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Pickleball Association hosts second annual tourney

Check out the action at fast-growing sport
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The Comox Valley Pickleball Association (CVPA) is preparing to host the second annual Indoor Pickleball Tournament May 6 and 7 at 19 Wing’s Fitness and Community Centre in Comox.

Spectators are welcome to come to this spacious venue and enjoy watching some of the island’s best players compete in men’s, ladies’ and mixed doubles advanced play categories.

More than 90 participants have signed up for the two days of competition, which promises some excellent skilled play.

Pickleball is a fast-paced sport for all ages and skill levels. A paddle and a wiffle ball are used on a badminton sized court. With simple rules, the game is easy to learn but can become quite competitive for advanced players. Pickleball is widely recognized as one of the fastest growing sports in North America.

Locally, Pickleball began in 2010 with returning snowbirds having played outdoors in the sunbelt area of the southern U.S., bringing it to northern climates as an indoor sport. Today, there are indoor and outdoor venues with hundreds of players involved at the Comox Recreation Centre, Cumberland Recreation Centre, Native Sons Hall, Union Bay, Black Creek and Fanny Bay Halls. The Comox Valley Regional District is conducting a feasibility study for permanent outdoor courts.

The CVPA has an active and involved membership and growing numbers. According to ParticipAction, pickleball is the second most popular activity in B.C. (second to hiking), number one activity in Quebec, and fifth in PEI. Thousands are playing in the Lower Mainland, where outdoor tennis courts are being painted with pickleball lines. More than a dozen community centres host indoor play.

Reported by, Tennis Industry magazine, 2.5 million participants are now playing pickleball and this is expected to rise to eight million by 2020. Pickleball is popular with the baby boomers with its small court, slower ball, and underhand strokes. Many local advanced players come from a competitive background in tennis, squash and badminton with this new passion being decidedly easier on aging or injured bodies.

So come on out and see what all the excitement is about. Play starts at 9 a.m. each day, May 6 and 7.

There is no cost to be a spectator and who knows? - you might decide to join one of the ongoing beginner classes sponsored by the Comox Recreation Centre, so join the fun.

For more information, visit cvpickleball.ca, or on Facebook at facebook.com/cvpickleball.ca.