Paddlestar Galactica, the ping-pong tournament supporting 826DC’s youth writing programs, is back for YEAR TEN! This beloved event returns on April 27th, 1 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC.
To help celebrate a decade of Paddlestar Galactica, we’re thrilled to share that 826DC board member Susan Gerock has offered to match, dollar-for-dollar, every donation that you all help raise or give for Paddlestar X. Extraordinary!
What is Paddlestar Galactica?
It’s a bracket-style ping-pong tournament… where people cheat!
Players have about seven 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.
We’d rather you didn’t. Having everything in one spot—we use Classy’s fundraising system—makes it much easier for us to keep track of everything.
When you sign up, Classy will automatically create a customizable fundraising page just for you, and for your team if you have one.
- (Optional + Virtual) Player Orientation
- Wednesday, March 28th, 2024, 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, April 27th, 1 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 with Paddlestar X.
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 donate/support a team!
Sensational! You can do that here.
I have questions!
We have answers! Get in touch with Sarah at pingpong@826dc.org.