Alberta Pickleball Championships on through Sunday in Red Deer

“We definitely are because of the facility we have, which is one of the two largest in Canada, Medicine Hat being the other. People from Ontario come through here and can’t believe this community has such a groundbreaking facility,” says Foret. “Other places are doing eight and twelve-court facilities, so at 20, we’re over the moon to be able to host this.”

Being centrally located in Alberta also helps, he admits.

And this isn’t the first time Red Deer has hosted provincials. It also hosted the national championships two years ago.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

It was back in 2018 when Red Deer city council approved $1.434 million to go towards the construction of the local facility, which opened a year later. The pickleball club had pitched in $100,000.

Back then, there was much conjecture about the value taxpayers would get from that investment, and questions about what exactly pickleball is; but part of the impetus was noise complaints from residents in Red Deer’s Pines neighbourhood where the club used to play on a much smaller set of courts.

Many too viewed pickleball as just a seniors’ sport.

“There are many seniors who play this sport, but it’s far from just a sport for seniors anymore,” says Foret. “I hope it’s growing on people. I get a lot of questions from people who ask about getting started and wanting to see the facility. They’re usually surprised when they see it. The benefits of the facility are there, from money coming into the city for restaurants and hotels, to vendors being supported at the events, and fitness.”

There are hopes from the club that they could expand the facility to the west, adding several more courts, and a shorter-term goal is to install bleachers around select courts for higher profile matches.

“This sport is growing at an astronomical rate,” says Val Vollmin, president of Pickleball Canada, and former president of Red Deer Pickleball Club.

“When I was national president the first time in 2015, we had 2,000 members nationwide, and as of October 2022, we have over 40,000. The growth has been incredible.”

In fact, the organization hit another milestone, 50,000 members, this past June.

Vollmin believes pickleball has the potential to be an Olympic competition.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“This used to be something where people would say, ‘What the heck is pickleball?’ But now everybody’s heard of it. Come on out and give it a try. You’ll love it,” Vollmin insists.

“There are so many young people coming into the sport and there are some here this weekend who are quite something. But yes, the Olympics are certainly a goal we’re focused on. We have our first international tournament in Mexico this winter, from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2.”

St. Joseph students also regularly use the courts as part of their phys. ed. curriculum.

If you’d like to learn about how to get started in the sport in Red Deer, contact the RDPC.

The provincial championships run all day Sunday, and can also be streamed on YouTube. It will conclude Monday instead if large portions of Saturday or Sunday get rained out.

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Alberta Pickleball Championships on through Sunday in Red Deer

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