For the first time in Branson’s history, a pickleball tournament featuring 46 teams took over the school’s tennis courts, attracting the community to come together in support of each other. 

Ranging from all levels of experience, this tournament welcomed a diverse selection of players ready to compete for a chance to have their names engraved in the trophy representing all four organized competitions throughout the year: spikeball, basketball, volleyball and pickleball. 

Student leaders Thomas Higgins ‘25, founder of the Branson pickleball club, and Nicholas Moon ‘27 wanted to find a way to involve the whole Branson community in the sport of pickleball. They decided the best way to do this would be to create a school-wide pickleball tournament this fall, where students and faculty would enlist in pairs. 

The pair also had support from faculty such as David Hanson, chief financial and operating officer, and Chris Mazzola, head of school, who shared a love for pickleball and encouraged this spirited competition. 

“I feel like pickleball is a very social sport and it is easy for everyone and their friends to pick up a racket and play,” Higgins said. “It is similar to spikeball and other student body sports, so I felt like this would be a really good addition.” 

Higgins is eager to create another pickleball tournament in the Spring for the community to compete in again. 

Moon was honored to take the lead in running this school-wide tournament, especially in his first year at Branson. 

“I put this together to spread the joy of pickleball because I love it so much,” he said. “Pickleball is a really fun sport and is great for the community.”

Notably, Moon recently won the Newport Beach Open for his age group ranging from 10-34, landing him a spot in the USA National Pickleball Championship, which takes place near Dallas, Texas this November. 

The competition began on Oct. 27, where eight matches were played to determine who would move on to the second round. 

The participants seemingly enjoyed their first-ever experience in a competitive pickleball event. Phoebe Yates ‘25 said, “I am super excited about it, and there’s a lot of great competitors. I’m looking forward to what’s to come in the tournament.”

Friend and teammate of Yates, Elizabeth Liu ‘25 joined Yates on the court, which was their first time playing together aside from the golf course. “Lizzy and I have never played a racket sport together but we have a lot of chemistry when we’re on the court.”

Riley Pearson ‘25, another competitor in this tournament said, “I am optimistic for our potential win today, Imogen and I haven’t practiced yet so we are relying on our athletic abilities to carry us through, I think our goal today is to win every ball.” This Junior duo came in strong and was eager to take home the trophy. 

The Branson faculty took part in this inaugural tournament as well. Paul McCarthy, a math teacher at Branson, reflected on his experience. 

“I love the fact that we have a pickleball tournament, I really like the game. I play with my kids and they love it so I think it is a really good way to bring us all together,” he said.

The competition stayed fierce as participants fought for a round in the semi-finals, where only a select few had the opportunity to compete. Thomas Lardner ‘25 and Bode Dossey ‘25 challenged Oliver Goldman ‘24 and Wilson Wendt ‘24 in an intense match, with a final score of (6-11), (11-6), (11-9), Goldman and Wendt securing the hard-fought win to advance.

The finals took place on Nov. 2, during lunch, with a large audience in attendance. It all came down to the battle of the juniors versus seniors. 

Between the 30-ball rallies and nail-biting points in the finals, Hoeveler and Stovell took a win for the junior class over Wendt and Goldman with a final score of (11-8), (11-7). 

“I’m feeling great after this win and I think this pickleball tournament has brought the Branson community together. We’re all playing together and having a good time which has been a lot of fun,” Hoeveler said. “We finished strong at the end and even made a bit of a comeback.”

Finalist Goldman reflected on his overall performance and experience in his first-ever competitive pickleball tournament. 

“It was a great tournament; Wilson and I had a lot of fun,” he said. “We had some really tough matches but it was just a great experience overall.”