Story and Pics by Emmalynn Hansen
On the 21st of March, Prague Pickleball Club hosted its very first social event at Jeremi Sport. The goal was simple: to get beginners and experienced players on the same courts, mix everyone up, and have a good time.
The Format was six rounds of 15-minute games across three courts. Before each round, players drew a gold coin from the pot of gold to find out their court and team — partners and opponents were completely random every time.
Beginners got a rules rundown from a PPC coach during the first rounds, then joined in on the fun. Players took turns rotating out to run some fast paced drills on a fourth court.
Points were awarded each round, and after six rounds and a sudden death tiebreaker, we had our winners! Winners took home a personalized green bottle of beer and a free personal trainer session.
Final results:
🥇 Martin Marek
🥈 Pete Pulkrabek
🥉 Kristyna Diewokova
☘️ (Last Place) Emmalynn Hansen (she was awarded the lucky St. Patrick’s Day hat for next year)
The event was a blast. Experienced players were patient and welcoming with the newcomers, and the random draw format meant everyone got to meet people they wouldn’t normally play with. After the games, players stayed for beers and some post-game chat. It was a good first event and a nice sign of the kind of community PPC is building.
Big thanks to organisers Sue Sejda and Emmalynn Hansen, and to Vojtech Petr, Fawn Larson, and Vic Bateman for helping make the night run smoothly.
