At 8 a.m., underneath a bright blue sky, the first players in Lexington Pickleball Club’s Fall Autumn Dink Classic tournament began their games. Soon, the squeak of pickleball shoes, the sound of pickleballs hitting the floor, and laughter could be heard throughout the court.
On Saturday, Sept. 19th, Lexington Pickleball Club hosted their first-ever pickleball tournament, titled the Fall Autumn Dink Classic. Ninety people from Lexington and several surrounding towns participated.
“Pickleball is a sport that’s been around since the ’70s,” explained Ali Lynch, the secretary of Lexington Pickleball Club. “It’s a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong on a court smaller than a tennis court. You play with a paddle, and the ball is like a wiffle ball.”
The sport has grown in popularity in recent years. According to the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball grew from 4.2 million players in 2020 to over 24 million players in 2025.
This growth is reflected locally as well. Lexington Pickleball Club has continued to grow since its founding in 2023. The club’s mission is to expose more people to the sport, which they do by hosting workshops, open play pickleball sessions, and now, tournaments.
“We wanted to give our members and other people a chance to have a little fun competition, experience what a tournament day is like,” Lynch said.
The day was split into three time slots to account for differing player levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
“The great thing about this tournament is that we were playing against people who were at our level,” remarked Tara Nicola, one of the players at the tournament.
All matches were played as doubles. Players first competed in pools, playing each other team. The top four teams of each level then progressed to the semifinals, where the teams played each other for medals.
“Instead of a bracket where if you lose, you’re out, the pool format means you get to play more games. And so I love this tournament, because it’s guaranteed that I can play at least five, six games here,” mentioned Caleb Dietz, another player at the tournament.
Throughout the matches, players often exchanged words of encouragement, complimented each other, and got to know other teams after games ended.
“The courts here are not very large. People can chitchat while they play, and the nature of the gameplay is that you rotate in and out. So it’s a great social thing to do,” said PK Shiu, president of Lexington Pickleball Club.
Several other players echoed this sentiment.
“I had surgery last year, so I couldn’t play for a while. Over half of the people who came to see me were my pickleball friends,” Jeff Darcy, a player at the tournament, said.
Players and organizers alike encouraged others to give pickleball a try.
“Come on out and try it. It’s easy to get started, and there’s a really big community of beginners in the area who would love to have more folks come out and join,” Nicola said.