News and Events
February 2023

All About Paddlestar Galactica IX

Paddlestar Galactica IX, ping-pong for a good cause

Paddlestar Galactica, the ping-pong tournament supporting 826DC’s youth writing programs, is BACK! The beloved offbeat tournament returns on March 25th, 12:30 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC.

826DC had to put the ping-pong on pause when the pandemic first started. Now, for the first time since 2019, we’re finally back at it and would love to have you join us!

What is Paddlestar Galactica?

It’s a bracket-style ping-pong tournament… where people cheat!

Players have a little more than six weeks to raise as much money as they can for 826DC. Those donations then count as points that can be used for offbeat cheats (like swapping your opponent’s paddle for a fly-swatter or serving three ping-pong balls at once) on the big day!

It’ll be an awesome, chaotic, wonderfully-weird afternoon full of ping-pong, drinks and snacks from the bar, prizes, and costumes—all in support of quality writing education here in the District.

FAQ

When you sign up to participate, either solo or as part of a team, our giving platform will automatically make a fundraising page just for you! People will support you by donating through your page.

It’s ok if you haven’t fundraised before. We’ll coach you through it, share helpful resources with you, and support you every step of the way!

No. There are no minimums; just raise what you can.

Nope! There are also always prizes like “Best Uniform” that are up for grabs, regardless
of skill level.

You can play as an individual or start your own personal or corporate team. There’s nothing wrong with flying solo, but the advantage of playing as a team is that you can fundraise together and you can pool your cheat money.

Nope! Once you make a team page, your friends can join it anytime.

Definitely.

  • (Optional + Virtual) Player Orientation
    • Wednesday, February 23rd, 2023, 6 PM to 7 PM
    • We’ll send you the Zoom link when you register
    • If you can’t join us for the kickoff orientation, that’s ok! We’ll email you and make sure that you have a clear sense of what to do next.
  • Paddlestar Galactica
    • Saturday, March 25th, 2023, 12:30 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC

 


I’m in! I want to fundraise and play.

Amazing! Register a team here. We’ll follow up with everything that you need to get started.

I just want to watch.

That’s great too! The players definitely won’t get all of the fun—the crowd will get to help pick some of the prize winners and give their favorite teams a boost.

I’d like to support a team!

Sensational! You can do that here.

I have questions!

We have answers! Get in touch with Sarah at pingpong@826dc.org.