A nationally sanctioned pickleball tournament is coming to Surrey next month.
The Mid-Summer Slam Pickleball Tournament – hosted and organized by the Surrey Pickleball Club – is scheduled to run July 15-17 at the pickleball courts at the South Surrey Recreation Centre (14601 20 Ave.).
In total, 325 participants are set to compete, with Tom Westendorf from the host club noting that player registration has “increased almost two fold” compared to last year’s event. The tournament will operate on the 12 pickleball courts adjacent the rec centre, while a dozen temporary courts will also be set up on the tennis courts.
The event will be split into what Westendorf called two “tracks” – the first is an open division, with players of all ages participating, and only separated by their rated level of expertise. The second track is for players who are 60 years old and above who prefer not to play against younger players, but again divided up by skill level.
Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis.
At the last event hosted by the Surrey Pickleball Club back in the fall of 2021 – a tournament that was also sanctioned by Pickleball Canada – the youngest competitor was 14 years old, while the oldest was 80, Westendorf said.
The Mid-Summer Classic will feature mixed doubles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles tournaments, as well as both men’s and women’s singles. The three-day event (with an extra day booked in case of rainouts) is expected to draw players from across B.C., Alberta and Washington – with one participant coming all the way from Hawaii.
For more on the Surrey Pickleball Club, visit www.surreypickleball.com
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