Monday, July 29, 2013

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Tribute to Beverley Butt, First Lady of Pickleball in Canada

A tribute to Beverley Butt was made in our July Pickleball Canada newsletter www.pickleballcanada.org/news/nl_2011_august.pdf   titled "Beverley Butt, The First Lady of Pickleball". An article was written by Dave Shepherd, President of Pickleball Canada.
A tribute to Bev was also made by Dave Shepherd at the Opening ceremony at the 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open Championship at 8:15 am on July 6, 2013:
"This morning I would like to pay tribute to one of Pickleball Canada's founding Directors, Beverley Butt. Bev, who I am sure many of you know well, retired from Pickleball Canada about two months ago due to ill health. Sadly, Bev passed away peacefully last Monday in Regina. Bev was instrumental in bringing about the fantastic growth of the game in Canada. She was a huge supporter of our National tournament and a wonderful friend to the entire pickleball community. Our condolences go to her husband Dave and son Shane at this time of personal loss. she will be missed by us all."

Monday, July 15, 2013

Thanks to all participants, volunteers and sponsors of 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open

Hello Everyone,
On behalf of the City of Abbotsford thank you for attending the 2nd Annual Pickleball Canada National Open Championships on July 6th and 7th here in the City of Abbotsford. In follow up to our tournament I am forwarding a letter from Dave Shepherd, President, Pickleball Canada and Tournament Director, 2013 National Open.
Ryan Coreau
Community Recreation Coordinator
Abbotsford Recreation Centre

On behalf of Pickleball Canada, I would like to thank all the participants, volunteers and sponsors for making this year's National another great success. The calibre of play was extremely high and although it was extremely competitive all matches were played in a spirit of friendship and fair play. It would be fair to say that we are seeing in Abbotsford some of the best play in the country. We welcomed participants from all parts of North America, from Ontario to Vancouver Island, from Alaska to Arizona. Other than local players in the Greater Vancouver area, all the other participants came to Abbotsford at considerable personal expense to play in the National, and we hope they enjoyed the event and their visit to Abbotsford. We are very fortunate to be able to have this wonderful venue at Abbotsford Rec. Centre and Yale Secondary School and most of all, the cooperation and support we receive from the City of Abbotsford and their entire team is immeasurable. Fortunately this is a city that has a great reputation as a welcoming host city for sporting events.
As Tournament Director for this event, I am certainly aware of some of the limitations when trying to fit in 21 events in 2 days. This year there were 228 registered participants compared to 163 last year.
Planning for next year's event will get under way in about 2 month's time.
I invite your comments and feedback on this year's tournament.
Again, a big thank you to you all.
Sincerely,
Dave Shepherd,
President, Pickleball Canada
Tournament Director, 2013 National Open

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Medal Matches in 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open Championship

It was so exciting to watch the fantastic play by some of the top players in the world at the National last weekend.  It was great to see Brian Lam from Coquitlam, B.C. win the Bronze again this year in Open Mens Singles.  He is probably one of the top men's Singles players in Canada.  He also won a Gold medal in the Under 55 Mixed Doubles with Mida Postler from Port Moody, B.C.

There were 19 players in Open Men's Singles.  The Open Men's Singles Gold medal matches between Chris Miller and Billy Jacobsen was fantastic to watch, Chris Miller won Gold and defeated the defending Champion Billy who won Gold last year.  Chris lost the first match to Jacobsen after a long hard match. He then came back from the loser's bracket to win a match against Jacobsen.  Then it was the sudden death match between them with their hard hitting rallies, overhead smashes, finicky dink shots.  Three courts were used for the gold medal matches with a referee and 2-4 line judges.  Jacobsen was firing hard shots from left to right so that Chris was diving to return the balls by running onto the other two courts at top speed.  Chris was so exhausted that he was lying on the floor several times to catch his breath.  He finally won the Gold after a long and close final gold medal match that went overtime. 

