Pickleball Tournament

Pickleball has taken America (and the world) by storm. Invented in the Northwest, it is is a racket sport in which two players or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. It’s crazy fun: fast-paced, but with less movement required than tennis (though still plenty of opportunities for hustle – and for injuries for people who shouldn’t be hustling too much!).

Now, pickleball has come to the Homestead, on the Narnia Cottage grounds. That’s because the one-and-only home of C.S. Lewis, which is the inspiration for Narnia Cottage, had a tennis court (though Lewis, a rigorous athlete, did not play due to having a single-jointed thumb).

Of course, we’ve given it a name. Thanks to our overly competitive kids, it has been christened:

Sanctification Court

Labor Day 2024 marked The First Annual Couple’s Pickleball Tournament at the Homestead. Eight spunky couples joined in on the fun: Ben and MaryCatherine Bowman, John Mark and Isabel Van Eerden, Jon and Jen Grinwis, Ryan and Elizabeth Crawford, Will and Bekah Wolfe, Lia Waton and Jacob Green, Tyrome and Natalie Hollomon, and Joseph and Katie Van Eerden.

Garden pizzas were served up from the Blackstone, thanks to John and Joel Germeroth, and garden appetizers were prepared by Dorothy Clement and Laurel and Izzy Bird. Signature cocktails and mocktails were served by Adair Bolton.

The competition was great fun, and there was much merriment — and some intensity. In the end, the finals included the Bowmans and Van Eerdens, and Joseph and Katie took home the bigger trophy, but all those present would attest that both couples deserved the mugs that read:

Tears of My Pickleball Opponents

#ShoutoutSeptember