Club Events
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Competitive Events

Virginia Sportsfest

Virginia Sportsfest

The support received from our Prince William County Supervisors, Director of Parks, and all the incredible PWC staff has been nothing short of amazing in helping our pickleball community continue to grow. They were responsible in 2020 for building the first eight dedicated public pickleball courts north of Fredericksburg, VA at the A.J Ferlazzo Building. In 2021, four dedicated courts were delivered at Veterans Memorial Park and in 2022, six dedicated courts opened at George Hellwig Memorial Park in Manassas. We are so very grateful for all PWC has achieved and are excited to see what the future holds for additional pickleball growth throughout the County.
 
PWC is hosting their first Virginia Sportsfest in October. The purpose of the event is to show off different sports being offered in the County and to help grow tourism in PWC. A USAP sanctioned pickleball tournament run by Legends Sports League is on the list.
 
Let’s do our part to help make this a success!
 
Multiple levels of play are being showcased in the tournament, but it is very exciting to see a 1.0-2.0 beginner bracket being offered to encourage new players to join in on the fun and get their feet wet.
 
Below are some highlights of the tournament:
  • 1 of 12 sports planned in this Olympic-style event.
  • A sanctioned event (including skinny singles divisions).
  • OPEN ($$) divisions with up to $4K+ total purse
  • BEGINNER divisions for those with little or no pickleball experience (up to a max rating of 2.0) – These events are at NO ADDITIONAL COST.
Because this is a sanctioned tournament, you need to become a USAP member to participate. The USAP is the governing body of the sport of pickleball. They supply the official rules, sanctioned tournaments, referees, community and school grant programs, ambassadors, and the list goes on.
If you are new to playing in tournaments, there is a 3-step process to registration.
  1. Become a member of the USAP Association:https://usapickleball.org Be sure to answer questions correctly about your knowledge of pickleball which helps with your rating
  2. Go to PickleballTounaments and create an account. https://www.pickleballtournaments.com/tournamentinfo.pl?tid=6866  Look for the 2022 Virginia Sportsfest-powered by Legends Saturday 10/8/22 thru Mon 10/10/22
  3. A link will direct you to Legends Sports Leagues where you will need to create an account with Legends.
If you run into any trouble with the process, please email Ron Cortese [email protected], (include a screen-shot) and he will be happy to assist you.
Categories
Open Play

Hellwig Courts Full on Labor Day 2022

Hellwig Courts Full on Labor Day 2022

Great matches with 3.0-4.0 level players. The courts were full – 24 players on the courts and 8 waiting to play. Our Woodbridge Pickleball Club has so many great players having so much fun. Thanks to the Playtime Scheduler app, we had players joining us from outside of Prince William County.

Categories
Shared Articles

Pickleball, anyone?

Pickleball, anyone?

Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S. according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), with the growth of the sport surging by nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2021. Between 2018 and 2021, the USA Pickleball Association’s membership nearly doubled, and the organization estimates that 4.8 million Americans now play the sport.

If you’re an avid pickleball player or are looking to join the fun of playing this popular sport, Prince William County Parks, Recreation and Tourism has plenty of court options for you.

In 2020, Prince William County opened eight new dedicated pickleball courts at the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo building in Woodbridge. In addition, you can find six dedicated pickleball courts at George Hellwig Memorial Park and six courts at Veterans Memorial Park—four dedicated pickleball courts and two lined over a tennis court with portable nets.

If you’re not familiar with the sport, pickleball can be played indoors or outdoors, as singles or doubles. It is easy for beginners to learn but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. No doubt the game has developed a passionate following due to its friendly, social nature and its multi-generational appeal.

“Fun, fitness and friends” is how Woodbridge Pickleball Club President, Nick Katsarelis, would describe the game. “Pickleball is half social, half physical. It’s a very social, friendly game but it’s also good exercise—a nice, leisurely workout.”

At the A.J. Ferlazzo pickleball courts, which has become a popular place to play since it opened, you can find small groups but also sometimes upwards of 40-50 people rotating in and out to play.

Katsarelis notes that while there’s a mix of each type of player at all of the Prince William County courts, at Veterans Park you can find many social and recreational players; at Hellwig a lot of recreational players; and at A.J. Ferlazzo you can find a mix of both, as well as your more competitive players if that’s what you’re look for. At Hellwig, they host a ladies’ night on Monday evenings at 6 p.m., and a beginner’s night on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at A.J. Ferlazzo.

No matter where you play though, he adds “if you play it twice, you’re going to be addicted.”

If you’re looking to improve your skills or learn the game as a beginner, we’re currently offering one-on-one instruction, either private or semi-private lessons. The summer session ends August 31, but spots are still available. The fall session begins September 5 and runs through December 30. A session consists of four 60-minute lessons for $160.00 or one-hour private lessons for $55.00 per person. All lessons are held outdoors, weather permitting.

To learn more or sign up for the ‘Pickleball Skills, Drills & More” lessons please contact the front desk at Veterans Memorial Park.

Source: www.pwcva.gov/news/pickleball-anyone

Categories
Competitive Events

Luck of the Draw Mini-Tournament 8-31-22

Luck of the Draw Mini-Tournament 8-31-22

It was a great evening for pickleball tonight! After players drew playing cards and were randomly assigned their partners and opponents, it was game on! Many of the games were fierce and scores were often very close.

Congrats to our winners:

  • First place: Andre and Ryan
  • Second place: Jeff and James
  • Third place: Scott and Aravind

And congratulations to all of our players for participating in the mini-tournament! We hope you enjoyed the format. Be sure to look on Playtime Scheduler and check your inboxes for an announcement of the next Luck of the Draw mini-tournament.

Pictured left-to-right: Aravind, Scott, Ryan, Andre, James, Jeff
Bracket scores. Click to zoom in
Categories
Competitive Events

Morning 3.25-4.0 Round Robin at Hellwig

Morning 3.25-4.0 Round Robin at Hellwig

This morning the Woodbridge Pickleball Club ran a free round robin for eight players self-rated at 3.25-4.0. During the round robin each of the players played with and against every other player for a total of 7 matches. The format for the round robin was 1 game to 11, win by 1.

Even though the round robin began at 8am, the heat was brutal – and the games were just as intense!

For this round robin, each player earned points based on their own performance based on matches won, head-to-head, and point differential.

Jason came in first place with 6 matches won and Dave came in second place with 5 matches won. Coming down to a close head-to-head Dewayne came in third, and Mark came in fourth.

After the round robin was completed, the first and fourth place players played against the second and third place players in a championship game with the format of 1 game to 15, win by 2. After an extremely competitive match, Dave and Dewayne beat Jason and Mark 15-13.

Thank you to all the participants for playing in the round robin and thank you to Dave “Jeffy” Johnson for organizing! Keep an eye on Playtime Scheduler the events calendar for more competitive events!

Categories
Competitive Events

Luck of the Draw Mini-Tournament

Luck of the Draw Mini-Tournament

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first Luck of the Draw mini-tournament. Though we ended up getting rained out, we would like to post the partial results. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone for the next one on August 31, 2022. Register on Playtime Scheduler.