On Saturday, July 31, the Whistler Racket Club hosted the Whistler Invitational Pickleball Tournament, which was a “smashing success,” according to founder Jamie Grant.
The tournament had 93 total entrants ranging in age from six to 76 years old and included participants from Whistler all the way to the Lower Mainland.
The tournament had multiple categories including singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles that were then further split based on the USA Pickleball Association rankings that range from 1.0, for a complete beginner, to 5.5+ for top-calibre players.
This was the second tournament in the Racket Club’s Summer Series. The third will be hosted Aug. 27 to 29, with the season wrapping up with the Pickleball Club Championships on Saturday Sept. 18.
A total of 20 local individuals and teams won medals including the Racket Club’s own Ben Thomas taking home gold in the men’s singles event, and Jamie Grant, with his partner Cheryl Young, finishing second in the mixed doubles 4.5 category.
Other notable performances included the team of Karen Ellott and Karen Ripper, who won the women’s 4.0 category, and the team of Peter Shrimpton and Barb Woodbridge, who won the 3.5 mixed doubles category.
