YORKTON – Pickleball Yorkton Club hosted its second Annual Mid-winter tournament Feb. 11 at the Gallagher Center Flexihall.
Club members David Weiman, Ken Kolisnek and Brad Ouart were confident that by going into a larger facility, they would be able to expand the number of teams to break into two categories. Players entered the tournament based on their self rated skill level of 3.0 and under and 3.0 and above.
Forty-five teams entered. 11 Mens, 12 Womens and 22 Mixed. With teams coming in from Regina, Swan River and surrounding area. The 45 teams entered had the five pickleball courts hosting non-stop action from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Teams were evenly matched and every point gained was a result of fast played volleys and slams. The Pickleball Yorkton Club had 18 of its members stand on the podium to receive medals.
“We are very proud of what our club has accomplished in the short while since we became a formal club in 2020. The skill level of the players that entered this tournament was outstanding – everyone played incredibly well and with unwavering stamina. Many of the games were over quickly while others became a real battle of the paddles,” said David Weiman, founding member of PBY.
Having to win by a two-point lead, each serve was calculated and returns were aimed strategically so as to not get it sent back. All the games were exciting to watch and by the time the finalists came to the last game, only the ones with patience and the ability to place the ball where it needed to be won that winning point.
“It was amazing to see the level of skill each player displayed, the spectacular slams and the impossibly fast returns some players accomplished. It was a fantastic tournament and Pickleball Yorkton can be proud of all of its members that played in this tournament.” said President Ken Kolisnek, adding, “we will definitely host another tournament here at the Gallagher Center, the comments heard from our out of town guests was unanimous – we have a terrific facility to host a pickleball tournament and they would be very happy to return for our third annual Mid-winter tournament."
The PBY executive is very happy with the results of the tournament, the number of teams, the support we had from our volunteers and the support from our community. We have to thank Remax Blue Chip Realty, The Bentley by Revera, Supplement King, Tapp’s and Sport Chek for sponsoring our raffle prizes. Plus we have to thank all those families and friends that came to watch the games. The Executive dreamt big and forged forward to take on a large tournament like this and are already planning for 2024 Mid-winter tournament.
What’s next on the PBY’s schedule? The club is hosting another 'Learn to Play Pickleball' on Feb. 25 at the Gloria Hayden Community Center. The clinic starts at 1 p.m. and runs through until 4 p.m. This clinic focuses on the basics of the game; the serve, the return and the rules and scoring of the game. It’s a fun filled afternoon learning pickleball with others that are just beginning. Registration is open on the Pickleball Yorkton webpage.
Next on the calendar is the PBY’s Ladies Only Spring Fling Tournament. The date set for this tournament is April 1, and is located at the Gloria Hayden as well. Time of the event is from 10-4 p.m. Registration for entries will open by the end of February. We hope to have several of our club members participate as well as local area clubs. This will be the second Ladies Only Tournament the PBY has hosted and the club is planning on making it an annual event on Lady pickleballers calendar.
The PBY Club continues to grow with every Learn to Play clinic we host, people just fall in love with the game! They enjoy the fellowship they find among the other beginners and quickly pick up the skills to become confident on the courts. The club stands at 135 members and our Drop In Sport spots during the day at both the GHCC and the Gallagher Center are busy. The Club also has two evenings booked, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30–7:00pm. These times were booked to address the needs of our working club members and they have proved to be very busy as well.
The Pickleball Yorkton Club is excited about the future of Pickleball in the City of Yorkton, we know as the sport expands and numbers increase that the demands for courts space becomes more and more important. We have been in discussions with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department to review the current courts in use and the future plans for more courts. “It’s an exciting time for the sport of Pickleball, and we in PBY want to play a part in growing this sport in the City of Yorkton as well as in our surrounding local towns,” said Weiman.
Ken Kolisnek President of PBY extends an open invitation to anyone interested in learning the game of Pickleball to contact the Club at pickleballyorkton@gmail.com or by calling 306-621-8926 or check out the webpage at Pickleball Yorkton.
Event Winners from Mid-Winter Tournament
3.0 and under
Womens Gold Sheryl Byczynski - Linda Vaughan
Silver Anne Stupak - Kim Hladun
Bronze Karen Delong - Annalissa Ubongen
Mens Gold Brian Jelinski - Scott Behrns
Silver Patrick Duffy - Rob Mcdonald
Bronze Jim Lee - Michael Yaremchuk
Mixed Gold David Weiman - Brenda Serfling
Silver Hassan Seif - Kim Dobko
Bronze Alvin Sieben - Danica Smith
3.0 and Over
Womens Gold Janece Gaudry - Teresa Hrbachek
Silver Marlene Schrader - Brenda Serfling
Bronze Carla Desnoyers - Donna Loran
Mens Gold Craig Zamzow - Kevin Fisher
Silver Ken Kolisnek - Gerard Osicki
Bronze Hassan Seif - Jeff Templeton
Mixed Gold Lonnie Donna - Jennifer Hogan
Silver Kevin Fisher - Marlene Schrader
Bronze Jeff Templeton - Janet Simpson
