(Sept. 10, 2020) The third annual Pickleball Pink Ribbon Classic scheduled for Oct. 2 at the Manklin Meadows Sports Complex in Ocean Pines will take place as planned but without spectators.

Pines Pickleball Club member Chris Shook said roughly two dozen slots remain open for the American Cancer Society fundraiser as the Sept. 28 registration deadline inches closer.

“We’re asking players to bring their own chairs and obviously wear a mask,” she said.

Each of the 70-plus registered players pays $35 to compete, with lunch and prize drawings also on the agenda.

“There will be a lunch but this year they’ll be a box lunch, where in the past you walked around a buffet,” she said.

Shook said to this point lunch sponsors include Chick-fil-A, Southside Deli and Wockenfuss Candies.

“So far that’s the line up but we’re still working on stuff,” she said.

Pickleball, which was created in the late 1960s in Washington State, incorporates rules comparable to tennis and is played on a badminton-sized court.

The pastime was introduced as a drop-in sport in Ocean Pines in 2011 and has gained immense popularity since that time.

Shook said while attendance this year is limited to players, interested parties are still encouraged to lend financial backing to help defeat breast cancer.

“If people want to give a donation, obviously it is for the American Cancer Society,” she said.

Continuing the tradition from past events, a special guest speaker is on tap, Shook said.

“We’re going to have a speaker, which is going to be different this year,” she said.

The guest presenter will provide a unique take on the fight against breast cancer.

“It will be a survivor with a different perspective,” she said. “We’re going to open some eyes.”

Shook said the speaker is likely to give a fresh outlook on the cancer struggle even for those not previously affected.

The pickleball event is one segment of the Pink Ribbon Classic, which began with the annual Pink Ribbon Classic Golf Tournament started in 1996.

Also taking place this year is the new Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Car Parade on Oct. 24 in Ocean City. The month-long Pamper Yourself For Charity Raffle will wrap on Nov. 2 at A Perfect Face Day Spa in West Ocean City.

To register for the pickleball competition, contact Shook at 443-614-1504

or email cshook09 @yahoo.com. To learn more about the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org or call 1-800-227-2345.