El Paso’s Pickleball Debut: El Paso welcomed its first divisional pickleball tournament on March 22–23, hosted by the Sun Bowl Association. Held at Eastwood High School, the event drew over 180 players across 39 divisions, making it the city’s largest tournament. Nusenda Credit Union served as the main sponsor.
A New Chapter in El Paso Sports
The Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament marked a new addition to the Sun Bowl Association’s calendar of community events. The non-profit is known for hosting activities throughout the year, leading up to the annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl football game.
Announced at a January 28 press conference, the tournament was the first of its kind in the area. Players from El Paso and beyond competed in skill levels ranging from 3.0 on the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) scale to professional-level matches in men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles.
Strong Turnout and New Faces
With more than 180 players, the event set a record for pickleball participation in the city. Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas praised the event’s debut.
“I thought that this would be a great event for our community and for out-of-town people to come and enjoy the sport that’s really growing. I’m very pleased so far as to the turn out for this first year. We got close to 200 participants playing.” – (Olivas)
For many, the tournament was a new experience. Thuc Nguyen, 24, said,
“[I’ve played] some casual tournaments here and there, but it’s like my first real tournament. Some people were talking about it, and I saw it on a Facebook group too.” – (Nguyen)
Ezequiel Crespo, 25, who had played recreationally for three years, also entered his first competitive tournament.
“I have been playing for three years, but it was just for fun, like playing once a week, maybe twice a month. This is my first tournament; I played three matches today and I was pretty good, for sure I’m going to try to get better and keep playing.” – (Crespo)
Team Effort Behind the Scenes
The Sun Bowl Association partnered with the Pickleball El Paso Association (PEPA) to help organize the event. PEPA Vice President Ben Avalos played a key role in planning and coordination.
“I organized a group of people, and I started meeting with Bernie once a week and we put together this tournament. We have maybe a little over 180 participants today, which is the most pickleball players I’ve ever seen in El Paso, so this is pretty awesome.” – (Avalos)
A Bright Future for Local Pickleball
The success of the inaugural tournament could lead to more divisional events in the city. With growing interest in pickleball across the borderland, the Sun Bowl Association hopes to continue building on this momentum.
News in Brief: El Paso’s Pickleball Debut
The Sun Bowl Association hosted El Paso’s first divisional pickleball tournament on March 22–23 at Eastwood High School. With over 180 players in 39 divisions, it became the city’s largest event of its kind. Supported by PEPA and Nusenda Credit Union, the tournament may lead to future competitions.
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