Press Release - Vernon Inaugural BC Provincials

 
Press Release May 8th 2023, Vernon BC 8am PDT:
​Inaugural B.C. Provincial Pickleball Championships Coming to Vernon

Pickleball players from across BC are coming to Vernon for the very first Pickleball Depot B.C. Provincial Championships taking place May 11 – 14th at the National Bank Financial, Okanagan Wealth Advisors Pickleball Complex (OWA) and the adjacent City of Vernon Tennis Courts at Marshall Field.  Pickleball BC along with the Vernon Pickleball Association (VPA) have been busy preparing for the tournament since the fall of 2022. 

There are 645 players registered with more than 1,000 matches taking place over the four-day tournament which is sanctioned by Pickleball Canada.  Ages range from 13 to 80 and players are coming from all across B.C. to compete in singles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles in three different age categories and five different skill levels. Walter Knecht, President of Pickleball BC says, “The response to this, our first provincial tournament, has exceeded projections by more than 25%. This event is bringing players from all over our province together. The 600 plus players registered for this tournament are just a small sampling of the 13,000 players who are Pickleball BC members. The opportunity for bigger tournaments in 2024 is a challenge we look forward to! The Vernon Pickleball Association and the tournament organizing committee deserve a huge thank you for their efforts”.

Richard Chambers is the Tournament Director and member of the VPA, and states; “This has been a monumental undertaking spanning eight months of planning, a leadership team of ten, more than 200 volunteers and forty officials. As the first-ever B.C. provincial championship we have been ‘building the airplane as it's going down the runway’ and we are just about ready to take off! A grant received from the BC Provincial Government Fairs, Festivals and Events as well as the support of the Sport & Culture Society of the North Okanagan has been greatly appreciated".
 
A tournament of this size not only takes months of planning and hundreds of volunteer hours, it also needs sponsors.  Pickleball Depot is Canada’s premier pickleball supply store and has been a big supporter of the VPA for years, and is the platinum tournament sponsor along with National Bank Financial-Okanagan Wealth Advisors. Cara Arding, owner of Pickleball Depot, says “we are thrilled to have the opportunity of title sponsor of such a large scale provincial tournament held in our very own backyard. We’re home to one of the finest indoor pickleball complexes in Canada and we’re so excited to see this state-of-the-art facility come to life with some of the best pickleball in the province,  and cheer on players we’ve gotten to know during our decade in the sport.” 

The tournament is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. daily. In the event of rain, events that were scheduled for outside will be moved inside and will commence as events conclude inside.  

Tournament events, players, match statistics and sponsorship information can be found here:
 https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=14679b04-13cf-4c90-8b75-7315caebdb3d

​Events Include:

• Thursday May 11th – Women’s & Men’s Singles;
• Friday May 12th – Women’s Doubles
• Saturday May 13th – Mixed Doubles
• Sunday May 14th – Men’s Doubles

Spectators are more than welcome to attend, although parking and space inside the OWA complex may be limited.  It is suggested to bring folding chairs to watch the outdoor matches taking place at the adjacent tennis courts. There will be food trucks on-site daily, and the Silver Star Rotary Club will be hosting a pre-paid BBQ for players on Saturday night.
---------------------------------------------------------30------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact information:
Richard Chambers – Tournament Director –[email protected]  250-688-9073 
Walter Knecht – President, Pickleball BC [email protected]  https://www.pickleballbc.ca
Cara Arding – Owner, Pickleball Depot -[email protected]  (250)550-5280
Vernon Pickleball Association:  www.vernonpickleball.com