The Opelika Pickleball Club presented the city of Opelika with a check in the amount of $100,000 during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Our club has experienced a stellar year. Opelika Parks and Recreation Director Sam Bailey and Club President Jim Young presented the check. “We’ve had four major tournaments attracted more than 2,000 players,” Young said. “Impressively, 49% of these players came from over 80 miles away, and across19 states. This speaks volumes of the draw and reputation that the city of Opelika has. The tourism bureau estimated that we had an economic impact last year of $665,000 — that is money that goes to our local merchants and tax base.” In addition to the tournaments the club has launched a youth program. This program is aimed at teaching pickleball to ages 11 through 17. There are currently 36 member that play on Thursday afternoons. PHOTO BY MICHELLE KEY | THE OBSERVER
