Media Advisory | Today 11:15 a.m. | Pickleball-Palooza: Mayor Justin Elicker, Pickleball Tournament Organizers, and New Haven Youth and Recreation Department to Kick Off National Pickleball Month Showcasing the City’s New Pickleball Courts, and...

[Lenny Speiller]

 

MAYOR JUSTIN M. ELICKER

CITY OF NEW HAVEN

 

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

Thursday, March 30, 2023

 

PICKLEBALL-PALOOZA: MAYOR JUSTIN ELICKER, PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERS, AND NEW HAVEN YOUTH AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT TO KICK OFF NATIONAL PICKLEBALL MONTH SHOWCASING THE CITY’S NEW PICKLEBALL COURTS, ANNOUNCING FREE LEARN TO PLAY CLINICS, AND WELCOMING THE 2023 USA PICKLEBALL ATLANTIC DIAMOND REGIONAL TOURNAMENT TO THE ELM CITY

 

Scheduled from March 31 - April 2 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center, the tournament is expected to be the largest pickleball competition in New England with 540+ players from 16 states, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the New Haven Youth and Recreation Department.

 

Learn more at newhavenct.gov/pickleball

 

NEW HAVEN, CT – Today, Thursday, March 30 at 11:15 a.m., Mayor Justin Elicker will join pickleball tournament organizers Win Oppel and Mike Hoxie, city officials, and pickleball players, to announce the 2023 USA Pickleball Atlantic Diamond Regional Tournament taking place in New Haven this weekend, March 31 through April 2. The announcement will be made at the recently installed pickleball courts at Edgewood Park (located on West Rock Avenue between Whalley and Yale Avenues), where the New Haven Youth and Recreation Department will also be offering free introduction to pickleball clinics for residents in the coming weeks.

 

The tournament itself will take place on 20 courts at Floyd Little Athletic Center (480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven, CT) and 10 courts at the Newtown Youth Association facility and is expected to be the largest pickleball tournament in New England, attracting players from the East Coast, the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, along with several hundred fans and spectators. The USA Pickleball Atlantic Diamond Region encompasses the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. In total, 544 players from 16 states are registered to participate in the tournament, which was previously held in Portland, Maine. Winning players will move onto national competitions scheduled later this year in Florida and Texas. Proceeds from the event will benefit the City of New Haven Youth and Recreation Department and the Atlantic Region of USA Pickleball, the national governing body of the sport of pickleball in the United States. Coinciding with the tournament, the USA Pickleball Association has named April “National Pickleball Month” to help promote the fastest growing sport in America.

 

The tournament is a joint venture of Oppel and Hoxie. Oppel is the managing director of ZeroZeroStartCT LLC, a Shelton, Connecticut-based company promoting pickleball events. Hoxie is President of Pickleball Is Great, Inc., an Arizona-based pickleball tournament and management services company.

 

In addition to welcoming the tournament, Mayor Elicker and New Haven Youth and Recreation Department Director Gwendolyn Busch Williams will highlight current and planned pickleball facilities and programs in the Elm City. Edgewood Park and Scantlebury Park have a combined five public courts and there are three free introduction to pickleball clinics scheduled in April and May. To learn more about New Haven’s pickleball courts, clinics, and the tournament, residents can go to newhavenct.gov/pickleball.

 

EVENT DETAILS

 

WHAT:  Kick-off of National Pickleball Month: showcasing New Haven’s new pickleball courts and programs and welcoming the 2023 USA Pickleball Atlantic Diamond Regional Tournament to the Elm City 

 

WHEN: Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 11:15 a.m.

 

WHERE: Edgewood Park Pickleball Courts, West Rock Avenue (between Whalley and Yale Avenues), New Haven, CT

 

WHO:

• Mayor Justin Elicker;
• Win Oppel, Managing Director, ZeroZeroStartCT LLC;
• Mike Hoxie, President, Pickleball is Great, Inc.;
• Gwendolyn Busch Williams, Director, New Haven Youth and Recreation Department; 
• Michael Piscitelli, New Haven Economic Development Administrator;
• Felicia Shashinka, Coordinator of Community Recreation, New Haven Youth and Recreation Department;
• Among others 

 

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Press Contact:

Lenny H. Speiller (he/him)

Director of Communications

Mayor Justin Elicker | City of New Haven

165 Church Street | New Haven, CT 06511

Phone: 203-725-4249

Email: Lspe...@newhavenct.gov