Capitola-Aptos Rotary Hosts Pickleball Tourney at Willowbrook Park By Kieran Kelly • Congratulations Shane Garvey!

LOCAL SPORTS

Capitola-Aptos Rotary Hosts Pickleball Tourney at Willowbrook Park

By Kieran Kelly

If you have visited Willowbrook Park lately, you might have noticed the park’s basketball and tennis courts have undergone a total makeover.

The Santa Cruz County Parks Department recently resurfaced the courts and painted them with new stripes to allow residents to use them for basketball, tennis, and increasingly, pickleball.

Pickleball is a low-impact sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. The sport has grown in popularity in recent years as it is easy to learn and play for players of all ages and skill levels.

With the new courts ready for use, the Capitola-Aptos Rotary plans to hold their first annual “Pickleball in the Park” Tournament on May 22. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the event will feature social “Round Robin” rounds so players will have an opportunity to play with a variety of opponents. After the social rounds, players can play in competitive rounds at their self-selected skill levels.

To register for the tournament, visit https://forms.gle/d66mwyP1fWzzGwFD9 or contact Event Director Laura Grinder at 831-818-6037 or email her at Lgrinder.rotary@gmail.com

The goal of the tournament is to bring new and experienced pickleball players together and raise money for community programs including the Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller Memorial Project.

Sgt. Gutzwiller was killed in the line of duty on June 6, 2020, and the newlyrefurbished courts are part of the ongoing effort to reimagine Willowbrook Park in honor of his memory. Sgt. Gutzwiller and his family lived in the Willowbrook neighborhood and he often visited the park with his dog, Shasta.

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Congratulations Shane Garvey!

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