In the Open Women's Singles, Jennifer Lucore from California won Gold and Darcie Jacobsen from Washington won Silver again this year.  It is great to see more Open Women's Singles players this year.  Joy Leising from Oregon won the Bronze. 

In the Open Women's Doubles, Jennifer Lucore (CA)/Darcie Jacobsen (WA) won Gold, Christine Barksdale (WA)/Kimberley Bennet (OR) won Silver, Luba Zhekhosvkaya and Denis Zhekhovskiy (both from South Surrey, B.C.) won Bronze.

In the Open Men's Doubles, Chris Miller (WA)/Billy Jacobsen (WA) won Gold, Denis Zhekhovskiy (BC) won Silver, Zachary Grubbs (IN)/Josh Grubbs (IN) won Bronze. 

Our local Abbotsford/Chilliwack/Mission players fared very well in the medals gaining 20 medals. 
Congratulations to all the medal winners !!!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Results of 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open Championship July 6 - 7, 2013

Tournament Results

Pickleball Canada National Open Championship - 2013-07-06
Men - Singles
Gold Silver Bronze
Open Chris Miller Billy Jacobsen Brian Lam
Women - Singles
Gold Silver Bronze
Open Jennifer Lucore Darcie Jacobsen Joy Leising
Men - Doubles
Gold Silver Bronze
55+ Maurice Parobac - Dan Jmaeff Brian Brunink - Matt Annan Brad Pape - Henry Paynter
60+ Randy Bourne, - Dave Touchet Brian Parkes - George Pool Basil Taylor - Paul Bannes
65+ John Kusch - Henry Meerkerk Peter Darvill - Bud Meltsner Brian Parkes - George Pool
70+ Ron Hohman - Larry Silver John Jetelina - Wayne Kennedy Dave Anthony - Danny Hui
Open Chris Miller - Billy Jacobsen Denis Zhekhovskiy - Scott Lenan Zachary Grubbs - Josh Grubbs
Open Juniors Spencer Loughlin - Jimmy Ahn Brandon Kirk - Ryan Rizzo Samuel Brittain - Brayden Latray
Under 55 Rob Schneider - Dave Briones Rhys Martell - Mat Khan Ken Franz - Gene Latray
Women - Doubles
Gold Silver Bronze
55+ Debby Holley - Claire Pool Diane Gillis - Shirley Knorr Milda Postler - Shirley Edwards
60+ Brenda Jmaeff - Kathleen Parkes Terry Saunders - Wendy Porteous Pat Khan - Beryl Kusch
65+ Diane Hill - Olga Jetelina Susan Nigh - Diane Weeres Janis Puusepp - Pat Crawford
70+ Alice Tym - Betty Silver Inge Scholz - Vera Losko Karen Peniuk - Pat Thomson
Open Jennifer Lucore - Darcie Jacobsen Christine Barksdale - Kimberley Bennett Luba Zhekhovskaya - Trish Graham
Under 55 Elaine Lerner - Anh Tran Trudy Pitcher - Nancy Stern Kathleen Brundo - Feige Li
Mixed Doubles
Gold Silver Bronze
55+ John Savoy - Nancy Stern Bill Dumper - Evelyn Kaatz George Pool - Claire Pool
60+ John Kusch - Elaine Lerner Jim Saunders - Terry Saunders Colin Caldwell - Theresa Orcutt
65+ David Ulis - Anne Mccallum Sjoukje Lehmann - Tom Staites Henry Meerkerk - Kathleen Parkes
70+ Alice Tym - Ron Hohman Vera Loskot - Wayne Kennedy Betty Silver - Larry Silver
Open Christine Barksdale - Josh Grubbs Luba Zhekhovskaya - Denis Zhekhovskiy Sue Fosbery - Pat Fosbery
Under 55 Brian Lam - Milda Postler Roberta Meakin - Peter Neumann Magdalene Choy - Peter Darvill


