GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The seventh Beer City Open Pickleball Championships will be held in Grand Rapids this summer.
From July 9 through 14, Belknap Park will welcome 1,200 competitors from over half of the United States and more than 10 countries worldwide — including the country's top amateur players.
This year Major League Pickleball, the highest-tier competitive league in professional pickleball, is hosting its "Mid-Season Tournament" in conjunction with the Beer City Open.
All 22 professional pickleball teams will be competing for the title of Beer City Open, Major League Pickleball Mid-Season Champion.
Major League Pickleball is also offering $200,000 in additional professional prize money.
“With the addition of the Major League Pickleball, Beer City Open has become a cornerstone event for professional pickleball, in addition to the dynamic community of amateur players who gather in Grand Rapids every summer to celebrate the sport,” said Andrea Remynse Koop, Beer City Open’s tournament director and nationally renowned professional pickleball player.
The tournament's sponsor, AHC Hospitality, is an official hotel partner with five properties in Grand Rapids, including Amway Grand Plaza.
This year, the hotel is offering signature craft cocktails for the tournament using plays on pickleball terms and pickle-infused or punny ingredients. The list includes:
- Volley Llama, a mezcal gimlet served with pickled peach sorbet
- Served at the contemporary, panoramic Spanish restaurant MDRD, set on the 27th floor overlooking the Grand River
- Briny Backhand Martini, a dirty vodka martini with a splash of pickle brine
- Served at the hotel’s speakeasy IDC
- Shake and Bake-N, a unique whiskey sour made with bacon-washed bourbon
- Featured at the Lumber Baron Bar
- Bainbridge Island Spicy Margarita, a tropical margarita with a kick, inspired by pickleball’s origins
- Served at the lobby bar Rendezvous
- The Erne Smash, a citrusy cocktail with a rosy hue thanks to Grand Rapids-based Iron Fish Soft Parade Vodka
- Served at the hotel’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House
- In the Kitchen, a refreshing vodka-based cocktail served with vanilla coconut cream
- Served at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck
At the tournament, there will be local food trucks, beer tents from Bells Brewery and Michelob Ultra, a liquor tasting room and other vendors.
As the Beer City Open is a nonprofit, all of the proceeds for the tournament go towards the Belknap Enhancement Fund to continue to beautify and improve the park where the tournament is held.
According to the tournament's site, with the help of the Grand Rapids Pickleball Club the Beer City Open has donated over $100,000 towards park improvements. These improvements include resurfacing the courts, adding new courts and upgrading the lights.
Admission to the Beer City Open is free for spectators. It's recommended to bring your own chairs, however, there are some bleachers available.
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