Palm Coast’s own Rick Meyer will be competing in the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships this weekend in Naples, Florida. Held on Sunday, April 14th, the event is widely considered the most prestigious pickleball competition in the world, featuring the sport’s foremost players. “I’ve been training hard and am excited to play in the “Super Bowl of Pickleball,” he said.
Along with Meyer, over 3,000 pickleball players will be assembling from all fifty U.S. states and over 30 countries to compete in Naples. The crowd that will gather in East Naples Community Park is expected to exceed 40,000 attendees. Meyer himself called it ‘the Super Bowl of Pickleball’. The pro prize purse for the competition will be $150,000.
As he competes, Meyer is hoping to support a good cause and raise awareness for an important issue. “I’m also excited to use this opportunity to spread the word about Provision Packs,” he said. “Provision Packs provides weekend meal packages to kids that receive the majority of their meals at school during the week but do not have a reliable food source on weekends.” The service currently provides meals to over 1,000 elementary school students between Flagler and Volusia counties, at a price of nine dollars for a weekend supply.
Those hoping to follow along with Meyer and the tournament in general are encouraged to tune in to the Pickleball Channel, plus CBS Sports Network from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday and 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Saturday. More information is also available at the competition’s official website.
Good luck in your quest Mr. Meyer