The rain showers and colder temperatures over the final weekend of October did not deter pickleball enthusiasts seeking victory at the River City Pickleball Club’s second annual River City Open pickleball tournament at Merchant Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Sponsored by Exit 107 Homes and hosted by Altaf Merchant, this indoor tournament drew over 300 pickleball players of varying skill levels to the three-day event, eager to engage in a diverse range of matches against a multitude of opponents.
“A Tremendous Success”
Alex Ross, president of the River City Pickleball Club, expressed satisfaction with this year’s event, calling it a “tremendous success” that built upon the tournament’s debut in November 2022.
“We’ve grown from 271 (players) from last year to 320 this year,” he said.
“We’ve grown from 271 players last year to 320 this year,” he noted. “We’ve steadily grown, and just the overall size and the scope of everything has grown.
He added, “We’re really excited about building off the success from last year. We’re happy to have Owensboro, Kentucky, on the map for pickleball.”
Camaraderie
Ross attributed the surge in pickleball players both locally and nationwide to the sport’s “low barrier of entry” and the camaraderie it fosters among participants:
“Anyone can be competitive at pickleball, which is a great thing, but also, just by the nature of the court space, all the players are really close to each other, so you can talk and have a good time.”
Reflecting on his own introduction to pickleball during high school, Ross praised the sport for its accessibility, although he acknowledges some of the laws can be a little confusing:
“I’ll be the first to admit that it has some quirky rules, but once you learn that and get the general understanding of the strategy of the game, it all comes to you,” he remarked. “It’s a lot of fun, but it also gets a lot of people to scratch that competitive itch again.”
An Integral Part
Paula Hayden, the club’s secretary and former president, has been an integral part of the organization since its inception in 2019. She celebrated the milestone of surpassing 500 members on Saturday, deeming it a noteworthy achievement.
“That’s worth celebrating,” Hayden said. “It is easy to play, it is easy to learn, and it’s always fun.”
Owensboro resident Katelyn Storm, who hadn’t engaged in sports for years, picked up a pickleball paddle last summer.
“I played volleyball back in elementary school, and I wanted to get back into a sport so badly,” said Katelyn. “I heard about pickleball, and I was like, ‘What is this sport?’ I had no clue what it was, but I wanted to try it out.”
River City Pickleball Club’s address is 2201 York Park Drive/P.O. Box 1482, Owensboro, KY.
