Waterloo hosts the Pickleball Ontario Championship Series
July 26-28, 2024.
July 2023
Waterloo Region is preparing to welcome top athletes from across the province in one of the fastest growing sports when it hosts the Pickleball Ontario Championship Series Qualifier at RIM Park in Waterloo later this month.
Not quite tennis and not quite badminton, pickleball is a racket sport played with a hollow plastic ball and paddles with rules like that of tennis.
And the sport has taken the region by storm.
Nina Jakovljevic, Manager of Marketing and Business for Recreation Services for the City of Waterloo, has played an important role alongside Explore Waterloo Region in securing the hosting rights for the qualifier.
Jakovljevic has seen firsthand the growth of the sport locally and is excited to see such a high caliber event come to the region.
“Our mandate as a city is to meet resident’s needs,” Jakovljevic said.
“If our residents want to play pickleball, then that’s what we’re looking to bring in. If we’re keeping our finger on the pulse of activities that Waterloo residents are interested in, then we need to respond to that demand. That’s the simple reason for our being.”
Showcasing sport also makes a positive local impact
The qualifier isn’t just a tournament, it’s an opportunity to showcase a diverse recreational offering while positively impacting the local economy.
“There’s a benefit of having our residents engage in an activity that’s useful to them from a social and active standpoint,” Jakovljevic said.
“Then there’s the component of the economic side. You have folks from the Greater Toronto Area and outer radius coming in spending money at our restaurants, shops, staying at our hotels and using our public transit. That’s a huge economic benefit.”
Choosing Waterloo Region was strategic on the part of Pickleball Ontario.
With an increasing population, central location and rising interest in the sport, it’s an ideal spot to grow the game.
“Pickleball Ontario is committed to the growth of our sport in Waterloo Region,” Daphne Reid, president of Pickleball Ontario, said in a release.
“The Championship Series provides a great opportunity to further the growth of the game while we seek to work with local stakeholders to ensure we meet our mandate. We look forward to having a great event.”
But the provincial governing body isn’t just using Waterloo as a place to play, it’s committed to supporting the community well after the qualifier is over.
Local schools and students are set to benefit from the donation of equipment aimed at leaving a lasting impact.
“The donation includes a net, pickleballs and four sets of paddles – it’s a way for Pickleball Ontario to reach out to communities and help grow the sport of pickleball,” Reid said.
“These items can be used by all elementary schools in the region by signing them out from the school board resource centre. Our aim is for pickleball to become an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) and Olympic sport. Helping students learn about the game is imperative to growing the sport.”
Bringing sport events to Waterloo Region
Playing the role of host allows the region to branch out and support different demographics of people to assist in forming connections among residents.
It’s all about being open to exploring new avenues of community focused recreation, an idea that’s supported by other organizations, like the Sport Hosting Office at Explore Waterloo Region.
By working with over 100 national and provincial sport bodies, plus local clubs, the possibilities for hosting options are endless.
“With the huge popularity and growth of pickleball in recent years, it made sense for us to try and bring an event in that sport to Waterloo Region,” Allistar Scorgie, Director of Sport Hosting said.
“We know there’s widespread interest from the community, and Waterloo was one of the original Pickleball Ontario Series hosts, years back – so it’s a nice full circle moment.”
With the sport being affordable and easy to learn, the event plays a unique role in putting it on broader display for people to see.
When the tournament ends, Scorgie hopes even more people will become interested in picking up a paddle.
“It’s a sport that’s incredibly accessible and easy to pick up, for a wide range of ages and physical abilities,” he said.
“It’s a great ‘second’ sport for athletes who have stopped competing at a high level in other more physically demanding disciplines. It’s a sport that you can become good at very quickly. Someone can golf their entire life and never be ‘good’ at it, whereas pickleball is a sport you can pick up and excel at in a matter of months.”
The Pickleball Ontario Championship Series Qualifier takes place at RIM Park from July 26 to 28.
Winners in each division will earn a spot in the 2024 Championship Series final, which will be held from August 8 to 10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Pickleball Ontario Fun Facts via pickleballontario.org
- Origins of the game date back to 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington
- State Representative Joel Pritchard and his friends were hoping to play badminton but couldn’t find a shuttlecock, so they improvised by creating paddles out of wood, lowering the net and using a whiffle ball. From there, the sport was born
- Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in Ontario
- The game is played on a badminton-sized court
- Pickleball Ontario is a non-profit association made up of volunteer enthusiasts