BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Chicago
Metro
Pickleball
UNITES CITY
IN UNIFIED PLAY,
LAUNCHES
FIRST PRO
TOURNAMENT
24
T
hings move fast in the Windy
City, and the creation of
Chicago Metro Pickleball is
no exception. Last fall, Ken
Herrmann, Dana Joseph and
Marina Ohmuller started the
nonprofit and, in just one year, more
than a dozen disparate groups of
pickleball players in and around the
city have launched a $25,000-purse
Pro Tournament—the largest such
tournament in the Midwest.
“We’ve been on fire,” Herrmann
says. “We had a winter league with 64
players pitting different teams against
each other, interclub play, socials and
mixers. We have over 150 dues-paying
members within the organization, and
the pickleball community is growing
super fast in this area through activities
for the players, boot camps, clinics, and
now we’re trying to develop the sport
more formally in the school system.”
Part of that formal introduction
includes reaching out to all the schools
in the third largest school district in
the U.S. to help grow their pickleball
programs. Herrmann says Chicago
Metro Pickleball will be starting at the
elementary level, talking with school
decision makers and trying to put nets
and pickleballs in their hands so the
sport can be put into a rotation.
“What’s nice is that every school we’ve
talked to so far is willing to accept any
offering,” he says. “And because we’re
a nonprofit, we’re worried about the
bottom line, but not overly worried,
so projects like this are right in our
wheelhouse.”
In addition to spreading the sport,
Chicago Metro Pickleball’s second major
focus is administering the Chicago
Pickleball Open, a World Pickleball
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
Federation Tier II event that includes
an 18 and younger Junior Open. With 20
courts around Naperville, the Chicago
Pickleball Open is the first professional
tournament in Chicago and will surpass
Michigan’s $16,000-purse, 15-court
Beer City Open Tournament in size and
prize money.
“We anticipate 800 to 850 entrants.
Melissa McCurley is the tournament
chair and we’ll have Byron Freso from
the US Open as the head referee,”
Herrmann says. At the time of
publication, more than 275 registrants
were already booked for the event. “Our
focus is quality in all aspects and we
have some of the top leaders in the sport
participating, so everyone should have
a great experience. Tyson (McGuffin),
(Kyle) Yates, (Dave) Weinbach have all
committed to come, and we’re looking to
have this be one of the premier events
on the pro scene for years to come.”
In addition to pro play and top-notch
talent, the tournament also promises
a ton of fun for spectators, including a
“Dunk the Pro” charity fundraiser that
will let people buy a chance to drop their
favorite pros in the dunk tank. If you
can’t make it to Chicago July 16-21, all of
the pro and senior pro matches will be
livestreamed by ProPickleball Media.
For Herrmann and the rest of the
CMP board, the event promises to be the
foundation for amazing things to come
out of Chicago.
“We all saw how it could grow together
if everyone was on the same page,”
he says. “And now, more than ever,
everyone is keeping their head down
and their eye on the ball to showcase the
whole community with this event.”
For more information on
Chicago Metro Pickleball or the
Chicago Pickleball Open, visit
chicagometropickleball.org, where you
can register today.