West Vancouver July 17th, 2023: HCC PIckleball Committee ALS $7500 Donation Ceremony 

John McCoach, Hollburn Country Club (HCC) Management and the Pickleball Committee attended a ceremony to present a cheque to Navin Autar, Coordinator ALS Society of BC in the amount of $7,500. This donation was as a result of tournament funds raised, including personal donations, during the Spring Charity ALS Invitational Tournament held recently during the weekend of May 26th - 28th. Several Pickleball BC Board members played in the tournament (and donated) including Walter Knecht, President and David Snell, Board Member.

David stated "On behalf of the HCC Pickleball Committee I wanted to a shout-out to: John for being our ALS charity inspiration; HCC for the courts, catering (BBQ was a highlight) and support; all who participated in the tournament and donated; our Volunteer Committee led by Lorelei Visosky ("traffic") and Jamie Dean ("lining" and Head Ref) whose help was invaluable; and a special thanks to Tim MacVinnie who ran a very successful tournament and who has agreed to help again in our Dinks and Drinks MS Charity Tournament Sept 15th to 17th."

Wendy Toyer, Executive Director ALS BC stated in part: "The success of the 2023 Hollyburn Spring Charity Invitational Pickleball Tournament stands as a testament to the goodwill and compassion that thrives within the pickleball community and beyond. Combining their love for the sport with a deep sense of social responsibility, these individuals have exemplified the true spirit of giving back." See the full press release here.

The Hollyburn Pickleball Committee and all involved extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the tournament’s success and those who supported the cause in any way. Together, they have demonstrated that great things can be achieved when a community rallies together.
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Below we have (left to right) Navin, John McCoach, Dave Snell with Nancy Chapman HCC's new Acting GM (1st pic), and James Holloway Athletic Director (2nd pic).

News Direct reports that The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) has unveiled updated pickleball participation research which reveals that 48.3 million adult Americans – nearly 19% of the total adult population – have played pickleball at least once in the past 12 months. This represents an increase of 35% since the APP’s last research was concluded in August 2022, when the adult participation number reached 36.5 million. The updated study also revealed that the average age of pickleball players is 34.8 years, considerably younger than previously assumed, highlighting the growth of the game, in particular, among people between 18 and 44. 
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The new research reveals additional data points for demographics and geographics of the pickleball-playing population in the United States. Read the full report here...

For a different few, here are some quotes from the various Facebook PIckleball group blogs such as The Pickleball Clinic, The Dink Pickleball, USAP and others:

- “I feel like golf grew a lot during Covid.... hard to believe this graphic with them showing such a small growth in golf - can't believe the chart at all

- Raj Parmar not even close.  USAP has the [pickleball player] number at 8 million last year

- i don’t believe one out of every eight men, women and children living in the US today are playing pickleball

- CJ Cebul someone is smoking something 
- Pickleball is not more popular than tennis 
- Funny when USAP and other sources say it is 8 million. Where did this number come from?"

Decide for yourself!!

Ottawa PCO AGM June 23rd 11:59pm EST: ​Following rejection of the proposed new By Laws in the recent Special General Meeting, the PCO AGM was held Wednesday June 23rd. New Directors were nominated and approved and other changes were announced to the make-up of the Board of Directors. More on the details of these changes to be published soon.

By all accounts, the CNPL Western Canada Draft Qualifier was a success, drawing the best players in the West to compete for coveted CNPL roster spots. Vernon Pickleball Association did a great job as expected!

CNPL stated June 23rd on their Facebook Group: "Wow what a weekend we had in the West. Thank you to all the #pickleballplayers for supporting #propickleball in Canada and to the refs & volunteers who held us down all weekend for the Draft Qualifier in Vernon - here’s a quick [video] #behindthescenes recap."

​We recognize many of the players as perhaps you do! We wish them all the best in the Draft.

CNPL is hosting their Western Region Draft Qualifier in Vernon June 17 to 18th 2023.

The CNPL is looking for referees (lvl 1 & 2) & volunteers for June 17 & 18 to lend a hand at the Western Draft Qualifier (contact details in flyer) at the OWA Pickleball Complex in Vernon; we appreciate your support of Canadian pickleball!

Certain higher level players are committed to Sunday June 17th and are not required to play Saturday. The rest need to earn their place in Sunday's round robin which earns them a place on the Draft List. Only the top players from Saturday will play Sunday with the committed players.

