2019 Cardiac Wellness Tournament
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Gary Gierlich is running the “2019 Cardiac Wellness Tournament” on Saturday, July 27th, 2019 in Penticton at the club pickleball courts. Numerous corporate sponsors will be involved, and the event will be covered by the media.
Gary was revived with an AED 3 years ago while playing pickleball on the indoor courts in Penticton and wants any others with heart issues to join him in this worthy cause. He needs your help reaching pickleball players throughout the Okanagan who have been under some sort of cardiac care. The criterion is very flexible. (Gary says we’ve all had a “Broken Heart”, so that doesn’t count.)
The goal of the tournament is to:
- bring awareness to the public of the great health benefits of pickleball, especially for those of us who need physical activity to assist in strengthening the heart,
- raise funds for the Cardiac Department at the Penticton Hospital,
- support the purchase of an AED for the Penticton Pickleball Club,
- assist with the financing of the new courts.
The tournament will consist of 2 sessions:
Morning Session
The morning session is fully booked with 8 Cardiac Doctors’ teams of 5 players each from the Penticton Hospital. Most will be getting their first introduction to Pickleball before playing some games.
Afternoon Session
The afternoon session will be for survivors of a cardiac event. All skill levels of players are invited. The format will be round robin play. Gary would like a minimum of 6 teams and will accommodate up to 10 teams. Top ranked players will be matched with lower ranked players. This will not be an exact science, but the aim will be to get fun, equally matched teams. Several 4.0 level players/survivors have already registered.
There will be medals for the top 3 teams as well as a bottle of wine donated by Ruby Tuesday Winery.
The entry fee is $65 dollars which includes a nice shirt. Some players may wish to donate more, and a tax receipt is available.
If you would like to participate or need more information, please contact Gary at 250-809-7076 (email gcgierlich@gmail.com)
HELP IS NEEDED GETTING THE WORD OUT TO MORE PLAYERS/SURVIVORS!!