Day One of National Mall of Pickleball celebrated the unique way that pickleball connects players across all generations on the National Mall, the iconic space for all. The highlight of the day was a cooking "In the Kitchen" segment featuring D.C.-area students from D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School and Baltimore Montessori, including Emeril's Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen. Students were joined by Humana Foundation CEO Tiffany Benjamin, James Beard Award winning chef Carlos Rabas and Michelin-starred chef Adam Howard. Check out the recipies for Gazpacho and Yummy Wake Up Smoothies! The stars of the D.C. Pickleball pro team also showed off their skills on center court: Dekel Bar, James Ignatowich, Vivian Glozman and Rachel Rohrabacher.
Day two brought players across all generations, ages and skill levels to play on court. The line up for day two included the highly anticipated Media Match on center court to determine which newsroom was the king of the hill, with the Washington Post defending their title for the second year in a row, defeating the Sports Junkies of 106.7 The Fan. Players and spectators also enjoyed Senior x Senior Doubles featuring high school seniors and parents or senior-aged adults, and a little Pickle Madness featuring D.C.-area college students and alumni, with University of Maryland taking home the gold medal. Saturday capped off with the Ultimate Duos competition — bringing together six pairs of players from across the US who shared stories of how pickleball inspired intergenerational connection and friendship — inspiration abounded!
Day three closed this year's National Mall of Pickleball with pro play that stole the show and the DMV Invitational Tournament where Arlington YMCA took home the title. The D.C. Pickleball Team brought it to center court for their Pro Showcase and Play with a Pro time on center court. Saturday also featured walk-on play and an exciting round of Knock Out with the crowd, closing out National Mall of Pickleball with a bang…or a dink!
National Mall of Pickleball celebrates the generous support of our partners at HUMANA and the HUMANA Foundation, and our mission with the National Park Service to restore, preserve and elevate the National Mall as a vibrant space for all. On the courts and through our dynamic programming throughout the weekend, we had a blast and made a "dink" on history once again, spotlighting the ways that pickleball brings players together, across all generations and skill levels, to stay active, healthy and connected.
