Pickleball mixer kickstarts activities

“We are trying to get more people in the community to learn about pickleball,” said Corinth-Alcorn Parks and Recreation Athletic Director Skylar Crayton. “It’s still a relatively unknown sport here. We have people here who don’t know what it is and other people who play, but go to Tupelo and different places to play.”

The pickleball courts at Crossroads Regional Park first opened in September.

“We are having tennis and pickleball tournaments every few months and it usually draws a pretty good crowd,” said Crayton. “We are looking forward to a good turnout and new people. We have been having pickleball and tennis tournaments four to five times a year. We average around 30 to 35 tennis players. In pickleball, we are averaging between 20 and 25 participants.”

Pickleball is a sport similar to tennis, but played with paddles instead of rackets. It is played on a smaller court with a plastic, perforated ball. Some describe it as ping pong on a tennis court.

Supporting Eli

The Swinging for Eli Adult Co-Ed Softball Tournament is set for 9 a.m. Saturday.

The all-day tournament is rain delayed from the original March 25 date. Cost for each team is $300. Each team must have at least 12 players and have both men and women on the roster. Church teams are eligible.

“We want everybody,” said tournament director William Hutcheson.

Winning teams will receive plaques at the tournaments’ conclusion.

To register, contact Hutcheson at 662-643-0597. Deadline is 10 p.m. Thursday.

The tournament will serve as a fundraiser for the family of Corinth High School junior Eli Johnson. He was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma after Dr. Randy Frazier first discovered a mass in the athlete’s arm then referred him to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in December. Johnson continues to undergo cancer treatment.

“We’re asking the community to come out and help us raise as much money as we can for this family,” said Hutcheson in March. “When it comes to sports and the park, the family has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this park. Some of those kids went on to play high school ball or even college ball. They’ve put so much into this place for 15 years or more.”

There is no admission, but there will be an opportunity to donate funds to the family.

Grand Slam

First pitch of the Grand Slam Baseball Tournament is set for 6 p.m. Friday, May 26.

There are 34 teams registered in age groups ranging from 7U to 13U.

The cost per team ranges from $150 to $325.

“I’ve conducted baseball tournaments for a while,” said North Mississippi Grand Slam Baseball Director Gary Leathers. “I got on with Grand Slam because it’s growing a lot in Mississippi. We have a lots of Friday and Saturday tournaments. We try not to play on Sundays.”

The North Mississippi region also covers Booneville, New Albany, Ripley, Saltillo and Tupelo.

Entrance to the tournament is $10.