Kitchen Sink Newsletter Report March 2026 Edition
March 8th 2026 BC “permanently” moved to Pacific Daylight Time along with the Yukon who did this in 2020 – image courtesy of The Data Copywriter
The Kitchen Sink March Edition, Pickleball BC (“PBC”) President’s Introduction
Welcome to our March 15th 2026 edition of our Kitchen Sink Newsletter and BC’s “permanent” Daylight Savings Time as referenced above.
In this March 2026 issue we wanted to highlight: update on our 2026 Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and introduction to our newly elected PBC Board and their remits; announcement of an additional PBC/Pickleball Canada (“PCO”) Sanctioned Tournaments PBC new $500 Subsidy Program; call for PBC affiliated club applications with 3 new Clubs and pickleball associations who have recently joined PBC’s team of our now 106 Affiliated and Associated Clubs and associations throughout BC; reminder of 2026 Provincial Championships with some new information to share, and Canadian Nationals registration dates; Sport BC Presidents’ and Athletes of the Year Awards gala update; a “From Our Clubs” news story about Bowen and Gabriola Islands’ pickleball journeys; a “status of ‘DUPR’ in BC” and a 2026 Spring-only offer in our Coaches Corner; and, other updates on 2026 tournaments, News, Policy reports and our focus in our Directors’ Kitchen Corners section here.
Please enjoy all the new news and updates in our March 2026 Kitchen Sink Newsletter and start enjoying our longer days for outside pickleball (perhaps darker mornings this winter as our price to pay)!
David Snell
President Pickleball BC
President@PickleballBC.ca
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News From Our Clubs
Pickleball BC welcomes two new Affiliate Clubs: Bowen Island Pickleball Society and Gabriola Pickleball Club. Read what their respective Presidents—Joanne Mogridge and Kathleen Kane—are excited to say.
<Click link to read more.>
• Welcome Bowen and Gabriola
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PBC President’s Report
PBCA 2026 Board and it’s Executives Are Elected
Pickleball BC Association (“PBCA”) held its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) on February 17th 2026 where the 2026 PBCA Board was elected. Following that meeting, on February 24th 2026 PBCA held a Special Board Meeting to elect the 2026 PBCA Board Executives and when the President assigned Board Committee roles.
I am pleased to introduce our 2026 PBCA Board, the Executive and their various remits (full details available on our “Board of Directors” website page here).
PBCA 2026 Board of Directors: David Snell was re-elected President and Chair, Heather Hood is Vice President, Rajat Verma is Secretary, Suzi Inkman is Treasurer, and Blair Morton is Registrar.
In addition to our Executive positions, the Board’s various remits are as follows in the event members are interested in contacting us with specific questions or comments:
- Sharon MacDonald: BC Head Referee
- Robin D’Abreo: BC Head Coach
- Suzi Inkman: Youth and Community Grant Administration
- Heather Hood: Chair Youth Committee and AYPBC Phase 2
- Rick Folk: Chair Tournament Committee (includes 2026 Provincial Championships)
- Doug McKay: Facilities
- Holger Schwichtenberg: Government Relations
- Rajat Verma: Legal
- David and Mel Buenaventura: Marcom
Congratulations to our 2026 Board and Committees and a big thank you to all for your volunteerism and hard work on behalf of pickleball in BC!
New BC Sanctioned Tournaments PBC $500 “Matching” Subsidy Program
PBC is pleased to announce that the PBC Board of Directors has approved an additional “Matching” $500 Subsidy in addition to the PCO Subsidy for Sanctioned Tournaments in BC. The plan is for PBC to match the existing PCO Subsidy of $500 per Sanctioned Tournament to encourage these tournaments to have PBC accredited referees for every match played which our members have requested to improve the overall experience of tournament play. This would be conditional on several requirements as outlined in the PCO subsidy program plus our conditions that the PBC $500 goes towards referee expenses in the particular Sanctioned Tournament.
The process would be: following an application to President@PickleballBC.ca to request that a BC tournament be “Sanctioned” and a letter of approval from PBC supplied; an application and required approval from PCO to Sanction the tournament; a report from the Tournament Director would be completed as is required by PCO but including the use and application of the BC Subsidy particularly for referees; then both the PCO and PBC Subsidies would be paid amounting to $1,000.
More details to follow so stay tuned!
Reminder of the Upcoming PBC Provincial Championships and Canadian Nationals Registrations
As announced previously, Provincial Championships at The Nest in Tsawwassen registrations will open April 15th 2026 at 10am PDT on Pickleball.com. For all those wishing to volunteer please email stacydeakin@gmail.com. Past Provincial Tournament Gold Medal winner Pre-registration details will be forthcoming soon so save the date.
Regarding our Canadian National Championships to be held at the Pickleplex locations in Toronto Ontario, Pre-registration will open on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET and is reserved exclusively for gold medal winners from the 2025 National Championship. Eligible participants will receive a registration link via email, along with a unique code to complete their entry.
General registration will open on Thursday, April 23 at 9:00 a.m. ET on pickleball.com.
