A pair of Sunshine Coast players brought home medals from the Canadian National Pickleball Championships, held last weekend in Kelowna at the Parkinson Recreation Centre.
The outdoor event, the largest of its kind in Canada, welcomed over 440 players from all over North America playing in five skill level divisions: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0.
This year the tournament attracted many of the top players in the world to the 5.0 (open) division including Kyle Yates, Ben Johns, Tyson McGuffin, Chris Moore and Jennifer Lucore.
Local players Lin Buckler and Kirk Exner of the Sunshine Coast Pickleball Association won bronze in mixed doubles 4.0, competing in a field of 34 teams. To win the medal, the duo played six best of three matches, which resulted in 14 games of pickleball over the course of one very hot day.
“The level of competition was excellent and factoring in the extreme heat it was a pretty intense day,” Exner said. “We played one very difficult match that lasted over an hour in the middle of the afternoon in the blazing sun when temperatures were 35 degrees. Then 15 minutes later, we were right back out there again.”
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America. Although it’s all the rage right now, the game was actually invented in 1965 in a Seattle suburb. Despite the silly-sounding name, pickleball is quickly becoming an intensely competitive sport and the game’s popularity is attracting high level players from other racquet sports. For new players, the basics of the sport are pretty easy to learn. Typically, a few games is all it takes to figure it out.
The pickleball court is the size of a badminton court and the net is two inches lower than a standard tennis net. The game can be played as singles or doubles. Instead of a racquet, players use a paddle and a plastic wiffle ball. Most describe the game as a fusion of badminton, tennis and ping pong.
Pickleball not only has the fun factor, but it has many health benefits that go along with the sport. Playing pickleball can boost your mood and overall mental health and burn calories, and fewer injuries occur due to the low impact nature of the game, making it popular with older participants. Pickleball specifically works on your balance and agility while it also offers the same benefits of other regular exercise.
For information on where to play pickleball on the Sunshine Coast visit www.sunshinecoastpickleball.org
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