CLEVELAND — Since becoming a popular hit across the nation, Kyle Ross tells News 5 his passion for the game led him to bring ‘Pickle in the Land’ to Downtown’s Huntington Convention Center.
“This is a great way to bring people to the city to get Cleveland residents, but also a lot of people are coming in from out of town to have some fun,” said Pickle in the Land Founding Partner Kyle Ross.
Ross said it’s the first time an event entirely dedicated to pickleball has been hosted on this level in Cleveland; so, he said after the success of Tennis in the Land, he is excited to see what happens over the next several days.
“This is the first Pickle in the Land so some new aspects of the game. Different balls, different rackets, different courts but ultimately a lot of similarities,” said Ross.
Now, before the big event arrives at The Land this weekend, a lot of prep work must be done, like putting in place these special courts that Tommy Richards has designed.
“It’s the first time that there’s a portable tennis court or tennis court pickleball court that you can put down and take up in literally hours,” said Tommy Richards, who’s the designer of these pickleball courts.
Another bonus for everyone, including Chris Lewis, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission director of marketing, is how they all said this event will positively impact local businesses and restaurants.
“Almost 600 players who have registered for this event over the weekend, so with those players, over 20 different states are represented, so we have players coming across the country, some from Alaska from Arizona, to come to Cleveland in mid-December, so it’s a great opportunity to showcase Cleveland as a great destination,” Lewis said.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, click here.
