Pictured ( l to r ): Jennifer Lucore , John A . Gullo , Alex Hamner and Gigi LeMaster standing with the prestigious Lanius Cup .
How Tournament of Champions Came to Be
Tournament of Champions was born out of a shared goal to grow pickleball into a professional sport .
By Jennifer Lucore & Alex Hamner
John Gullo and Dennis Forbes are two extraordinary men who have used pickleball to improve the lives of others .
Few Ogden , Utah , residents knew how to play pickleball in 2010 . But through his American Dream Foundation , John donated funds to build eight courts that are known affectionately as the “ Gullo Pickleball Grotto .”
When Dennis and his wife , Linda , retired to The Villages in Florida , they fell in love with pickleball . When Dennis gave clinics to players and children with special needs in Ogden , he and John became fast friends .
John and Dennis shared a passion for the sport , talking often about how to promote it . Their goal was to grow pickleball into a professional sport . Sadly , Dennis passed away in 2013 , and John knew then he needed to act upon their dream , and the Tournament of Champions ( TOC ) was born .
It all began in 2013 , when 35 players were invited to play for a prize pool of $ 18,000 . This was also the first time “ certified referees ” were used for all pro matches . Eventually , in 2019 , John A . Gullo sold the privately owned tournament to the town of Brigham City , Utah ,
making TOC the first city-owned pro tournament . Flash-forward to 2021 and TOC is a major tournament hosting 1,000 players with the professional prize pool of $ 100,000 .
TOC and its legacy also honors Bob Lanius ( software creator of
pickleballtournaments . com and member of Pickleball Hall of Fame ) by presenting the prestigious Lanius Cup to the professional event winners .
This year ’ s tournament brought some logistical challenges with the weather , but the TOC team got it done . Shout out to John Gullo , Kristy Gates Wolford and her team at Brigham City ,
pickleballtournaments . com team , Kyle and Trudee Klein and so many more !
We also thank the pickleball pioneers for paving the way and sharing this wonderful sport . TOC started professional pickleball thanks to visionaries John and Dennis . •
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started playing pickleball in 2010 , and have competed in numerous tournaments across the U . S . Jennifer also competes internationally , and both ladies have been inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame . Jennifer and Alex have 26 national titles , but are best known for winning gold in Women ’ s Open Doubles at Nationals for four consecutive years ( 2011-2014 ). They live with their respective families in North San Diego County . For more pickleball fun , visit Jennifer ’ s blog at
www . allpickleball . com .
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | MAGAZINE 43