Pickleball booms in Regina
With a hub all our own, many future events can be expected
by kate sveinbjornson, contributor
Pickleball Regina has been awarded the Pickleball National Championship award for 2022 after holding the official Western Regional Pickleball Championship, and interest is only growing as it proves to be one of the most accommodating sports to play.
“Pickleball Regina has earned a reputation as an enthusiastic, capable, and welcoming host of competitions both large and small,” said Deanna Christie, vice president of sport for Pickleball Canada. “The club set a high bar by hosting the Western Regional Pickleball Championships, held in July, and we have no doubt that Regina will be able to deliver a successful Nationals [sic].”
Despite the potentially silly name, pickleball is a real and practiced sport. It was created in 1965 by Joal Pritchard, who wanted to entertain his family for the summer. Pickleball is named after Pritchard’s dog, who kept stealing the wiffle ball while Pritchard was learning to play. Pickleball grew from then on into a loved, widespread game that can be played by almost anyone.
Pickleball is known for its wide base range of players which span from children to the elderly; all are able and welcome to play. Additionally, games can either be played recreationally for fun or competitively in a tournament. Skill levels range from group to group, and games are meant to be fair and fun.
Pickleball is a mix of badminton, tennis, and ping pong. Players play on a court similar to badminton, are given paddles like ping pong, and have rules similar to all three. You can play in singles or doubles, and it involves hitting the ball over the net and avoiding having it land outside the court.
Regina has the biggest pickleball league in Canada with roughly 1,000 regular players. Due to this large amount of interest, and having the official Queen City Pickleball Hub, Regina is often the host of large-scale pickleball events. Pickleball is one of the youngest sports in Regina, only being established in 2017.
“Regina Pickleball works to promote the growth of pickleball as a game for all ages in the City of Regina,” states Pickleball Regina’s website. “We plan to accomplish this by offering organized recreational and competitive play, by ensuring opportunities for the continued development of players in an inclusive and sportsmanlike environment.”
Every day at the Queen City Pickleball Hub, Pickleball Regina hosts several leveled events for people to participate in. Different age groups play at different skill levels, and they work to make sure fair games are being made. There are also classes you can register for to learn more in-depth about how to play.
For many students, sports can be an intimidating venture to explore, especially with so many leagues being competitive. Pickleball is the perfect medium for getting exercise and having fun. There is some movement involved, but injury is very rare. A membership to play is cheaper than many other places, at most being a $25 annual payment. After having your membership for a year, the cost to renew it is only $11 dollars.
A membership gives you access to recreational games, lessons, and more. Pickleball is the perfect game for any U of R student who wants to have fun, but not be pressured to play competitively or spend lots of money. For more information about how to play pickleball, and Pickleball Regina specifically, you can reference pickleballcanada.org.
