Subject: Age No Barrier for Local Athletes Excelling in High Level Pickleball

Date of Event: Saturday, December 6 – Sunday, December 8, 2024                 

Location: Kingston Pickleball Club, Kingston, Ontario

Local Pickleball athletes yielded a truck-load of medals at the recent Kingston True North Limestone Classic Pickleball Championships.

Thirty-eight of our local pickleball athletes participated in the tournament earning 28 medals.

Two highlights of the event were gold medal wins by local 20-year-old Cole Lester with his 11-year-old mixed doubles partner Lolo Williams from Collingwood, the youngest player in the tournament, and local Toni Rutland, the eldest player in the tournament, with her partner George Ostermeier from Pembrooke, showing the all-age appeal side of the pickleball.

Part of the True North Pickleball Tour, this was the first of three major qualifying events for the 2025 True North Pickleball Tour Championships. All medalists from a major tournament qualify for the final championship in 2025!

First day action featured split age competition. Men’s and Women’s Doubles in 4.0 and under 3.5 started the day with one player over 50 years of age and one under 50 years. The afternoon featured mixed doubles with the same format.

Saturday was skill/age Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Sunday was skill/age Mixed Doubles. The format was round robin feeding into a single elimination medal round. Open events were played as a double elimination and featured prize money for the medalists.

Results for Peterborough Pickleball Athletes were as follows:

Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0) Age 11-34 years

• Gold Medal Winners – Cole Lester and Lolo Williams (Collingwood)

Men’s Doubles Open Split Age Skill 4.0 and Above

• Gold Medal Winners – Cole Lester and Ryan Hanes (Kingston)

Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 63 years and Above

• Gold Medal Winners – Toni Rutland and George Ostermeier (Pembrooke)

Women’s Doubles Split Age Skill (3.5 and Under)

• Gold Medal Winners – Nikki Rejman and Lorie Cooper (Harrowsmith)

Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0 and Under) Age 50 years and Above

• Gold Medal Winners – Mike Ayotte and Shawn Bryan

Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0 and Under) Age 50 and Above

• Gold Medal Winners – Kathy Carson and Annette Merrill

Mixed Doubles Open

• Silver Medal Winners – Marc Rochon and Catherine Cote (Ottawa)

Men’s Doubles Open

• Silver Medal Winners – Marc Rochon and Brandon Willis (Kingston)
• Bronze Medal Winners – Cole Lester and Ryan Hanes (Kingston)

Mixed Doubles Skill 4.0 and Above

• Silver Medal Winners – Tara Sharpe and Rayce Manger

Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0 and Under) Age 18 and Above

• Silver Medal Winners- Keely Terrett and Kaitlyn Throwbridge (Whitby)
• Bronze Medal Winners – Nikki Rejman and Trish St. Jean (Cobourg)

Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0) Age 16 years and Above

• Silver Medal Winners – Johnny Longmuire and Jarod Mayhew

Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 18 – 34 years

• Silver Medal Winners – Tristan Hornsby and Kyle McFadden (Huntsville)

Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5 and Under) Age 14 – 49 Years

• Bronze medal Winners – Keeley Terrett and Tristan Hornsby

Women’s Doubles Skill (3.5 and Under) Age 18 and Above

• Bronze Medal winners – Toni Rutland and Cara Sheppard

Men’s Doubles Skill (3.0 and Under) Age 18 – 49

• Bronze medal Winners – Dan Gildon-Cormier and Kristofer Roach

“People have become more educated about being fit over the years, especially over 60s and over 70s”, says Toni Rutland, local gold medal winner. “Older adults are much more aware of the goodness that can come out of being active and there is so much evidence that if you keep physically active, you don’t experience some of the difficulties associated with aging. I’m getting slower as I get older, of course I am, but I can play several games of pickleball in a day at a high level. I just need to take more recovery time after it’s over. I feel lucky I can still play and be successful in pickleball tournaments at my mature age.”

“Playing with an 11-year-old was a new and fun experience for me as I’m usually one of the youngest players in tournaments,” says Cole Lester. “Lolo and I had never played in a tournament before so I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that she was a really good player but I didn’t know how skilled, poised, and confident she was until this tournament. I’m looking forward to teaming up with her again in future tournaments. She has a great future ahead of her in this sport.”

“Once again our local pickleball athletes are demonstrating that pickleball has no age barriers,” says Shelley Moloney, President, Peterborough Pickleball Association. “The Peterborough Pickleball Association continues to be dedicated to expanding the reach of pickleball to all age groups and abilities elevating the sport to new heights in our local community. We are so proud of our local athletes who competed in Kingston and brought recognition to the City of Peterborough.”

For further information, please contact Nancy Sharpe, Communication Contact, Peterborough Pickleball Association at (705) 761-1665, email: [email protected]. Thank you.

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