If you notice anyone walking around the show floor with a green badge ribbon that says “CEDIA Pickleball 2025,” you’ll know they participated in this year’s second industry pickleball meetup. What better way to kick off three days of wandering around inside the Denver Convention Center than to get together with some of your industry colleagues and hang out on the pickleball courts? And this year’s pickleball event garnered players from all across the U.S. and as far away as the U.K. and New Zealand.
Pickleball is kind of like a hybrid between tennis and ping pong, and is the fastest-growing sport in America for the past four years running. Not only is it a fun way to get some exercise, but it is also one of the most social sports around, offering a great opportunity to mix, mingle, and meet new people.
On Tuesday, over 60 CEDIA professionals from around the globe, including dealers, manufacturers, installers, public relations, media, and CEDIA employees, got together at 3rd Shot Pickleball in Wheat Ridge (about 15 minutes from downtown Denver) for four hours of pickleball action.
I was the event organizer, and this year we rented out the entire club of 13 courts, which allowed us to accommodate more players and have spectators hang out, network, and watch the play. Everyone who came out to play and watch seemed to have a great time, and it was terrific to see this event continue to pick up steam.
Some players included Tim Albright, AV Network; Matt Nimmons, CEDIA U.K.; Peter Schuyler, InGear PR; and Charles Warner, CEO at IPW (Innovation & Tech Today, Residential Tech Today). There were also tons of women playing, including Veronica Esbona, TIG Global PR; Jennifer Mallett and six team members from Level Up Your Home; Katherine Spiller, Steinway Lyngdorf; Olivia Sellke, Caster Communications; and Katie Frogge, One Firefly.
Players were divided into three skill groups, advanced, intermediate, and beginner, and competed in a round robin format across eight matches where they had a different partner and opponents for each game, giving the maximum opportunity to meet and mix it up with a large group of your industry peers.
Last year’s winner, Gordon van Zuiden of Daisy Co., was unable to defend his advanced title due to injury, which opened up the opportunity for a new champion.
The Winners
Congratulations to Andrea Rokicsak, founder and CEO of Gumbuni, an SaaS Company with a platform for professional development and analysis, and co-founder of AV Imagined, who took gold in the advanced group. Rokicscak was a fierce competitor — and happens to have previously competed as a professional pickleball player, medaling in national events. Chase Bouchard of Crestron took silver, and JD Falslev of TruAudio grabbed bronze.
Brian Smith of Hunter Douglas won the intermediate bracket, with Ryan Lindstedt of Origin Acoustics taking second, and Tommy Brand of Phantom Sound grabbing third.
Soren Winther of L-Acoustics won gold in the beginner bracket, with Paige Jones of Level Up Automation nabbing second, and Stephen Paul Goodhue of Liquid Automation traveling all the way from New Zealand to grab bronze.
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, which included Autonomic Controls, CEDIA, Crestron, Daisy, Hunter Douglas, InGear PR, Josh.ai, Just Add Power, KMB Communications, L-Acoustics, Legrand AV, Level Up Automation, Origin Acoustics, RoseWater Energy, Somfy, Stealth Acoustics, Steinway Lyngdorf, Theory/PRO Audio, and TIG Global PR. There were some terrific giveaways and prizes, including a logo t-shirt and water bottle.
The event raised enough money to donate over $4000 to help support the CEDIA Foundation provide scholarships and grants to fund education, certification, and career development in the industry.
Flashback: The Inaugural CEDIA 2024 Pickleball Meet-Up
“This year’s CEDIA Pickleball Tournament was our best yet, with a record turnout and an impressive level of play,” comments Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai and chairman of the CEDIA Board. “It was especially fun to see so many people picking up a paddle for the very first time and getting into the spirit of the event. Beyond the competition, it was a wonderful reminder of how strong our community is when we come together, and I’m grateful to all our sponsors for helping make it possible, all in support of the CEDIA Foundation and its mission.”
