Mike Hoxie ( left ) directed the games at the Little Valley venue . He presented numerous gold medals to the always sparkling 93-year-old Joyce Jones and her mixed partner , 89-year-old Fred Egger . Photo by Alice Tym .
Referee Sarah Smith ( right ) presided over the men ’ s 4.5 75 + doubles gold medal match . Rick Berry ( left ) and Carl Tietze ( far right ) won gold , and Mike Cox and Jim Hackenberg ( center ) took silver . Photo by Alice Tym .
The Huntsman Games gives players a chance to meet others from all over the world . Pictured ( l to r ), Dave Copier , Douglas Hutchinson , Rick Berry , Jan Door , Jim Door , Gayle Verschoor , Steve Verschoor , and Sev Gonnella had dinner at Entrada among the red rocks of Snow Canyon . Photo by Alice Tym .
The HWSG is the largest senior sporting event in the world . This year there were more than 11,000 athletes participating in 30-plus sports . The event added over $ 20M to the economy of the region . Thousands of volunteers make the Games a huge success .
This tournament also serves as a qualifier for the National Senior Games . Next year will be a qualifying year for the 2025 Nationals in Des Moines , Iowa . The HWSG allows players from all over the world to participate .
Pickleball has many entrants from Canada due to the number of snowbirds who winter in AZ , UT , and CA . The tournament staff is experienced ; it is a fine-tuned event . This year , the Archie Gubler Park was a second venue directed by David Jordan . The park is in Santa Clara , a pioneer town settled by Swiss immigrants . The entire area in and around St . George is growing so rapidly and pickleball seems to be a part of each community .
St . George is also a softball destination . Teams from Brazil , Mexico , and other Latin American countries were celebrating in restaurants and at the festival at the civic center .
The on-court play continued to demonstrate improved athleticism and quality of play . The regular crowd of top seniors were there as well as new players showing up in sparkly clothes and Lululemon outfits and PPA shirts . New players are coming from other sports , especially table tennis . Basketball ’ s Rick Berry is now a pickleball player , not just a celebrity !
Longtime tournament director David Jordan sees pickleball “ going the way of tennis , where the professional side of the game takes center stage , and the recreational side receives little attention . As of now , the recreational side of pickleball is booming and leagues are becoming more popular . The biggest , alarming trend that I see right now is the decline in the 70 + age group who seem to be getting pushed out by changes in rules and emphasis on play that does not benefit them .
“ The future looks bright for continued growth in St . George . Those who have been responsible in the past need to be mentors for the younger folks to take over the leadership roles . The HWSG has included pickleball for the last 20 years , starting out with about 80 players and now hosting over 1,200 players . Utah is a leader in pickleball and continues to grow the sport .”
Those who have played pickleball for several years know the effort that David and Nancy Jordan have put into the sport . The success of the HWSG is a tribute to their leadership and their skilled staff . Next year is a qualifying year and the championship court will be waiting . •
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