Thanks to the efforts of several community members, particularly Kaysville resident and USPA ambassador Tammy Wursten, the city of Kaysville has had its own pickleball courts since 2017. Once installed, the courts immediately started to fill up with eager players and the community had a desire for Kaysville Recreation to start organizing tournaments and leagues.

“After the very first tournament in 2017, people said, can’t we do another tournament? Is it just one a year?” Wursten said. “So, Kaysville Rec decided they would do two tournaments every year. The Spring Fling tournament and the fall Paddle Battle.”

  This year’s Paddle Battle Tournament will take place from Sept 23rd to the 25th, and pickleball players of all ages, genders and levels (from 2.5 to 5.0) are invited to sign up. Thanks to the addition of three new courts this past June, this fall’s tournament will be the first to include a senior division, a category specifically for those over 50 playing in levels from 2.5 to 4.

“The last time I played in this tournament I discovered that I am no longer able to compete with 20-year-olds,” Wursten said. “Since we added three more courts, I talked the city into making a division for seniors. It’s so nice that they were able to recognize the need and include a seniors division for this year’s tournament. They want to include as many people that want to play as possible.”

Kaysville resident Jason Broadbent is one of many players that has caught pickleball fever and has played in several tournaments all over the West, including the Paddle Battle Tournament, where his team took home the bronze in the 5.0 division in 2018.  

“There’s tons of tournaments for a large population of addicted players,” Broadbent said. “I’ve played in tournaments all around, and Kaysville City does a really good job putting it on. They keep it real tight, organized and succinct so that you’re not waiting too long between matches.”

On top of being run well, another popular aspect of this tournament is its format.

“It’s a Round Robin tournament,” Wursten said. “All eight teams (in each division) play each other, so you find out who was the best team on that particular day, in that skill level.”

All matches will be played at the Barnes Park Courts located behind Egan Auto at 320 N Flint St. Registration is currently open on the Kaysville Parks and Recreation website for Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles divisions. Even if the session is full, players are able to join a waiting list, which can be used to create new sessions and once enough people join.