Reminder that our BC Provincial Team will be defending their Gold medals and Trophy in the inaugural Provincial Team Competition (“PTC”) event last year in Winnipeg. In addition to becoming a PCO flagship event, the PTC will also serve as an important pathway in supporting the growth of Pickleball Canada’s National Development Program.
Sport BC Presidents Awards Recipients Celebrated at the Annual Gala March 5th 2026 Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver BC
Sport BC Presidents and Athletes of the Year Awards Gala
Sport BC’s Presidents’ Awards Gala celebrated the outstanding volunteers that make sport possible across British Columbia on March 5th 2026. Thirty-Nine (39) recipients pictured above were recognized in a special ceremony prior to Sport BC’s 58th Athlete of the Year Awards. Congratulations to all the 2026 worthy Award recipients and an updated News story on our website can be found here.
Kelowna YLW Pickleball Club Becomes 106th PBC Club – Call For Affiliate and Associated Club Applications!
We would like to announce and welcome our 106th Associated Club YLW Pickleball Kelowna who have joined our PBC affiliates to help us nurture, grow and manage pickleball in all of BC. Please welcome them as well as our other newest Affiliates Bowen Island Pickleball Society and Gabriola Pickleball Clubs announced last month! Story in our “From our Clubs” segment below highlighting Bowen and Gabriola Islands here.
PBC membership is a close 2nd (Ontario is slightly ahead of us) in terms of the number of Pickleball Canada members in Canada by province, where we have approximately 14% of Canada’s total population (Ontario has 39% of Canada’s population). This growth is witnessed by: our membership growth to 21,500+ members last year; our newly affiliated clubs of many sorts and in various geographic areas of BC; and, the requests that I have had for new affiliations.
Given the ongoing tremendous popularity of pickleball in BC, if you are thinking of becoming an official pickleball Club or association (public or private, for-profit or non-profit) or already have one that has grown in size and wish now to have the many benefits of membership that come with an affiliation with PBC, please visit our website page “Becoming a Club” here and if you believe that you qualify for an “Affiliate” or “Associated” affiliation with us, please reach out to me at President@PickleballBC.ca.
Kitchen Corners Reports. Updates on Memberships, Refereeing and Grants as noted above.
Finally, please send your Club stories and pics for consideration in our monthly “From our Clubs” segment, or if you can share some of your Club event pics for possible inclusion on our PBC website, Virtual Trophy page, PBC Instagram and YouTube channels, we would really appreciate it – for consideration please send them to Marcom@PickleballBC.ca.
This Newsletter contains plenty of new news which I hope you can enjoy along with family and friends. All comments and contributions are very welcome!
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David Snell, President
PICKLEBALL BC ASSOCIATION
President@PickleballBC.ca
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News From Our Clubs:
Welcome Bowen Island Pickleball Society and Gabriola Pickleball Club
Bowen Island Pickleball Society’s President Joanne Mogridge (on the left wearing blue) and her group.
Pickleball is alive and well on Bowen Island. Gaining interest and enthusiasts every day. Like many communities across BC during the wet season indoor play happens in the gym at the local public school. For the summer months however, there are no outdoor public Pickleball courts. The Island has a few outdoor private courts, family homes or memberships required.
Departing Bowen Island.
2025 saw a drive to resurface the decrepit outdoor public tennis court located at the same public school. It started with one and now there are more than fifty players asking for improvements. We have created the Bowen Island Pickleball Society with a Board of Directors and a mission for court improvements and inclusive play for all on an updated, resurfaced multi-sport court. We’re looking for our dream to come true in 2026.
Joanne Mogridge
President, Bowen Island Pickleball Society
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Gabriola Pickleball Club
The Gabriola Pickleball Club is an enthusiastic recreational club that has been around for almost 30 years and currently has approximately 120 members of all ages.
We are fortunate enough to be able to offer our members pickleball sessions 7 days a week. We have 3 outdoor pickleball courts that are used year round as the weather allows plus 2 more outdoor covered courts with lighting for evening play. And during the winter/spring we also have use of 2 indoor courts at our Community Hall.
We are happy to begin our affiliation with Pickleball BC and Pickleball Canada and look forward to whatever opportunities that provides.
Kathleen Kane
President, Gabriola Pickleball Club
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Kitchen Corners: Head Referee Corners
The Drop Serve
Welcome to my first article as Head Referee for British Columbia. It is an honour and privilege to accept this position. Rick Folk, has done an amazing job at creating opportunities for those interested in becoming pickleball referees as well as mentoring those of us who are accredited.
For those who are accredited referees you will be familiar with The Officiating Handbook. This 90-page document provides all the training essential to refereeing, including our scripts for call the score, time out, end of game, etc. It, along with the Rule Book and Case book are our guiding forces. We follow the USA Pickleball guidelines.
The Case book brings forward oddities throughout the year for specific cases. Case in point, and this one has not even made it into the Case Book yet, but I thought you might find it interesting, concerns the DROP SERVE.
This pertains to rule 7.D.2:
Release Force. When releasing the ball, the ball must not be propelled in any direction or in any manner prior to hitting the serve.
