Selkirk Sport, the leading pickleball equipment and accessories brand, in collaboration with the Brigham City (Utah) Corporation, today announced that the Company was named presenting sponsor of the 2019 Pickleball Tournament of Champions, recognized as one of the 3 major Championships on the professional pickleball tour. The Tournament of Champions, presented by Selkirk Sport, will take place from August 21-24 at the Brigham City Pickleball Courts at Rees Pioneer Park in Brigham City, UT.
Headlined by Team Selkirk’s Tyson McGuffin, the #1 ranked singles player in the world, more than 600 professionals and amateurs from across the country will descend on Brigham City this summer. Athletes participating in the open divisions will be competing for more than $60,000 in prize money, and thanks to Selkirk’s 2019 Player Incentive pool, an additional $50,000 will be up for grabs. The 2019 Tournament of Champions has been expandedto four days to allow more players to compete. Future plans call for more courts to be installed at Rees Pioneer Park in anticipation of the competition growing to more than 1,000 players.
Selkirk Sport, a family-owned business based in Hayden, Idaho offers a full line-up of paddles and accessories for players of all skill levels, highlighted by the innovative AMPED™ Series. Each week on the professional Pickleball circuit, Team Selkirk athletes compete with Selkirk Sport’s AMPED Series Pickleball Paddles.
“Selkirk Sport continues to demonstrate their leadership position throughout the Pickleball community, and as the Brigham City Council remains committed to further establishing this event as an annual ‘must play’ for professionals and amateurs alike, Selkirk is a fantastic partner,” said Brigham City Mayor,Tyler Vincent. “With more than 600 attendees and their families coming to Utah, the Tournament of Champions will provide an economic boost for Brigham City and the surrounding area.”
“Team Selkirk and the Brigham City Council share a vision to support the growth of pickleball at both the professional and amateur levels, and we’re excited to serve as presenting sponsor of this major championship,” said Rob Barnes, Managing Partner, Selkirk Sport.
An exciting line-up of special events and extra-curricular activities will take place during tournament week, while participating players and their families will have the opportunity to explore Brigham City and the surrounding area. Among the featured area activities that will complement the pickleball tournament are an excursion to the Crystal Hot Springs, Willard Peak ATV rides, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and the Box Elder County Fair, among others.
Added Vincent, “We anticipate restaurants will be filled, hotels will be booked, and visitors will enjoy a breadth of entertainment options during their stay. We look forward to showcasing the region as a desirable vacation destination to all participants and their families.”
Highlighting the equipment arsenal used by many of the top professional pickleball players is the innovative AMPED™ Series, which will serve as the Official Paddle of the event. A high performance line of pickleball paddles that combine revolutionary FiberFlex Fiberglass face technology, a thicker X5 polypropylene core and a unibody design, the AMPED™ Series is available in 5 distinct models (Invikta, Epic, Maxima, S2 and Omni) suited for all styles of play, and a series of vibrant color stories. Selkirk’s AMPED Series delivers increased power, precise ball control, and a larger sweetspot - the most critical benefits to maximize performance in pickleball. In addition, the Yellow Dura 40 will be the official pickleball used for the 2019 PPT Tournament of Champions.
For more information on Selkirk Sport, Team Selkirk’s stable of Professional Pickleball Ambassadors and the innovative AMPED™ Series, visit www.selkirk.com. To follow the Company through social media please visit Selkirk on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SelkirkSport/ or Twitter @SelkirkSport.
About Selkirk Sport: Selkirk Sport, manufacturer of pickleball paddles and accessories, is a family-owned and operated company based in Hayden, Idaho, located in the shadows of its namesake, the Selkirk mountain range. Founded in 2014, Selkirk Sport is born off a passion for sport, as well as the great western outdoor leisure lifestyle that was afforded to the Company’s founders, Rob and Mike Barnes, along with their father Jim, who is Selkirk’s production manager. Backed by the philosophy of always pushing the limits, Selkirk Sport is committed to manufacturing products that deliver the highest performance with unmatched quality and service. As part of their early success, Selkirk Sport was the very first Pickleball manufacturer to offer an unprecedented lifetime warranty on its high-performance products. And, to meet the demands of the game’s premier professionals, the Company developed low-profile edgeguards that are lightweight and extremely durable. In just three years, Selkirk Sport has become one of the industry’s fastest growing companies, and their paddles are used by many of the game’s premier players, such as Tyson McGuffin, Morgan Evans, Cammy MacGregor, Kaitlyn Christian and a host of others who are premier players and national/regional champions.
About Pickleball: Pickleball was invented by three dads in 1965 as a way to entertain their children during summer. The families resided on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Congressman Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum fashioned handmade equipment and based the simple rules on the existing sports of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Unlike Tennis, Racquetball and many other sports, Pickleball has a short learning curve; you don’t need months of lessons to participate in a fun game. It also is less running compared to Tennis. However, at the same time, it can be very competitive and addicting for all ages, as well as an excellent, fun family activity. Pickleball can be played as both a singles and doubles game, and can be played inside or outdoors, on a court that uses the dimension of a doubles badminton court, along with a modified tennis net. A Pickleball court is 20’ x 44’ for both singles and doubles. The net is hung at 36” at the ends and hangs 34” in the middle. A non-volley zone – called the Kitchen - extends 7’ back from the net on each side.
