Pickleball Comes to Oakridge
It’s the overnight sensation that was 44 years in the making. Undoubtedly the fastest growing racquet sport in North America, pickleball is now firmly rooted in Canada.
Brought north on the wings of returning snowbirds in recent years, pickleball players formed their first active clubs in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan in the 1990s. Then, in April 2009, they banded together to create Pickleball Canada — a new national organization that hopes to spread the sport from coast to coast to coast.
Created during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Congressman Joel Pritchard and his neighbours, the game derives its odd name from a family dog named Pickles who would chase after balls and then hide them in the bushes.
Over the next three decades, the game slowly spread south into Arizona, Florida and other US communities with large populations of vacationing snowbirds. Many Canadians who came into contact with the game became addicted and started dreaming of the day when they would be able to play their favourite racquet sport in their home and native land.
That day has finally come. Canadian Pickleball players have many active clubs to choose from in Ontario and British Columbia. There are also a few clubs in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec.
Alberta’s first Pickleball Club was created this week in Calgary by the Oakridge Community Association with the assistance of Racquet Network. The new club will play its first games this summer on the outdoor courts adjacent to the Oakridge Community Centre. If enough Calgary pickleballers can be found to support a thriving club, indoor facilities will be sought to allow continuous play throughout the year.