Friday, July 12, 2013

Report on 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open Championship

Re: Pickleball Canada National Open Championship July 6 - 7, 2013
The second annual Pickleball Canada National Open Championship concluded on Sunday July 7th at 6.30pm.  To all accounts it was an extremely successful event. Our local participants fared well in the medals.  There were 228 registered participants in the event held at Abbotsford Recreation Centre and Yale Secondary School.  Many of the top players in the world participated in this National Event and the calibre of play was extremely high.  We have received many thanks and positive feedback.
A breakdown of the participants home province or state follows:
Number of registered participants from each location is in brackets after the location name as listed below:
CANADA:
B.C. Fraser Valley including Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Chilliwack, Mission - (45)
B.C. Interior including Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, Salmon Arm, Summerland, Penticton, Osoyoos, - (47)
Vancouver Island including Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville - (27)
Greater Vancouver including Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Port Moody, Coquitlam - (51)
Sunshine Coast including Sechelt, Gibsons (6)
Alberta St. Albert (1), Alberta Beach (1), Camrose (2), Sturgeon County (1)
Saskatchewan Regina (1)
Manitoba Winnipeg (1)
Ontario London (2)
USA:
Washington Vancouver (1), Bellingham (6), Desmoines (1), Burien (1), Port Orchard (2), Lake Tapps (2), Washougal (2), Kirkland (1), Olympia (2), Kent(1), Mukilteo (1), Sumas (1), Lake Forest Park (2), Ruston (1).
California San Diego (1), Irvine (1), Los Angeles (2), Oceanside (1), Hamet (1)
Oregon Portland (3)
Arizona Surprise (1)
Indiana Fort Wayne (2), Brookeville (1)
Tennessee McDonald (1)
Virginia Richmond (1)
Alaska Juneau (2)
Florida Sarasota (2)
Hotel rooms booked for the tournament: From the report above, there were more than 130 participants who stayed in hotels. 
Pickleball Canada arranged a Social Dinner at Phoenix Lounge on July 6 and there were about 60 guests. Many other restaurants, shops and services received the financial benefits from these visitors to Abbotsford. 
Last year's 1st National Open Championship was a resounding success. This year's 2nd National Open had an additional 70 registrants and was also an unqualified success with even more out of town players. Top players came from all over Canada and the USA to compete in The Pickleball Canada National Open, the largest and most competitive pickleball tournament in Canada. The Mayor of Abbotsford welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony at 8:00 am on Saturday July 6.  Abbotsford News reported this exciting annual National event on July 10. http://www.abbynews.com/sports/214933581.html  All participants received Tourism Abbotsford information packages in addition to a logo'd water bottle from ARC and Pickleball Canada.  Photographs and names of winners are published on our websites, newsletters and blogs.

Our sincere thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers and players for your assistance and support of the 2013 Pickleball Canada National Open Championship !!!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Abbotsford News: Canadian Open pickleball tournament

Spencer Loughlin and partner Sukhi Randhawa during under-55 men’s doubles action at the Canadian Open pickleball tournament at ARC on the weekend. Loughlin won the junior men’s doubles title with partner Jimmy Ahn.
Abbotsford News - Sports Published: July 10, 2013 10:00 AM

