Nanaimo 55-Plus Games Pickleball Tournament: Pickleball drew a large crowd at the Nanaimo 55-Plus B.C. Games on Friday, September 12, at Beban Park. Officials said it is one of the most popular sports at the event. About 380 players registered, enjoying friendly competition and the chance to win medals.
Diana Johnstone, president of the Nanaimo 55-Plus B.C. Games, joked that pickleball players nearly overloaded the online registration system. Dave Eaton, the event’s pickleball chairperson, said the field was “definitely full.”
Managing a Busy Event
“Registration happened very quickly, and it filled up very quickly, but because 55-plus doesn’t have a cap on numbers, we kept on going until the last day of registration, which was on June 15, and we ended up with roughly 380 players,” Eaton said.
Eaton explained the logistics were complex. “We have 14 courts, we have that many players, we have age groups, we have skill levels, we have singles and we have doubles, so it’s a lot of different variables that we work with, and we try to create an event for each player that they get a minimum of four games and hopefully more,” he said.
Pickleball’s Popularity
Eaton noted that pickleball’s growth is tied to both competition and social interaction. “It’s taken off in the last few years because of the social aspect of the game, I think, as much as anything else,” he said. “You could come out, have fun with your friends, do a lot of trash talking, a lot of supporting each other. They say this game is for all ages … A lady from Chemainus, Shirley Moore, very famous around here, 83 years old, played and played well and got a medal … it suits a lot of different people.”
Positive Feedback on the Courts
The Beban Park courts were officially opened last October. Eaton said players from both local and out-of-town communities have praised the facilities. “Right now, I’m getting a lot of comments and compliments from people from out of town who say they wish they had something like this where they live,” he said. “We’re very fortunate, and we have overflow of six more courts down below … it works well.”
News in Brief: Nanaimo 55-Plus Games Pickleball Tournament
About 380 players competed in pickleball at the Nanaimo 55-Plus B.C. Games at Beban Park on September 12. Officials said the event was challenging to organize but very popular. Players of all ages enjoyed singles and doubles matches. New courts received praise from local and visiting participants.
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