President’s Kitchen Sink Newsletter Report February 2025 Edition
Happy Valentine’s Day Weekend
(Image courtesy of Pickleball Channel)
The Kitchen Sink February Edition, Pickleball BC (“PBC”) President’s Introduction
Welcome to the February edition of our Kitchen Sink Newsletter. The PBC Board hopes that everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day yesterday with perhaps some pickleball included and time with friends and loved ones!! Stay healthy and safe this Valentine’s Day weekend and remember protective eyewear are not helpful in your bag!
In this February 2025 issue we wanted to highlight: reminder of the Notice of our 2025 Annual General Meeting February 18th 2025 6pm with details below in my Presidents Report: an update on our Activating Youth Pickleball in BC project including shipment of equipment from Franklin Sports and an NCCP Level 1 teacher certification event conducted by Mark Renneson on Valentine’s Day; PBCA’s Vancouver Wellness Show full-court pickleball demonstrations in Kitchen Corners here; a “From Our Clubs” report about the upcoming Nanaimo 2025 55+ Games; another “good news” story about how one of our BC clubs utilized our Community Grants Program, this time our Revelstoke Pickleball Club; and, other updates on 2025 tournaments (including the Provincials in Vernon), News, Policy reports and our 2025 initiatives in our Director’s Kitchen Corners section here.
Enjoy all the new news and updates in our January Kitchen Sink Newsletter and see you at our AGM on February 18th!
David Snell
President Pickleball BC
President@PickleballBC.ca
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President’s Report
As outlined above, in this Kitchen Sink Edition we wanted to highlight the following above referenced reports:
Reminder of the Notice of the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Pickleball BC (Association)
Notice was given January 15th, 2025 that the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the registered not-for-profit society Pickleball BC Association will be held via Zoom February 18th commencing at 6:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time. The 2025 AGM Agenda can be found here and Zoom link.
Remember – the meeting is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM sharp. The ‘doors’ will be open at 5:45 PM. Hope to see you then.
Activating Youth Pickleball in BC (“AYPBC”) Project Update
With several project meetings under our belt, having lined up some sponsors like Franklin Sports and project principals, here is the summary of some of our most recent updates from our AYPBC Project:
- Now that schools are back in session, the project is in full operation in each of the 3 Regions, supported by PBCA, the EVES experts and our Regional Affiliated Clubs
- In order to “Activate Youth Pickleball in BC” we have shipped equipment, coaches are being trained (see below), and we have outlined our curriculum for youth pickleball programming K-7 and pickleball club support in our 3 Regions
- We continue to build a prototype for developing physical literacy and nurturing social interaction for elementary school students of all abilities and ages
- And finally, we continue the support and growth of a sport that is wonderfully and incomparably … fun!
Heather Hood and Sharon MacDonald are instrumental in helping us manage this program as Co-Chairs of the PBCA Youth Committee – along with a host of EVES project managers, coaches and teachers in our 3 BC Regions. Stay tuned for more news about our 16 Elementary schools and 500 youth K-7 in BC that we will be introducing pickleball to!
Also on Valentine’s Day, Mark Renneson with assistance from various coaches, conducted NCCP Level 1 training for 24 teachers from Vancouver and Victoria, courtesy of our AYPBC project. See pictures below (appropriate approvals given) at David Thompson High School in Vancouver.
Group of 24 teacher coaches – Mark Renneson NCCP Instructor (far left) and Head of Pickleball Coach Instruction Tennis Canada, David Snell President PBC and Tony Casey Director Global Pickleball Federation (middle back, blue and turquoise jackets respectively).
Teachers’ Certification NCCP Level 1 as it was happening.
Sharon Hoy AYPBC Coordinator (left) and Connie McCann President Victoria Regional Pickleball Association.
Nanaimo 2025 55+ Games September 9th – 13th 2025
Pickleball in the Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games is a four-day competition featuring men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and also mixed doubles.
However, aside from pickleball promotion at this event and increasing its participation year-round, this gives our membership base the opportunity to register and be involved in the 55+ BC Games, and promote the sport competitions in the Games as a possible stepping stone to other competitions or opportunities for participation in each sport.
