My wife and I didn’t realize when we made plans to attend her nephew’s wedding in Maine that it was same weekend primetime pickleball events were scheduled at Franklin Creek. It helped that we caught the fall colors perfectly, the weather was beautiful, and the wedding was tres chic and fun, but still, we missed the fall competition kickoff.
Friday evening, court sports grand poohbah Chris Kader led five other court sports professionals in a pickleball exhibition. Pickleball teaching professionals Alex Fox and Bradley Morse were joined by tennis pros Mike Stevenson and Julian Hawkins, as well as Trey Maust, head pickleball pro at Savannah Yacht Club to show a standing room only crowd of pickle enthusiasts how the game is supposed to be played. According to spectator Tracy Ambler, “The exhibition was terrific. Watching the young guys demonstrate their acrobatics was really impressive, but old man Kader stole the show. He matched them shot for shot.”
The exhibition included both doubles and singles, as the pros played for bragging rights. At the end of the evening, it was clear; the teaching professionals know pickleball, and the spectators gained much from watching them display their skills.
The following afternoon, October 19th, it was The Landings Club Pickleball Singles Championships. Singles are always a crowd pleaser. It requires athleticism, stamina and skill to excel. Whatever one’s skill level however, according to Alex Fox, “Singles will help you hone your doubles game.”
Only three women played, which is unfortunate. Many more women play singles, and many are excellent players. At the end of the day, Sara Poppell won Gold, while Bianca Eichholz and Christy Bergen took Silver and Bronze.
The men’s field was much larger, with medals awarded in four categories. In the Men’s Championship Division, Max Braun won Gold, AJ Goldman took Silver and Chris Poppell pocketed Bronze. Jim Dwyer, Jon Wolfe and Phil Sabin won Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Men’s A Division. It was Vince Steis, Khoi Vo and Mark Mathis winning Gold, Silver and Bronze in Men’s B. In the always popular Men’s 70+ Division, Walter Campbell won Gold, while Dana Braun and Spencer Wheeler won Silver and Bronze.
One final note: The medals normally awarded the winners were not ready in time for the tournament, so Lynette Fox, Alex and Faith’s resourceful and talented daughter crocheted, medals for all winners. Great job Lynette, they are fabulous!
All in all, the singles championships were a resounding success, but there is still more excitement to come before year end. The always popular Turkey Gobbler and Holiday Round Robins are scheduled for November 28th and December 17th respectively. And don’t forget to sign up for the Special Pops Tournament, the annual three-day tournament, which begins on November 1st. Special Pops is an important annual event at The Landings Club as it helps raise funds for special needs individuals. Players come from all over the country for this tournament so, even if you are not participating as a player or volunteer, be sure to venture to Franklin Creek to watch some intense competition.