Pickleball 2015 Championships overwhelming success

5.0 Ladies’ skill-level champions Jill Lewis and Mary McConaughey

HOA President John Kiekbusch (left) and the pickleball club’s founder and first President Grover Lumbard (right) cut the ribbon to open the tournament. Current President Mike Crabtree (center) was master of ceremonies.

Tournament Director Dennis “Big Bird” Makinen also refereed some matches.

Melissa McCurley sent the tournament results around the world on pickleballtournaments.com.

During opening ceremonies Nancy Mackellar sang O Canada, the Canadian National Anthem.

Doug Christenson sang the National Anthem during opening ceremonies.

3.0 Gentlemen’s gold medalists Jerry Lusk and Cliff Mercer

All matches were refereed and rules were reviewed before each match.

5.0 Gentlemen’s medalists, left to right: Bill Pardue, Rick Reed, Craig Hauger and Dennis Makinen

Nida Swift in picture along with partner Karen Bush won the 4.5 skill-level championship.

Pancho Epstein

Under sunny Arizona skies, the PebbleCreek Pickleball Club’s first annual Skill-Level Ladies’ and Skill-Level Gentlemen’s Doubles Tournament was a roaring success. More than 600 people attended the event held March 25 and 26.

Opening day action began with PebbleCreek Pickleball Club founder and first club President Grover Lumbard and HOA President John Kiekbusch cutting the ribbon to officially open the tournament.

Then, on both days, the National Anthems of the United States and Canada were sung separately by Doug Christenson and Nancy Mackellar.

Pickleballs flew under the direction of Tournament Director Dennis Makinen and Club Vice-President Pat Murphy. All matches were refereed with the medalist matches also having line judges.

The match results were carried live on pickleballtournaments.com. Making that happen were Melissa McCurley and Greg Thompson. That meant that friends and relatives of the participants from around the country and world could follow the action.

Here’s who won the medals in the ladies’ skill-level tournament:

2.5: First Sarah Marsh/Kathleen Hubert-Wyss; second Linda Foster/Barbara Brace; third Joyce Pihl/Cheryle Pike

3.0: First Renee DeLassus/Sally Melzow; second Susann Johnson/Jo Ellen Dennis; third Kim Lagerstrom/Shari Burns

3.5: First Patti Reed/Sue Borgstrom; second Sheri Sears/Linda Snipes; third Moe Richardson/Dawn Hangen

4.0: First Paula Handrup/Heidi Farrell; second Kathy Brown/Lisa Smith

4.5: First Karen Bush/Nida Swift; second Linda Smith/Sande Nielson; third Dalonna Cooper/Mary Lou Furaus

5.0: First Mary McConaughey/Jill Lewis

And here are the gentlemen’s skill-level winners:

3.0: First Cliff Mercer/Jerry Lusk; second Tony Gonzales/John Angus; third Peter Chimicles/Eric Rohlman

3.5: First Dick Burns/Don Foster; second Walt Heitz/Steve Peterson; third Ken Lunde/Bob Ellis

4.0: First Terry TerHaar/Lou Drinovsky; second Dave Henry/Tom Vincent; third Bobby Freiberg/Bob Czajkowski

4.5: First Scott Johnson/Alex Potapoff; second Dennis Carter/Mike Crabtree

5.0: First Big Bird Makinen/Craig Hauger; second Bill Pardue/Rick Reed

Special thanks to Terry TerHaar who put the sound system together that allowed all spectators to hear the action and the more than 50 volunteers who made this tournament an overwhelming success.