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The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday brought in players from Nassau County to Montauk and raised $5,000 for the Southampton-based charity organization.
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, an avid pickleball player himself, took part in Saturday's event.
The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday brought in players from Nassau County to Montauk and raised $5,000 for the Southampton-based charity organization.
The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday brought in players from Nassau County to Montauk and raised $5,000 for the Southampton-based charity organization.
The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday brought in players from Nassau County to Montauk and raised $5,000 for the Southampton-based charity organization.
The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday brought in players from Nassau County to Montauk and raised $5,000 for the Southampton-based charity organization.
Molly Bishop of Heart of the Hamptons and Vinny Mangano of Southampton Pickleball Club.
Gail Lynch makes a return.
Leslie Mack gets some playing time in.
Leslie Mack gets some playing time in.
The inaugural Heart of the Hamptons SYS Pickleball Tournament on Saturday was a success on many fronts.
There were 42 teams entered, creating six different divisions, and pickleball was played for over seven hours — so from a competitive standpoint, everyone got to play, and there were winners of each division.
But the real winner, as Vinny Mangano put it, was Heart of the Hamptons, the Southampton Village-based registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps people in need, via its food pantry and other various programs.
Through entry fees and donations that came in from those who didn’t even take the court, $5,000 was raised for Heart of the Hamptons.
“It was a huge success. For a sort of grassroots effort, it was a tremendous success to bring in a lot of new people who are aware now of what we’re doing,” Heart of the Hamptons Executive Director Molly Bishop said. “It was a huge help to us. Also, the enthusiasm among the players was really wonderful too.”
Bishop agreed that the holidays tend to be a more giving time of the year but in the same breath explained that this is the most vital time of the year, when organizations like hers need these type of donations to continue to serve those in need.
“This time of year, we do get a lot of donations, but we're also spending a lot to make the holidays great for everyone.
“We are so grateful to Vinny and Sally Mangano and their volunteers,” Bishop added.
Vinny Mangano, who runs the Southampton Pickleball Club and is the USA Pickleball Ambassador for the North Mid-Atlantic region, said he sent out an email blast and posted about the event on the club’s Facebook page. Other than that, it was really word of mouth that brought in many of the players, who hailed from Nassau County to Montauk, he said.
There were men’s, ladies and mixed divisions, and in each there were intermediate and advanced divisions. Because there was a time constraint, with SYS closing at about 4 p.m., each game ran for about 10 minutes, and whichever team had the most points when time was up was declared the winner.
Mangano said Lisa Schindler, one of the top pickleball players on Long Island, played in the tournament, which just gave it more validation. Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, an avid pickleball player, also played and volunteered his time to help out.
Mangano thanked both SYS Executive Director Scott Johnson and program director Molly Tuzil for donating the court space for the day, and he also thanked the many local businesses for donating gift cards that went to the division winners. Those businesses included: Gubbins Running Ahead, Tennis East, Flying Point Surf Shop, Golden Pear, Schmidt’s and 75 Main.
