2 Female Pickleball Pro's at Canadian Nationals coming

In a recent post we mentioned that there are 2 male pickleball pro's coming to the Canadian nationals next week in Abbotsford. We forgot to mention that there are also 2 Female pickleball pros coming as well! Jenifer Lucore (at left) is the 2011 Ladies open singles champion, and open ladies doubles. The other lady not pictured is Darcie Jacobsen, who has also won numerous USAPA awards. I know these ladies could whip me no problem...You go girl(s)!

Canadian Nationals & the NVZ

Pickleball Canada is hosting the Canadian Nationals next week in Abbotsford. Typically all recreation centers in North America, or at least Canada, have been using the badminton lines as pickleball lines. In preparation of the nationals is was found out that the NVZ (kitchen) line is 6" short. To come into compliance with IFP rules, Pickleball Canada will be taping the NVZ correctly. It shouldn't drastically change anyones game, but instead make the game that much more concurrent with the rules that we all play by. way to go Pickleball Canada :)

USAPA Nationals Champions playing at Canadian nationals

2 of pickleballs top players are coming to play at the Canadian Pickleball Nationals in Abbotsford, July 7-8, 2012. Billy Jacobsen (top Left) and Chris Miller (Right) have won gold in men's open singles & men's open doubles. I've seen youtube clips of these 2 gentleman playing, and you can tell why they are the best. It will be great to see these 2 and many more in Abbotsford next week. If you haven't decided if you were coming, make plans now to witness North America's best pickleball players and supporters. We at Pickleball International will be on hand selling pickleball supplies both days. come by to watch and say Hi to us at the booth.

Pickleball in India

Pickleball has been a part of the North American sports scene since 1965, and countless Canadian & American's continually are being introduced to pickleball still. Is pickleball International? Word from the All India pickleball Association states that pickleball has been growing more and more in the past 4 years. It is played in a lot of schools and universities. This summer they will have their first All India pickleball tournament. If I had a ticket I know I'd love to be part of that tournament in a new and growing country sport.

Pickleball Rules Refresher: Server let

Weird thing happened the other day at pickleball that I've only read about. My partner and I were receiving the serve, and the server served the ball and it hit the net. In my mind i thought, "No worries it'll just be a re-serve." But then it continued it's course and struck my partner who was standing in the non receiving court. What is the pickleball ruling on that? Is it a let for them or a point for them. According to IFP rules 4.F.3 it states: The served ball hits the net and strikes the receiver or the receiver’s partner.

Where's the pickleball photo's?

We tried last week to take some pickleball photos at the rec center. Being the nice, honest guy I am I approached the Rec center to let them know that a photographer from Mission was coming this evening to take some photos of our pickleball members. I was informed that that would not be allowed, as the city has a "No Photo Policy!" Needless to say our photographer was sent away at the door, and now no action shots of great pickleball play. Can you help? Send us photos of you playing pickleball, or pickleball photos you have, or friends have of your club in North America. We aim to use them on our website on a pickleball photo page, and in marketing the sport. Send pictures to:  pickleballinternational@gmail.com

Pickleball paddle review: Onix Hammer

We are reviewing the Onix Hammer wooden pickleball paddle. Normally, we don't like to review wooden pickleball paddles, but these are different them your rec center wood paddles. The folks at Onix Sports, have redesigned wooden pickleball paddles: lighter, good looking, and comfortable. The Hammer weighs in at 9oz, has a varnished face with a nice contour grip handle that is better then having a hand full off wood on skin like the rec center variety. The standard wood paddle is the Diller or Swinger that weighs just under 11 oz, is unvarnished, and has a wood grip. You would probably not want to be playing tournaments, or daily recreational pickleball with them, but they are great for new pickleball clubs, or for taking to the cabin for friends and family that stop by during the summer. These paddles sell for $25 each. Contact us to purchase these nice little wooden paddles.