Canadian Open pickleball tournament growing by leaps and bounds


Dave Shepherd is one of Canada's biggest pickleball proponents, but even he's been blown away by the growth of the sport over the past year.
In 2012, Shepherd spearheaded the staging of the inaugural Pickleball Canada National Open Championship, and the event – held at Abbotsford Recreation Centre and Yale Secondary – drew 168 competitors.
The second annual Canadian Open, held last weekend in the same two gymnasiums, easily eclipsed last year's attendance numbers, drawing 228 participants from all corners of the continent, from Ontario to California to Florida to Alaska.
"It's amazing, the amount of growth," marveled Shepherd, who serves as president of Pickleball Canada alongside his wife Shirley, a director with the organization. "On average, we get probably three or four emails a week from new groups starting off in Canada. They start off as small groups with eight to 10 players, and the next thing you know, there's 30 or 40."
Pickleball, for the uninitiated, is a hybrid of tennis and badminton, played with a hard paddle and a wiffle-type ball on a badminton-sized court, with the net lowered to 36 inches.
Abbotsford has become a hotbed for the fledgling sport – 40 locals competed at the Canadian Open, and 20 of those individuals climbed the podium.
The tourney featured a junior doubles division for the first time, drawing three local boys teams. Spencer Laughlin and Jimmy Ahn won gold, while Brandon Kirk and Ryan Rizzo won silver and Samuel Brittain and Brayden Latray took bronze.
Other Abbotsford medalists on the men's side included the duo of Brian Parkes and George Pool (silver in 60+ men's doubles and bronze in 65+ men's doubles), Rhys Martell and Mat Khan (silver in under-55 men's doubles), Ken Franz and Gene Latray (bronze in under-55 men's doubles), Brian Brunink (silver in 55+ men's doubles with Matt Annan) and Henry Meerkerk (gold in 65+ men's doubles with John Kusch).
On the women's side, medalists included Debby Holley and Claire Pool (gold in women's 55+ doubles), Kathleen Parkes (silver in 60+ women's doubles with partner Brenda Jmaeff), Pat Khan (bronze in 60+ women's doubles with Beryl Kusch), Inge Scholz (silver in 70+ women's doubles with Vera Loskot) and Feige Li (bronze in under-55 women's doubles with Kathleen Brundo).
Local medalists on the mixed doubles scene were George Pool and Claire Pool (bronze in 55+) and Henry Meerkerk and Brian Parkes (bronze in 65+).
"There's no question that here in Abbotsford, we have some top-notch players," Shepherd noted. "The level of play is pretty darn good."

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

YouTube Video of Pickleball Canada National Open Championship

Pickleball Canada National Open Championship YouTube Video 9:30 am July 6, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWglTDott6o

Monday, July 8, 2013

PICKLEBALL CANADA TOURNAMENT POINTS

PICKLEBALL CANADA TOURNAMENT POINTS  July 8, 2013
Tier 1  Gold 1600 points  Silver  800 points   Bronze 400 points 
PointsWinners Name
3200John Kusch, Elaine Lerner, Jennifer Lucore
2400Nancy Stern
2000Brian Lam, Henry Meerkerk, Cathy Parkes, George Pool, Claire Pool
1600Denis Zhekhovskiy, Terry Saunders, Brenda Jmaeff, Dan Jmaeff, 
Debby Holley, Diane Hill, John Savoy, David Ulis, Maurice Parobec
1200Luba Zhekhovskaya, Brian Parkes, Peter Darvill
800Matt Khan, Jim Saunders, Roberta Meakin, Shirley Knorr,
Wendy Porteous, Susan Nigh, Inge Scholz, Trudy Pitcher,
Vera Loskot, Diane Gillis
400Beryl Kusch, Pat Khan, Sue Fosbery, Pat Fosbery,Gene Latray
Shirley Edwards, Karen Peniuk, Colin Caldwell, Ken Franz,Feige Li

Group Photo of Pickleball Canada National Championship July 6, 2013

This group-photo does not include all the players due to those scheduled for late morning play had not yet arrived. Ed reports "The City of Abbotsford, Mayor Banman, sang O'Canada. There were well over 300 attending. The event had awesome games, great food and wonderful happy-active people having a super time is the best I can describe it. Dave & Shirley Shepherd did an amazing job organizing everything and everybody. They are the best."

