The 2025 Comazzetto Group Kamloops Open Pickleball Tournament will take place this Friday through Sunday at Riverside Park. The event, hosted by the Kamloops Pickleball Club, expects a record 400 players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Montana. Competitors will play on 10 dedicated courts plus six tennis courts adapted for pickleball.
Growth of the Kamloops Open
The Kamloops Pickleball Club has seen the tournament grow from its first event with just 60 players in a school gym. Ross Perkin, the tournament founder, said,
“I’ve just been really happy to see the growth of this sport since the beginning.” – (Ross Perkin)
The event moved from McDonald Park to Riverside Park to accommodate more players and courts.
“It is such an easy sport to play, so people come in that have played racket sports and they generally are pretty good right from the beginning. But even people that have never played any racket sport before… my wife is over there right now. She had never done the sport in her life. She plays three or four days a week and absolutely loves it.” – (Ross Perkin)
Preparing for the Tournament
Players practiced their serves, volleys, and dinks on Monday morning ahead of the event. Tournament director Wilma Steinke said,
“Pickleball is exploding. It’s a very social game and it’s easy to pick up. You can come down to the courts and find people to play. You don’t have to have pre-arranged games. It’s easy on the body physically.” – (Wilma Steinke)
Court Expansion and Club Growth
The Kamloops Pickleball Club has about 600 paid members and is working with the city to get more courts.
“We’ve been working with the city for quite a while to get more courts and they’ve been in talks with us. We would like to have 25 courts in one spot so we can hold provincial tournaments. Right now, we can’t. It’s too small. Sixteen is not enough courts.” – (Wilma Steinke)
New Prize Money and Demographic Changes
For the first time, top players in the 5.0 skill divisions will compete for prize money. Wilma Steinke noted the changing player base.
“It started off as maybe a lot of 60-year-olds. We’d all retired and started playing. Now it’s changing very rapidly. It’s a much younger demographic. Under-30s are just exploding in the tournament, as well as just coming down in the evenings to play.” – (Wilma Steinke)
Wide Age Range and Schedule
Players aged 13 to 79 have signed up. The schedule includes women’s doubles and men’s singles on Friday, mixed doubles on Saturday, and men’s doubles and women’s singles on Sunday. Wilma Steinke invited the public to attend.
“Come down and watch and see what pickleball is all about and catch the excitement. We’ve got lots of vendors that are going to be here. We have lots of sponsors and you can watch some really good pickleball.” – (Wilma Steinke)
News in Brief: Kamloops Open Pickleball Tournament
The Kamloops Open Pickleball Tournament runs May 30 to June 1 at Riverside Park with 400 players expected. It features 16 courts, including six tennis courts converted for play. The event introduces prize money for top players and sees growth in younger participants. Spectators are welcome to watch and enjoy the games.