Students gathered on the courts for the Mr. Amador Pickleball Tournament, a student-led fundraiser that brought the Amador Valley community together while raising money for an important cause. The event combined friendly competition with community service, giving students a chance to stay active while supporting the George Mark Children’s House. The tournament took months of preparation and coordination to organize. Students worked together to secure courts, advertise the event, and encourage people to sign up. Organizers explained that planning the fundraiser required a lot of teamwork and problem-solving along the way.
“It took around two months in total to plan with our committee. We had problems booking the courts and organizing a lot of the sign ups,” said Nathan Marek (’26).
Despite these challenges, the organizers were able to successfully prepare the event and get many students involved. Early sign-ups helped the team estimate how many people would attend, allowing them to plan the tournament schedule and logistics more effectively.
“We fortunately had sign ups before which gave us a pretty good idea that there would be around 60 people showing up,” said Marek.
While organizers initially expected around 20 teams to participate, the turnout ended up being even larger than anticipated. The courts quickly filled with students excited to compete and spend time with friends. According to one of the students, the strong participation made the event even more enjoyable.
“We expected like 20 ish teams and had 30 teams come. So the turnout was better than we expected and everyone had lots of fun,” said Avery Hansen (’28).
Making New Friends
For many participants, the event was also an opportunity to meet new people and enjoy a sport that is becoming increasingly popular. Pickleball is known for being easy to learn and welcoming to players of all skill levels, which helped make the tournament accessible to a wide range of students. Another participant said that the event created a friendly and inclusive environment where students could compete while supporting a meaningful cause.
“I think my favorite part of the event is playing people I’ve never talked to before and it being a friendly fun competition,” said Jiya Shahani (’28).
Beyond the competition, the tournament had a deeper purpose. All of the money raised from the fundraiser went to the George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro. The organization provides pediatric palliative care for terminally ill children and supports families during extremely difficult times. By participating in the tournament, students were able to contribute to the organization while also building stronger connections within the school community. Events like this show how sports and fundraising can come together to make a positive impact. Through teamwork, organization, and strong participation, the Mr. Amador Pickleball Tournament proved to be both a successful fundraiser and a fun event that brought the Amador community closer together.
