Pickleball Magazine 3-1 | Page 48

TUSTIN WINTER CLASSIC JANUARY 13-15, 2018 T he Tustin Classic is quickly becoming one of the premier tournament destinations for West Coast pickleballers. This year, top-ranked players such as Morgan Evans, Scott Moore and Lisa Naumu competed for the LA-area title. The story of the tournament is not just about who played, but rather the story behind the event. The tournament is directed by Phil Dunmeyer—the “Godfather” of California pickleball. Phil, along with CinDi Glavas and Pete Burns, were longtime employees of the Tustin Unified School District. On the school grounds sat two rarely used tennis courts.  CinDi recalls, “Phil scheduled a meeting with the school officials and requested they convert the tennis 46 courts to pickleball. After meetings and proposals, the board agreed and we were in business. Next, Phil raised additional revenue to add more courts, bringing the total to eight. Today, our site is a local haven that seems to be booked all the time.” The Tustin Classic is a special event where many of the 50 volunteers help from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three consecutive days. The event is unique because every match has a referee as well as a scoreboard operator. The real-time scorekeepers kept hundreds of spectators aware of all developments so they could wander to the “hot action” courts. The tournament also featured the use of two different balls selected by the players months prior to the event: The softer Onix Pure 2 was used for the 3.0 to 4.0 players and the harder Onix 503 for the 4.5 to Pro players. TO SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSCRIBE CALL CALL 888.308.3720 888.308.3720 OR GO OR TO GO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM The Tustin Classic is another example of how the innovative leadership and hard work of a committed team of volunteers can turn a couple of old tennis courts into a flourishing pickleball hotspot.  •