More Photos of Pickleball Canada National Championship


 Open Juniors Doubles - Spencer Laughlin/Jimmy Ahn, Brandon Kirk/Ryan Rizzo, Samuel Brittain/Brayden Latray
Open Mens Singles - Chris Miller (WA), Billy Jacobsen (WA), Brian Lam (BC)
Open Womens Singles - Jennifer Lucore (CA), Darcie Jacobsen (WA), Joy Leising (OR)

 Open Womens Doubles Jennifer Lucore/Darcie Jacobsen (CA/WA), Christine Barksdale/Kimberley Bennet (CA/WA)t, Luba Zhekhovskaya/Trish Graham (BC/WA)
Open Mens Doubles Chris Miller/Billy Jacobsen (WA, WA), Denis Zhekhovskiy/Scott Lenan (BC/WA), Zachary Grubbs/Josh Grubbs (IN/IN)

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Photos of Pcikeball Canada National Open Championship

Open Womens Doubles Jennifer Lucore/Darcie Jacobsen, Christine Barksdale/Kimberley Bennett, Luba Zhekhovskaya/Trish Graham
Gold Medallists: Billy & Darcie Jacobsen, Jennifer Lucore, Chris Miller
Open Mixed Doubles - Christine Barksdale/Josh Grubbs, Luba Zhekhovskaya/Denis Zhekhovskiy, Sue Fosbery/Pat Fosbery

Results of Pickleball Canada National Open Championship July 7

Results of Pickleball Canada National Open Championship July 7
55+ Mixed Doubles -  John Savoy/Nancy Stern, Bill Dumper/Evelyn Kaatz, George Pool/Claire Pool
60+ Mixed Doubles - John Kusch/Elaine Lerner, Jim Saunders/Terry Saunders, Colin Caldwell/Theresa Orcutt
65+ Mixed Doubles - David Ulis/Anne McCallum, Sjoukje Lehmann/Tom Staites, Henry Meerkerk, Brian Parkes
70+ Mixed Doubles - Alice Tym/Ron Hohman (BC/Alaska), Vera Loskot/Wayne Kennedy, Betty Silver/Larry Silver (WA/WA)
Open Mixed Doubles - Christine Barksdale/Josh Grubbs (WA/IN), Luba Zhekhovskaya/Denis Zhekhovskiy (BC/BC), Sue Fosbery/Pat Fosbery (BC/BC)
Under 55 Mixed Doubles - Brian Lam/Milda Postler, Roberta Meakin/Peter Neumann, Magdalene Choy/Peter Darvill
Open Mens Singles - Chris Miller (WA), Billy Jacobsen (WA), Brian Lam (BC)
Open Womens Singles - Jennifer Lucore (CA), Darcie Jacobsen (WA), Joy Leising (OR)
Open Juniors Doubles - Spencer Laughlin/Jimmy Ahn, Brandon Kirk/Ryan Rizzo, Samuel Brittain/Brayden Latray
Mayor Banman of the City of Abbotsford welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Pickleball Canada National Open Championship July 6 - 7, 2013

