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The Y in Grand Marais was the site of a pickleball tournament last weekend. Players from Thunder Bay came and matched up against and with their American counterparts. Although there wasn’t a winner per se, Peter Bennett and Mike Kobelinski were winners on the champion’s court. Photo courtesy of Bob Pranis
Okay, so it was just nine folks from Thunder Bay coming to teach and play pickleball at the Grand Marais YMCA on Saturday, March 11, 2023. But still, because of that skinny border at Pigeon River, a headline could fairly say “international” tournament.
If you do not know what pickleball is, it is a cross between tennis and ping pong, played on a court smaller than a tennis court, with paddles and a wiffle-type ball. Pickleball is a great sport because it is very social and is easier to start playing than tennis. In addition, it is a sport that is more about placement than power, so it tends to equalize men and women and can accommodate players from many levels. The participation rate for pickleball is over 36 million players in the US, second only to biking and running at around 50 million. Tennis is approximately 23 million.
A few of the Thunder Bay pickleball players gave a pickleball clinic in the morning, and all participated in a social tournament with twelve players from Grand Marais in the afternoon. The Thunder Bay Pickleball Club has over 220 members, compared to about 25-30 pickleball players in Grand Marais. They are a very active group with a lot of experience organizing tournaments and providing clinics.
The teams were randomly mixed up between Thunder Bay and Grand Marais players, so it was an excellent opportunity to play with other women and men that one has not played with previously. It was an intense afternoon with short breaks to recover your breath and energy. When the games ended, everyone from both sides of the border felt it was a lot of fun and wanted to do it again in either Grand Marais or Thunder Bay.
The YMCA was very generous in letting the pickleball players rent the gym for the afternoon. The YMCA has numerous times for playing pickleball, some of which are for beginners. In the summer, the Cook County Tennis Association has four pickleball courts that can be set up for pickleball.
Editor’s note: Most of this article was submitted by Bob Pranis.
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