The Great Bend Recreation Commission hosted the 3rd Annual Pickleball Turkey Classic on Nov. 12 - 13. This tournament has almost tripled in size since last year’s 48 players came to Great Bend. Year three brought 132 pickleballers to this event which was hosted at the Panther Activity Center (PAC).
Players came from Great Bend, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Salina, Larned, Hays, Wichita, Topeka and Colorado. These players all ranged from beginners to advanced players.
Tournaments are designed to have pools and brackets for equal levels of playing ability to make it fun and competitive for everyone.
Friday night GBRC staff transformed the PAC into nine indoor pickleball courts. The event started at 9 a.m. and finished up around 7 p.m. on both days.
There were Men’s, Women’s and Mixed divisions. Winners of the brackets won whole turkeys for 1st place, side dishes for 2nd place and pumpkin pie for 3rd place.
Pickleball has been growing in Great Bend over the last couple of years. It is great watching some of our local players get better over the years as they played in their first tournament this weekend and others have traveled all over the region to compete in other areas. Contact the Great Bend Recreation Commission at 793-3755 ext.2 for information on this event or how to get involved with pickleball.
