First-Time Pickleball Tourney Draws National Support

First-time Des Plaines Tournament Attracts Strong National and Local Support

The Tap House Grill of Des Plaines is the latest to join an impressive list of sponsors for the inaugural Pickleball Tournament hosted by the Des Plaines Park District.

Being held April 28-29, 2018, at the Prairie Lake Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines, the first major effort by the park district in the what many consider the fasting growing sport in America is proving successful.

The Tap House Grill will also be selling hot food, snacks and beverages at the weekend event.

The major event sponsor is World Team Pickleball (WTP), a national organization started by former U.S. Team Olympian Laura Fenton Kovanda. She is recognized as one of the top professional

Pickleball and racquetball professionals in the United States. She is also a multiple Gold Medal winner in national Pickleball events. WTP has launched a series of sectional tournaments across the United States this year which lead to a championship in January, 2019.

The closest one to the northwest suburbs of Chicago is at Canlan Sportsplex in Lake Barrington on June 1-3, 2018. For information visit www.worldteampickleball.com.

Major sponsors include The Journal & Topics Newspapers; Onix, the official ball; and Selkirk, the official paddle. Both are well-recognized brands which have products sold nationally.

The sponsor group also has Pickleball Central, a national reseller of sports products, as the bag sponsor. Hyland Leg Cramps is also part of the sponsor group.

“We are very pleased at the positive reaction of national and local sponsors to the Des Plaines Pickleball Tournament,” says Alexander Barton of the Barton Marketing Group which handles the sponsorship marketing duties for the event.

“The strong response shows how Pickleball is extremely popular and the vision of the Des Plaines Park District in committing to an event to attract local and regional players.” DPPD also has programmed Pickleball sessions during the week.

Fast becoming one of America’s most popular and rapidly growing sports among all ages, Pickleball was once a popular alternative to tennis and racquetball as players aged. Today, the 2.6 million Pickleball players in the United States and elsewhere today range in age from 12 to 85.

To register for the tournament, visit www.dpparks.org or call 847-391-5711. Registration forms are also available at the Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker, Des Plaines, and at the Administrative & Leisure Center, 2222 Birch St., Des Plaines.

Caption: U.S. Gold Medalist and Nationally Recognized Player/Instructor Laura Fenton Kovanda (shown here) and her World Team Pickleball organization are one of the major sponsors.