Sports nonprofit brings a new pickleball league to Coquitlam
Elevation Athletics, a non-profit, recently started its first pickleball league in Coquitlam.
The organization’s goal with its eight-week programs are to create a “third space” for people outside work or home, said Jarred Reid, one of the West Coast leaders for EA.
“It’s an up and coming, growing sport that a lot of individuals across many different ages and demographics are having a ton of fun playing. So we’re excited to get some good pickleball programming here available in BC,” Reid said.
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While the first league is already full, EA is planning to start a doubles league at Glen Elementary from May 5 to June 11 for players 18 and older.
People can join by themselves or with a partner. EA sets up the nets in Glen Elementary, but asks players to bring their own paddles.
Every week, people will have the opportunity to play with different players, while building points — and going up and down the rankings depending how well they did compared to other players.
Reid encourages people of all abilities to join the league. While they don’t offer full lessons, he said they have coordinators at the gym who can help newcomers learn the basics of the sport.
“What we’re just trying to offer is pickleball availability to everyone, despite your experience level, if you’re interested in playing the sport and picking up something new, it’s definitely a great thing to try.”
Pickleball is an easy sport to pick up, he added.
This might be part of the reason why it has exploded in popularity in recent years, with one survey estimating 1.54 million people across Canada are playing it. The largest increase in participation was in the 35-54 age group — despite the fact that the sport used to be more popular with older demographics.
Reid said that pickleball is a great sport for building community.
“And it builds quickly, where once people go and play a few times, they’re really having a good time, and they’re eager to get back out and play with new friends, make make new teammates,” he said.
According to the Global Pickleball Network, there are 15 pickleball courts in Coquitlam. Other pickleball organizations include Pocomo.
Related: Pickleball collective looking to expand in Tri-Cities
