LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — People from all over the country are in the valley for a pickleball tournament, a sport that continues to increase in popularity across the region.
Bill Green, a New York native who has lived in Las Vegas for three years remarked, "Popularity is crazy, I mean there are so many new players every week. Courts are going up everywhere."
Sunday marks the final day of the week-long USA Pickleball Tournament at the Sunset Park Pickleball Complex. Lance Cowart with USA Pickleball explained, "This is a path to nationals, so this is a qualifying tournament that will be in November of this year."
Players are showing off their skills in hopes of winning a "golden ticket." Bill Green stated, "Trying to get a golden ticket to get into the nationals at Arizona in November."
Every single court was filled, as more than a thousand people from across the US registered to take part in the tournament. It's a sport that allows people of all ages to participate. This year’s event saw kids and adults ranging from 12-80 years old competing.
Las Vegan Kylie Sanko is an avid pickleball player at 14 years old. She said, "It’s like addicting. It's an addicting sport. It's fun to play." She came to the tournament to watch and support her friends. "I enjoy pickleball more than any sport, I make a lot of friends playing it."
She also mentioned that it's enjoyable to play here in the valley. "There’s a lot of people around my age that play pickleball, and it's easy to find people to play with. Like if you go to here, when there's no tournaments, there are a lot of people to play with or Durango or Lone Mountain."
