CINCINNATI — The Ohio Amateur Open Tournament is at Sawyer Point Park for the fourth time in two years.
It’s one of several competitions hosted by the Amateur Pickleball Association.
“A lot of the players really do like coming to Sawyer Point, especially since you see it on one of the top venues to play pickleball in the country, being on the river and things like that, easy to get to,” said Director of Marketing Matt Hale with the Amateur Pickleball Association.
The Ohio Amateur Open Tournament is hosting its fourth pickleball tournament in two years at Sawyer Point Park. It’s a two-day event and is free for the public to attend. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/kpqt5E5TQL
— Jessica Hart WCPO (@JessicaHartTV) June 17, 2023
Hale said the sports accessibility is one of the reasons why it’s America's fastest growing sport three years in a row. He added it’s an easy sport to learn, and it’s a sport for all ages.
“You’re going to get a lot of cardio believe it or not even though there is a shorter area than say a tennis court," Hale said. "You’re still going to get that cardio, and a lot of people want to be active but they don’t necessarily want to run four miles outside."
He said another reason why he thinks the sport exploded is because of the pickleball community.
“When we pair others up [that] don’t have a partner … what we’ve seen is those same players will return with that person we’ve paired them up with, and that’s pretty exciting to see,” he said.
Hale said current players welcome people who are new to the sport and show them how to play.
Saturday’s tournament featured doubles and men’s singles. Sunday will feature mixed doubles and women’s singles.
The tournament is free to watch and people are encouraged to attend. The competition starts at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
