By Scott Roblin

Golden weekend for pickleball competitors at 2018 Showdown in the Hat

Jul 29, 2018 | 7:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Pickleball has been called one of the fastest growing sports in North America and athletes from across the country got a chance to assist in the explosion of the sport this weekend.

Over 80 competitors hit the courts in Lion’s Park for three days of action in the 2018 Nissan Showdown in the Hat tournament.

Spanning in age between 30 and 79 years old, the athletes were split into a number of classes with medals on the line in both singles and doubles divisions.

In the women’s 60 plus doubles final on Sunday, it was the Medicine Hat duo of Carolynn Snyder and Ruthmary Hollis battling Medicine Hat’s Marcia Garman and Regina’s Linda Helfrick.

It didn’t take long for Snyder and Hollis to get on a run, eventually outlasting Garman and Helfrick to earn the gold medal.

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Snyder said they improved as the match went along, putting together a nice streak of points to close things out to win gold.

“You gain a lot of confidence when you get up a few points,” said Snyder. “So, I think that helped us and spurred us on.”

No strangers to success this year, the pair were also gold medallists at a tournament in Kelowna, B.C. this summer.

Hollis said the duo have done well at forming chemistry and a winning partnership.

“It means a lot, Carolynn is such a great player and I love playing with her,” said Hollis. “She just takes over and helps me, she focuses and makes me focus. It’s wonderful playing and I appreciate getting the gold medal with her.”

This was the fourth year hosting the event for the Medicine Hat Pickleball Club, who will try to use the money towards establishing a permanent pickleball location in the city.

Snyder said more and more young people are getting involved with the sport, which is helping to diversify these types of tournaments.

“The game is just growing by leaps and bounds,” she said. “And, it’s so great to see so many people, so many different age groups coming out to play. The club is just really growing and I would encourage anyone to come and try it, it’s just such a fun game.”

Other gold medallists over the weekend included Kim Layton and Dalton Harding (8-49), Rhonda Bews and Darryl Lockwood (50 plus), Ira Fazio and Michael Wagner (60 plus), and Linda Bowles and Gordon Masson (70 plus) in the mixed doubles events.

Neil Maser took home gold in the men’s singles event over Scott Richter, while Quebec’s Valerie Delisle and Medicine Hat’s Becks Dudley won the women’s 8-49 doubles.

The team of Fazio and Jill Rea took the women’s 50 plus doubles category, while Flo McKenna from High River and Robbie Verwey from Okotoks won the women’s 70 plus doubles division.

Results of the women’s singles and men’s doubles tournaments were not available as of Sunday evening.