DEAF MIDWEST TOURNAMENT
On a warm but windy day , about 90 players descended upon Fabbrini Park in Hoffman Estates , Illinois , to play in the first Deaf Midwest Pickleball Tournament . With the help of wonderful volunteers and the support of the fans , they braved the winds until winners were determined in the respective recreational and competitive groups .
After a lively morning of round-robin play , individuals were paired up for the afternoon showdowns . Our proud winners for the recreational level were Ron DeGrado and Mike Goddard of Illinois and the competitive bracket champions were Kevin Hall of Maryland and Sean Trapp of Illinois .
But the real winners are all of the deaf pickleballers who came , dinked , and had a great time . Our deepest appreciation goes out to the volunteers , the fans who came to cheer us on , and the committee who worked hard in hosting the event . Finally , we couldn ’ t have done this without the wonderful support of our sponsors , especially the Hoffman Estates Park District and Northwest Special Recreation Association ( NWSRA ). •
— Andy Foster
AWARD-WINNING SCREENPLAY ‘ PICKLEBALLS ! THE MOVIE !’
IPTPA and USA Pickleball ambassador and Headsponsored player Dan Beeman wrote “ Pickleballs ! The Movie ,” an award-winning screenplay of a buddy comedy inspired by “ Talladega Nights ,” “ Step Brothers ” and “ Wedding Crashers .” Written for Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen , the script is about an extennis professional ( Will ) who turns into a pickleball professional 40 years after being considered the best tennis player ever .
The movie starts the day he loses his mom , his tennis teaching job , and his house . The now disgraced , toupeewearing , overweight , immature manchild needs to redeem himself , so he
INTERNET PERSONALITIES — THE HOLDERNESS FAMILY CREATES VIRAL SONG ABOUT PICKLEBALL
By Laura Gainor
The Holderness Family ’ s Kim and Penn Holderness are American internet personalities best known for their Facebook and YouTube channels — with more than 5 million combined subscribers and over 1 billion total views . After playing pickleball for the first time , they released “ The Pickleball Song ,” giving shoutouts to Michelle Esquivel , Ben Johns and Tyson McGuffin . It ’ s a song that has pickleball enthusiasts feeling the same sentiment —“ PB for Life !” looks up his former Russian communist nemesis ( Sacha ) and convinces him to partner up , travel the country in an old RV , and compete in pickleball tournaments to promote his justreleased autobiography , reclaim his former glory , and pay off gambling debts .
The two find that their idea of happiness is exactly the opposite of what they were pursuing individually . Unexpectedly , they overcome their differences to find happiness through teamwork from pickleball playing .
Potential cameos could feature top professionals and big personalities in our sport . Currently seeking and considering options including producers , agencies and partners . For more details , visit
danbman . com . •
Following the release of the song , USA Pickleball met with Kim , Penn and Michelle via Zoom to discuss the viral video . Check out the full interview on
USAPickleball . org or follow on social media @ USAPickleball . •
JULY / AUGUST 2021 | MAGAZINE 19