Macon’s ‘state-of-the-art’ pickleball courts make it destination for national championship

Caption

Tony Martinez, 71, left, and Joanna Crawford, 65, from Thomaston, Georgia, compete in mixed doubles on the second day of the United States Senior Pickleball Indoor National Championships on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Rhythm and Rally Sports & Events in Macon, Georgia. United States Senior Pickleball hosted its inaugural indoor national championships this year, spanning three days and bringing hundreds of seniors to compete in Macon from across the country.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

Macon holds its indoor pickleball facility in high regard, and it was packed with players over the weekend for national championships.

Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events hosted hundreds of people 50 and over, who turned out for the second day of the U.S. Senior Indoor Pickleball National Championships in hopes of winning a national title. The tournament ran from Friday to Sunday, and featured men’s and women’s events, as well as doubles featuring men and women.

Organizers said they specifically eyed the Macon Mall indoor pickleball facility for the championship, further cementing Macon’s place as a leader in the world of pickleball.

“We love being here, it’s a state-of-the-art facility,” said Karen Parrish, events director for Pickleball USA, the group behind the tournament. “Everybody loves the building and the atmosphere here.”

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Spectators sit and players compete on the second day of the United States Senior Pickleball Indoor National Championships on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Rhythm and Rally Sports & Events in Macon, Georgia. United States Senior Pickleball hosted its inaugural indoor national championships this year, spanning three days and bringing hundreds of seniors to compete in Macon from across the country.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

What is Senior Pickleball National Championship?

This is the first year Pickleball USA has hosted an indoor national championship, according to Parrish. Previously, they had put on regional events, but nothing that brought so many people from so many places together.

There were no qualifying events ahead of the championships. Instead, interested seniors only had to be members of Pickleball USA and sign up. Parrish said the group plans to devise a system of qualifying rounds for future championships.

The weekend opened with men’s doubles and women’s singles on Friday, mixed doubles on Saturday, and women’s doubles and men’s singles on Sunday. It was a round robin tournament, meaning every participant or set of participants in an event would play everyone else. Players advanced based on their record of wins and losses.

More than 450 players showed up for this year’s championship. While many came from Georgia, others traveled from other states to participate. Some had competed at this level previously.

Cathy Hicks — who traveled from Marshall, North Carolina, to participate — played in a national tournament last year and won. For Macon’s tournament, she played alongside Kerry Bacon, a former Mercer University tennis coach who was turned onto pickleball after a knee replacement. Bacon said he felt confident about his chances at victory with Hicks by his side.

“I’ve got a good partner, so hopefully we’ll do real well,” Bacon said.

Caption

Betsey Lieberman, 72, from Tallahassee, Florida, reaches for the ball during a mixed doubles match on the second day of the United States Senior Pickleball Indoor National Championships on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Rhythm and Rally Sports & Events in Macon, Georgia. United States Senior Pickleball hosted its inaugural indoor national championships this year, spanning three days and bringing hundreds of seniors to compete in Macon from across the country.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

For others, it was their first time playing in a tournament. Debbie Jacobs, from Eatonton, said that her partner, Milledgeville native Curt Reynolds, invited her to play in Macon. While she was nervous about her chances, she hoped her and her partner working as a team could carry them to victory.

Parrish said she was impressed by the interest people expressed in the seniors’ tournament.

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America, especially among seniors. It’s a slower sport than tennis and is easier on people’s joints. Players also said they enjoy the social aspect, which to them is far more important than medals and competitions.

Terry Steaple, from Tallahassee, Florida, came to pickleball from tennis. He said his favorite part is the friends he’s made through it.

“Tennis is about 90% competition, 10% meeting people, while pickleball is the other way around,” Steaple said. “It keeps seniors going.”

Why hold it in Macon?

Macon made a splash on the pickleball scene when it unveiled Rhythm and Rally in January. The facility has 32 courts and is the largest indoor pickleball facility in the world. It was constructed as part of a larger effort to revitalize the old Macon Mall, which also included the creation of the Atrium Health Amphitheater.

Parrish said Pickleball USA heard about the facilities months ahead of its opening and was immediately excited. It can take six to nine months to plan a tournament of this size, so Pickleball USA contacted the venue before its opening to secure a spot for the tournament on Rhythm and Rally’s busy calendar.

“We knew we wanted to do a national indoor tournament and there had been other tournaments held in (the South),” Parrish said. “So when we knew this facility was going to be open, we wanted to come here.”

Once Pickleball USA had scheduled the tournament, they promoted it through online brackets aimed at pickleball players of various ages and experience levels. Many participants learned about it through these brackets, and continued to promote the tournament by word of mouth.

Caption

Medals from the United States Senior Pickleball Indoor National Championships rest on a table on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Rhythm & Rally Sports & Events in Macon, Georgia. United States Senior Pickleball hosted its inaugural indoor national championships this year, spanning three days and bringing hundreds of seniors to compete in Macon from across the country.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

Parrish said Pickleball USA has had a robust presence in the South for years, and it was a major contender to host a national indoor championship for seniors. The region already had a strong network of volunteers and supporters who were willing to help organize and operate a large tournament.

Additionally, Parrish said the southeast region has many active members of Pickleball USA, making it a more convenient location for participants.

“We wanted to bring an event here because you get a lot of really great players and volunteers. It was a no-brainer, we had to have an event here.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Telegraph.