There were plenty of wins last week in the Windy City, and it's only appropriate since the APP Tour calls Chicago home. The 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP Chicago Open was full of amazing experiences for all involved, both on and off the pickleball courts. Relive some of the winningest moments on social media.

Play Ball: The week actually started off with a different kind of ball on Monday night, as the Chicago White Sox hosted APP pro, Chris Haworth, and the APP's executive vice president of competition, Melissa McCurley, who was honored as the Hero of the Game for her military service. Pickleball gives us some really amazing experiences and this is definitely one to remember. Haworth, the APP's top-ranked men's singles player, went on to win gold - his fifth of the year - in men's pro singles on Sunday.

Give and Take: Sometimes we take incredible experiences, sometimes we create them, and the APP was thrilled to create a memorable pickleball experience for 30 Misericordia residents prior to kicking off the tournament. Misericordia offers a community of care for people with disabilities in an effort to maximize their potential, and it was a sight to see the potential these folks had learning pickleball from APP founder, Ken Hermann, and pros Mari Humberg and Riley Bohnert. Everybody wins! 

Better When I'm Dancing: If you don't believe that the APP Tour is always full of winning vibes, take it from this fun reel our partners at Lock'dIn created. If you know, you know...if you don't, you have FOMO.

Eye on the Prize: Arielle Butler had her own W in Chicago. She had a goal of making a semifinal by the end of the year and she accomplished that in the Windy City when she and new partner, Cami Garcia-Wright, made it to the semis in the women's pro doubles event, where they eventually lost to the silver medalists, Mari Humberg and Amanda Hendry. Hard work really does pay off and it only gets better from here.

Attitude is Everything: It's important in any venture to celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Eric Oncins had quite the tournament, least of all because of his first foray in the singles competition, but this perspective and his ability to laugh at himself will yield plenty of wins in due time.

Iceberg, Right Ahead: Everybody is an iceberg, and most of the time you don't see what's below the surface of the water. Megan Fudge captured her APP Tour-leading 18th medal on Sunday when she beat Simone Jardim in the women's pro singles final to capture gold. She then dug deep and got real about the difficulties and challenges that come with success. Knowing she needs a break and a reset is a big win that more people should aspire to accomplish.

Gold Strike: Congratulations are in order for both Mari Humberg and Eric Oncins, who together won the mixed pro doubles title on Sunday. The win was the first gold medal for each of the Brazilians but it definitely won't be the last.

Hammer Time: Bobbi Oshiro and Susannah Barr charged through a tough women's doubles bracket and dropped the hammer on a number of good teams, including the number 2 seed in Megan Fudge and Jill Braverman in the semis en route to the championship on Sunday. This overhead by Oshiro is just an example of the power this team packed as they beat Mari Humberg and Amanda Hendry for gold.

One of One: If you're reading this, no doubt you think the sport of pickleball is special. But isn't it? Ryler DeHeart makes a good point when he says that there is no other sport out there where you can play and compete at high levels with people from all different walks of life like you can in pickleball. Not only is that a win for pickleball and all those who play it, but for DeHeart who can share the game he loves with his entire family.

Champs on Champs: The men's pro doubles championship match was one that featured four players who have won at least one men's doubles gold this year, and when you have those resumes in one match, anything can happen. Will Howells and CJ Klinger captured their second gold as a team in 2024 when they went on an 11-0 run in game 1 and a 9-0 run in game two to claim the title over Jack Munro and Rob Nunnery.

It's About the Journey: Every tournament, there are far more non-medalists than there are medalists, and thank goodness that doesn't deter most people because they would be missing out on the journey. We love this list of learning opportunities from someone who appreciates the journey! If that isn't a win, what is? 

Bringing People Together: If there was a point to pickleball besides winning matches, we like to think it's brining people together. Glad to see we accomplished just that in our eighth APP Tour stop of the year. That is, of course, the biggest win of all.

That's it from the Windy City and the 2024 Zimmer Biomet APP Chicago Open. We'll catch you soon from Columbus, Ohio! 

*Planning on making it to a future APP Tour stop? Tag us in your social posts and you could be featured in a future Social Roundup!