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56 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2019 As promised in last month's article, this month we will discuss the July 4 shenanigans that took place on the pickleball courts on July 3. It is no secret that the best people play pickleball. Our group consists of the most energetic, inclusive, friendly, helpful, fun-filled people. With this in mind, we approached our July 3 Four Seasons Pickleball Tournament. People were encouraged to come dressed in patriotic attire and everyone obliged. There was a lot of red, white, and blue, sequins, spangles, and netting to be had by both the men and the women. Capes, caps, glasses, headbands, shoelaces… nothing was too outrageous. Of course, there were prizes to be given for the best costumes. No one can remember who won but it might have been Marty Key's dog, Poppy. No one is quite sure. Then the competition began. There were six timed rounds to be played (indicated by Doug DuPree manning the music (think musical chairs). In each round, in order to score extra points, you had to don the attire which was in the basket on the court and wear it throughout play. There were things like mustaches, capes, masks, you get the picture. There were people who wanted to earn extra points and kept the attire from one court to combine it with other attire. Was this fair? Didn't really matter. Competition was fierce, players kept their own scores, and, in the end, our Fourth of July champions were of Richard Carrasco for the men and Tracey Laykoff for the women, with Yundell Montalvo- Linton and Rick VonKleist, both close seconds. Somewhere in the middle of the competition the sprinklers went on. People had set up chairs, coolers, pickleball attire and pickleball bags on the grass, and all got drenched. Did we care? Not really! Just part of the fun! When competition was ended, there was a delicious taco bar to serve our hungry players. The food was delicious, desserts provided by players wonderful as usual, and seemingly everyone went home with a smile on their face. And that folks, sums up the heart of Four Seasons Beaumont Pickleball! Come on out and be a part of this fast growing, fast moving, new sport. Our courts are the best around, our people the best, and hours are posted right on the courts! See you soon. ~ Julie Stayner, juliestayner@gmail.com Pickleball Pickleball event organizers Nancy Barnaby and LynnRae Dupree attempt to explain the tournament "rules" Possible Best Costume Winner Poppy Key with owner Marty Key Champion Tracey Laykoff heading out for a taco

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