By Madison Hart
InkFree News

WINONA LAKE — Registration is open for the second annual Winona Lake Sunset Pickleball Tournament, sponsored by K21 Health Foundation. The tournament will take place at the Winona Lake pickleball courts Friday, Sept. 6, Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8. Proceeds will support World Compassion Network, a Kosciusko County disaster relief ministry.

WCN partners with local churches and other relief organizations to mobilize resources and assistance for victims of disasters and poverty. The organization has responded to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, famine, earthquakes, tsunamis and war on five continents and here in the United States. WCN also leads mission trips around the world.

Discussing the choice to donate to WCN, Tournament Director Dave Thieme said, “They do so much local work, as well as international. Josh (Grill) and his group give a lot of support on the pickleball side and come with a nice group of volunteers ready to help promote it and make it successful. What they do at WCN is wide reaching. They’ve been around for awhile. They’re a well-run organization who has gotten it right.”

The first annual Winona Lake Sunset Tournament raised over $7,000 for Combined Community Services. “We think we can surpass it this year, with the help of K21,” said Thieme. “We didn’t have anyone like that last year … K21 got us kickstarted this year. They’re the lead sponsor, supporting us, helping us and making sure the profits are as good as possible.”

Last year, 180 players turned out from Warsaw Pickleball Phanatics, which currently has 1,200 members on Facebook, as well as clubs and individuals from Columbia City, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Syracuse, Mishawaka, Plymouth and more locations around northern Indiana. Thieme hopes now that the word is out and there is a newly-instated Senior Day, there will be over 200 players at this year’s tournament.

Registration opened Sunday, June 16, and 53 players have already registered.

“One thing that came out of it last year was the beauty of the area and the support from the pickleball players, here and in surrounding areas, and local businesses. It really promotes Winona Lake, and the facilities we have here are pretty special. This year, we’re adding the extra senior day, and we are hoping to hit different age groups so everyone can participate,” said Thieme.

The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce approached Thieme about running this event last year due to his experience as a pickleball player and certified coach at his Florida business Focus UP Pickleball. It was the first year the Winona Lake pickleball courts were open.

“There’s no better thing than playing pickleball and raising money,” said Thieme.

Tournament Format

This tournament will be played on eight outdoor courts — four permanent, individually fenced courts and four temporary courts. An indoor backup is available.

The tournament offers both a senior division, 55 plus, and an open division, under age 55. All teams in all divisions are guaranteed at least five games, and snacks will be provided.

• Teams will play round robin style against each team in their bracket, or pool if divided due to quantity of teams.
• The round robin games will play to 11 points, with a win by 2 points.
• The top two teams will play one game in a playoff round to 15 points, with a win by 2 points for Gold and Silver.
• The third and fourth teams will play one game in a playoff round to 15 points, with a win by 2 points for Bronze.
• 2 timeouts per game

Brackets with more than 10 teams will be divided into two pools. The top four teams in each bracket will advance to a playoff. For brackets that are divided into two pools, the top two teams from each pool will advance. Top teams will be identified based on total wins in round robin play. In the event of a tiebreaker, first criteria will be head-to-head play, second will be total points scored.

The tournament director may change any aspect of the tournament at any time — format, bracket sizes, length of games, playoff structure, ball, start times, etc.

The cost is $40 per person for the first event and $5 for additional events, plus a bracket fee of $5 for each event.

Space is limited, so register online now through 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Players who register by Aug. 3 will receive a free cotton T-shirt, with an optional upgrade to dri-fit for $15.