U25 Young Persons Championship players and officials .
line can be on court . The third line is players who go on after the middle group .
Games are one game to 11 ( win by 1 ) or 12 minutes , whichever comes first .
The morning sessions are mixed play , and the board organizers group players in an effort to balance out the teams . In the afternoon sessions , you can choose who you play by placing your magnet on the board as an individual , pair , three or four .
Saturday was my favorite day . Two courts were used exclusively for the Young Persons Championship . Thirteen players under age 25 took part in a gender-neutral tournament , where each player plays with and against each other . The winners are determined by their individual results in a standings table . Everyone played 12 games between 10 a . m . and 4 p . m . I watched some fabulous play from these young players , and the ladies held their own .
The last match was an all-female game and , unbeknownst to one of them , if her team had won the match , she would finish in the top four and be part of the exhibition match . The match was a fantastic game of patience and control , and the score was 11-10 ( this was also win by 1 ). Sadly , the result meant that the top woman , Jessie Danger , finished 5th overall so she didn ’ t participate in the exhibition match .
The livestreamed exhibition had 1st and 4th place Luke Whitfield , 19 , and Alex Jeffries , 23 , playing against 2nd and 3rd place Wesley Jackson and Jack Butterfield , both 24 . Wesley and Jack squeezed by Luke and Alex
11-10 after Luke and Alex had match point before losing the serve . I was impressed by all the young players ’ maturity , especially the youngest player , Ethan Hills , 17 .
Finally , at 7 p . m . we left to take showers and head to the bar for drinks , pizza and karaoke . We had a lovely evening chatting with players over a few glasses of wine . People from all walks of life , different ages and interests … and we all bond over pickleball . •
MAY / JUNE 2022 | MAGAZINE 73