You may not have heard of the BIG WOOD Pickleball league, but there’s a good chance your neighbor, best friend or favorite bartender not only knows all about the league, but might very well be playing in it. After all, the BIG WOOD Pickleball league has even drawn the attention of Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw, enticing him to join one of two Ketchum teams.
Here’s what you need to know: there are 12 teams, 24 coaches, 120 players, 35 backup players and five playing locations across the Valley, with matches running from June 27 to the finals on August 12. Teams are represented by Ketchum, Sun Valley, Elkhorn, The Valley Club and Gravity Fitness & Tennis, with sponsors from all over the Wood River Valley.
Multiple teams were seen over the weekend practicing for their opening matches, spending time to learn the “rally” point scoring format game up to 21 points. Rally scoring increases the excitement of a game where every single point matters to win the game, the match and the overall league. Which means a beginner player’s point is just as valuable as a nationally ranked player’s point. Which makes games more fun and often filled with laughter.
This new league will continue for five weeks followed by a week of playoffs and ending in a championship match and BBQ picnic. Each team has a name picked by their sponsors, including:
- Taco Tuesdays by Barrio75
- Brine Brawlers by TNT Tap Room
- The Drillers by Snake River Oil + Gas
- adi-picklers by adidas
- Picklers by Power House
- Rockets by RE/MAX Sun Valley
- Los Mejores by La Cabañita
- Designated Dinkers by Lefty’s Bar & Grill
- Diamond Dogs by Hartzman & Rifkin
- Court Crowns by Ben Franz, DDS
- Designer Dinks by Taft Design Works
- The Warriors by Gordon Production Company
Players from all over the Valley rushed to sign up for the BIG WOOD Pickleball league, which filled up in less than a week from its announcement. Play is fun, social and a little competitive, as the league motto states, “for shots and giggles.”
For additional information: contact woodriverpickleball.org.
TEAMS & PARTICIPANTS
adi-picklers
- Carol Gullstad: Team Coach
- Lee Sponaugle: Team Coach
- Gerianne Johnson
- Candice Stark
- Glenn Shapiro
- Criss Fallowfield
- Rhonda Brown
- Cathy Furlow
- Preston Brown
- Wayne Gullstad
- Alma Mills
- Leigh Everett
The Drillers
- Mimi Griswold: Team Coach
- Richard Brown: Team Coach
- Doug Phillips
- Kerry Guggenheim
- Chris Turner
- Susan Snyder
- Lindsey Armeen
- Josie Conely
- Lisa Silver
- Richard Stark
- Sue Toeniskoetter
- Luis Alberto Lecanda
RE/MAX Rockets
- Joanne Wetherall: Team Coach
- Donald Becker: Team Coach: Michael Horowitz
- Robin Phillips
- Kristi Wood
- Cydney Conger
- Coco Levering
- Maura Doyle
- Cooper Taylor
- Alisa Ludwig
- Dale Bates
- Spooky Taft
Designer Dinks
- Sarah Halverson: Team Coach
- Daniel Harden: Team Coach Jim Taft
- Tony Knapp
- Geoff Wells
- Melody Atkins
- Susanne Kretschmer
- Carol Felsentha
- Susan Kase
- Dan Petree
- John Heinrich
- Mary Ann Chubb
Picklers
- Lisa Hamilton: Team Coach
- Ryan Neilson: Team Coach Jess Wolcott
- Lora Kennedy
- Sarah Benson
- Mindee Smith
- Sandra Caulkins
- Kristen Barr
- Doug Neidrich
- Jill Pollock
- Lisa Patterson
- Bill Kirby
Court Crowns
- Kristi Drinkwater: Team Coach
- Jim Kanellitsas: Team Coach Sam Adicoff
- Michelle Sabina
- Becky Brown
- Hannah Bigelow
- Rick Flores
- Colleen Weaver
- Vicki Shapiro
- Rick Fabiano
- Jackie Murphy
- Claudia Mihm
Diamond Dogs
- Jen Embree: Team Coach
- Mal Coyn: Team Coach
- Andrea Rifkin
- Lloyd Dyer
- Char Bagley
- Scott Jordan
- Julia Heithecker
- June Bowe
- Walt Ingram
- Brandy Horowitz
- Jane Peterson
- Bonnie Larson
Designated Dinkers
- Wendy Speth: Team Coach
- Robert Shuford: Team Coach
- Kelly Smith
- Gurmeet Singh
- Elizabeth Yuengling
- Cecilia Giacobbi
- Denise Hodges
- Nancy Grant
- Tim Hamilton Miguel Lundsford
- Munser Qadourah
- Aleta Taylor
Los Mejores
- Kris Miller: Team Coach
- Lex Panayiotou: Team Coach:
- Valerie Ashbaugh
- Rachel Clifford
- Greg Pfeifer
- Susan Lovett
- Katie Craig
- Linda Felker
- William DePaul
- Gail Dwyer
- Jen Schwartz
- Jim Siegel
The Warriors
- Cynthia Knight: Team Coach
- Tom Bowman: Team Coach
- Julie Evans
- Hugh Kretschmer
- Ellen Fastow
- Mollie Santo
- Sue Huttar
- Maura Pfeiffer
- Joe Weber
- Amy Lingard
- Mark Pattison
- Trinka Dyer
Taco Tuesday
- Sue Hamilton: Team Coach
- Geordie Foster: Team Coach
- Ruby Campbell
- Jane Buxton
- Duree Westover
- Sue Kwapich
- Sue Phillips
- Teresa Ensch
- Adam Taylor
- Neil Bradshaw
- Johnny Bolton
- Larry Meads
Brine Brawlers
- Patti Lousen: Team Coach
- Scot Buxton: Team Coach
- MJ Abraham
- Stephanie Sandberg
- Bobby Noyes
- Pearl Glaves
- Mindy Meads
- Jenny Femling
- Jesse Silverman
- Elaine Ingram
- Tony Glaves
- Maureen Baker