Pickleballers hold exciting ‘Paddle Battle’ at Silver Creek

Sunday, November 3 could not have been any better with its crisp autumn air and brilliant blue skies. Excitement was definitely in the air as the contingent of participants and a bunch of their supporters from The Villages headed over to the Silver Creek Golf & Country Club for the bi-annual “Paddle Battle.”

Our Pickleball Club, upon requests and suggestions for more opportunities for all members to participate, fielded a team of many first-time tournament players across different skill levels (kudos to newbies: Gil Cepeda, Peter Conk, Robert Barensten, Roger King, Tom Yin, Lynn Dixon, Nancy Domingo, Cheryl Herfurth, Carol Barikmo, Cheryl Diltz, Margaret McDaniel, and David Wong). A special “shout out” to Steve Simler and Gil Cepeda who won all four of their games. To a person, the day was eye-opening and enjoyable, with some competitive games played between the two clubs. Alas, at the end of the tournament, even with the Villages Team’s valiant effort, we fell short and lost 25-7. Full results at https://villagespickleball.vgcc.club. The food, atmosphere and shared joy of the game were so very evident, but bragging rights were also definitely at stake.

A huge shout out to Sherry Benz, Michelle McQuay and Anahid Gregg for working alongside their counterparts at Silver Creek to put the tournament together. And to every participant from our Villages, we appreciate the effort and time that each one of them put into preparation for the tournament.

It was incredibly educational seeing how other clubs are equally challenged having access to pickleball facilities and play time. It is enough to remind us to say “Thank You” to the Villages pathfinders who dedicated their time, passion, and money in the completion of our pickleball facility.