Saturday, December 13th marked a highlight on the SSAC pickleball calendar as a full field of 32 enthusiastic and delightfully competitive players gathered for the third annual Picklemas Dinkathon.
While every SSAC pickleball session is a great opportunity for social connection, dinking tournaments like this one take socialization to another level, blending strategy, skill, and plenty of good cheer!
Having so many enthusiastic pickleballers together in the auditorium created a wonderful social environment. Furthermore, eats and treats were shared among the competitors. Richard Ward once again ran the successful tournament, and there were laughs all around.
The Dinkathon is a fun, yet competitive tournament focused exclusively on dinking, with play confined to the kitchen area of the court. Players were divided between the Blue and Grey courts, with 16 competitors on each, and competed in a partial round-robin format. Partners and matchups were determined by a random draw, ensuring that each player teamed up with a different partner in every one of the eight rounds.
Games used rally scoring, with matches played to seven points. The total points earned by a team became each player’s individual score for that round. With eight rounds and a maximum of seven points per game, the highest possible score was 56. At the end of round-robin play, the top two point earners from each court advanced to a two-game final.
On the Blue Court, Kim Stames claimed first place, followed by Doug Stewart. On the Grey Court, Barry Krangle finished first, with Margaret Ellis close behind. The first final game saw Kim and Margaret take on Doug and Barry in a tightly contested match that ended 7–6 in favour of the ladies, giving Kim and Margaret seven points each heading into the second game. For the final matchup, Barry and Doug switched sides, and another nail-biter followed, featuring long rallies and sharp dinks. This time, Margaret and Barry emerged victorious with a 7–4 win. With seven points in both final games, Margaret Ellis stood alone as the only player to achieve that feat and was deservedly crowned the Picklemas Dinkathon champion for 2025.
A big thank-you goes to Cheryl Linsley and Bert Carswell, who served as court marshals and kept the tournament running smoothly by ensuring the right players were on the right courts at the right time.
If you enjoyed Picklemas, there’s more dinking to look forward to – a 40th Anniversary Tournament coming up in May, followed by the 4th Annual Serge Planidin Memorial Tournament later this summer. Keep your paddles ready!
