Fort Worth, TX, August 3, 2023. A first of its kind Pickle Ball tournament was held on Saturday, August 5 at the High Point Tennis Center in Plano. Pickle Palooza will include more than 30 teams competing for prize money and bragging rights for the best team in the area. Pickle Palooza founder, 17-year-old Arshun Sharma wanted to bring attention to area food insecurity and organized the first tournament of it’s kind, benefiting the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). The tournament was held at the High Point Tennis Center in Plano, TX.
Sharma chose to collaborate with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) because he had volunteered with the organization extensively throughout his time in high school and saw how donations make an impact in the community. The NTFB supports the nutritional needs of children, seniors, and families through education, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. Last year, the organization served 136.9 million meals – the most ever annual meals in our history and an average of 11.4M meals per month. Johnny Jenkins, Strategic Initiatives Manager, stated “this was a great opportunity to help highlight the need for continued support of the North Texas Food Bank”.
Pickle ball combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis (ping pong), and is growing in popularity in the metroplex. Sharma played tennis with his dad and uncle until his uncle tore his achilles, and could no longer play tennis. As a result, they discovered pickle ball and it has become their sport of choice.
Sharma attends West Plano Senior High School. After graduation next year, he plans to attend college majoring in economics. He aspires to work for World Bank and promote wealth and investment to underserved countries. Among the many friends and supporters, Gideon Toal Management Services (GTMS) was one of several companies that stepped up to support the event. GTMS President, Alvin Brown stated “Pickle ball is a far cry from the world of airports and aviation, but we are honored to be a community partner for a good cause”.
Based in Fort Worth, GTMS operates airport lounges for 11 locations in 8 domestic U.S. airports including Dallas-Fort Worth International, Orlando International, Las Vegas International and has earned eight prestigious aviation awards for exceptional customer service since 2014.
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