Dave Eaton current Secretary PBCA & Past President of Nanaimo Pickleball Club describes: “As Sport Chair of Pickleball, I will coordinate resources and work with the 55+ BC Games Society and our local Host Committee to organize what we hope will be the best ever 55+ BC Games Pickleball event. We expect up to 350 players to take part, out of a total of 3,000 participants in the Games across all 25 sports.
Please see full report here.
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 (like Valentine’s Day celebrations) for possible inclusion on our PBC website or Instagram, 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 over the holidays along with time 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:
Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games
The “Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games” Is Coming and PBCA Director Dave Eaton Will Chair The Pickleball Event
Pickleball BC Association (“PBCA”) is proud to announce that Dave Eaton—PBCA Board Secretary and Past President of Nanaimo Pickleball Club—will Chair the Pickleball Event at the upcoming Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games to be held on September 9 – 13, 2025. The Games are presented by BC Seniors Games Society, a PBCA provincial sport partner.
Pickleball and Other Sport Opportunities
Pickleball in the Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games is a four-day competition featuring men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and also mixed doubles.
However, aside from pickleball promotion at this event and increasing its participation year-round, this gives our membership base the opportunity to register and be involved in the 55+ BC Games, and promote the sport competitions in the Games as a possible stepping stone to other competitions or opportunities for participation in each sport.
Dave Eaton, Secretary, PBCA & Past President of Nanaimo Pickleball Club
As Dave describes: “As Sport Chair of Pickleball, I will coordinate resources and work with the 55+ BC Games Society and our local Host Committee to organize what we hope will be the best ever 55+ BC Games Pickleball event. We expect up to 350 players to take part, out of a total of 3,000 participants in the Games across all 25 sports.
Volunteer responsibilities and activities are a significant part of the Games, and Nanaimo, plus the mid-Island region, will bring up to 1,500 volunteers to the Games.”
David Snell, President, Pickleball BC Association
“Dave does an admirable job as our PBCA Board Secretary and after many years on our Board, he has come to the end of his term in 2025; so, we will miss him. But with Dave as the Event Chair, we anticipate the Games’ Pickleball Event will be a tremendous success and PBCA looks forward to participating in whatever way we can to help.” says David Snell.
Information From The Organizer
- The 55+ BC Games are the largest annual multi-sport event for the 55+ population of BC. The Games offer an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports and activities.
- Participants will be attending from all 12 zones within the province to compete in a variety of 23 sports.
- In addition to high quality competition, the Games experience includes social events, which highlight the host community, as well as Opening and Closing Ceremonies to give participants a full multi-sport experience of and partaking in Games Culture.
More about this story can be read here and here.
Keep your eyes on our communication channels (website, Instagram, and newsletter) for more 55+ Games details as we get closer to the date.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Eaton, Chair Pickleball Event at the Games, and
Secretary, Pickleball BC Association
secretary@pickleballbc.ca
dseaton@shaw.ca
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Kitchen Corners: By The Numbers
February 2025 Membership Report
As of February 8, 2025, we have 13,744 active members. This is down from our peak of 21,620 in 2024. We expect to have many more renewals as the weather warms up and predict passing the 2024 peak by at least mid summer. Over the past month, we gained 668 new members, generating $5,010.00 in revenue. The remaining $14,145.00 in revenue for the month came from 1,886 membership renewals.
Two new clubs have been added within the past year.
The average age of our members is 61.45 years. The gender breakdown is 55% female, 44% male, and 1% other.
In summary, we processed a total of 2,554 memberships in January 2025. While this is a considerable decrease from last month, new memberships increased slightly. Specifically, there were 1,886 renewals and 668 new memberships, with renewals more than doubling new registrations.
See you on the courts.
Blair Morton
PBC Registrar
Registrar@PickleballBC.ca
Thinking of joining—follow the link!
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Kitchen Corners: Tournaments
Wellness Show 2025
Pictured above: PBC’s Wellness Show full-size court being tried out.
Wellness Show 2025 February 1st and 2nd
Walter Knecht, PBC Director, organized and reported the following regarding our attendance at the Vancouver Wellness Show recently: “With the significant support of Sam Goode, North Vancouver, and 35 other volunteers from around the Lower Mainland – PBC set up a full size pickleball court within the Wellness Show floor space for the third year in a row.
