Real estate agents, volleyball coaches and active military members were just some of the players who punched their tickets to Nationals while in Greensboro.
FEATURE
Players Travel Far and Wide for Greensboro Golden Ticket
Real estate agents, volleyball coaches and active military members were just some of the players who punched their tickets to Nationals while in Greensboro.
By ALEX ABRAMS
RED LINE EDITORIAL
Karen Kelner decided to make a late change to her travel plans.
Kelner lives in Avalon, New Jersey, but spends the winter in Naples, Florida. As she was preparing to make the long trip back home in the spring, she noticed a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket tournament set for May 28-June 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
And Greensboro, of course, was right on the way home.
The 58-year-old former real estate agent joined other amateur pickleball players from across the country inside the Greensboro Complex to compete in the Golden Ticket tournament— one of 19 qualifying tournaments for players hoping to earn a spot in the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships to be held Nov. 15-23 in San Diego.
Kelner hit shots, attacked the net and returned enough serves in Greensboro to qualify for Nationals in the women’ s singles 4.0 division. She’ s already looking forward to taking the court in San Diego for a special reason.
“ My daughter lives there,” Kelner said.“ So for me, I’ m going to go visit her.”
The dozens of division winners who punched their tickets to Nationals ranged in age from recent college graduates to older adults. Some were relatively new to pickleball, while others have been playing the sport for years.
Brett Holt, who was born and raised in Ohio, grew up playing volleyball. He was a setter on the Ohio State men’ s club volleyball team, and now serves as the head volleyball coach at Walsh University, an NCAA Division II school in North Canton, Ohio.
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