This follows on the heels of the very successful BC Provincials hosted by PickleballBC, Pickleball Depot and the Vernon Pickleball Association in May, and also the award of CNPL's Team #5 as described in the announcement below: 

Pickleball Canada Special Meeting Announcement June 6th 2023:

​"A Special Meeting [was] called by the President to review and vote on amendments to the corporation’s bylaws as provided by the Pickleball Canada Board of Directors.

Date:  Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Time:  6:00 p.m. ET
Location: The meeting [was] held electronically via Zoom.

Background: With the rapid growth pickleball has seen comes opportunity, challenge and, of course, responsibility. One major challenge we have is with our bylaws. These were established with a much smaller organization in mind and when we did not have provincial or territorial organizations, as we do now. We have, simply, outgrown the vision our predecessors held and it is time to upgrade.

The following documents provide more information regarding the proposed amendments to the Bylaws:

1. Introduction to the Bylaw Review
2. 2023 (proposed) Bylaws
3. 2019 (current) Bylaws
4. Meeting Agenda"

Meeting and Voting Outcome: The amendments to the corporation's Bylaws as proposed were defeated. 

CASTANET May 14th 2023, Vernon BC (some edits by Admin):

More than 600 competitors are in Vernon this weekend for the inaugural BC Provincial Pickleball Championships. Held at the Okanagan Wealth Advisors Pickelball Complex in Marshall Fields, the event features players from 13 to 80 years old.

Tournament Director Richard Chambers said the 620 men and women are “from all corners of the province. It's the first ever BC Provincial Championships, it also happens to be the largest provincial pickleball championships held in Canada.”

The 1,000+ matches are being played in the complex and on the tennis courts next to the building.

“You are going to see athletes of all ages waging war,” Chambers said. “Although it has a funny name, it is a really fun game.”

From here, the winners typically go to the Western Canadian Regionals and then the Canadian Nationals. Chambers said if anyone wants to see what pickleball is all about, he invites you to the stop by the Pickleball Depot-sponsored event today's Mixed Doubles events and Sunday Men's Doubles.

Medal winners will be posted on our Virtual Trophy Wall following the close of the Tournament. 

In both Canada and the US landlords have been wondering what to do with all that commercial space left behind by the exit of Bed Bath and Beyond and Old Navy stores. Wonder no more!!

CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn reports Saturday May 13th, New York: "It may seem like a strange strategy, but the match [Editor: no pun intended I'm sure] offers benefits to both mall owners and pickleball players. Malls need new tenants to fill vacant spaces and draw customers beyond their traditional department store anchors and clothing stores.
Consumers are craving fun, social experiences after years of limited gatherings during the pandemic, and they have shifted their spending from goods to experiences like theaters, arcades and amusement parks. Malls are responding to these trends by turning to a wider range of tenants and activities to draw traffic, real estate investment firm JLL said in a report this week...

The number of people playing pickleball [in the US] grew by 159% over three years to 8.9 million in 2022, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, a trade group.
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Courts have been opening at recreation centers, hotels and retirement communities. However, pickleball’s rapid spread has created dilemmas for public parks and recreation departments, which must balance competing interests with often limited space and funds. Retirement communities and country clubs also face challenges building space for people who enjoy the game without antagonizing others."

So it will not be long before you may be able to visit the Mall with your family and play Pickleball at the same time!!!

Pickleball Canada and Toronto Blue Jays May 20th:

"The Toronto Blue Jays are very excited to celebrate pickleball and Saturday May 20 will be Pickleball Day at the Rogers Centre!

The first 15,000 fans to enter the game will receive a unique Blue Jays paddle, plus there will be a pickleball zone on 500-level concourse where attendees can get a taste of what pickleball is all about. We’re also thrilled to share that Steve Deakin, international ambassador of Pickleball Canada, will be throwing the first pitch of the game! The game starts at 3:00pm ET.
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Stay tuned for highlights on Facebook and Instagram."

 
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.
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Contact information:
Richard Chambers – Tournament Director –vpatournaments@gmail.com  250-688-9073 
Walter Knecht – President, Pickleball BC info@pickleballbc.ca  https://www.pickleballbc.ca
Cara Arding – Owner, Pickleball Depot -cara@pickleballdepot.ca  (250)550-5280
Vernon Pickleball Association:  www.vernonpickleball.com