Paddles in hand, pickleball players poured into Tellico Village from far and near to compete in what is fast becoming a major regional tournament: the annual Tellico Village Age-Based Tournament. This year’s competition—which attracted 92 participants, some coming from Huntsville, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; and Nashville, Chattanooga, and LaFollette, Tennessee—was a huge success.
“The out-of-towners loved our courts,” noted Dan Dyer, the pickleball club’s president. “I can’t tell you how many said they wished they had something similar.” Dyer said he’s been receiving thank you emails all week. “Stephanie Lane, a national figure [in pickleball], told me our courts remind her of the western states where pickleball is huge.
AGE-BASED TOURNAMENT WINNERS
The winners, shown below, were awarded medals in their respective five-year age brackets.
SINGLES
- Gold: Bob Cherry, Ron Wendoloski, Dan Dyer, Avie Ownby, Fred Cobb, Dean Varillas, Melissa Ownby, Pat Chappell, Karen Cobb, Melissa Powell
- Silver: Gerald Jackson, Jerry Ferguson, Tom Siegele, Paul Slay, Fletcher Powell, Nancy Dyer
- Bronze: Tommy Varillas, Bart Margoshes, Don Chalfant
DOUBLES
- Gold: Weldon Humphries and Fred Iskander; Fred Timms and Bob Cherry; Bart Brannon and Lou Novakow; Bill Rowe and Denny Kennedy; Joe Gilmore and Dennis Hart; Fred Cobb and Paul Slay; Fletcher Powell and Jeff Carlson; Ke Kai Ruckstuhl and Suzanne Rhoden; Pat McGinnis and Cheryl Barnes; Linda Sabel and Lee Walker; Karen Cobb and Janet Winslow; Cindy Moore and Stephanie Lane
- Silver: John Winslow and Norm Corda; Tommy Varillas and Ed Elder; Mike Kitchens and David Cass; Bart Margoshes and Tom Siegele; Don Chalfant and Marty Smith; Dean Varillas and Dan Dyer; Carole Allen and Kathy McKay; Sue Evans and Marcia Stewart; Cathy Lewis and Pat Chappell; Jane Slay and Melissa Ownby; Betsy Moore and Melissa Powell
- Bronze: Tom Dietrich and Ron Wendoloski; Bruno Barbaro and Tom Kitchens; Linda Kozlowski and Donna McGinnis; Tonya Hollins and Vicki Ryan; Kim Stoner and Patsy Weatherford; Erin Vasicek and Janet Reed
MIXED DOUBLES
- Gold: Fred Iskander and Jean Haupt; Mike Kitchens and Alice Tym; Janet Winslow and Ron Wendoloski; Suzanne Rhoden and Dan Dyer; Betsy Moore and Dennis Hart; Cindy Moore and Joe Gilmore; Karen Cobb and Fred Cobb; Stephanie Lane and Jeff Carlson
- Silver: Tommy Varillas and Miriam Brizius; Jeff Dore and Donna McGinnis; Jane Slay and Paul Slay; Melissa Powell and Fletcher Powell
- Bronze: John Winslow and Judy Anderson; Jeri Klepp and Travis Hardy; Linda Sabel and Glenn Weber; Don Rohrer and Vicki Enos
Gold medal winners Lee Walker (left) and Linda Sabel.