At a packed Willmar Events and Recreation Center last Saturday, teams from all across the region and even surrounding states got together for an exciting and amicable day of pickleball as the second annual Lakes Area Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament took place.
From 20 To 60 Teams
The event was held at Willmar Civic Center, 2707 Arena Drive in Willmar, Minnesota, and served as a fundraiser for the local organization Youth For Christ. It saw registration numbers leap from under 20 teams at the first event last January to an incredible 60 teams this year.
According to Jerrid Sebesta of Taatjes Financial Group, the driving force behind the event organization, transferring the date of the event to a few weeks before Christmas, along with increased promotion, helped the second iteration become even more of a success than last year’s.
“The sport continues to grow, and there continue to be more and more people (playing pickleball),” Sebesta told Macy Moore for wctrib.com. “This year, people just started showing up.”
Fundraising Total To Surpass $2,000
Funds raised last year totaled approximately $1,700, Sebesta said, and he is excited to see how much the event brings in with the larger turnout this year.
This year’s final fundraising total, from registrations as well as other personal donations, will be tallied later, but Sebesta expects the figure will easily surpass $2,000.
It’s hard to believe now that the first-ever Lakes Area Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament held last year at the same venue had to be canceled initially due to low registration numbers.
“We figured people are into pickleball, so let’s make it a fundraiser,” said Sebesta at the time.
“People Loved It”
Last year’s event saw nearly 40 competitors play from teams as far away as the Twin Cities. As with the tournament this year, it featured brackets of men’s doubles and mixed doubles teams.
“People have loved it,” Sebesta said. “This was the first tournament in this new facility.”
Youth For Christ executive director Sean Levesque reported that all the proceeds raised from both events went to support youth in both the Willmar community and throughout west central Minnesota.
As with the event this year, last year’s proceedings were sponsored by Taatjes Financial Group, Willmar Parks and Recreation, and Youth for Christ.
USPA Rules
This year’s event featured women’s, men’s, and mixed doubles competitions spread across three divisions of levels 2.0 to 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 and over.
The format was pool play, followed USPA rules, using Franklin X40 balls. It cost teams only $35 to register.
Go to the Willmar Parks And Recreation Facebook page to see images and videos of the day’s events.
“A Lot Of Great Things Happening”
Levesque was excited to talk about how he saw pickleball developing in his home state:
“There’s a lot of really great things happening in the state of Minnesota when it comes to pickleball because it’s growing in popularity so quickly.
“That means more courts are being built all over the place, but what you see here – these particular courts [are] pretty special.
“First of all, we have eight courts, which means more people can be playing pickleball on a more regular basis.
So Inclusive
Sean also talked about why pickleball was so popular: “Well, there are a number of reasons for it, but I think probably one of the most important is that it’s so inclusive.
“I mean, all ages. My son [is] the one that plays with me the most, and he’s 13 years old, so you can get a 13-year-old, a 40-year-old, and a 75-year-old all in the same court.
“There aren’t many sports that allow you to do that at a very minimal cost, and it’s a lot of fun. That’s probably number one [why] people get on this court.”
“Once you hit that ball a couple times, and you get that feeling when you smack it down, you’re addicted pretty darn quick!”