Largest Canadian pickleball Tournament coming

Yes the excitement is building! In a little over 1 month the first ever Canadian Pickleball nationals will be in Abbotsford BC. July 7 & 8, 2012! Counting down the days! There are 170 pickleballers coming from all over Canada & the USA. This will be the largest pickleball tournament in Canada, and a chance to show why Pickleball is North America's fastest growing sport.

Pickleball Photo day: Tuesday June 5 @ ARC

For this great sport of Pickleball there seems to be no great pickleball photo's! That will change tomorrow night...hopefully:) I've invited a semi-professional photographer friend to attend our Tuesday evening drop-in pickleball session to get some great action shots of young and old (or should I say young and experienced) pickleball players, male and female pickleball players. Some will be used for our website advertising, but more importantly to show off our great sport locally and internationally! Tell your buddies, and pickleballers to be there for the photos, and some amazing matches.

Pickleball Paddle Review: PickleballNow XL Lite

The other day I played with 1 of the paddles I've had a bunch that I have had on hand, but haven't played with. The paddle is from PickleballNow  and is not their largest paddle, but darn close. The dimensions are 15" in length, and 8 3/4" in width, and weighs in at 8.5 oz. The paddle is made of fiberglass, with a honeycomb core. This paddle is wide, and was hard to get use at first. The handle is long measuring 4 3/4", and average size thickness with a thin overgrip. It would be easy to add thicker grip, and would be advisable considering how thin the grips are. Once I got playing with the paddle I found it to be quite powerful for net play, but unless you are use to a wide body paddle it will feel awkward in your hand for those hard shots. Now I know a few friends that play with this paddle, and they are guys who are over 6', and have doubled up the thickness of the grip, and love the feeling of the paddle for the slam shots, and the faster net shots. The IFP (2012) has found that some of these paddles to be to large for tournament play. The newer paddles have an integrated plastic edge, or some of my friends have peeled off the larger edge guard and thrown a few layers of tape. Overall, for those looking for one of the largest paddles in the pickleball market, or one looking for a fiberglass paddle this is for you. If you have been using a regular shaped pro-lite or s-type paddle this might seem awkward. New paddles on their website sell for $89.95 or buy a new factory second through us for $60 CDN.

Pickleball's young future?

The other day I was on the computer watching highlights of Canadian cyclist, Ryder Hesjedal claim the crown as winner of the prestigious Giro D ' Italia bike race. I had heard his name many times in the past few years as he rode in various Mtn. bike and road race victories. This young Canadian has a tireless work ethic to train and evidence was this monumental victory. But how about in pickleball? Who are those young players who are the bright future to carry this game forward? Looking at some of the tournaments in the States you see divisions for the school aged kids. It's taught as part of the school curriculum! There are some great university students from our local University that are amazing athletes, and their play of pickleball is great to watch. My 10 year old son Samuel, has amazing hand-eye coordination and knows the strategies of pickleball play that would do well in tournaments. Yet most drop-in pickleball times do not allow for youth to play pickleball. (Age 16+, 55+, memeber-only.) These youth are the future of pickleball! How can Pickleball Canada, or the USAPA and all the drop-in pickleball groups reach out to these up and comers to further pickleball? What's happening where you live?

Drop-in Pickleball: Play nice

How many times have you gone to not your usual drop-in pickleball place at a recreation center, and found it awkward to mix with the regulars. I know for myself, I have been fortunate enough to go to some great centers that are very welcoming to have new faces to play against, even learn new things. But then there are those other centers where you can't get into a decent game, or the same people will play game after game together. This occurred the other night at our rec center where fellow pickleballers from other out of town groups came (great players) and found it hard to mix. Yikes! I soon rectified the situation, and tried to get them playing. was everybody to blame...hardly. Some people have that hospitable spirit within them to welcome new people, others might feel intimidated, and others desire that they only play with the best. I played these new people that I knew, because they are great players, and were probably the best games of my night. When we were in Kindergarten, and we went out at recess to play, there would always be people at the sandbox. Some people just did their own thing, others saw an opportunity to play with new friends, and enjoy their time.