PHOENIX November 3rd 2023: USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball, along with pickleball federations across 28 countries, today announced the launch of the Global Pickleball Federation ("GPF") “We are thrilled to announce this significant milestone, the launch of the GPF, in conjunction with our colleagues around the globe. This has been an important project for the growth of our sport and a necessary effort as we continue to unify pickleball and establish a path forward in the coming years,” said Justin Maloof, USA Pickleball Chief Operating Officer and Global Pickleball Federation Board Member. “I look forward to seeing the GPF’s work yield results as we continue to introduce pickleball to new countries, establish ourselves on the world stage, and pursue the inclusion of pickleball in future Olympic and Paralympic Games.” The national governing bodies across four continents include American Samoa, Australia, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United States and Venezuela. The GPF will be headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is also home to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, along with many sport National Governing Bodies. Read the full announcement from USA Pickleball here. ### About the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) The Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2023 and operates in accordance with GPF bylaws, which can be found on the organization website. The mission of the GPF is to grow and promote pickleball in as many countries as possible from the amateur to professional level, and do so with integrity and purpose. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the GPF is guided by a Board of Directors, including a Chairman of the Board and elected leaders of each participating continental federation. For more information, please visit www.globalpickleballfederation.org About USA Pickleball USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of pickleball in the United States. Its mission is to promote the development and growth of the sport while sanctioning events and providing annual members with premier tournaments, educational opportunities, player rankings, official rules and other exclusive benefits. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that is governed and operated by a Board of Directors and a national office staff, who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued expansion of the sport. ### West Vancouver Monday October 30th 2024 Hollyburn Country Club (HCC) Pickleball Committee and HCC management presented a $5,000 donation (plus $200 from additional on site pledges) to MS Canada as proceeds from their HCC Fall MS Charity Tournament. BIG THANK YOU’s go out to their Volunteer Committee, Tim MacVinnie our Tournament Manager, Jamie Dean our Head Ref and all the players and spectators who made this a success - and donated on site!! Canada has one of the highest rates of MS globally, with an average of 12 new diagnoses every day and over 90,000 Canadians with this incurable disease. To raise awareness of the impact of this disease and help those living with MS to enjoy a better quality of life, MS Canada encourages collective action. They reach out to governments, partners, and other organizations, highlighting the need for better healthcare, financial support for people with MS, and public programs and practices that benefit the MS community. Read more about MS Canada here: https://mscanada.ca/about-us/about-us and we encourage our BC Clubs to share their charity work to info@PickleballBC.ca so that we can publish these charitable endeavours. Above from right, Nancy Chapman HCC GM, Jan Snell (MS Ambassador), Nadia DiSpirito Coordinator Community Fundraising MS BC, and Dave Snell.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month and Tuesday November 14 is World Diabetes Day - Submission from Christina Lake Pickleball's Laurel Moore and Cassie: "I think we can all agree that there is a day for everything. It is so hard to keep track. Or perhaps it just isn’t something on your radar. As you know, the designation of awareness days, weeks, or months is meant to draw attention to specific issues, conditions, or causes with the goal of raising awareness and promoting understanding, empathy and action. I’m sure many of you know someone living with diabetes. Or maybe you have it too. Whatever your story we thought you might like to know about one of the more positive, friendly and approachable members in our club. Kelly Moore has had type 1 diabetes for 32 years and is on the latest pump therapy. Nothing stops this guy from being active! This year, he represents 1 of 30 teams across Canada that will take the time to complete in the Diabetes Canada #unitethecircle challenge. I think we can all agree that nothing “unites” people more than pickleball. Kelly isn’t alone with diabetes. We know that. Join or support Kelly’s team and help him inspire others to raise awareness. Your support will help get us all one step closer to finding a cure. Besides, who can resist a pickleball challenge? Check out Kelly's website to see if you are on the courts with him!" https://crm2.diabetes.ca/site/TR/LaceUp/UniteTheCircle?px=1717266&pg=personal&fr_id=3145 Kelly Moore of Christina Lake Pickleball The Apple Heart and Movement Study reveals tennis and pickleball are a win for overall health, as pickleball’s popularity continues to rise: "After analyzing more than 250,000 pickleball and tennis workouts recorded on Apple Watch by study participants from 2021 to 2023, researchers found pickleball workouts were slightly longer than tennis workouts on average — 90 minutes versus 81 minutes, respectively — and saw greater variability in time played... Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health said "research is a vital component to our work in health at Apple, and it’s important to see the science behind the mental and physical benefits of activities like pickleball and tennis on Apple Watch users. Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a number of other chronic conditions. Finding an activity that someone enjoys partaking in can help build a routine, whether that means picking up a paddle or a racket.” Some other interesting take-aways from this study:
