubles . With just about every registered player participating , mixed doubles is often the event when tournaments find themselves short of referees . NIPBA was well prepared and the matches ran smoothly . The Mixed 5.0 Doubles medal winners were : Irina Tereschenko / Rob Cassidy ( Gold ), Joy Leising / Chris Miller ( Silver ), and Lynn Syler - Enrique Ruiz ( Bronze ).
The final day of events included Men ’ s doubles and Women ’ s singles . The day had occasional gusts of wind , but the sun was still out and there were no delays . The Men ’ s 5.0 Doubles medal winners were : Enrique Ruiz / Travis Rood ( Gold ), Matt Goebel / Glen Peterson ( Silver ), and Jay Rippel / Ty McGuffin ( Bronze ).
And the Women ’ s 5.0 Singles medalists were : Irina Tereschenko ( Gold ), Bonnie Williams ( Silver ), and Joy Leising ( Bronze ).
The day after the last event , a social mixer was organized . It divided the players who signed up ( it was free , but required early sign-up ) into groups based on their skill levels . Courts were assigned , and for the next two-and-a-half hours , players rotated through different partners and had a great opportunity to play some competitive games with people they might not have been able to partner with normally . It was a fun and relaxing way to finish up a great tournament . •
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016 | MAGAZINE 45