A Friendly Competition for a Great Cause

The Smithtown East and West Interact Clubs teamed up this week to co-host the first-ever East vs. West Pickleball Tournament for Charity at The Pickler in Centereach!

More than 16 teams, featuring 32 teachers from across the grade levels, took to the courts for an afternoon of friendly competition and community spirit. Teams were grouped by ability into two divisions, D1 and D2, with each team playing at least four games before the playoffs.

Taking first place in Division 1 were George Alamis (HSE) and Joseph Petre (DEL), who selected The West Islip Breast Cancer Society to receive their charitable winnings. Division 2 champions Michael Comechero and Danielle Bambola (both MTP) chose The Ronald McDonald House as their beneficiary.

The afternoon was filled with exciting matches, laughter, music, and opportunities for teachers and Interact students to connect beyond the classroom—all while supporting meaningful causes.

A special thank-you goes to the HSE and HSW Interact students for helping organize the tournament and securing the raffle gift baskets. Their hard work and enthusiasm helped make this inaugural event a success.

Proceeds from the event were shared among the winning teams’ selected charities and The Smithtown Children’s Foundation.

Thank you to all the players, students, donors, and supporters who helped turn this first East vs. West tournament into a winning afternoon for our community!