“We are pleased to see pickleball-related findings included in the Apple Heart and Movement Study, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the American Heart Association. There are numerous benefits for individuals of all ages and backgrounds on the pickleball courts as part of a healthy, social, and active lifestyle,” said Mike Nealy, USA Pickleball’s chief executive officer. Editor's PS: This is NOT an advertisement for Apple watch - just an interesting study that we think our PBC members would be interested in :) Researchers from the Apple Heart and Movement Study saw a steady increase in the popularity of pickleball workouts, with pickleball workouts surpassing tennis workouts for the first time. Vernon Pickleball Association "Best Pickleball Club in Canada" - Pickleball Today Contest Winner19/10/2023
October 19th 2023 Cambridge Ontario: Pickleball Today Announces That Vernon Pickleball Association Has Been Voted As Canada's Best Pickleball Club: The results of Pickleball Today's Canada-wide contest to determine who is the best Club in Canada have been announced - and the Vernon Pickleball Association (VPA) has been chosen! Walter Knecht President of Pickleball BC said "while there are many great pickleball venues across Canada there is no doubt the Vernon OWA facility [Okanagan Wealth Advisor’s Pickleball Complex at Marshall Fields] ranks high on the list of places to play. Combine the number of courts with the dedication of the VPA executive and the 1,000 plus members who volunteer endlessly - the Vernon Pickleball Association deserves this top rated recognition." Pickleball Today conducted this contest over the last while to find Canada's best as follows:
“The VPA has hosted four tournaments this year including the inaugural B.C. Provincials with 650 competitors. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America, and having a year-round dedicated facility in Vernon has become a draw for both tourism and new residents,” Anne Longley spokesperson for VPA told Vernon Matters earlier. Second place in Canada's Best Pickleball Club 2023 went to: St.-Isidore Pickleball Club in Saint-Isidore, NB Third Place in Canada's Best Pickleball Club 2023 went to: Pickleball Hamilton of Hamilton, Ontario The Board of Pickleball BC and on behalf of our 16,000+ strong membership congratulates VPA (where the Provincials and the CNPL Western Region draft was held this summer, amongst other tournaments) and all the winners!!! The Vernon Pickleball Association logo and their Wonderful Complex The Comox Valley Pickleball Association (CVPA) gave a jump start to the 2023 Thanksgiving Food Drive with participation from Cumberland, Courtenay, and Comox pickleball players. Over 100 players gathered at the Comox Rotary Highland Courts bringing bags of non-perishable items and monetary donations for this very worthy cause. Executive Director of the Comox Valley Food Bank, Dave Reynolds, was on hand to collect all the donations, thanking everyone for their generosity and expressing his warm appreciation on behalf of the Comox Valley Food Bank for this overwhelming show of support. Dave said "The CVPA would like to thank our member, Darlene Nelson, for spearheading this endeavour. Darlene did a great job of getting the message out and coordinating with the Food Bank. CVPA members stepped up as we continue to give back to the community in so many ways. THANK YOU!" Open Letter To Our Members posted in the October 15th Newsletter: Hello fellow Pickleball People and Aspiring Pickleball BC Association (PBC) Board Members!! Given our 2024 AGM is just around the corner and planning for FY 2024 has started, amongst other things we have established a Board Nomination Committee. The Committee is reaching out to our members for applications from qualified nominees (see below) who are interested in being elected to and serving on our Board of Directors at our upcoming February 2024 AGM. We know you love this sport and we are hoping that you are looking forward to giving back to our provincial pickleball community in a meaningful way – can we join forces to help in that endeavor? A few points about our PBC Board of Directors and its current needs:
We love this sport and as you know, it is continuing to grow exponentially everywhere in the province. We now have over 16,000 PBC members with a forecast of 20,000 in 2024. As a result we now need more help on the Board, or as a contributor, assisting us in delivering programs and services to our members. What a great way to give back! To learn more about this opportunity, please contact us at boardnominations@pickleballbc.ca by email and tell us a little about yourself, your qualifications and how you can help. Looking forward to hearing from you. Best Regards, PBC Board Nomination Committee The Canadian e-platform Pickleball Today is having a contest to name Canada's Best Pickleball Club 2023. Voting open until October 15th!!! A preliminary round resulted in 12 finalists - three of which are from B.C. - Vernon Pickleball Association, Richmond Pickleball Association, and White Rock Pickleball Association. The current standings for the top 6 are:
