PickleballENGLAND
R2023 ENGLISH OPEN — FROM VISION TO REALITY
Reflecting a few days after a hugely successful Skechers 2023 English OPEN powered by the APP ...
Messages of thanks to our team and volunteers who made the event special have been fantastic .
PickleballEngland has proven we can stage a top-notch pickleball event to rival some of the best in the USA .
Three days to turn three halls and a concourse into a 40-court pop-up pickleball venue . Courts packed in five strips , laid and taped down , 40 nets and 700 + court barriers built , banners , posters and flags displayed , and vendor booths built and stocked . It was amazing watching my vision becoming a reality . While all this was happening , I started to worry that the vast venue might mean we would lose the warmth of prior tournaments , so I briefed our designer , Salli Griffith , to create A4 posters to put in the restrooms
Forty courts in more than three halls . Photo by Joshua Bratt .
reminding everyone to smile if they were enjoying themselves . One day later , posters were in place and players arrived for recreational play . The reaction of players who had never played on a proper pickleball court , seeing 40 courts , was delightful .
Thursday — DUPR Team Trophy Day . Fourteen teams competed . Twelve APP Next Generation players were split into three U . S . teams ; a total of 12 countries represented .
The Franklin U . S . team won the trophy , the APP U . S . team 2nd , and Viking Athletic English team 3rd . Two taiko drummers announced each knockout round to add gravitas to the event .
While the event was going on , the eight APP pro players who came held coaching clinics and lots of players had an opportunity to play with a pro . Having pro players at the event is fantastic for regular by KAREN MITCHELL
DIRECTOR , PICKLEBALL ENGLAND
I just wanted to let you know I
have never loved pickleball as much as I love it at this time after this weekend . It really feels like it has been magical , simply amazing .”
— Andre Strachan
players to be able to see the highest standard of play and it ’ s truly inspiring . Also having the chance to talk to the players is very special and it helped to create a buzz . That is my takeaway from the event — the vibe was pulsating and palpable , the shared joy of pickleball , of friends gathering .
There were 1,078 players representing 38 countries , plus nearly 500 spectators . Forty-seven of the players were under age 19 . The youngest was JR DeHeart , 6 , who got silver in the Young Juniors event , while his sister Lily , 8 , took gold !
Friday was singles day , recreational play and more clinics with the pros . Twenty-eight Singles brackets ( 18 men ’ s and 10 women ’ s ) with 1,000 + games . There were eight groups in the Men ’ s OPEN Singles and four groups in the Women ’ s OPEN Singles . Husband and wife Ryler DeHeart and Megan Fudge won matching gold medals !
Saturday was our biggest day . With 880 participating players , we pushed through 1,161 matches . There were 36 teams in the Men ’ s OPEN , split into seven brackets , and
72 TO SUBSCRIBE , CALL 412.914.8294 OR GO TO PICKLEBALLMAGAZINE . COM