CASE: A serving player starts at the back fence. He walks forward, and while walking, releases the ball and hits a drop serve. They never stopped walking before serving. It was a “walking drop”. THIS IS A FAULT!
It might appear as though this drop is legal as the arm was not in motion.
BUT, to clarify, Any movement of the person, including the arms and legs, is a fault while executing the drop serve.
Meriam Webster’s definition of propel: The meaning of PROPEL is to drive forward or onward by or as if by means of a force that imparts motion.
Another one of those oddities that your referee is responsible for knowing. This is why it is crucial that tournament games have a referee otherwise you are at the mercy of each other to call faults. This can lead to a lot of disagreements and uncertainty on the courts.
Our job as a referee is to impartially apply the rules as written. It does not matter if we agree or disagree with a rule.
Hope this helps. Until next time, remember “We Rise by Lifting Others”.
Sharon MacDonald
BC Head Referee
Regional Training Coordinator for Western Canada
HeadReferee@PickleballBC.ca
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Kitchen Corners: By The Numbers
March 2026 Membership Report
As of March 10, 2026, there are 15,217 active PBC members. This is up almost 1,000 from last month as members sign up for the 2026 season.
In summary, there were 904 memberships processed in February 2026. This is down from last month by approximately 2,000 memberships. 519 renewals and 385 new memberships were processed. A typical slow month for membership activity.
See you on the court.
Blair Morton
PBC Registrar
Registrar@PickleballBC.ca
Thinking of Joining—Follow The Link!
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Kitchen Corners
Coaches Corner:
DUPR Definitions and Ratings Reset: A PBC Member Opportunity This Spring!
For those of you who do not know what a DUPR skill rating is, here is a quick definition: a DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is a global player rating system designed to measure a pickleball player’s skill level based on actual match results. DUPR uses an algorithm that analyzes scores, opponents’ ratings, and match outcomes to assign players a number typically ranging from about 2.0 (beginner) to 8.0 (professional level). Unlike older self-rating systems, DUPR adjusts dynamically after matches are recorded, making it a more objective and continuously updated reflection of a player’s current ability. Players can record results through tournaments, leagues, clubs, or directly in the DUPR App, and their rating changes as more results are entered.
In British Columbia and across Canada, DUPR is increasingly relevant as clubs, leagues, and competitive events seek a consistent and fair way to group players by skill level. Many tournaments associated with PCO and provincial organizations such as PBC recognize or use DUPR ratings to help seed brackets (such as our upcoming Provincial Championships), organize competitive divisions, and support balanced club league play. While not every local event requires a DUPR rating, the system is becoming more widely adopted because it helps players find appropriate competition levels and provides a standardized rating that can be recognized across regions, provinces, and even internationally.
Many of our members already have a DUPR skill rating. The real question is whether it actually reflects how they’re playing right now. PCO recently made DUPR the official Canadian National rating system for Sanctioned Tournament play, so your skill level rating matters more than it used to. It follows you into organized competition coast to coast. That’s exactly why the “DUPR Reset” window this Spring is worth paying attention to — it runs March 16th to May 17th, 2026, and it won’t come back around.
If you’ve improved since you first received a skill rating, returned from an injury, or just feel like your older results are dragging your number down, this program was built for you. DUPR designed the reset specifically for players whose current rating doesn’t match where they actually are on the court today.
Here’s the part I think members will appreciate most: once the window closes, DUPR compares your reset rating against your original. You keep whichever one is higher. Your rating cannot go down through this process. That’s not a small thing — it means you can compete freely during the reset period without playing scared.
There are requirements, though, and they matter. You need to opt in, pay the applicable fee, and complete at least 8 qualifying matches with at least 2 different partners before May 17th. One thing to flag: self-reported rec games don’t count toward the reset minimum. Your matches need to come through sanctioned, club, or league-submitted play. Plan accordingly — eight games goes faster than you think when you factor in scheduling.
It’s also worth knowing that DUPR’s algorithm has been updated. It now weighs performance against expectation, not just whether you won or lost. Lose a tight game against a stronger player and you might still see your rating move up. That shift genuinely rewards competitive players who’ve been punching above their weight. Personally, I think this is one of the most member-friendly moves DUPR has made. If your rating hasn’t felt right, March 16th is your date. May 17th is the cutoff. That’s a two-month window — use it.
Rajat Verma
Board Secretary & PBC Legal Affairs
Secretary@PickleballBC.ca
Legal@PickleballBC.ca
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Sponsorships
We urge you to support and thank all our sponsors at every opportunity—they are listed throughout our website and in this newsletter. Sponsorships can help to defray the cost of hosting our website, sending this newsletter and also of supporting the running and promoting of tournaments and clinics.
Opportunities exist for businesses and individuals, starting at $50.00 to sponsor and support pickleball in British Columbia—details on our Sponsor Program page or contact Marcom@PickleballBC.ca.
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Website or Newsletter
As always we are delighted to receive suggestions and/or contributions of content for the website and future newsletters. Send to Marcom@PickleballBC.ca.
David Snell
President, Pickleball BC (Association)
President@PickleballBC.ca
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