By Lisa Parent

Western Regional Pickleball Championships to draw in newcomers

Apr 19, 2023 | 5:07 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada. With the addition of the new outdoor courts, the Medicine Hat pickleball community is booming.

Gaye Stewart first joined the growing community of pickleball players when he moved to Medicine Hat a year and half ago, and now he organizes social events to bring players together.

“I’ve met 250 people probably or more since I moved here. I wouldn’t have met anybody if I hadn’t been playing pickleball . So I just wanted to do something where we all get together from all different venues and try and get everyone to meet each other,” he says.

Stewart also commends the sport for the community and the people within it.

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“It’s more than just pickleball, it’s about meeting people and having fun and it’s definitely fun.”

With its growing popularity, Medicine Hat is hosting the 2023 Pickleball Canada Western Regional Championships.

Tournament Director Brenda Lea MacPhail expects a big turnout for the event.

“We have a lot of people from out of town that come in. They stay in hotels, they eat in restaurants, they go to tourist activities, and they’re great at supporting the communities that they go to,” says MacPhail.

She says that these big events create more interest in the sport and she encourages people to attend Western Regionals.

“I would say just taking a look behind me here this morning there are lots of people that I have never seen before and so when they get to see the sport and they get a better understanding of the sport, they start to get excited about it, and next thing you know they’ve bought themselves a paddle and they’re out there playing,” says MacPhail.

And although the Western Regional Championships are competitive, MacPhail notes that pickleball is a sport for everyone.

“My husband and I, we throw our paddles in our backpacks , we throw a couple of balls in , and we can play anywhere in the world. So it’s just easy and it’s also extremely inexpensive, it costs $85 to join our club,” says MacPhail.

“The community of sport when it comes to pickleball is outstanding, it’s outstanding. People are so friendly and so willing to take the skills that they’ve learned and transfer them to others,” she adds.

The 2023 Canada Western Regional Championships draw in about 500 players from the four prairie provinces and the Yukon.

It takes place July 6-9 at the South Country Co-op Pickleball courts at the Big Marble Go Centre.