With a swoosh of a paddle and a whack of a ball, the Orillia Recreation Centre hosted its first-ever pickleball tournament Saturday.
“This is our first pickleball tournament here at the rec centre and, so far, it’s been great,” said Haley Birch, program co-ordinator.
The tournament, which saw 24 teams participate, was put on by staff at the recreation centre with help from the Orillia Pickleball Club.
“It’s been great collaborating with the Orillia Pickleball Club, who provided support and knowledge on the game, but also on how to run a pickleball tournament of this size,” noted Birch.
Pickleball, an ever-growing sport in Canada, is similar to tennis but is played on a smaller court and features more specific rules. Also, instead of racquets, players use paddles, and must be careful to stay out of the 'kitchen' an area on either side of the net.
For most pickleball tournaments, like the one held at the rec centre, teams are put into two pools for better game play: beginner/novice and intermediate/advanced.
“We have two pools of 12 teams, and this has worked out great with little to no issues,” said Birch.
She also noted people of various ages signed up to take part.
“The nice part is we’re not just seeing seniors signing up and participating; we’re seeing younger people and people of all ages and all skill levels sign up and play, which is awesome and goes to show how pickleball is ever changing in our area.”
Organizers are looking at the possibility of continuing the tournament next year, but they also noted the rec centre has drop-in and sign-up lessons all year for people to learn the game.
The tournament’s final games and the trophy presentation were set to take place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
