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There was much excitement as residents brought their paddles and gathered for the West Harrison pickleball tournament on Friday, May 15th.

The event was organized by Harrison residents Nick Dippolito and Harris Kratka, whose passion for the game drove them to reach out to Gerry Salvo to start coordinating tournaments in 2023.

Nick and Harris stated, “We are so grateful to live in this community, and this is a great way for us to give back to our town. The support from Gerry Salvo and our recreation department, Mayor Tom Scappaticci, and everything our community has to offer, are all inspirations for us to continue this tradition. We hope each tournament features one more new or exciting aspect to it, and we look forward to future planning with our family and friends.”

Their first tournament, held in the Fall of 2024, was so well-received by the community that they started working towards a second event. When Gerry told them about adding lights at the courts, they pivoted the format to a night tournament to offer players a more exciting and social experience. 

Between May and September of 2025, they hosted three more tournaments. After each event, Nick, Harris, and Gerry discussed ways to enhance the experience for devoted players while expanding participation to more community members. 

Last month’s tournament featured the support of several inaugural sponsors and drew a great turnout, with a fun time had by all.  Generous support from Graziella’s Market, Silver Lake Pizza, Planet Pizza, and Total Tee & Signs allowed organizers to hire local students as paid line judges, making the tournament more official.  

Nick and Harris are already brainstorming on ideas for the next tournament and looking to add more sponsors as well. Their ultimate goal is to host three tournaments a year in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. 

All proceeds benefit the Harrison Recreation Department.  For more information visit: https://www.harrison-ny.gov/recreation#docaccess-8fddbd1df705cd6578a1197df7393a4b