Pickleball tournament draws national and local support

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U.S. Gold Medalist and Nationally Recognized Player/Instructor Laura Fenton Kovanda shown here playing singles at the 2016 Tournament of Champions in Brigham City, Utah, and her World Team Pickleball organization are major sponsors of the tournament.

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 fastest 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, including one at Canlan Sportsplex in Lake Barrington on June 1-3, 2018. For information visit www.worldteampickleball.com.

Well-recognized brands which have products sold nationally, Onix, the official ball, and Selkirk, the official paddle, are both part of the sponsor group which also includes Pickleball Central, a national reseller of sports products, as the bag sponsor, and Hyland Leg Cramps.

"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 not only shows the extreme popularity of Pickleball, but also the vision of the Des Plaines Park District in committing to an event that will 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.