Gaiser Center holds first pickleball tournament for fundraising
BUTLER TWP — Pickleball players from across the region came out to Butler Township to play America’s fast-growing sport for a good cause on Sunday morning, April 15 as Butler Township Community Park on South Duffy Road served as host for the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center’s inaugural fundraising pickleball tournament.
According to Joe Mahoney, the executive director at the Gaiser Center, the 32 team slots for the tournament sold out in a hurry.
“It didn't take us really any time at all to sell out,” Mahoney said. “We already had teams that were entering before we even officially published the registration link.”
“We just thought it's a sport that a lot of people enjoy playing,” said event organizer Ave Jack. “So why not incorporate pickleball with our fundraiser?”
The Gaiser Center’s planned “three-quarter house” for women and children on Brady Street will receive the bulk of the proceeds from the tournament. The rest will go to other Gaiser Center programs.
“It’s a recovery house for women with their children,” Mahoney said. “They have more freedom than in a halfway house. There's no treatment in a three-quarter house. It’s a kind of transitional living.”
For the tournament, teams were divided into four brackets based on their experience level: beginner, advanced, and two brackets for intermediate-level teams. The advanced teams were the first to take to the court, followed by the intermediates, and finally the beginners.
One of the advanced-level players that made it out on Sunday morning was Dan Harshman. Harshman found out about the Gaiser Center tournament from his friend James Kenney.
“My buddy said there was a pickleball tournament out in Butler for a good cause, so I decided to sign up,” Harshman said. “I’m just trying to find local tournaments and get out and have fun.”
For his part, Kenney found out about the event through a Facebook group for local pickleball players.
“I've been playing pickleball for four years,” Kenney said. “But I've been playing tennis my whole life, so I guess I was a natural evolution. It's similar to tennis. A little bit easier to learn, a little less running, but just so much fun.”
Ultimately, the duo of Austin Frameli and Peter Hippert won in the advanced bracket. The mother/daughter duo of Caitlin Baxter and Saundra Baxter took one of the intermediate brackets, while Meghan Naim and Tim Swanson won the other. Finally, Mary Accurso and Heidi Palipchak won the beginner tournament.
Aside from the pickleball action, the Gaiser Center also raised funds selling sponsorships to local organizations such as the Penn Theater, the Butler YMCA, The Atrium, and Hunter Truck. These sponsors paid at least $250 to have their names displayed. There also was a 50/50 raffle and a series of basket raffles.
Mahoney estimated the Gaiser Center raised at least $5,000 before a ball was even volleyed on Sunday.
“We're hopeful, by the end of the day, to have close to $7,000 raised,” Mahoney said.
“I know we have lots of support, so I'm hopeful,” Jack said.
