The Tellico Village Pickleball Club held its third annual Fall Shootout over the weekend at the Wellness Center.
The tournament kicked off Friday with singles play, followed by doubles Saturday and mixed doubles Sunday.
“We had a really good turnout once again for this particular tournament,” Don McIver, TVPBC tournament coordinator, said. “Including people here from Tellico Village, we had about 155 players participate.”
Each year, the club holds two major tournaments, with the Fall Shootout being the largest since it invites other pickleball clubs and players throughout the region.
Partners Wendy Land and Caroline Little traveled from Huntsville, Ala., to play. Both are relatively new to the sport.
“Yeah, I’ve been playing since January,” Land said. “I became interested in pickleball because of my husband and his entire family. I mean, they all play. Ever since then, we’ve been playing together as a family and as part of that, it’s become a pretty competitive sport for me.”
“I got started back this past July,” Little added. “I’m just now 16 years old, but I’ve really come to enjoy this sport. Usually, pickleball tends to be favored more by older and more experienced adults, but even I’ve just come to enjoy it. My grandparents were the ones that really got me into it and I’ve loved it ever since then.”
This was Land’s fourth tournament of the year, and the first for Little.
“Where we’re from, we’re used to playing on indoor courts, so playing outside is a little different and has taken some getting used to,” Land said. “It’s been really fun and I can’t tell you enough about how great it’s been. I mean, this facility in Tellico Village is phenomenal. They have beautiful courts and everyone has just been super nice. We had some others from our Huntsville club come up and play in this tournament as well, so it was nice for us all to come up and experience this.”
For Village resident and TVPBC member Tom Siegele, the tournament was about more than playing the sport.
“Well, this tournament is always a great experience for me,” Siegele said. “It’s always great playing against different levels and I just love the competition. But more than that, this is isn’t just for all the Tellico Village people. It brings in other people from outside the area and you really get to know a lot of them and just have great competition and fun.”
Siegele, like numerous other club members, hadn’t played pickleball before arriving in Tellico Village.
“It’s just been unbelievable,” he said. “I knew nothing about pickleball before I came down here and then a couple of people continued to encourage me to come out and play, so I finally did. It’s a great sport for older people to keep active and now I’ve got a passion for it. It’s also just a great social activity and opportunity for this community.”
The club has grown into one of the Village’s largest in 12 years.
“Right now, we have over 600 members,” McIver said. “We’ve really been able to draw a lot of interest around here because it really is a sport that anyone can play and enjoy. We’ve come a long way and we hope to continue growing and growing.”
For more information about the Tellico Village Pickleball Club and upcoming events, visit online at www.tvpbc gameon.org.
