Father-Daughter Duo Win Mixed Doubles Division at Second Annual Hamptons Pickleball Classic

Despite a two-hour rain delay on Saturday, the second annual Hamptons Pickleball Classic hosted by Around the Post Pickleball at Hampton Bays High School was deemed a big success thanks to the nearly 150 players who came from the Tri-State area to compete.

“It was very competitive, but I think people had a good time, and we got through a rain delay and were still able to finish on time,” Around the Post Pickleball President Scott Green said. “It was a great success, and we’re looking forward to the third annual tournament as this was something we can continue to grow from.”

A local father/daughter duo, Larry and Emma Citarelli, took home gold medals in the mixed doubles 3.5 division. Larry, 55, and Emma, 20, are somewhat newcomers to the sport. Larry started to seriously get into pickleball two years ago, while Emma began a few months after that.

Larry said he loves that the sport allows him to be competitive with his daughter and his two sons, Lawrence and Luke. In fact, Larry and Luke took home a silver medal together in last year’s inaugural tournament.

“It really is an amazing sport that is so popular because the barrier to entry is so low,” he said. “You can play it at a very social level. But you can also play it at what I think is its more wonderful form, which is when it’s a highly competitive sport. And when you’re a guy like me, who likes to compete at a high level at 55, I can play with my best friend from elementary school, I can play in a 19-34 division with my sons and I can play in mixed doubles with my daughter. For us, this is a family thing.”

The Citarellis play locally, regionally at various spots around Suffolk County and even play when they go down to Florida. Larry gave a shout out to The Underground, a private pickleball club in Fort Myers, Florida, where he’s been able to learn a lot about the game from some of the top professionals in pickleball, such as Ryan Sherry, Peter Jensen and Parris Todd. Through Scott Green, Larry Citarelli also met Andrei Dăescu and Eden Lica, who have given him some private instruction.

For Emma Citarelli, who was an athlete all through high school, having played on the varsity girls volleyball team through graduation, keeping that competitive streak going with her family has been awesome.

“It’s a very special thing that not many kids have these days with their parents,” she said. “My dad and I have really good chemistry on the court, and that comes from training a lot. We go into these tournaments with high hopes and positive thoughts that we are going to win and we work hard toward that goal. Before every match, we set our intention for the day and how we’re going to execute, and that’s always really exciting.”

There has been a misnomer out there for quite some time that pickleball is strictly for retirees. While that may have been somewhat true when she first started over a year ago, Emma Citarelli said more and more young people are getting attracted to the sport, and what’s great about that is that you can have an 80-year-old face someone half their age and still be better than them.

“When I first started playing, I was the only young kid in the group. Now, in the past couple of months, the sport has exploded so much that I’m seeing people of all ages play,” she said. “And there is no age limit. As long as you know the technical aspects of the game, you can play with anyone.”

Larry Citarelli thanked Scott Green for putting together another competitive tournament so close to home.

“Scott did an amazing job,” he said. “He’s an advocate for the sport and the sport of pickleball is really almost communal, where everyone is so welcoming to the game. When I first started playing, I didn’t know anything about it. But people took the time to show me how to play it the right way, and so in many ways, it’s come full circle. I’ll take the time, if someone wants to, to show them a few tips here and there.”

Green thanked all sponsors and those who volunteered their time for this weekend’s tournament. That included Bob Lessard, Arunas Lauzaidis, Doug Kelly, Jules Valencia, Richard Glanzer, Chris Lombardo, Jerry Anthony, and, of course, the Hampton Bays School District, and, in particular, Superintendent of Schools Lars Clemensen and Athletic Director John Foster. And Joe Deluca for bringing his big blower out to dry off the courts.

Medal Winners

Men’s Doubles 3.5

Gold: Conor McAlary and Nick Aronica

Silver: Cory Barrett and Matt Lenner

Bronze: Peter Wolf and Tom Wolf

Women’s Doubles 3.5

Gold: Lonnie Yip and Luze Morante

Silver: Nora Burke and Arlene Mark

Bronze: Sue Waleski and Heidi Hothan

Men’s Doubles 4.0

Gold: Joel and Jordan Schwitzer

Silver: Arunas Lauzadis and Jules Valencia

Bronze: Roberto Guzman-Perez and David Hernandez

Mixed Doubles 3.5

Gold: Emma and Larry Citarelli

Silver: Henry Cohen and Arlene Mark

Bronze: Lisa Granucci and Manny Rool

Gender Neutral 2.5-3.0

Gold: Linda Ortiz and Patty Carlos

Silver: Larissa Klug and Halime Barkay

Bronze: Jessica Graham and Evan Cambra