PSA: Annual Meeting Scheduled
Dear Members,
The Kenai River Pickleball Club (KRPC) will be hosting its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 at 5:30 pm at the Soldotna Field House. The meeting will provide a summary of club events and activities, membership and treasurer's reports and board elections. Mark your calendar to join us for this important meeting.
The current term for our Club President and Treasurer will conclude on September 4th, 2026. We are now accepting nominations for these important leadership roles. The President serves as the primary representative of our club, guiding our vision, supporting our members and ensuring smooth operations. The Treasurer serves as the guardian of the organization’s financial health, ensuring transparency, compliance and strategic use of resources to support the club, players and the organization's mission.
If you would like to nominate yourself or another member (with their consent), please submit the nominee’s name and a brief statement of interest to kenairiverpickleballclub@gmail.com by Tuesday, August 21st, 2026.
Your participation helps shape the future of our pickleball community!
Regards,
Karen Relyea
President, Kenai River Pickleball Club
Salmon Run Pickleball Classic
🐟 What a REEL good weekend!
The 1st Annual Salmon Run Pickleball Classic was an incredible success, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of our community.
A huge thank you to Soldotna Parks & Recreation for allowing us to host the tournament in the beautiful new Soldotna Field House. We’re also incredibly grateful to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and, most importantly, the outstanding players who traveled from near and far to compete. Your enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit made for an unforgettable weekend of pickleball!
While we sort through more than 1,000 tournament photos to share with everyone, we’d like to recognize our medal winners. Please join us in congratulating them! Every match was hard-fought, every medal was earned, and the level of play was exciting from start to finish.
🥇 Women’s 2.5
Gold – Sarah Every / Cassandra Boze
Silver – Jan Johnson / Julie Boll
Bronze – Jenny Park / Jihye Kwon
🥇 Women’s 3.0
Gold – Karolyn Smith / Cynthia Fudzinski
Silver – Sarah Godsey / Theresa Chihuly
Bronze – Michelle Yeager / Erin Biddle
🥇 Women’s 3.5
Gold – LaRae Bartolowits / Betsy Vanek
Silver – Judy Venneberg / Robin Lindahl
Bronze – Aileen Keifer / Heather Hopkins
🥇 Women’s 4.0
Gold – Brittany Becker / Clare Elizondo
Silver – Beth Benson / Anna Williams
Bronze – Michelle Carreon / Aizer Alaras
🥇 Men’s 2.5
Gold – Alex Romatz / John Johnson
🥇 Men’s 3.0
Gold – Larry Reutov / Rich Hartvigsen
Silver – Jim Lavrakas / Robert Lavrakas
Bronze – Terry Franzini / Miles Godsey
🥇 Men’s 3.5
Gold – Marty Day / Patrick Mims
Silver – Don Du / Matthew Faris
Bronze – Richard Bartolowits / Paul Bartolowits
🥇 Men’s 4.0
Gold – Jason Boyer / Steve Wolf
Silver – Steven Williams / Bruce Thomas
Bronze – Alana Nickel / Salomon Crownover
🥇 Men’s 4.5
Gold – Darren Larsen / Peter Klingsheim
Silver – Jason Daniels / Wesley Remmer
Bronze – Christopher Mullikin / Lin Reid
🥇 Mixed 2.5
Gold – Jihye Kwon / Jae Yi
🥇 Mixed 3.0
Gold – Karolyn Smith / Rich Hartvigsen
Silver – Sarah Godsey / Miles Godsey
Bronze – Cynthia Fudzinski / Patrick Mims
🥇 Mixed 3.5 – Reels Division
Gold – Betsy Vanek / Richard Bartolowits
Silver – LaRae Bartolowits / Paul Bartolowits
Bronze – Beth Benson / Steven Williams
🥇 Mixed 3.5 – Rods Division
Gold – Diane Pollock / Steve Wolf
Silver – Karen Relyea / Marty Day
Bronze – Tanya Hutchison / Jason Boyer
🥇 Mixed 4.0
Gold – Lauren Berberich / Josh Berberich
Silver – Yanwen Volk / Darren Larsen
Bronze – Michelle Carreon / Kirk Godfrey
🥇 Mixed 4.5
Gold – Anna Williams / Peter Klingsheim
Congratulations to every competitor who stepped on the court—you made the inaugural Salmon Run Pickleball Classic one to remember! We can’t wait to see everyone back next year. Until then… keep dinking and keep those fish tales coming! 🏓🐟
KING PRESENTING SPONSOR
Naptowne Brewing Company
HEALTH & WELLNESS SPONSOR
SILVER SALMON COURT SPONSORS
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers
Wolfpac Creationz Bakery
Riverside Wrenching
Hilcorp Energy Co
TB FIT
The Bike Loft/Beemuns
Jason and Heather Daniels
RED SALMON SPONSORS
Renewal Skin Care Studio
Homer Pickleball Club- Onyx pickleballs donation
Echo Lake Meats
The Bayou
Franz Bakery
Fred Meyer
Kathy Day- Engage Paddles
Brown's Grounds
Century 21-Grace Merkes & Melissa Daugherty
Three Bears
Sportfishing Association
Kenai River Brewing added a pickleball to their fish art!
What fun!
Checkout the podcast about our local tournament featuring Karen and Andi
on Frozen Dinks Pickleball in Alaska
After applying for a grant from the Kenai Peninsula Community Foundation, an Affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, we are incredibly thankful for the $500 grant and opportunity to expand the number of places to play pickleball outdoors across the Central Kenai Peninsula.
Thank you for believing in our mission and helping our club continue to grow. We are honored by your support!
Senior Cosmic Hamlet Open March 2026
Big shout out to our local players who competed in the Senior Cosmic in Homer- you showed heart, grit and true sportsmanship. We're proud of every single one of you!
Congrats to our medal winners:
Men's Doubles 3.0-3.49 GOLD MEDAL
Matthew Faris and Don Du
Men's Doubles 3.5-3.99 SILVER MEDAL
Kurt Shuey and Paul Bartolowits
Women's Doubles 3.5/4.0+ GOLD MEDAL LaRae Bartolowits and Betsy Vanek
Mixed Doubles 3.5-3.99 BRONZE MEDAL Karen Relyea and Marty Day
Mixed Doubles 4.0+ BRONZE MEDAL
LaRae Bartolowits and Derrik Magnuson