The pickleball craze has stormed into the region once again with the introduction of the Oakdale Pickleball Club, a local group that has hosted two pickleball tournaments at Gilbert Park since its inception.
Just a few weeks since its start, the Oakdale Pickleball Club has brought together 15 teams to compete in their tournaments. Oakdale Pickleball Club was created by four Oakdale High School alums, Trenton Stanton, Evan Elizondo, Isaiah Hamby, and Jebb Fox. These lifelong friends who competed on Oakdale High School’s Water Polo team together turned their interest towards Pickleball to occupy their summer away from school.
“I remember going to school at Oakdale High, my fellow classmates would complain about a lack of entertainment in our hometown,” Stanton said.
To solve that lack of entertainment, the four created the Oakdale Pickleball Club to quench their own and others’ summer boredom. Oakdale Pickleball Club hosts free bi-weekly tournaments at Gilbert Park in Oakdale, inviting pickleball players from throughout the area, of all experience levels, to come and play.
“We have players who have only ever played pickleball two or three times before competing,” Hamby said.
An early August tournament yielded 12 different teams, all entering with fun and unique names. ATP, with Trevor Williams and Brian Puentes, placed third; Silky Gazelles, with Robert Stout and Riley Wilcox, came in second place; Big Dink Energy, with Ryan Carey and Moe Moe, took the gold with first place. The first-place team received medals to commemorate their win at the tournament.
“There was water and Gatorade for the participants, everybody was nice and friendly, and it’s just a laid-back environment and a great way to meet people and develop your pickleball skills,” Jason Jericoff, a participant of the Aug. 3 tournament, said. “There was no fee; I would encourage a donation. I’m definitely signing up for the next tournament.”
Along with bi-weekly tournaments, Oakdale Pickleball Club hosts weekly Pickleball in the Park events on Monday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gilbert Park, inviting anyone to come and enjoy a night of community fellowship.
“We see so many different groups playing at Gilbert Park (North Eighth Avenue/East D Street) and Fish Park (Pontiac Street) every night, we thought we’d just try to bring them all together,” Elizondo said.
Scheduled on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m., Oakdale Pickleball Club will host their third pickleball tournament at Gilbert Park, expecting even more participants than the last. To register for the upcoming tournament, email oakdalepickleball@gmail.com or visit @oakdale_pickleball_club on Instagram for more information.
