Professional Pickleball Exhibition held for St. Jude’s

The first annual Professional Pickleball Exhibition for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital was held at the Quail Creek Country Club pickleball courts on March 20, at 5:00 p.m. The professional players were Joey Farias, a 6.0 player from Tucson and director of pickleball at the Tucson Country Club; Sean Rickard, a 5.5 player, pickleball instructor and local fireman; Brian Baker, a 5.5 player from Phoenix and Mark Renneson, founder of Third Shot Sports and Pickleball Coaches International and pickleball instructor.
About 250 spectators donated at least $5 to see the pros display their incredible pickleball abilities with an entertaining and jovial exhibition. In addition to behind the back, between the legs, around the post (ATP) shots, Erne shots (a volley hit right at the net by a player positioned outside the court), the players joked with each other and had a lot of fun playing pickleball without pressure to win.
The spectators received a raffle ticket with a chance to win an opportunity to play with the pros. Chuck Eparvier won the raffle drawing. The other raffle winner did not want to play and, instead, Hugh Spiegel and Candy Plumlee each generously bid $350 to play with the pros. Candy gave her chance to play to Tom Dean. The fourth amateur player was the 10-year-old son of Brian Baker who is an up-and-coming junior pickleball champion.
Everyone in attendance had a unique and very enjoyable evening under the full moon and about $2,000 was donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.