McKenzie Elementary School Receives Pickleball BC Association’s (“PBCA”) Activating Youth Pickleball in BC’s (“AYPBC”) Equipment

March 20th 2025, Vancouver, B.C.—With the assistance of a $30,000 grant from the viaSport British Columbia Provincial Sport Development Fund awarded to PBCA in September of 2024, PBCA and Pickleball Canada (“PCO”) procured and delivered Franklin Sports equipment for the AYPBC initiative, introducing K – 7 students to the sport of pickleball across BC.

Working around the clock to out-race the impending, ever-changing Canada-USA 25% tax tariffs, David Snell PBCA President and Barry Petrachenko, PCO Executive Director, ensured that the pickleball equipment the students would use was shipped prior to the midnight deadline last month.

David Snell, PBCA President’s Comments
As David explains: “Although the final AYPBC lesson curriculum and tool sets for all of our BC clubs will not be ready until this Summer, our initiative of introducing pickleball to 16 Elementary schools and approximately 500 K – 7 students at our 3 BC Regions (Victoria, Vancouver, and Vernon) has had a tremendous start.

Acquiring the equipment, including providing some Vancouver school teachers NCCP pickleball certification to coach students, were all positive steps towards our initiative.

​Below is a heartfelt message that PBCA received from Denise Sparrow and Alex Lyner,
Pickleball Teacher Sponsors, McKenzie Elementary School, Victoria, B.C.

Also huge kudos to Connie McCann, past President at Victoria Regional Pickleball Association, and her team for organizing the Vancouver Island Region out of Victoria.”

McKenzie Elementary School Equipment “Unveiling”

March 10, 2025

McKenzie Elementary School, Victoria, BC with Grade 2 Teacher Alex Lyne

Dear David Snell, Pickleball BC,

On behalf of the staff and students at McKenzie Elementary, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the Activating Youth Pickleball BC program. Our students and staff have thoroughly enjoyed the introductory sessions and have gained valuable skills and knowledge from the lead instructor and the many dedicated volunteers who made these sessions so engaging.

We would also like to express our appreciation to ViaSport, Pickleball Canada, and Franklin Sports for their generous support in providing our school with pickleball equipment. Thanks to this contribution, many students have developed a keen interest in the sport and are eager to continue playing at home on the weekends. Additionally, our teachers are excited to incorporate pickleball into regular gym classes, ensuring that students continue to benefit from this fun and active sport.

Thank you once again for bringing this wonderful opportunity to our school. Your support and dedication to youth sports have made a meaningful impact, and we look forward to fostering a lasting love for pickleball within our school community.

Sincerely,

Denise Sparrow and Alex Lyner
Pickleball Teacher Sponsors
McKenzie Elementary School

For more information, contact:
David Snell, President, Pickleball BC Association
[email protected]

Sharon Hoy, AYPBC Project Coordinator
​[email protected]