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South Valley Riverton Journal

Bluffdale’s Old West Pickleball Tournament

Aug 29, 2018 03:18PM ● By Jana Klopsch

By Brett Jay Apgood | [email protected]

On Aug. 7 and 8, Bluffdale held its annual Old West Pickle Ball Tournament at Wardle Fields County Park. This was part of Bluffdale’s Old West Days, which ran from Aug. 6-11.

This year’s tournament featured teams being divided into three categories (beginner, intermediate and advanced), which was based on a five-point system, where players rated themselves.

“We have about 150 total participants between today and tomorrow,” said Adam Marchant, who ran this year’s tournament. “We will have about 75 total teams.”

Pickleball is a sport played with wooden paddles, a net and a ball very similar to a whiffle ball. The court is laid out just like a badminton court with the same dimensions. However, the net is lower than the set up for badminton.

Pickleball’s rules are often described as a mixture of table tennis and tennis with a little bit of its own. One unique rule is the rectangle divisions closest to the net are no volley zones, so players are not allowed to return serve or shot from that area.

Play can feature single teams or doubles, and the ball must always be hit underhand.

Adam Marchant has been a player for about a year, and his wife was a participant in this year’s tournament. He grew up playing tennis and recently transitioned to pickleball.

“The thing I like the most about pickleball is its easy access,” Marchant said. “There are a lot of pickleball courts popping up all over. As long as you get a paddle and a ball, you can play.”

Marchant also mentioned that the sport is relatively inexpensive, and its accessibility is rapidly growing with new parks often including pickleball courts.

The sport is also available for people across a vast range of age and athletic ability, as the court is much smaller than that of a tennis court.

Marchant also said that there are a lot of good players, so he expects the matches to be competitive.

“We have various pools because we have a number of entrants, and so whoever wins their pool goes to a final match for the championship, and the top two winners get a medal,” said Marchant.


Here is a list of the winners:

Women's Beginner's 1st: Katherine Affeltranger and Mallory Parry

Women's Beginner's 2nd: Courtney Winegar and Melinda Graham

Men's Beginner's 1st: Eric Beckstrand and Josh Kimball

Men's Beginner's 2nd: Chris Fillmore and Ryan Rasmussen

Women's Intermediate 1st: Marlo Dwelle and Alysha Johansen

Women's Intermediate 2nd: Mindy Galanis and Britni Plowman

Men's Intermediate 1st: Ben Butler and Mike Ludwig

Men's Intermediate 2nd: Brian Bullock and Ryan Perry

Women's Advanced 1st: Lila Rawlings and Lorraine Rupper

Women's Advanced 2nd: Anita Brady and Tracy Derby

Men's Advanced 1st: Daniel Summerhays and Jacob Waldram

Men's Advanced 2nd: Wyatt Grow and Matt Dimock

Mixed Beginner's 1st: Brian Reid and Megan Patterson

Mixed Beginner's 2nd: Mark Reid and Terri Reid

Mixed Intermediate 1st: Alysha Johansen and Chris Johansen

Mixed Intermediate 2nd: Ezra Carpenter and Kara Carpenter

Mixed Advanced 1st: Susan Schneider and Ethan Le

Mixed Advanced 2nd: Lorraine Rupper and Jeff Donovan