Pickle for STEM: AFCEA International Hosts 1st Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser

Last year was about settling a score; this year was about raising money for STEM education.

AFCEA International partnered with Veterans in Pickleball to turn a friendly pickleball tournament into a fundraiser for AFCEA’s Educational Foundation during the week of AFCEA’s flagship event TechNet Cyber.

Last year, three AFCEA employees battled it out on a single court, but this year’s event featured 12 teams of two playing across four courts sponsored by different companies.

MetGreen and NEOX Networks each sponsored one court, and Fognigma sponsored two courts.

Fognigma was also represented by two teams, The Netcutters and Holler At Ya Boys.

“We figured this would be a good event for us to come out here and use our partnership that we have with AFCEA and do something fun,” said Kayla Shemanski, director of sales and marketing at Fognigma, who played on The Netcutters team.

Shemanski said she was also happy that the software-based company could help raise money for STEM education.

Combining registration fees, drink sales and sponsorships, the pickleball tournament raised more than $3,000 for AFCEA’s Educational Foundation.

AFCEA’s pickleball-loving staff members Lauren May, Mikayla Lyles and Howard Wahlberg joined forces with Veterans in Pickleball (VIP) to get the tournament in full swing.

VIP is a nonprofit organization founded in 2022 by veterans for veterans and first responders. Its mission is to provide veterans with a friendly community that’s dedicated to having fun and exercising through pickleball games and fundraising tournaments.

“This is what VIP is all about. It's about community, it's about having fun. Yeah, it's competitive, but having fun, right?” said Richard Kenner, VIP’s secretary of the board. “Those are those are endorphins you get for free when you have a good time, so we're really big on that. And those endorphins lead to mental and physical health, and that's what VIP is about.”

Kenner was joined by his friends from VIP, Col. Scott Farish, USA (Ret.), and Chris Martindale, USA, who played together as Team VIP.

After a full day at the TechNet Cyber conference Wednesday, players and spectators convened at Club Volo at Brewer’s Hill in Baltimore.

The pickleball players participated in a round-robin tournament until it came down to two teams: Team VIP and The Dinking Duo, featuring Tom Parisi from Tellabs and his friend Joey O’Dwyer.

The two teams came in hot, each with quick reflexes and fast feet. Several points were scored after long volleys just outside the kitchen line.

After a close game, The Dinking Duo secured their title of tournament champions.

Parisi shared in a postgame interview with SIGNAL Media that he has been playing pickleball for four years, and to prepare for Wednesday’s competition, he used the ping pong table at Tellabs’ TechNet Cyber booth to practice his skills.

“It was a fun game. The championship game was definitely competitive,” Parisi said.

Parisi said his favorite part about the tournament was meeting new people and making connections in a fun way, and he said he hopes AFCEA will host another pickleball tournament in the future.

“Nothing makes us happier than seeing people come together for a great cause, friendly competition and some fun that is all in support of our Educational Foundation,” shared Lauren May, AFCEA’s coordinator of industry programs, and Mikayla Lyles, manager of events and industry programs at AFCEA.