It’s time for Picklefest at Sports Basement! I got an email from Sports Basement advertising this free event, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening at the event, I decided to check it out. The event was presented by Gamma and Selkirk, and the poster said, “a festival celebrating all things pickleball & all things pickle.” Not only will be there be a chance to win the latest pickleball gear from Gamma and Selkirk, but Basementeers will also get 28% off almost everything in store! I was excited.
I was only able to go there for their last half an hour, but it was still fun. First, I checked in at the booth at the front. The staff scanned my electronic ticket, handed me a raffle ticket, and I was ready to explore!
There was open play outside in the parking lot, and some clinics going on inside – a few experienced people were leading some sessions and teaching people how to play in addition to giving them some tips and tricks. Unfortunately, it was too late to sign up for a clinic, but I still got to watch the sessions on the side! There were also free snacks – pickles – for you to try as well! The fried pickles were surprisingly really good, and I also grabbed a pack of pickles to take home.
As it got close to 2pm when the event was almost over, it was time for a chance to win. Everyone gathered around the indoor pickleball court and got in a line. Prizes were placed on the floor – two paddles, hats, grips, Gamma fanny packs – and the first few people in line were handed a paddle. Everyone gets one shot. The coach would throw you the ball and you have to hit it with your paddle. If your ball lands on one of the items on the floor (it must touch), then the prize is yours.
Even though there were a lot of prizes on the floor, this is actually more difficult than it sounds. Most of the time, the ball landed where there was nothing. After each hit, you were allowed to go to the back of the line to try again. The line got longer and longer as people realized they could have more than one try – even if you had already won something.
As the line to hit the prizes on the floor kept moving, the raffle started. The raffle prizes sounded really cool – pickleball bags, pickleball packs, backpacks, grips, and, of course, paddles. I was so close to winning! I was just a couple numbers off from one of the winning tickets. Everyone was very friendly at the event – when someone won a raffle prize and had to step out of line to pick up their prize, people would not be upset if they returned to their spot in line.
It was almost 40 minutes after the Picklefest was supposed to end, and still, people were in line trying to hit a prize. A lot of people had left after the raffle ended and the two paddles were taken, but some people were determined to take home a prize. I was one of them. I waited patiently for my turn, but when it got to me, the coach finally said, “Okay, who has not won anything yet? Come choose a prize.”
I went straight for the Gamma fanny pack. It looked so nice and could be so useful! I was surprised people went for all the other items. The coach also gave us some extra grips as well! The event was officially over, but a few people stayed back to play some more pickleball and check out the demo paddles. I walked around to look at the items in the store, but there wasn’t really anything I wanted to buy. I thought about getting one of the Selkirk paddles, but it didn’t feel as good as some other paddles that I’ve used before.
This was a cool event! I was surprised at the number of people who attended, and the prizes that they were giving out. I ended up leaving at around 3:45pm, and I was pretty satisfied with the fun and goodies!