Mount Pickleball Classic returns to Baypark with record 351 entries

Bob Smith and Warick Floyd after a tough match at the Mount Pickleball Classic. Photo / Bijou Johnson.

Pickleball has taken the world by storm, and the Bay of Plenty can’t get enough.

The Mount Pickleball Classic at Mercury Baypark opened today and has more than 351 entries.

The games continue over the weekend.

Not to be confused with vegetables in vinegar, this racket sport resembles tennis or badminton.

Bob Smith, president of the Mount Pickleball Club, said, “almost anyone can play the sport at their own different level”.

It requires a small paddle, a plastic ball and a court or space the same size as a doubles badminton court.

The Mount Pickleball Club started with six people in 2019 and now has 380 members across six grades, Smith said.

He said they hosted many corporate sessions.

The Mount Pickleball Classic runs from September 12-14 at Mercury Baypark. Photo / Bijou Johnson.

“Businesses like to have a team-bonding exercise.”

He said few of the people who came along did not enjoy pickleball.

New members can undergo a grading assessment to ascertain their ability.

The Mount Pickleball Club has three daytime sessions a week and two evening sessions.

It had added sessions due to demand.

“At Baypark, we normally have 14 courts, which only accommodate 56 people. We were having up to 110 participants, and too many people were sitting out.”

On Monday and Wednesday mornings, they play at Mercury Baypark, Friday morning and Monday and Friday night at Haumaru Sport and Recreation Centre.

Bob Smith and Warick Floyd talk strategy during a match at the Mount Pickleball Classic. Photo / Bijou Johnson.

Pickleball is “a few Olympics away,” from reaching that level, Smith said. But it’s already professional in the US.

“You can make a reasonable living out of the sport with endorsements.

“We’re not at the stage in New Zealand.”

Cash prizes and medals will be up for grabs at the Mount Pickleball Classic.

Sponsors included Barfoot and Thompson Mount Maunganui, Summerset by the Dunes Retirement Village, Legacy Trust, Farmer Autovillage, Trevelyans, and Pickleball Essentials.

Sharon Fleet, Pickleball Essentials owner and founding chairperson of Pickleball New Zealand, said it was “wonderful to see that Pickleball has taken hold of the country”.

Bob Smith and Warick Floyd versus Graham Fossett and Graham Simpson during a match at the Mount Pickleball Classic. Photo / Bijou Johnson.

Participants Graham Fossett and Graham Simpson travelled from Pukekohe and praised the Mercury Baypark facilities.

“Prizes mean nothing. We’re here to meet people,” Fossett said, “and stop at the pub on the way home”.

Saturday and Sunday’s games will be played between 9am and 6pm, and spectators are welcome.