Twenty-four pickleball players from the North Shore and the Sunshine Coast met at a competion held at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre this past weekend.
The level of play was fantastic. The Sunshine Coast mixed teams represented very well in the final. First place went to Leslie Hemphill and Art Dew with Donna Dew and Serge Planidin as runners up. The women's winners were Sharoel Brown and Jane Puusepp, while Pat Crawford and Georgia Hunter were runners up; all are from the North Shore. The men's winners were Dennis Hoffman and Doug Perkins from the North Shore and Marc Thierault and Dennis Regnier from the Sunshine Coast as runners up.
Pickleball is an odd name for a great game. Two families from Washington created the game. They had a dog whose name was Pickles. Whenever the ball hit the ground, Pickles rushed in, grabbed the ball, ran and hid it in the bushes … and that's how pickleball got it's name - true story!
The Coast began with three players just over a year ago and now there are 65 strong playing on two courts at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre with all skill levels. Instruction is provided on an ongoing basis. All are welcome to join, just for the fun of it.
Many thanks to the volunteers from the Sunshine Coast Pickleball Group, who helped throughout the day setting up, greeting players and guests and insuring things ran smoothly. Also thanks to the many sponsors whose contributions made the first invitational pickleball tournament a first class success.
- Submitted by Karen Renfrew on behalf of the Sunshine Coast Pickleball Group
