Tribute To Walter Knecht Founder and Former President Pickleball BC

Pickleball BC (PBC) AGM Tuesday February 20th 2024: Walter Knecht Formally Announces Stepping Back as President PBC

Walter Knecht stepped back from the President's role at the annual PBC AGM last week, but will remain on the Board as a Director through his FY 2024 term. Given the number of initiatives we have in the works this year, including many of his own, this is welcome news!

As Estha Parg Murenbeeld, President of the North Shore Pickleball Club (NSPC) aptly stated: "...over a period of 10 years, Walter has built a significant and lasting structure upon the foundations laid by earlier BC founders. BC pickleball players, today and in the future, are thankful for Walter Knecht’s abilities, passion and gift of time in the pursuit of pickleball excellence."

As further mentioned on the NSPC website that Estha posted "when pickleball took hold of Walter in the summer of 2013, he insisted on taking us all along for the ride!  Beginning on the North Shore, Walter organized indoor and outdoor play (2014), chaired the BC 55+ pickleball games (2015 in North Vancouver and 2016 in Coquitlam), started up and ran the North Shore Picklemania tournament (2016-2018) and established the very successful North Shore Pickleball Club (2017)."

Here is a chronology of early "Walter Events" courtesy Kerry Strongman NSPC:

1. 2013: Heard of pickleball, bought his first paddle (from the trunk of a car!)
2. 2014: Published first North Shore Play Schedule document (for both indoor rec centre play and outdoors at Institute)
3. 2015: BC 55+ Pickleball Sport Chair, North Vancouver (held in the NV Tennis centre) 
4. 2016: TD Picklemania I, Parkgate; BC 55+ Pickleball Sport Chair, Coquitlam; BC Ambassador for Pickleball Canada
5. 2017: TD Picklemania II, Parkgate. As President, registered NS Pickleball as a not for profit society
6. 2018: Created first MoUs with BC based Clubs, first in Canada. Signed MoU with Pickleball Canada, first in Canada
7. 2019: Pickleball BC became a registered not for profit, joined Provincial Sport Organization and began working towards government designation for full accreditation (2/3 of the way there currently)
8. 2020: Spring National Leader of Officiating, through winter 2022

Rod Williams PBC Registrar said "I met Walter around the beginnings of PBC. I was pleased to be asked to work with him on a couple of early projects surrounding ratings and performance recording, before he approached me to get involved with the project to help birth a membership program for all Canadian Pickleball Players. Walter always has asked, expected and recognized that those working on any level of organization in Pickleball provide their best efforts. But we have always known that he has worked even harder than us. 

He has compiled a large list of successful accomplishments that have helped make our sport a success. And specifically he has helped our Provincial organization operate in a manner that has made us a respected part of our National Organization. He has never lost sight of who is really important in the Individual, Club, Provincial and National hierarchy of our sport, and continues to be a Champion for local organizations and members. As the Founder of Pickleball BC, he has left an indelible mark on our sport."

Amongst other more recent accomplishments, these are a few that stand out to us:​

1. Walter has been and continues to be involved in organizing other events: regional tournaments; fundraisers for ALS, MS, PADS, and others; the BC 55+ Games; two back-to-back Vancouver Wellness Show appearances with a full pickleball court as a "booth"; PADS province-wide event coming up April 20th; our first Provincial Tournament last year in Vernon
2. Many other initiatives that grow the game in BC and elsewhere
3. In March 2023 Walter was awarded a well-deserved Sport BC Presidents' Award for his contributions to pickleball in the province

Richard Chambers of the Vernon Pickleball Club and former President of Pickleball Canada said "Walter was the right person at the right time! In 2017 no provincial pickleball organization existed. With support from Pickleball Canada Walter took up the challenge of creating Pickleball B.C. No coherent membership system existed – it was paper and pencil, or for the more sophisticated, spreadsheets. Thankfully, Walter was a guru of spreadsheets and macros and was quickly supporting clubs and raising the bar for membership tracking and reducing the work that each club needed to do. He created a structure for clubs to become a part of a provincial organization and began the process for pickleball in B.C. to be recognized by Sport BC... My personal thanks to Walter who has made pickleball better in B.C. and Canada. The right person at the right time!" More of Richard's tribute here.

​Congratulations and thanks to Walter on behalf of our PBC Board of Directors and what we forecast will be our 20,000 members this year! We'll look forward to yet another year of accomplishments with Walter's continued assistance. :) 

From left (from top on mobile): Walter and a PADS companion; PADS Management and Burnaby Pickleball Club; Walter (his serious look); Provincials 2023 at Vernon Pickleball Complex; Walter with Ben Johns world #1 ranked mens player; PBC full court at the Vancouver Wellness Show 2023 and 2024

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