OXBOW - It seems like pickleball is all the rage these days.
Pickleball is sort of a hybrid sport, a crossbreed of tennis and table tennis. Although it is a quick-paced game, it is slower than those two games because of the ball that is used; it's plastic with holes in it.
Oxbow has jumped onto the pickleball bandwagon, having officially registered with Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Saskatchewan. iT took place on March 14.
Before registering, a group of local residents decided they’d like to have a pickleball tournament to help raise funds for the Oxbow pool. Two-player teams paid $50 to enter, tickets were sold for a dinner following the tournament, refreshments were available for purchase throughout the day and an online auction was set up.
Everything, with the exception of the alcoholic beverages, was donated, enabling virtually all of the proceeds to be used to pay off the debt that the building of the pool incurred.
Thirteen teams entered the tournament’s three divisions – women's, men’s and mixed. A $100 prize was up for grabs for each of the divisions. Even the prize money was donated by Glen and Bonny Mellom.
After all the games had been played, the winners were announced. The men’s champions were Taylor Herman and Sean Rong; the winners of the women's division were Sheila Kobitz and Corien Bastiaansen; and the mixed team champs were Angela Hookenson and Carson Aime.
Herman and Rong got into the spirit of the day; they returned their winnings to be donated to the pool.
The organizers of the tournament are thankful to all who participated in the events of the day, as well as the sponsors who ‘eliminated’ most of the costs.
