Pickleball tournament draws athletes from across U.S. to Macon Mall

Early Saturday morning, hundreds of people filled Macon’s Rhythm and Rally pickleball facility for a 24-team tournament. 

The four-person (two men and two women) teams competed in front of family, friends and fans in The Dink Minor League Pickleball tournament, the latest in a series of tournaments at the venue — the largest indoor pickleball facility in the world — that opened in December. 

One team stood out. The four players — Yolanda “YoYo” Monroe, C.J Dore and Stephen and Stacy Eenigenburg — were playing together for the first time. The New York, Florida and Texas natives converged on Macon, epitomizing the message preached by local pickleball fanatics for years: build it, and they will come.

Monroe, from Long Island, New York, plays all over America. She serves as an ambassador for USA Pickleball and is sponsored by Onix, an Indiana-based company that produces balls, paddles and other accessories.

The former Team USA handball player knew Dore, and a late scheduling change freed her up to play in Macon. They needed two more teammates though, so Monroe contacted Paul Midkiff, co-founder of the Southern Pickleball Association.

Midkiff, who has taught hundreds of Maconites how to play pickleball in his trademark straw hat, connected Monroe and Dore with the father-daughter Eenigenburg team. 

“I love it, I was here about a month ago,” Monroe said. He’s played in pickleball tournaments in 48 states. “The first time I saw this facility, I was in awe.”

Stephen Eenigenburg began playing pickleball in 2020 after COVID-19 closed indoor basketball courts and a friend invited him to play. He then got his daughter Stacy, now in high school, involved.

“We were playing in masks inside a gymnasium,” Stephen, who lives in the Houston, Texas area, said. “I got hooked pretty quick. Now my wife is taking lessons, it’s become a family thing.”

While it typically takes teammates weeks or months of playing together to perfect the subtleties of an on-court partnership, Monroe, Dore and the Eenigenburgs had only a few minutes of warming up. 

“I’m a very aggressive player, they have a very good soft game, we complement each other well,” Monroe said.

A growing community

Pickleball is widely considered the fastest growing sport in the United States, with several professional circuits competing across the country and broadcasting/streaming matches. USA Pickleball, the national governing body for the sport, reported a 15% increase in membership to 78,766 people in 2023.

Pickleball players compete in singles or doubles on courts that are 44 feet by 20 feet, hitting the plastic pickleball with paddles made of wood, graphite, fiberglass or carbon-fiber in a sport that is reminiscent of tennis, racquetball, ping pong and other racket sports. Rhythm and Rally has 32 courts, while Tattnall Square Park has 27. There are other courts, often retrofitted tennis courts, sprinkled around the county.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller was in attendance Saturday. His administration’s work renovating what is colloquially known as “The Old Mall” was a bold move, one that is paying off for Maconites. The remodel consisted of adding pickleball courts, the election board and courtrooms, along with building the 12,000-seat Atrium Health Amphitheater next door.

“This is what it’s all about,” Miller said. “Seeing hundreds of people from all over the Southeast enjoying what Macon-Bibb County has to offer is something to be proud of. We’re grateful to have a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facility that can host events like the Minor League Pickleball.”

More tournaments are on the horizon. The U.S. Senior Pickleball Indoor National Championship is slated for July 12-14. The “Beat the Heat” tournament is scheduled for Aug. 9-11. Midkiff said he expects around 500 players for the indoor championship and 700-800 for the August tourney. 

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, interest in Pickleball is not slowing down,” he said. “We’re grateful for our city leaders to have the foresight for this venue, everyone else is playing catchup.”