Wheelchair pickleball lost one of its finest advocates last year with the passing of Keith Thom.
Last month saw the inaugural Keith Thom Memorial Pickleball Event in Carlisle, and organiser Terry Smith told Pickleball 52 that it went “fantastically well”, with 14 entrants – the largest number of entrants for a single wheelchair pickleball event in the UK (to date), which is a testament to the man whose name it bears.
“The eventual gold medal winner was Helen Bond who is a great friend of Keith and his wife Angela; she also won the Keith Thom Memorial Cup which she will retain for a year,” he said. “Geoff Perkins won the silver medal and Craig Nicholson picked up the bronze medal. The format that Richard Wise and Archie Veale [of Eden Valley Pickleball] developed also included two teams is seven players which meant that every game counted which was great for all the players.”
Terry also confirmed that the event will be held annually from now on, providing a competitive opportunity for all wheelchair players.
“Keith introduced me to wheelchair tennis many years ago and when I discovered wheelchair pickleball I returned the favour and introduced Keith to the sport,” recalls Terry. “He took to it straight away and quickly became a national champion. He also became a Scottish Pickleball Ambassador and a qualified pickleball coach.
“Keith was admitted to Hospital for a planned procedure the day after the English Open last August. I never thought that that would be the last time I would see him. Unfortunately after a brave fight Keith passed away last October.
“After the initial shock of his passing we all knew that we had to do something in his memory.”
