Regional
THE SUDS WERE FLOWING AT THE GRAND RAPIDS BEER CITY OPEN
National Veterans Golden Age Games Introduces Pickleball
Regional
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THE SUDS WERE FLOWING AT THE GRAND RAPIDS BEER CITY OPEN
Ambassador ’ s
As true connoisseurs of alcoholic brews , you might already know that Grand Rapids , MI , was voted “ Beer City , USA .” In national polls , it was named “ Best Beer Town ” and “ Best Beer Scene .” So , it was only natural that the pickleball tournament would incorporate these titles into its name .
The tournament took place at Belknap Park , a local facility adjacent to baseball fields and a semi-pro ice rink . The park also boasts 15 dedicated pickleball courts , which is a story of perseverance in itself . The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club in 2012 started by raising private funds and , with the city ’ s permission , was able to convert some of the unused tennis courts at the park into six dedicated pickleball courts . Over the next few years , two additional courts were added , then three more and finally four courts this past spring . The club itself swelled from 50 members to more than 600 today . Needless to say , Grand Rapids is thriving on pickleball . With 15 dedicated courts , Belknap is believed to be the largest outdoor pickleball center in Michigan .
The Grand Rapids Beer City Open also featured a $ 12,000 professional tournament that showcased some of the sport ’ s finest players , many of whom were extremely complimentary of the overall set-up . Some expressed gratitude for their start times being later in the day . For some reason , the younger pro players preferred to sleep in .
On one of the four days of action , rain forced play indoors and the entire operation was switched over to an indoor facility that had 18 courts — more than Belknap !
So what does the future hold ? Most agree the event is just going to continue to grow . The tournament management team of Paul Richards , Andrea Koop and Jeff Howlett see more dedicated pickleball courts being added with the possibility of having one stadium court for the final gold medal rounds . With the tremendous support of volunteers from the local club , this event will certainly continue to develop into a tournament the entire pickleball community will be proud of .
National Veterans Golden Age Games Introduces Pickleball
Albuquerque was the host city for the annual National Veterans Golden Age Games ( NVGAG ) on August 3-8 . Over 1,000 veterans from all across the country , ages 55-90 +, competed in a variety of sports , 17 in all . One of which was pickleball ! The goal of the games is to keep veterans happy , healthy and to provide an opportunity to socialize with former and current members of the military .
Joe Borrelli , USAPA Regional Director for the Mid- Atlantic States , was brought in to handle tournament operations . He made it clear from the outset that regardless of each player ’ s level of experience in
pickleball , the main focus was to have fun and that goal was met by everyone involved .
This was the first year that pickleball was played as a medal event at the Golden Age Games . There were 130 participants , the majority of whom had little pickleball experience and a few who had picked up a paddle for the very first time .
Several veterans new to pickleball got “ hooked ” on the game and were happy to have another sport to add to their repertoire . Next year , the NVGAG will be held in Anchorage , Alaska .
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