In the second installment of Selkirk TV Originals: A Pickleball Docuseries, the behind-the-scenes, untold story of the Selkirk Sweep is unveiled.
At the 2023 PPA Tournament of Champions, Selkirk athletes accomplished an unprecedented feat when they secured all eight gold medals up for grabs.
Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau each achieved a Triple Crown — winning gold in singles, gender doubles, and mixed doubles. They were joined by James Ignatowich and Parris Todd in gender doubles, respectively, to round out the Selkirk lineup.
Now, the players are offering never-before-told insights into what made the Selkirk Sweep so electric.
The significance of playing at the Tournament of Champions
The Tournament of Champions in Brigham City, Utah, is regarded as one of the most historic tournaments on tour. It is the longest ongoing major event on tour and it was the first professional tournament to offer prize money.
The players discuss what makes TOC so special to them — the crowd, the history, and the partnerships.
Men’s doubles: A legendary comeback
Tyson McGuffin and James Ignatowich paired up for the first match of Championship Saturday where they were dealt a tall task — taking down the top-seeded pairing of Riley Newman and AJ Koller.
After losing the first two games (11-4, 11-4), it appeared McGuffin’s hopes of securing his first-ever Triple Crown were over.
However, after the first two games, James and Tyson switched up their game strategy. Their new plan? Hit the opponents hard and get the crowd involved.
It worked. Tyson and James took game three 11-0. And they kept winning — they took game four and kept the momentum heading into the final game.
Sitting on match point at 10-8, Tyson chased a ball that left him tripping over the sideboard, leaving James to play on his own. But it didn’t matter — the duo took home gold, securing the first win of the day for both Tyson and Team Selkirk.
Mixed doubles: An insurmountable injury
After clinching gold, Tyson had a swift turnaround time before his next matchup in mixed doubles with partner Catherine Parenteau.
Due to a weather delay, the duo didn’t start their mixed doubles semifinal against the one-seeded team of Riley Newman and Jessie Irvine until 9:30 p.m. on Friday. They eeked out a win in three games, ending the evening around 11 p.m.
After resting up, the two were ready to take on Tina Pisnik and Patrick Smith in the gold medal match. After winning games one and two, the opponents had to pull out of the competition due to a head injury that Patrick had sustained the day before.
Although it wasn’t a win in the way they wanted, Tyson took home his second gold and Catherine her first of the day.
Women’s doubles: A last-minute partnership
Now it was Catherine’s turn to scramble as she prepared for her second match of the day, women’s doubles with her partner Parris Todd.
Parris, who typically plays most events on the APP Tour, wasn’t planning on playing TOC (a PPA Tour event) until she received a last-minute call from Catherine. She flew from Florida to Utah with the sole purpose of playing women’s doubles with Catherine.
The pair dropped the first game to their opponents Allyce Jones and Callie Jo Smith 8-11. After that, the duo knew they needed to be more patient and wait for the right opportunities to attack.
Their new strategy worked — they roared back taking the next three games. (11-5, 11-5, 11-1). After securing her second gold of the day, Catherine had time to lay down in the AC and prepare for her final match of the day.
Men’s singles: A new Triple Crown winner
After working with their partners for the first half of the day, it was time for Tyson and Catherine to go it alone as they each worked toward the elusive Triple Crown.
Tyson was up first as he took on Connor Garnett, who had just spent the week prior at Tyson’s house training. Tyson was comfortable going into the matchup, and he took game one 11-6. However, Connor came back swinging in game two, securing a lead of 9-2.
But Tyson wasn’t going down without a fight.
He roared back to life, eventually taking game two 12-10. He earned his first-ever Triple Crown and became the first male other than Ben Johns to earn a Triple Crown.
And of course, he celebrated in true Tyson fashion — with some Miller Lites.
Women’s singles: An unprecedented victory
With one match to go, it was down to Catherine to secure the final gold. After watching Tyson take home his Triple Crown, Catherine was ready to do the same.
She took on a tough competitor in Salome Devidze, but using her excellent cat-and-mouse game, Catherine took game one 11-2. Feeling the gold draw nearer, Catherine powered through game two to win 11-6.
With her win, Catherine not only secured her second Triple Crown, but she also sealed the historic Selkirk Sweep.
For the first time in tour history, one paddle brand reigned supreme by capturing every gold medal possible.
Watch Episode 1 of the docuseries about Collin Shick's epic Cinderella run at the PPA Florida Open. Download the Selkirk TV app HERE to watch the complete episode and many other Selkirk TV original shows, podcasts, lesson series from the pros, and much more.
