Pickleball Magazine 3-3 | Page 36

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. 34 TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM