Pickleball Magazine 4-3 WD | Page 18

dinks continued THE AARON GIFFORD BENEFIT TOURNAMENT T he 2nd annual Aaron Gifford Benefit Tournament, held in early April, was the largest pickleball event ever held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the first to be sanctioned by the USAPA and SSIPA. One hundred fifty-one players from as far away as North Carolina participated in the double elimination/round- robin event at the New Mexico State University Tennis Complex. This tournament was first held last April to commemorate Aaron Gifford, who served in the 3rd Infantry with the US Army and was in the first invasion of Iraq. Aaron came back from the war with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). During his struggle with PTSD, Aaron, along with his twin sister Kiley, was introduced to pickleball by his mother, CeCe Hunter, and her husband Ken. “Aaron grew to love playing pickleball,” CeCe recalls, “and he played in tournaments throughout the state of New Mexico, where he won numerous medals. He built a wonderful community of friends. We enjoyed playing as a family and felt like Aaron had found an outlet for his PTSD.” Tragically, Aaron’s new passion for pickleball was not enough to defeat the effects of PTSD, and he claimed his own life on January 8, 2018. Aaron is among thousands of veterans who have suffered from PTSD and taken their lives after serving their country. Each day in America, 22 veterans commit suicide, according to the nonprofit organization Mission 22, which brings awareness to this tragedy. Motivated by Aaron’s death, CeCe and Kiley, along with several of his pickleball friends, established a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization to honor him by sponsoring the Aaron Gifford Pickleball Benefit to raise awareness and funds to support veterans suffering from PTSD. Last year’s tournament raised $15,000—90 percent of which was donated to Mission 22. This year, the tournament raised $23,000 for both Mission 22 and the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope Veterans Housing Program in Las Cruces, which strives to ensure that no veteran in Las Cruces is homeless. PickTEN Program to Benefit Pickleball and Tennis P rofessional Pickleball Registry (PPR) and Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) are pleased to announce the creation of PickTEN, a revolutionary program aimed at growing both pickleball and tennis. PickTEN is the brainchild of PTR/PPR CEO Dan Santorum, who explains, “After seeing how easy it is to learn pickleball, the concept of a program designed to effectively introduce two great sports was a no-brainer. From there, PTR COO Brian Parkkonen took the PickTEN idea and developed an effective 10-session program.” PickTEN gives clubs a resource to attract new players to their facilities by providing a fun, social and engaging program. It creates an environment that allows players to learn two sports by using pickleball as an introduction of basic skills (striking and tracking the ball) and tennis to further develop those skills. “Since pickleball is an easy sport to learn and builds confidence and hand/eye coordination, it’s a perfect gateway to learn other racquet sports, especially tennis,” says Nicole Hobson, PPR Member Services Manager. PickTEN debuted in February during the PTR Symposium 16 and PPR Conference with Parkkonen and PPR’s Sarah Ansboury conducting the presentation. The PickTEN program will be part of the PPR organizational membership. For more information on starting a PickTEN program at your facility, call 843.785.7244 or 843.842.9777. PPR is dedicated to educating, certifying and serving pickleball teaching professionals and coaches around the world in order to grow the game. It is the largest global organization of pickleball teaching pros, with more than 1,250 members in all 50 states and 11 countries. PPR is a subsidiary of Professional Tennis Registry, the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals and coaches with nearly 16,500 members in 125 countries. For more information, visit www.pprpickleball.org. TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM