In The Kitchen: Long Island Winter Pickleball Challenge Kicks Off 2026 Event Series
The first tournament of the 2026 Long Island Tennis Magazine Event Series presented by Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group brought players to SPORTIME Kings Park for the Long Island Winter Pickleball Challenge.
This event featured four divisions with competitors playing group play matches that fed into the knockout rounds, and included intense pickleball action on the courts within a fun and social environment. Throughout the night, drinks and pizza were provided for players and spectators.
“The LI Winter Pickleball Challenge was a success!,” said Tournament Director David Sickmen. “We had a great group of players across multiple levels, and we continue to take pride in providing professionally-run and unique tournament options for the racquet sport community. It was nice to see so many “fans” and spectators watching the players and the feedback we received has all been positive. I also want to thank our host facility for this tournament, SPORTIME Kings Park and my Co-Tournament Director Michelle Stoerback. This tournament sets the stage for a great year of events and tournaments.”
Lisa Goldberg & Donna Ryan teamed up for their second tournament as a tandem, and came away victorious in the Women’s Doubles 3.5 – 4.0 division, utilizing a simple yet effective gameplan.
“Our strategy was just keep the ball on the court as much as possible, and it worked,” said Goldberg. “The competition was really good, and David and Michelle always put on great tournaments so it was a fun night.”
Goldberg & Ryan defeated Ivanka Asch & Lisa Heldberg 15-6 to earn the Gold Medal, while Asch & Heldberg claimed the Silver. In the Bronze Medal match, Lori Van Houten & Dieu Cai-Hsiu won 11-6 over Lisa Ciangetti & Alison Gladowsky.
Caleb Wang & Ethan Wang don’t get to play often as doubles partners, but they teamed up for this tournament and demonstrated great chemistry. The pairing captured the Gold Medal in the Men’s Doubles 3.5 – 4.0 division with a 11-8 victory over Dan Palumbo & Chris Biscuiti.
“Playing with my brother was nice because we don’t play many tournaments together,” said Ethan. “Winning of course was awesome, but doing it with him made it even better.”
Caleb added:
“Pedal to the medal was the strategy. Sometimes you have to get back to basics; if you make an error, just get back to the fundamentals and keep going until you win.”
While Biscuiti and his doubles partner Palumbo fell in the championship match, Biscuiti reflected on the importance of not just competing, but the camaraderie of the pickleball community and the event.
“My son Brayden has many special needs and the pickleball community continues to give me a positive outlet and lift me up during hard times. Just getting on the court is a victory and anything else is a bonus.”
In the Bronze Medal match, Dominic Tribelhorn & Jason Wong defeated David Berezow & Christopher Travers 11-8.
In the Gold Medal match of the Women’s Doubles 4.0 – 4.5 division, Quanxin Liu & Serena Chi powered to a 15-8 victory over Emilie Katz & Kelly Cobbs. The duo had never played together in a tournament, and enjoyed their time together on court.
“This is the first time we played together in a tournament and it was so much fun,” said Liu. “The food and drinks were nice, and we had a great time.”
Angel Valmorida & Cindy Chen were 11-8 winners over Linda Rose & Whitney McCarthy to claim the Bronze Medal in that division.
Evan Greenberg & Alex Krichmar got into pickleball around the same time four years ago, and being friends from high school, the pairing already had a built-in chemistry together. That would prove crucial as they defeated Max Lieberman & Jordan Baer 11-5 to win the Gold Medal in the Men’s Doubles 4.0 – 4.5 division.
“We know each other’s games very well and just tried to play to each other’s strengths,” said Greenberg. “We wanted to ride the hot hand, and whoever was playing well at the time to take control of the court.”
Krichmar added:
“Winning was probably the best part of the day. This was our first Gold together, so it’s nice to get that monkey off of our back. We were down 0-4 in the finals but we just kept fighting.”
Miguel Cobbs & Carlos Quinonez claimed the Bronze Medal.
The next pickleball tournament in the 2026 Event Series is scheduled for June at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake. Stay tuned to LITennisMag.com for more information and learn how to register.
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