January 20, 2024
Pickleball El Paso is excited to announce our first tournament to be held in honor of a former member, our friend Randy Limbird.
For those of you who did not get to know Randy, he was an avid cyclist, sometimes riding for 50 miles before coming to play pickleball at 5 Set Net, in his bike shirt. "He would put the balls in the back pocket, and when he would take them out to use they would be sweaty," recounted a laughing, Sandy McDermott. Ahh, good times, good times.
From Jim Morrow: He was such a giving person with a big heart - service oriented, volunteered at Mustard Seed and helped new players. What I liked the most was the way he would dive for balls, make spectacular shots - it would make him SO happy, shouting, "Did you see that?!" You knew when Randy was in the house.
Quick to volunteer to tape lines, measure nets, and especially help new players, Randy was busy. "He was a talented journalist (started El Paso Scene magazine), pickleballer and cyclist, but we had the most fun on the pickleball court. As a Christian, Randy made our complicated world simple thru his many lectures and sermons on his blog page," recalls Cheryl Salcido-Ginnings.
We lost Randy to a brain tumor last year. The proceeds of this event will be shared with The Mustard Seed, a restaurant that works on a "pay what you can" model, and a place Randy spent many of his volunteer hours.
The tournament will be held at Grandview Park, near McKelligon Canyon, on Saturday, February 24 starting at 9:00. Three categories will be offered: Women's Intermediate Doubles, Men's Intermediate Doubles, and Advance Open Anything Goes (WW, MM, WM). Teams will be divided into two pools of four each, play round robin, with the winners and runners up advancing to a playoff. Entry is $40 non-member, with members getting a $10 discount - another great reason to renew! PLEASE email the club or ask any board member for the discount code to enter on the order. The discount is NOT transferrable. Commemorative t-shirts are available for $20 on the registration form and on the website.
A Big Shout Out to Derek Aguirre - Thank You!
Those of you who access our website on your phones, which is 64% of users, may have noticed improved navigation. Derek Aguirre, son of Marc and Mayda, donated many hours of his time making the site more user friendly, making the header smaller and scrolling more efficient as just one improvement. Thank you Derek! Also check out the Where to Play tab. You can now sort by day when looking for pickleball time slots at the gyms - this one is for you Dennis.
Play happy,
Jamie Fisher
President, Pickleball El Paso