Thursday, May 2, 2024
The establishment of Pickleball dates all the way back to 1965 and is still sweeping the nation today as players of all ages take a major interest in the sport.
Pickleball courts were first established in Gatesville back in 2022, and since then the city has established a league as well as creating various tournaments for players to participate in.
There is an upcoming pickleball tournament that is being put together by Kylie Glass Dixon and Cort Dixon. This will be a two-day, indoor Polar Pickleball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 27 and Sunday, Jan. 28. The tournament will be held at the Gatesville Civic Center, which is located at 301 Veteran’s Memorial Drive.
For anyone who would like to arrive early to warm up, the doors to the center will open at 8 a.m. The check-in time will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will continue through 9:45 a.m.
The fee for participating in the tournament is $40 per team and will include two T-shirts as well. All registration fees will be collected at check-in on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Trophies will be awarded to the first and second place teams in each bracket.
To enter, download Scoreholio for free from the app store and search pickleball tournaments near Gatesville, Texas.
All ages and skill levels are invited to attend, as pickleball was first invented as a means of entertainment. It has since evolved from those roots and has become a widely-spread sport across the United States and Canada.
Local pickleball player Alex Scott said, “What I like most about pickleball is the fact that it is such an easy sport to pick up very quickly.”
Pickleball combines the elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. The sport uses a paddle and a plastic ball with holes and can be played indoors or outdoors.
A typical game is played to 11 points, and a team must win by two, although tournament games can be played to 15 or 21 points, and a team must win by two as well.
“It was easier for me, because I had a tennis background, but I’ve seen people who don’t have a tennis background pick it up very fast,” Scott said. “It’s a lifelong sport that anybody can play.”
Thousands of pickleball players comprise a wide cross section of the population. Seniors, juniors, adults, men, and women enjoy the physicality as well as the feelings of camaraderie the sport invokes.
For more information on pickleball, visit usapickleball.org.
