Pickleball tournament benefits schools

After the success of its annual cornhole tournament, the Sparta Education Foundation (SEF) launched its inaugural “Battle of the Paddle” pickleball tournament May 30 at the Sparta Athletic Campus.

Players of all ages were welcomed as teams of two competed throughout the evening until a winner was crowned.

Matt Martinka and Craig Gianinno took home the first-place trophy, while Matt Craig and Erik Novack finished in second place.

Stephanie Feely and Taryn DePrecker were awarded the best team uniform award.

The success of the cornhole tournament, paired with pickleball’s recent surge in popularity, sparked the idea for the tournament.

“We said, ‘Oh I bet we could get enough people for a tournament,’ and we agreed to give it a try for one year,” said Kimberly Noel, the SEF’s secretary.

The 25 team slots sold out as pickleball fanatics clambered for a larger tournament.

“When you run a nonprofit, you look for opportunities to do events that other people aren’t doing,” said SEF trustee Lisa Morano. “Our president, Heather Egli, said, ‘We got to claim pickleball; no one else is doing it.’ ”

Raquel DaSilva, owner and chief executive of Sparta Athletic Campus, donated the court time when she discovered the foundation’s intention to delve into pickleball.

The event was not just for avid “picklers,” as many of the participants were new to the sport who were looking for a fun night and to support the foundation’s goals.

“They obviously do some important work, and they host great events,” said Justin Berkowitz, a Sparta resident who was playing pickleball for the first time. “Their events are always fun and for a good cause.”

The SEF has been supporting the Sparta Township School District for about two decades, raising $1.5 million since 2006.

A few years ago, the SEF helped revamp the fitness equipment at Sparta High School, and in 2024, it donated STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) materials to Alpine School.

“Whatever the teachers want, such as supplemental materials, we provide all of that once they go through the grant process,” said Morano. “The number of what we are aiming to raise is infinite.”

The SEF will host its annual cornhole tournament, also known as Cornament, on Aug. 24 and the 19th annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

“People are very hopeful that we will have more teams next year,” Morano said, referring to the pickleball tournament. “We are optimistic that we can expand it next year.”