Over the course of the two Show days about 170 people (both adults and juveniles) were introduced to the game of pickleball live on the court. Our expectation was more than 250 but due to the heavy snowfall early Sunday the overall Show attendance was down by about 1/3 as well.
Paddles were generously provided by Acorn Pickleball, including 2 as prizes. My personal thanks to all the volunteers that did attend and help and the 40 other individuals that offered to come help!”
Walter Knecht Director and Chair PBC Tournaments Committee
Tournaments@PickleballBC.ca
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Kitchen Corners: Head Referee Corners
Responsibilities of Referees
Have you ever wondered what the responsibilities are for a referee when officiating in a pickleball match? Although it may not seem like the referee has to do a whole lot more than keep and announce the score, there are many other primary responsibilities for the referee:
1. Interpret and enforce the rules.
2. Accurately record the match on the scoresheet.
3. Announce the correct score for each rally.
4. Speak clearly and audibly. Use a clear, distinct, and measured cadence when making calls and announcements.
5. Ensure that the server and receiver are the correct players in the correct positions for each rally.
6. Call service, non-volley zone (NVZ), short serve, and other faults.
7. Maintain control and keep the match moving efficiently.
8. Resolve disputes.
9. Enforce fair play and sportsmanship by using verbal warnings, technical warnings, and technical fouls, as appropriate.
10. Rule on line calls when appealed by a player, or not seen by a line judge.
11. Make sure the court environment is safe for play.
In order for a referee to receive accreditation here in BC, as well as across Canada, the referee must display the ability to carry out the above responsibilities when they are called upon to officiate a match. In this way, when competitors step onto a court officiated by an accredited level one, level two, or certified referee, they can have the assurance that their referee is qualified to referee their match.
In 2024, the Referee Maintenance Program was introduced in Canada. The main goal of this program is to make sure that all accredited Canadian referees are keeping up to pickleball officiating standards. In BC, we have 63 accredited officials that we hope will benefit from the program. When our referees are keeping their skills ‘up to date’, competitors can have the assurance that their referee will be carrying out his/her responsibilities to the best of their abilities.
If I can help you out in any way with regards to the rules, please contact me at headrefferee@pickleballbc.ca
Enjoy Pickleball …
Rick Folk
Head Referee
HeadReferee@PickleballBC.ca
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Kitchen Corners: Grants
PCBA Grants Program
Pickleball BC Community Grant Recipient Story
Revelstoke Pickleball Club: Grant #164
“The courts are nicely aligned and square every time we set them out.”
New laser equipment with accuracy and efficiency.
A new and efficient taping-application device in action as they follow the precise laser markings.
Thank you Pickleball BC for the $500 Community Initiative grant that allowed the Revelstoke Pickleball Club to purchase invaluable court marking materials.
Revelstoke, a lovely little mountain town nestled between the Selkirk and the Monashee mountain ranges of eastern BC, enjoys significant snowfall during the winter months. Pickleball is difficult to play with several meters of snow on the ground and, therefore, must be played indoors for up to seven months of the year.
Our club has been granted access to three multipurpose rooms at the Revelstoke Community Centre for indoor pickleball play. As these rooms are also used for social functions such as weddings, banquets, meetings, and so on, the caveat is that we must remove our taped court lines on a somewhat regular basis either for floor waxing and burnishing reasons or because they do not contribute to the ambiance appropriate to those functions.
We have previously laid out courts manually using multiple tape measures and a two-hour time commitment with moderate success. The grant from Pickleball BC allowed our club to purchase a laser level, a tripod, a tape application device, and a supply of tape. These have worked very well for our club to accurately and quickly lay out three adjacent courts at the Revelstoke Community Centre. The courts are nicely aligned and square every time we set them out. The six to eight volunteers who do this on a regular basis manage to complete the task in less time and with greater accuracy.
Thank you, again, for your support for indoor pickleball in Revelstoke.
Greg Louttit
Revelstoke Pickleball Club
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Apply For Your Grant Funding Today
If you have a need and feel that your club qualifies, please apply here, or if you have any questions contact …
Sharon MacDonald
Grant Administrator
Grants@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 $25.00 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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