Nonprofit profile: Rotary hosts inaugural pickleball tournament

Fundraiser will be held June 22 at South Valley Middle School

Photo by Susan Brazelton

By Kaylee Arca

Grab your paddle and pull on those sweat bands! The Gilroy Rotary will host its inaugural Pickleball Throwdown, a tournament that promises to combine the thrill of competition with the joy of community engagement and charitable giving.

The contest for the popular game will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at South Valley Middle School. The fundraiser welcomes players of all skill levels to compete in the showdown. Participants choose to compete in the beginner or intermediate division and registration is $50 a player. Participants can choose their partner ahead of the tournament or be paired up during morning check-in.

“Pickleball is up and coming and very popular,” said Rotary President Nita Edde-Mitchell. “We wanted to do something healthy and popular that had a possibility of having a good turnout.”

Photo courtesy Susan Brazelton
Players enjoy a game of pickleball at temporary courts in Morgan Hill. New dedicated courts are now under construction. Meanwhile, a tournament will be held in Gilroy June 22.

Partners will be sorted into tournament brackets based on their chosen division. The tournament will be held outdoors at the 12 South Valley Middle School pickleball courts. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to bring chairs and umbrellas for shade.

“We’re hoping everybody will get to play three to five games at least,” Edde-Mitchell said.

Experienced players will open one court in the afternoon to teach new, interested players the rules of pickleball. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

“We want it to be a family day,” she said. “People can bring their children. There will be games for them to play, snacks, hot dog lunches, and raffle prizes to bid on.”

Tournament winners will receive medals, bragging rights, and prize baskets filled with pickleball gear, donated by SELKIRK PRO S1.

“Pickleball is a nice, healthy, family activity to bring our community together and fundraise for good causes,” Edde-Mitchell said.

The money raised will go to the Gilroy Rotary’s charitable giving and endowment funds to be used locally for scholarships and non-profits.

Kaylee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.