Two pickleball groups go head-to-head in first Island Challenge

It was Bayfront Park versus the Longboat Key Club in the first Island Challenge pickleball tournament. Both teams vied for the chance to take home The Golden Paddle. 

The two groups met at the Longboat Key Club pickleball courts in the Tennis Gardens on the afternoon of April 24. About 30 players participated, each representing either the Bayfront Park team or the Longboat Key Club. 

For two hours, the rivals faced off in a series of double matches throughout eight rounds. Players utilized all four of the new pickleball courts that opened last December. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

The winning team of each match earned one point for their group. If the losing team scored at least six points, then that counted as half of a point for their group. 

Cynthia Long, a player for the Longboat Key Club side, played four matches throughout the afternoon. She said she’s an avid pickleball player and played all over, from Colorado to the Carolinas, and further north in Chicago. 

“It is absolutely the friendliest sport ever,” said Long. “It’s a fabulous way to meet people.”

For newcomers to Longboat Key, she said it’s the best way to make new friends. 

A Chicago native herself, Long compared the Island Match to the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox. 

“It’s great, it’s kind of like a cross-town rivalry,” Long said.

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

Jeff Lenchner with the Longboat Key Club team and Director of Racquet Sports at The Longboat Key Club Briana Francois helped organize the event on The Longboat Key Club side. Captain of the Bayfront Park team Alan Williams and President of Friends of Pickleball, Inc. Shawn Leven were organizers on behalf of Bayfront Park. 

According to Leven, the idea came up about a month ago when Lenchner reached out to her after she recently established Friends of Pickleball, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The Bayfront Park pickleball team plays competitively every week, and Sheila Loccisano said the Longboat Key Club group wanted to get in on the action. The idea of a mixer came up, which led to the Island Challenge. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

Players on both sides agreed that the cross-island match, while competitive, was a good way to meet players from the other team and develop new friendships that might lend themselves to future matches. 

Williams and Loccisano thought the first Island Challenge turned out to be a success, and Bayfront Park ended up taking home The Golden Paddle. 

The two groups hope to continue the match as an annual tradition and pass The Golden Paddle back and forth. 

“We look forward to more,” Williams said. 

Though Bayfront Park took home the gold, Loccisano said the island of Longboat Key was the real winner after a successful event that brought the two groups together. 

Correction: This article has been updated to include more organizers of the event.