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What’s New
Latest News on OVPC & Fall Brawl League.
OVPC FallBall Results and Standings
Results from most recent matches and league standings.
Weekly Spotlight
Featured player, equipment, and Pickle-Bits
Sweet Pickles!!
(AP Wheeling, WV October 22, 2023) It was a brisk October morning and not even the gorgeous brown and orange foliage of Oglebay Park could shield competitors from the unforgiving wind and low temperatures. But nonetheless, the inaugural Blazing Paddles Pickleball Tournament, put on by the Pine Room Podcast in conjunction with the Ohio Valley Pickle Club, marched forward and was a huge success. OVPC members showed up before the crack of dawn, leaf blowers in hand, to clear and dry the courts. Mike Potts and his staff at Oglebay had coffee and doughnuts for all and the Podcast Crew were hard at work setting up.
The stage was set, and 32 participants (16 teams) descended on the hills of Oglebay and gathered at the beautiful Horne Family Tennis Center for the fledgling event. The field was mostly comprised of members of the OVPC but drew players from the Washinton, PA area as well as Weirton and Moundsville. Tournament Director, Mark Delbrugge, was very pleased with the turnout for the event. “We really didn’t know what to expect. We were hoping to draw some good players and put on a first-class event. What I wasn’t expecting was the level of talent that is right here in our own backyard!!”
Delbrugge was assisted by his sons Jared and Jub, Chris Pavlick, Brian Soup Campbell and others. Jared and crew provided live-feed broadcast of the event via YouTube along with color commentary for featured matches. “To be honest, none of us really knew much about Pickleball before the event. We just knew it was the fastest growing sport in America and we wanted on the train! The excitement in our voices during the commentary was REAL. We really felt like we were watching quality pickle!”.
In the end, the field was outlasted by two local Picklers who were playing in their first tournament together. Jermey McClalland, local tennis legend, and Nathan Peluchette, CFO of Liberty Distributors and President of the OVPC came out on top of the talented assembly of pickleballers. The pair cruised through the early parts of the tournament not dropping a single set before waiting to see who their opponents would be coming out of the consolation bracket. James “Mob Boss” Carson and Jordan “Slice” Sorge were able to navigate past the ultra-talented pair from the Washington, PA area, Jordan Laird and Rashad Davison (of WVU Basketball lore), to make it back to the finals.
In the tournament finals Carson and Sorge were able to hand the eventual champs their first loss, forcing a 1-set to 15 grudge match for the championship. Fans, participants, tournament organizers, and the color crew were on the edges of their seats throughout and you could feel the excitement in the air. The pair gave McClelland and Peluchette all they could handle but came up just short as Jeremy and Nathan held on to claim the Title in a thriller!!
McClelland suffered through a back injury most of the day but his play at the net proved to be a huge factor. “The back was bothering me coming in, but I didn’t feel it would be that much of a factor. I was wrong. Pickle is very different from tennis, and you are often in a bad position with your back. I guess I need to work on my air squats.” McClelland did not do it on his own though. Peluchette’s hands at the net and precision ball placement proved to be too much for the “bangers”, Carson and Sorge. Jordan was very impressed with the play of “Chet the Jet”. “Jeremy was killing us with his two handed backhand and we decided to go at Chet. That really didn’t work out either. He handled everything we threw at him. Give credit where credit is due. They ‘dinked the bangers’!” Carson was equally impressed. “We really thought we could hit through them. It is our strength for sure. We got caught a little when we had to go to plan B and C. I mean, what are you supposed to do against those two? Where’s the weakness? Hats of to them, but I promise, you haven’t seen the last of Slice and Dice!!”
You can watch the tournament’s featured matches in their entirety on the YouTube channel of the Pine Room Podcast.
OVPC 2023 FallBall Standings |
||||
| Team | Points | Record | % Sets Won | % Points Won |
| Samurai Slammers | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Big Al's Aces | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Kitchen Crew | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Picklebacks | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| En Fuego | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathan's HotDogs | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gootergates | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Jordan | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Results and Standings
This is the section of the weekly Newsletter where you will find the official standings and match results from the previous week. You can also find commentary on the week’s featured matchup here.
The Standings will determine our four Playoff contenders. The first determinate will be team points accumulated throughout the season. The first tie-break will be overall record, then percentage of sets won, followed by percentage of points won.
Teams will accumulate points by winning ”Lines” within their weekly match-up. Line 1 is worth 4 points, Line 2 is worth 3 points and the Dreambreaker is worth 5 points.
The Dreambreaker will work as follows. Each Captain will determine who is playing with who and which pair will start the Dreambreaker. After exchanging line-ups, the Dreambreaker will start. The first pairings will play until one team reaches 5 points. Both teams will then switch to the second pairings until one team reaches 10 points. Play will continue switching each time the “leading team” reaches the next multiple of 5 straight to 30 and worth 5 team points. Strategy!!! We are very excited for a fun, exciting and entertaining first year. Let the games begin!!
Weekly Spotlight
Deigo Gattesco, Wheeling (via Argentina)
We caught up with the Argentinian Sensation at the Blazing Paddles Tournament and were able to gain some insight into his ascent up the rankings of the OVPC.
Do we need a translator for this interview if I speak slowly and use hand gestures?
I speak English, moron!! As a matter of fact, I speak SEVEN languages. Do YOU need a translator?
What made you make the transition from Tennis to Pickleball?
Well, my wife recently took up tennis and has been infringing on my “Guy Time”. I see 12-16 guys at Oglebay every Tuesday and Friday having a blast. I had to give it a try.
What is your favorite American food?
I am a sucker for French Fries!! Oh wait, are French Fries from France?
Selkirk or Diadem?
Not sure. One thing a haven’t done is watch many movies lately. I am not familiar with some of the current American actors.
To what do you attribute your early exit from the Blazing Paddles tournament? Your partner seemed to be hitting a ton of balls into the net. Do you blame him?
Lo Siento. ¡No hablo Inglés!
