Close to two years ago pickleball started taking over the Copper Country. And the fastest growing sport in the country continues to welcome new, old and young, teams and players to Laurn Grove Park. The pickleball courts were added permanently to the space in 2023. And since then the park has hosted daily pickleball matches, and community tournaments.
We brought food and I brought a generator for if we needed heated items and it was kind of in the fall-ish. So then we decided why don’t we contact the city, see if we can have a pickleball tournament at Bridge Fest, know. And then end of summer came up, so let’s have another one. So yeah, it’s been well received and well attended. And there’s times when we have to stop a registration at so many players. And there’s players still want to play. which at Bridge Fest this past year worked out because we had five no-shows for various reasons and we filled them instantly. – Rick Freeman, Tournament Organizer, Hancock’s End of Summer Celebration
On Saturday next week the end of summer pickleball tournament will begin at 10am. Teams should pre-register for the bracket and contact Mary Kaminski or Todd Gast. Teams will start arriving to the courts to stretch and warm up around 9am. This year’s End of Summer expanded the pickleball tournament and will have brackets set up for a 75 and older group, and men’s and women’s divisions. The 75 and Older tournament asks participants are born before September 6th, 1950.
Organizers Rick Freeman and Mary Kaminski say each tournament in the past couple of years has seen the nearby hillside fill up with spectators. While games play out on the court. They add the court see a lot of activity in Hancock. Often with groups setting up in the morning, while families pass away the evening with a little fun between toddlers and grandparents. The Laurn Grove Park in Hancock is located between Emery Street and Roberts Street in Hancock, south of the Houghton County Fair Grounds on North Street.
Call 906 482-2422 to pre-register for the tournament or email Todd Gast at DDA@cityofhancock.com
