The boys tennis team recently raised just under $700 through hosting its second annual pickleball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the Missouri Pickleball Club. Participants included students, staff and alumni.
Alex Nelle, varsity boys tennis coach, organized the tournament as a fundraiser for the boys tennis program.
“Tennis and pickleball are obviously related, and a lot of people who used to play tennis now play pickleball,” Nelle said. “Because many tennis programs use pickleball as fundraisers, it was a good idea to host the tournament.”
The funds are used for items such as new benches, signs and generally supporting the team, Nelle said.
The tournament wasn’t a true double-elimination, but we included a consolation bracket to ensure everyone got more than one match. I distributed competitive teams across the brackets to keep the championship and consolation rounds balanced, Nelle said.
James Tse, senior, has been playing tennis for 14 years.
“I got into pickleball two months ago through neighborhood tournaments, and then this tournament came along. We lost and won today, but we had fun,” Tse said.
Ansel Tse, father of James, recently began playing pickleball but has been playing tennis for 33 years.
“I coached tennis in Seattle, where we came from, and the biggest difference I’ve noticed between is that tennis is a serve and volley sport, so as soon as you serve, you want to approach the net, but you can’t serve and volley in pickleball,” Ansel said.
Chris Wright, hall monitor, played in the tournament with his son, Colyn Wright, Class of 2024.
“We went undefeated until we lost in the semifinals,” Chris said.
“I played in the tournament last year with my mom, but me and Colyn started playing pickleball together a month ago, and it’s been fun ever since,” Chris said. “The one goal we have in mind is to win.”
The winners of the tournament were Lafayette seniors Ben Zehner and Hunter Gradner. The winners of the consolation bracket were community members Amit Sethi and Sandeep Palhora.