First Annual Southwest Slam Pickleball Tourney

This first year of SGR’s Southwest Slam Pickleball Tournament was not without its ups and downs.  Despite our best effort – including amazing support from both St. George City and Santa Clara City and lots of great sponsors - everything did not run smoothly.  Our hardworking event organizers Lynn Beecher and Janet O’Riley had countless promises-to-register from many dozens of people in the community, but when the weekend of May 18-21 arrived those promises did not materialize in a strong showing of pickleball aficionados.

Thanks to our wonderfully generous and supportive sponsors Naylor Wentworth Architects, Vive Studio; Snow, Jensen and Reece Law Firm; Drywall Shop, Inc.; Say Holdings (Jenny Lee); Basile, Davis and Ott;  BJ Cox, DDS; Pizza Factory;  Dominos; Bones and Leather; Hawks Restaurant; Daily Queen; SunRiver Golf Course; Harmon’s Santa Clara; Legends  Salon and Pure Pickleball.

On the positive side, SG City Mayor Jon Pike (also a longtime member of SGR) came to the Little Valley pickleball courts on Saturday morning and spoke to our enthusiastic pickleball players, volunteers and others.  He noted SG City had spent $1.6 million to build the additional 12 courts especially in time for the Southwest Slam Pickleball Tournament … a wonderful example of “our tax dollars at work.” 

Mayor Pike also talked about how the city and St. George Rotary Club have had a longtime working relationship on projects around the community and had worked very hard to make this tournament happen. He thanked the Rotary Club and looks forward to many more tournaments like this one. 

Chairman Lynn shared the many “service above self” Rotary projects in the St. George community as well as internationally.  He noted, “All proceeds from the Southwest Slam support the St. George Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization funding humanitarian, literacy and community projects.  Local projects of St. George Rotary include providing paperback dictionaries to every 3^rd grade student in the St. George area, parks and trails projects, support of such local non-profits as the Children’s Museum, the feral cat program, Coins for Kids, Operation School Bell, the Family Support Center and the WCSD’s Sterling Scholar program.  Internationally, SGR travels to and builds indoor cook stoves in Guatemala’s Mayan villages and is working on a project in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico to bring clean, safe water to every school in the community.”

In the end, a man told Chairman Lynn, “this is the most fun pickleball tournament I have ever been to” and handed him a $100 bill “for your wonderful projects.”  Many players said the same thing.  So, while our numbers were not what we had hoped, we can call this "First Annual Southwest Slam Pickleball Tournament" a success and a great jumping off point for next year’s event!!!