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The inaugural Yukon Pickleball Championships held serve Saturday at the Canada Games Centre (CGC) in Whitehorse.

Participants included players from Skagway, Carcross, Marsh Lake and Whitehorse.

Competition took place in two categories, the Intermediate and Open events.

Each event featured 20 players.

Based on a points system, four participants were eliminated in the first round in each event.

Players were then grouped into foursomes.

The Star dropped by the CGC Saturday morning to take in the Open event.

Jim Gilpin, president of the Yukon Pickleball Association (YPA), said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a format that I think is enjoyable. It鈥檚 a round-robin type of format, which allows most of the players to play in three different round-robins. Where they go for the next round-robin is based on how they performed on the previous one.鈥�

There were five players each on four courts in the opening round. The fifth-ranked player on each court was eliminated from the tournament.

The other 16 players continued, with the top eight on Courts 1 and 2. The bottom eight played on Courts 3 and 4.

The best four of the top eight then played on Court 1 for the finale.

The second four of the top eight played for fifth to eighth positions on Court 2.

There were a total of three rounds, so the players not eliminated in the first rounds played a total of 10 games in the doubles-only tournament.

鈥淧ickleball is mainly a doubles game, although there is singles pickleball and it occupies the same court area and you see young people doing it. It鈥檚 quite amazing. But most of us, it would be beyond our ability to handle,鈥� related Gilpin.

When asked how it鈥檚 going so far, Gilpin replied, 鈥淲ell, I鈥檓 still in the tournament, so that鈥檚 good.

鈥淥ne of the challenges in setting this up 鈥� and I鈥檓 the one that set this up 鈥� is trying to balance the people on the various courts for the first round. It鈥檚 particularly difficult, because some of these people, I鈥檝e never seen play before. I haven鈥檛 seen all the results yet, but what I鈥檝e seen so far kind of makes sense. The person that ended up fifth, I鈥檓 not surprised by.

鈥淭he other 16 that are remaining are all gonna be pretty decent players and the range of skill level is going to be fairly tight, so I鈥檓 expecting Round 2 will be a lot of fun and then who knows. It鈥檚 a little bit of a luck of the draw who鈥檚 going to end up in the upper echelon for Round 3. So come back in an hour and a half.鈥�

The afternoon Intermediate format was exactly the same.

Gilpin said the Open category in the morning was designed for the more 鈥渃ompetitive鈥� players.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not even the right word to use, because the intermediates are just as competitive, they鈥檙e maybe not quite as skilled,鈥� remarked Gilpin.

The open competitors weren鈥檛 necessarily the most experienced, either.

鈥淲e all reach plateaus,鈥� explained Gilpin, 鈥渁nd some people may have a fair bit of experience but they鈥檝e reached a lower plateau.

鈥淏ut in general, you should expect a higher skill level in this Open event.鈥�

The wild card in the events were five players from Skagway. Of those, four were in intermediate.

鈥淭he Open event filled up sooner, so there was no choice but to sign up for the Intermediate event 鈥� so there might be a ringer out there in the intermediate event that might just slaughter everybody,鈥� said Gilpin.

As a matter of fact, one of the Skagway athletes, Jared Schmidt, captured the Intermediate crown.

John Streicker came in from Marsh Lake and played in the Open event. Commenting on the diversity of locales players came from, Streicker said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get that opportunity to play with a bunch of new players and you don鈥檛 even know how you鈥檙e gonna do. So it鈥檚 exciting.

鈥淲e play in gyms that are really tiny, so you always have to call 鈥榣et鈥� whenever it鈥檚 going near a wall, so it鈥檚 great. It鈥檚 fun.鈥�

Streicker was part of the top foursome in Round 2 on Court 1.

鈥淚 came out in the top couple of people and so I鈥檓 movin鈥� on. We鈥檒l see how I do.鈥�

Streicker added, 鈥淚 am really excited I get to play. I鈥檝e had such a crazy travel summer 鈥� two days ago I was in Herschel Island and tomorrow I鈥檓 leaving for Quebec City. It鈥檚 been hectic, so it鈥檚 really nice to get a chance right in the middle of it to come and do this and sweat and have a laugh.鈥�

Joanne Love, who finished second in the Open event, commented, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different format but it鈥檚 the first one we鈥檝e had. We haven鈥檛 had many championships or competitive games in a long, long time, so it鈥檚 nice to see the YPA doing it.鈥�

Love said she was pleased by how the Open was going for her. 鈥淚 was one of the top scorers in the first five games, so that was really good.鈥�

Love said she had 鈥渃hallenging opponents throughout the games, so it鈥檚 great.鈥�

Love said her only goal was to 鈥減lay well. And be a good partner.鈥�

Gilpin added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 just great to see pickleball鈥檚 growing. Our membership now is almost at 150 and our biggest challenge is finding places to play. We are, and have been now for several years, working to try to find a place for dedicated pickleball courts, either indoors or outdoors, and certainly in other communities. Once that has occurred, pickleball will grow in leaps and bounds. So I鈥檓 optimistic for the future but we are constrained right now by the lack of facilities.鈥�

Here are the results from the Yukon Pickleball Champs:

Intermediate Event

1. Jared Schmidt (Skagway)
2. Sue Lin
3. Armil Ramos

Open Event

1. Brenda Dion
2. Joanne Love
3. Ewa Dembek (Marsh Lake)