Last year’s winners: Rick Freeman, left, Felipe Dos Santos, first place; Kira Dos Santos, second place; Robert Sturos, third place; and Betty MacInnes (right). (Facebook photo Bridgefest)

HANCOCK — One of the most exciting sports in the country is returning to Bridgefest for its fifth annual tournament. Pickleball will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Laura Grove Park in Hancock.  

Organizer Betty MacInnes said the need for a pickleball activity spurred the creation of the tournament at Bridgefest. 

“Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports around — courts are springing up everywhere,” she said. “A group of us, we jumped on it several years ago and its a great social, physical activity. It brings people together.”

According to its 2025 Annual Growth Report, USA Pickleball saw 2,300 new pickleball locations and 14,155 new courts added last year. The sport saw a boom since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic fostering a need for socially-distant, group activities. 

As well as Hancock’s pickleball facilities on Roberts Street, the Village of Lake Linden has recently installed its own pickleball courts at its downtown park. 

Currently, Hancock, Lake Linden and Chassell are the only public pickleball courts in the Keweenaw. 

Another organizer, Mary Kaminski said the registration cap for the tournament is 16 participants, but if there are cancellations on Saturday, it will be first come first serve. 

The event features a round robin format. Six games will be played and the top three finishers will earn cash prizes. 

MacInnes said pickleball is very welcoming of all age groups, as it is a less intense activity compared to other sports. 

“It’s not as hard on the joints as, let’s say, tennis might be, and it’s just really a lot of fun to play games, they typically last about ten minutes,” she said.

Other Bridgefest tournaments this weekend include: Tennis, Volleyball, Cornhole, Cribbage and Vollwerth’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The City of Hancock pickleball courts on Roberts Street make for an exciting place to play one of the fastest growing sports in the country. (Facebook photo City of Hancock)

The Lake Linden Park pickleball courts completed construction last weekend, offering another spot for Keweenaw Pickleball enthusiasts. (Facebook photo Village of Lake Linden)