North County Picklers host Senior Games

BONSALL — The fourth annual San Diego Senior Games in Pickleball were held at San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall September 25-27.

There were more than 130 entries – double of last year – with players from Texas, Louisiana, Utah, Arizona and areas in California including Wrightwood, Palm Desert, Los Angeles and Riverside and San Diego counties.

Despite the unusual heat wave, the athletes didn’t miss a match. Major Market generously donated 15 cases of bottled water, plus they also went through 35 gallons of water at the cooler!

The local group of players, North County Picklers, hosted the event. Due to their efforts, it was a memorable experience for every player.

More than 220 matches were played on 11 courts. A new category was introduced this year: age 40-49, doubles and singles. This was a wonderful and successful opportunity for the younger players to compete with players in their age bracket. The oldest competitor was 80 years young!

Congratulations were extended to all participants and organizers said, “While it’s nice to be a winner, the real celebration is for the good health and fitness that keeps one active and enjoying the game.”

The passion for Pickleball is growing every day. Players can now play throughout the county every day of the week. To find out more about the fastest-growing sport in the Senior Olympics, log on to http://www.usapa.org.

The North County Picklers invite everyone to come join/watch them at drop-in play Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m. at San Luis Rey Downs. They now have eight Pickleball courts.

Anyone interested can also contact Beverly Youngren, USAPA Ambassador for San Diego County, at [email protected] or Pat Carroll, San Diego Pickleball Commissioner, at [email protected]. It’s a dilly of a sport!