Given the popularity of Pickleball in B.C. and the number of our members as compared to other provinces it only seems right that one of B.C.’s clubs should receive the recognition granted through this contest! Voting is live now and will end October 15th - one vote per device/machine (IP address). Vote your heart or vote strategically – but vote – it only takes a minute. Click on the link below (or copy and paste it into your browsers URL, then hit enter), then scroll down to the Association logo (it should appear raised when your mouse scrolls over it) and click on the logo to cast your vote. You do not have to be a pickleball player to vote, so feel free to share with your friends who know how much you love pickleball. You will be asked for your email address and first name to ensure there is no "double voting" taking place. https://pickleballtoday.co/cbpc-final-vote-2023/?fbclid=IwAR0TzGgkCsbU2Is8 ZCgvo8LGL5PyiRBZifoOWhsTXnCjC6lm6OcwweegHXg This link first shows an odd page but in a couple seconds you will get a redirect. September 29th 2023, Vancouver BC - Court Planning and Operation Guide released: The overall purpose of the PBC Guide is to provide a guideline for a fair and consistent approach to court development and usage for outdoor pickleball play for clubs and the public. While the focus of this document is on outdoor play, some of these principles apply to pickleball when played indoors as well. The British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA), a not-for-profit organization, plays a central role in leading the enrichment and improvement of the quality of life of British Columbians and their communities. BCRPA does this by championing the power of recreation and parks. One of the Sections of this Guide address the issue of noise and quieter environments and the acoustic investigation carried out by PBC, BCRPA and a 3rd party consulting firm: "The sounds of pickleball have been recognized as a significant issue in recent years. There are circumstances where these sounds can be an irritant in residential neighbourhoods. PBC, with the support of BCRPA, engaged an acoustic consulting firm in the spring of 2022. The objectives were twofold: perform a series of equipment noise tests both in a laboratory setting and real game situations; and, in conjunction with the noise testing and the consultant's prior work, develop a mitigation report/guideline..." The full report/Guide can be read here and also posted under 2023 Reports. PADS (Pacific Assistance Dog Association) and Pickleball BC Team Up For Province-Wide Tournament20/9/2023
CTV Vancouver, September 20th 2023: Today PADS and Pickleball BC announced their plans for a Province-wide Tournament on April 20th 2024. See the CTV news broadcast here. At a news conference held Wednesday, September 20th 11:00am PDT at the beautiful Robert Burnaby Park in Burnaby BC, Walter Knecht President of Pickleball BC welcomed everyone: "I am very pleased to have you join us as we introduce the first annual PADS Pickleball BC Charity Pickleball Tournament event, scheduled for April 20, 2024... We probably all have dog stories – stories of their personalities, their empathy and their undying love. With training, many dogs can pull all these traits together and be of great service to individuals with a wide variety of life challenges. PADS is one great organization – taking on the task of not only training these wonderful companion animals but matching a dogs personality and skill with an individual in need. I and the Pickleball BC Board of Directors are in awe of the work and dedication required and wholeheartedly are throwing our support behind the PADS organization. And therefore our joint province-wide pickleball tournament... Furthermore – [one] legend has it that pickleball drew its name from the founder’s family dog. So how could we resist!" Pacific Assistance Dogs (PADS) breeds, raises and trains fully certified assistance dogs. Our service (mobility & PTSD) and hearing dogs provide life-changing independence to those with disabilities. Our accredited facility dogs work with community professionals such as teachers, RCMP and psychologists to help support healthy communities.PADS is a fully accredited member of Assistance Dogs International. Pickleball BC and PADS are planning for every community and club in BC to join in with their own tournament or event, so please save the date now: April 20, 2024. We expect to have registration open province-wide by Jan 1 2024. And with our membership size now 15,000+ strong - and we will be open to non-members to join us – we expect thousands to play for PADS that day. Burnaby Pickleball Club and Hollyburn Country Club have already committed, so please do so soon by replying to Walter Knecht President PBC's email announcement and request for expressions of interest! For more on this story, please go to Cornelia Naylor's comprehensive article in Burnabynow here. Pictured above from the left: Cadence getting ready to play; Walter Knecht President PBC with a PADS Lab (the PADS dog won); rest time; and Walter, Dave Snell (PBC Board Member) and the Buraby Pickleball Club with PADS staff and their remits |
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