Let's Pack The Pickledome
The “pickledome” is to pickleball what center court is to tennis. It’s where the championship match is played and where every player in a big tournament wants to be. From June 2-5, more than 500 athletes from around the world will join the festivities at the APP Indianapolis Open, in hopes of dinking their way to the pickledome and the $35K in cash prizes.
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Ken Herrmann is hooked on pickleball. “I started playing back in 2018 and fell in love with it just like everyone else did,” says the Chicagoan, and he quickly saw a need for there to be a tour for pros, senior pros and amateurs. He didn’t waste any time, organizing the first tour the following year. The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) Tour, the official pro-tour partner of USA Pickleball (the governing body of pickleball here in the US), will make its second stop in Indianapolis the first weekend of June.
According to Herrmann, Indianapolis is one of the more popular cities in the circuit, this year the 12th stop on the 32-city tour, which includes tournaments across the United States as well as Spain, France, England and Mexico, offering more than $2 million in prize money. “We’re excited about coming back to the Indianapolis Open,” says Herrmann, adding that the weekend is once again hosted by Rick and Bridget Witsken and promises a lively and welcoming atmosphere with some of the best names in the sport.
Former tennis pro Rick Witsken, who is currently ranked second among men’s senior pickleball pros on the tour, is proud of the facility at Mount Vernon High School in Fortville where the tournament will be held. “We wanted to showcase Indy as the preeminent spot for Indiana pickleball,” says the Zionsville Middle School tennis coach and founder of Team Witsken, where he provides professional tennis and pickleball instruction. Several of the matches will be live-streamed, with commentary by fellow pro Daniel Roditi, and the weekend will also include a VIP sponsor party.
“There is so much enthusiasm behind the sport of pickleball,” says Phil Cohn, a senior pro on the tour and Chief Operating Officer at Arnold Meyer Commercial Real Estate, sponsor of the APP Indianapolis Open. Cohn calls pickleball the “tennis of the ‘70s,” explaining that the game is played very much like tennis was played in the 1970s—with a similar touch and feel that you got with the old wooden racquets. “I think there is the possibility of it growing in the same manner that tennis did back then,” he says. “The popularity seems to have that boom now like tennis did back then, complete with colorful personalities and big names who are a lot of fun to be around and a lot of fun to watch.”
For more information, to purchase tickets, or to register for the APP Indianapolis Open, visit apptour.org and follow @officialapptour on Instagram.
According to Herrmann, Indianapolis is one of the more popular cities in the circuit, this year the 12th stop on the 32-city tour, which includes tournaments across the United States as well as Spain, France, England and Mexico, offering more than $2 million in prize money. “We’re excited about coming back to the Indianapolis Open,” says Herrmann, adding that the weekend is once again hosted by Rick and Bridget Witsken and promises a lively and welcoming atmosphere with some of the best names in the sport.
Former tennis pro Rick Witsken, who is currently ranked second among men’s senior pickleball pros on the tour, is proud of the facility at Mount Vernon High School in Fortville where the tournament will be held. “We wanted to showcase Indy as the preeminent spot for Indiana pickleball,” says the Zionsville Middle School tennis coach and founder of Team Witsken, where he provides professional tennis and pickleball instruction. Several of the matches will be live-streamed, with commentary by fellow pro Daniel Roditi, and the weekend will also include a VIP sponsor party.
“There is so much enthusiasm behind the sport of pickleball,” says Phil Cohn, a senior pro on the tour and Chief Operating Officer at Arnold Meyer Commercial Real Estate, sponsor of the APP Indianapolis Open. Cohn calls pickleball the “tennis of the ‘70s,” explaining that the game is played very much like tennis was played in the 1970s—with a similar touch and feel that you got with the old wooden racquets. “I think there is the possibility of it growing in the same manner that tennis did back then,” he says. “The popularity seems to have that boom now like tennis did back then, complete with colorful personalities and big names who are a lot of fun to be around and a lot of fun to watch.”
For more information, to purchase tickets, or to register for the APP Indianapolis Open, visit apptour.org and follow @officialapptour on Instagram.