Bend Pickleball Club announces that it will host the Pacific Northwest Classic, a Nationals qualifier tournament with a $50,000 purse that will be held July 29-August 2, 2020 at Pine Nursery Park in Bend.
Pacific Northwest Classic is slated to be a Tier Two tournament that will draw more than 800 players from across the country for five days of action-packed, fast-paced play. This tournament combines two tremendously popular three-day tournaments, Oregon Senior Games/Central Oregon Classic and Pacific Northwest Regional/Classic. In 2019, the two events collectively attracted more than 800 players and thousands of spectators from across the county. Pacific Northwest Classic co-director Christie Gestvang explains why the club has even bigger expectations for the 2020 tournament. “Pickleball continues to grow in popularity, and Bend Pickleball Club has a reputation for holding very well-organized tournaments. Pacific Northwest Classic builds on that success by offering a world-class event that will bring in a large number of high-caliber players. This is also the first time we have offered a purse, which makes the tournament even more attractive to top competitors.”
While registration for Pacific Northwest Classic will not open until spring, Bend Pickleball Club is already hard at work to ensure its biggest tournament is also its most successful. As co-director Kirk Foster says, a big part of that success is found in tournament sponsors. “This event will draw players, spectators and media attention across the country, and that makes it a very attractive opportunity for sponsors to promote their companies. As with last year’s tournament, we have a number of sponsorship levels available with benefits designed to make this a win-win for businesses of all sizes. And, five days of play means five days of high-level brand exposure.” Sponsorship funds support the tournament itself as well as Bend Pickleball Club’s community outreach programs, which include delivering pickleball curriculum in tandem with local schools’ physical education instruction. For sponsorship information, or to learn more about Pacific Northwest Classic, please contact info@bendpickleballclub.com or visit bendpickleballclub.com/sponsor/.
