HAMPDEN – The 2022 Lady Sienna Pickleball Classic, a non-sanctioned pickleball tournament, taking place March 4-6 in Hampden has announced the non-profit Lint Rollers and Lemonade as the event’s official benefiting charity.
The mission of Lint Rollers and Lemonade is to provide resources that fill gaps in the needs of children affected by serious illness. Lint Rollers and Lemonade was created by Sienna White Probert and her mom Sharyl White when Sienna was experiencing the hardships related to cancer treatment. First conceived of as a blog to help those facing the same challenges, it became something more after Sienna passed away in 2018 and her mom and others wanted to carry the idea further. Now the board of directors of LRAL raises money and provides information to assist children dealing with serious medical issues.
This inaugural event will help Lint Rollers and Lemonade provide resources that fill gaps in the needs of children affected by serious illness. “Sienna’s impact on her community, friends and family are immeasurable. Her zest for life and being an active, adventurous member of society is inspirational. We are delighted to keep her memory alive and offer support for families dealing with the most difficult situations with the funds raised at this and future events.” Martha Ward, LRAL board secretary.
Pickleball is a fun, easy-to-learn, mini-tennis-like game that includes elements of tennis, table tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Players strike a hard plastic ball with a small paddle over a low net on a badminton-size court. Created as a game for the whole family to enjoy, pickleball has exploded in popularity with over two million players worldwide of all ages and over 4,000 places to play in the United States.
Talented athletes, traveling from all over the state as well as Massachusetts and New Hampshire, will compete in a friendly Pickleball tournament to support LRAL’s bright future. The tournament will be held at Armstrong Tennis Center in Hampden under the guidance of Director of Pickleball and Head Pro Lisa Palcic, IPTPA Master Pickleball Professional. Palcic holds a Pro Credential as a pickleball player and has played pickleball at the Nationals and the US Open. She is an IPTPA teaching and ratings director, and she has taught well over 8,000 pickleball players of all levels.
The Lady Sienna Pickleball Classic will include men’s, women’s and mixed doubles and is open to all skill levels from 3.5 to 5.0 with an open age range from 16 to 100. Cost of the tournament is $35 for the first event and $15 for a second event. Players will receive a gift bag and enjoy light refreshments throughout the day.
The organizing committee is thankful for the overwhelming sponsor support of this inaugural event and for the assistance of host Dean Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Tennis Center.
Interested parties can register for the Lady Sienna Pickleball Classic by going to lintrollersandlemonade.com/pickleball or by simply going online to pickleballtournaments.com and searching for “Lady Sienna Pickleball Classic”.
The schedule is Thursday, March 4 5-9 p.m.: Open practice for all competitors.
Friday, March 5 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: men’s and women’s doubles ending with awards and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: mixed doubles ending with awards.