MINTO US OPE
MPIONSHIPS
N PICKLEBALL CHA
ville)
(powered by Margarita
Marcin Rozpedski and Dave Weinbach won
silver in the Men’s Doubles Pro event.
accounted for more spontaneous trips by people
who otherwise may have stayed home. “Hotel
rooms were booked for a 30-mile radius, and the
restaurants looked like it was tourist season,” she
said.
While no one questions the fact that growth of the
event is good for the sport, one question confronting
the pair next year is, how big is too big? “Around
2,000 is a good number for us right now,” Evon said.
“We have creative ways we can bump it up again, and
we need to talk about that with the various parties
involved. The county may be building more courts,
and there are other plans in the works. While we’d
like to even go a little higher we first need to focus
on maintaining and enhancing the great experience
everyone is having.”
“That’s on the players side,” Graham added. “If we
get another 1,000 spectators flying in, we can handle
it. But the Championship Court is the only thing
with a limit, and we sold out with more than 1,300
people for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Players
and spectators made it clear that Saturday night was
the most electrifying pickleball in the history of the
sport.”
Graham and Evon were quick to point out the
event’s 400 volunteers were responsible for much of
its success. “They were the first to arrive and the last
to leave, and it was refreshing to see so many fans
taking time to say ‘thank you’ to the volunteers,”
Graham said. “That was worth more to them than
anything—the fact that people realized the sacrifices
the volunteers made for this event.”
You will be able to watch this year’s Minto US
Open on the CBS Sports Network on June 1,
at 8 p.m. EST.
For more information and to sign up for
email updates about the tournament, go to
usopenpickleballchampionship.com. •
Irina Tereschenko and Lucy Kovalova won silver in
Women’s Pro Doubles.
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