Pickleball Club annual meeting is Sunday, Sept. 13

In the past two months, the Pickleball Club hosted four separate tournaments for beginner and intermediate players. Coach Nancy Smith and Diane Holdaway organized the tournaments, which attracted over 60 players, while experimenting with various formats to match players for each game.

Due to the heat, the games were shortened to a nine point format, allowing for about six separate games at each match. The style most favored by the players was a round robin type event called Popcorn.

The last tournament concluded with Diane Holdaway, Jasmine Elisha and Rodney Slagle earning podium honors, with each attaining an 83% win rate of five games each.

Coach Smith used a particular algorithm program that then weighted players against each other. That algorithm then allocated a +5.17 to Holdaway, a +4.67 to Elisha, and +3.17 to Slagle, ranking them first, second and third.

Other participants at the tournament included: Karen Stevenson, David Doty, John Gustaves, Dan Twomey, Bobette Cleveland-Slawson, Steve E., Anamarie Bartovich, Linda Evenson, Mark Tal, Rose Seeley and Nancy Smith.

The club will have an advanced players tournament on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m.-noon at the courts for players ranked 4.0 and above. Players interested in participating should register with Coach Smith through Team Reach or at 626-327-9262. This event is open to all Leisure World residents who are advanced pickleball players.

—Donna Gambol The Pickleball Club will host its annual meeting and cookout/potluck on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Clubhouse 2 barbecue area. Annual member dues of $5 will be collected.

Podium winners of recent tournament, front row: Jasmine Elisha (l-r), Diane Holdaway and Rodney Slagle. Behind them are the other participants in the Popcorn style round robin.