Nathalie Bagby ( right ) and Lily Kordic took home gold in women ’ s senior pro doubles .
Nathalie Bagby ( right ) and Lily Kordic took home gold in women ’ s senior pro doubles .
The nationally televised Deep Eddy Vodka Celebrity Pickleball Showdown on Tuesday night of Nationals week cast a spotlight on the likes of former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki , current Mavs head coach Jason Kidd , Masters champion and world # 1 golfer Scottie Sheffler , former tennis star John Isner and former Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco . Pros who joined in on the action included Ben Johns , Anna Leigh Waters , Julian Arnold , Lauren Stratman , Jay Devilliers , Allyce Jones and Catherine Parenteau .
You often hear of pickleballers not wanting to get off their respective courts , playing for as long as they can . Well that came into play when a new Guinness World Record for a continuous pickleball match was established , with 288 participants playing in 10-minute intervals hitting the ball back and forth over a 12-hour period — breaking the old mark of 250 players . “ People were asking every time they walked by me , ‘ Can I jump in ? How do I sign up ?’ If we had more time , I bet we could ’ ve played for a whole 24 hours with the number of people who wanted to jump in for this event ,” said Brook Thygerson , PPA Tour event planner . Two of the players who did jump in were Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters , among some of the other touring pros .
All in all , it was a week for the ages in the sport of pickleball and for the game ’ s National Championships .
From Anna Leigh Waters ’ record-setting performance , to a breakout star in Jaume Martinez Vich , to another dominating win for the Johns brothers , the Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships powered by Invited and the PPA Tour is one that will not soon be forgotten . The only real question that remains : How can pickleball top this event next year ? The way the sport has been growing , it won ’ t be a problem . •
Drew Wathey is a published author and screenwriter (“ A Season With Hope ”) and former director of communications for the PGA Tour ’ s Phoenix Open . Wathey is the owner of SportsLink , a homebased sports public relations and marketing company . He is also a national sports anchor for iHeart Radio . His family lives in Phoenix , Arizona .
PHOTO BY MARK DANCHO ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY
>> For full results and medal winners , visit usapickleball . org / nationals
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