Dalton Hosting Pickleball Tournament Feb. 25th
Tuesday, February 14th, 2023
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America and it's also the fastest growing sport here in Dalton. Next weekend, the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department will host its first doubles tournament at the Dalton Convention Center. The "Red Carpet Indoor Rally" will be held Saturday, February 25th.
"The sole purpose of this tournament is not to just raise awareness of pickleball, the purpose is to provide a service to the people in our community who like pickleball," said Caitlin Sharpe, director of Dalton's Parks and Recreation Department. "We have so many people who love to play the game in Dalton, so it’s an effort ot show that we are here and we hear that they want and we want to make sure we’re answering those needs."
The games will be played in exhibition arena at the Dalton Convention Center. The courts will be set up on the concrete arena floor and games will be played using special balls that are designed for that type of surface. It is a doubles tournament for men's and women's teams. Players may sign up as teams or they can sign up as individuals and have a teammate assigned to them. The cost is $40 and each participant will receive a t-shirt. Teams are guaranteed to play at least three games. As of February 14th, 64 players were already signed up to participate. The games will begin as early as 9:00 am and teams will be informed of their start time in advance.
"Given the time of year and the fact that it’s an indoor venue, I’ve been surprised (by the number of players signed up)," Colten Ponder of the local pickleball association told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday at its monthly meeting. "We’re hoping to get it up to about the 75 or 80 person mark which for a local tournament that’s not backed by one of the big professional tours that’s a good solid turnout."
Registration for the tournament will be open until Monday, February 20th. Teams can sign up at www.pickleballbrackets.com. On the site's home page, search "Dalton" and then select "Dalton's Red Carpet Rally."
"Registration will close next Monday and at that point if you’re late registering we’ll put you on a waiting list and if we can fit you in we will," Sharpe said.
The Red Carpet Rally is the latest offering from the Parks and Recreation Department as it works to add new amenities for converts to the fast growing sport. The game appeals to players of all ages, including seniors, and it has a rapidly growing community of players in Dalton. The tennis courts at Brookwood Park were converted for pickleball in 2020, and there are also pickleball courts at the Mack Gaston Community Center. There are also a number of courts operated by local gyms and churches. The Parks and Recreation Department also plans to create more pickleball facilities at Lakeshore Park.
"We’re not necessarily converting any tennis courts at Lakeshore, but we will be putting down permanent lines on some of the tennis courts for pickleball," Sharpe said. "I looked at a facility usage report for 2022 at Lakeshore’s tennis complex and I selected 3 courts that were used the least for tennis in 2022 for us to put those permanent lines down. When you put permanent lines down on three tennis courts that means we get an additional six courts."
