WEST CHESTER, PA — The YMCA of Greater Brandywine (YGBW) is set to welcome pickleball players and enthusiasts from across the nation to the Upper Main Line YMCA (UMLY) in Berwyn this month. UMLY will serve as the host site for the 2023 Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Philadelphia Open, a USA Pickleball Sanctioned Match Medal Plus (MMP) Tournament, taking place between August 23 and 27.
In addition to welcoming professional and amateur pickleball players from all over the country to our region, UMLY will also welcome dozens of volunteers to their 54-acre campus. Volunteers will help direct players and spectators from across the country and will receive a t-shirt, refreshments and complimentary grounds pass to watch tournament play on the day of their shift.
“The APP Tour has 16 stops across the United States this year – and we’re one of them,” explains Laura Milazzo Mackiewicz, Director of Volunteer Engagement for YGBW. “Many of the volunteers helping at the event are local, passionate pickleball players here at the Y as well as the greater Chester County pickleball community. They love the game and are looking forward to welcoming players from across the country to their home courts. It’s an exciting opportunity.”
Free Pickleball Workshops on August 12
It’s fitting that the APP Philadelphia Open takes place this month – as National Pickleball Day was celebrated nationwide on August 8. In the spirit of National Pickleball Day, YGBW is helping newcomers learn about the sport with two free workshops on August 12 at the YMCA Pickleball Center at Downingtown, the first YMCA facility in the nation dedicated to pickleball.
The two-hour introductory workshops are open to the community and take place from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM and from Noon – 2:00 PM. Participants can register for the session that best fits their schedule.
Pickleball Month at YGBW
“We’re excited to introduce new players to the sport of pickleball at our upcoming workshops,” comments Shawn Ganow, Director of Pickleball at YMCA Pickleball Center. “We hosted a similar event in January and the response was overwhelming – in a good way. More than one hundred people came to the Oscar Lasko YMCA in West Chester to learn, make new friends and have fun – and that’s what pickleball is all about.”
In addition to hosting free community workshops and the APP Philadelphia Open, YGBW is celebrating National Pickleball Day all month long by encouraging current members of YMCA Pickleball Center to bring a friend. Pickleball Center members can qualify to have their monthly fee waived for one month when they refer a friend to join Pickleball Center.
“At the Y, August feels more like Pickleball Month than Pickleball Day, continues Ganow. “From the workshops to the tournaments to our refer-a-friend offer, we hope to fill our courts to continue building friendships and community, one game at a time.”
To learn about the APP Philadelphia Open: https://ymcagbw.org/events/app-philadelphia-open
To volunteer at the APP Philadelphia Open: https://ymcagbw.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/287
To register for a free introductory pickleball workshop: https://ymcagbw.org/events/intro-pickleball-workshop
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