Big Serve Pickleball for Mentorship: At Darden Towe Park, the second annual “Big Serve” pickleball tournament brought players of all ages together to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge. The event featured fun and competitive matches while raising awareness for mentoring programs in the community.
Fun and Competition for All Ages
Participants included Ryland Prince and Jessup Prince, who enjoyed both casual rallies and more serious play. Ryland Prince said,
“Everybody’s just having fun and that’s what pickle ball is all about.”
“It’s nice, it’s cool, I love tournaments so it’s really cool.”(Jessup Prince )
The tournament was divided into three brackets: a “bigs and littles” bracket for mentors and mentees, a social bracket for friendly play, and a competitive bracket for experienced players.
Learning Through Play
Many kids were playing pickleball for the first time. Marc Paulo Guzman, Big Brothers Big Sisters board member, said,
“For many folks it’s their first time ever playing pickle ball and we worked with Cville Central Virginia Pickleball Organization to teach our littles and bigs how to play pickleball through our clinics. It’s a fun feel to hit the pickleball and get it over and one that’s very addictive.”
Justyn Bryant, a mentee, said,
“It gets us more connected with sports, like me and my big, we just met, we said we like sports and then we got together, we started playing and it connected us.”
Impact on Mentorship and Community
Alan Peura, a mentor, said,
“Well, my little is Justyn Bryant and he’s an amazing young man. I love spending time with him. We’ve done so many things together. I have to say I am getting more than I’m expecting, and what this does for young kids is amazing.”
Bryant encouraged others, saying,
“I just want to tell all the kids; try out pickle ball it’s addictive.”
From the first serve to the final point, “The Big Serve” tournament is helping children in Central Virginia enjoy sports while connecting with mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters programs.
News in Brief: Big Serve Pickleball for Mentorship
The second annual “Big Serve” pickleball tournament at Darden Towe Park brought players together to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge. Mentors and mentees competed, learned, and connected through pickleball. The event emphasized fun, skill-building, and community engagement while inspiring children to try the sport.
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