It was a wonderful busy long day at ARC packed with 230 participants from 7:00 am to 7:15 pm.  So exciting to watch the top players competing at the largest pickleball tournament in Canada!  Our big thanks to the City of Abbotsford, Ryan Coreau, Dino Tsembelis and Kim Griffith, 40 volunteers and referees.  Thank you to our sponsors: Investors Group, Tourism Abbotsford, Pickle-Ball Inc., Pro-Lite Sports, All About Pickleball, Pickleball Outfitters, I Got It Pickleball, Courtside Sports, IGA, Safeway, Bridgestone Tires, Saxbee Insurance, North Bellingham Golf Course, Murray GM Abbotsford, Great Clips, Chilliwack Pickleball, Pickleball International, OldSpaghetti Factory, Ocean Park Pizza and Domino's Pizza.  Many vendor tables with the latest paddles and pickleball attires and raffle table with over 70 prizes.  Len Taal and his wife Anna Marie from Victoria helped with the membership table and refereed some gold medal matches.  Rosie Roper from California was a player and the Head referee.  Pickleball Canada's President Dave Shepherd and Secretary Shirley Shepherd were the Tournament Directors.   Medal Presenters: Past President Bill Canning, Dave and Shirley Shepherd.  Ed Burke was our official photographer.  Abbotsford News's reporter John Morrow was there to report this event.  Thanks to so many volunteers:  Ken Witt, Danny Garinger, Kary Taylor, Judy Newman, Grant Brittain, Anne, Janet Hutchinson, Jennifer, Iris, Nigel Dance, Leslie Spier, Henrietta Waters and many more.  Mayor Banman led the singing of the National anthem at the opening ceremony.
Our tournament went off very well with 60 US players competing. We had players from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana, Florida, Alaska with Jennifer Lucore, Darcie Jacobsen, Christine Barksdale, Kimberley Bennet, Joy Leising, Chris Miller, Billy Jacobsen, Josh and Zack Grubbs. Having these top 5.0 players competing has really boosted our numbers and the level of play has increased dramatically. The top Canadian players are really benefiting from the competition. 
Huge crowds were watching the matches with many cheers and applauses, expecially in the Gold medal matches by Jennifer Lucore/Darcie Jacobsen (CA/WA) and Christine Barksdale/Kimberley Bennett(CA/OR) in Open Women's Doubles and Chris Miller/Billy Jacobsen (WA) and Denis Zhekhovskiy/Scott Lenan (BC/WA) in Open Men's Doubles.   There were so many 5.0 players performing their incredible athletic skill and talent with fantastic dink shots, overhead smashes and volleys.   
Each participant received a goodie bag and a beautiful waterbottle with the logos of PCO and the City of Abbotsford. ARC provided delicious lunches with an assortment of sandwiches, muffins, chips, oranges, bananas, bottled water, coffee and tea served all day.  
RESULTS 
55+ Womens Doubles Debby Holley/Claire Pool, Diane Gillis/Shirley Knorr, Milda Postler/Shirley Edwards
60+ Womens Doubles Brenda Jmaeff/Kathleen Parkes, Terry Saunders/Wendy Porteous, Pat Khan/Beryl Kusch
65+ Womens Doubles Diane Hill/Olga Jetelina, Susan Nigh/Diane Weeres, Janis Pssepp/Pat Crawford
70+ Womens Doubles Alice Tym/Betty Silver, Inge Scholz/Vera Loskot, Karen Peniuk/Pat Thomson
Open Womens Doubles Jennifer Lucore/Darcie Jacobsen (CA/WA) , Christine Barksdale/Kimberley Bennett (WA/CA), Luba Zhekhovskaya/Trish Graham (BC/WA)
Under 55 Womens Doubles Elaine Lerner/Anh Tran, Trudy Pitcher/Nancy Stern, Kathleen Brundo/Feige Li (CA/BC)
55+ Mens Doubles Maurice Parobac/Dan Jmaeff, Brian Brunink/Matt Annan, Brad Pape/Henry Paynter
60+ Mens Doubles Randy Bourne/Dave Touchet, Brian Parkes/Earl Hill, Basil Taylor/Paul Bannes
65+ Mens Doubles John Kusch/Henry Meerkerk, Peter Darvill/Bud Meltsner, Brian Parkes/George Pool
70+ Mens Doubles Ron Hohman/Silver(Alaska/WA), John Jetelina/Wayne Kennedy, Dave Anthony/Danny Hui
Open Mens Doubles Chris Miller/Billy Jacobsen (WA/WA), Denis Zhekhovskiy/Scott Lenan (BC/WA), Zachary Grubbs/Josh Grubbs (IN/IN)

Under 55 Mens Doubles Rob Schneider/Dave Briones, Rhys Martell/Mat Khan, Ken Franz/Gene Latray

Friday, July 5, 2013

Social dinner at Phoenix Lounge 6:30pm on July 6

Social Dinner after the 1st day's events at the National Tournament
Join us for a social dinner at 6:30pm on Saturday July 6 at the
 Phoenix Lounge on 33780 King Road, Abbotsford. 
The Phoenix Lounge & Global Dining are both located next to each other across from the
Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. The cost of dinner is NOT included in the
National tournament. Each player will need to pay their own bill.
$10.00 Dinner Special Menu offered are:
1. Hi-Rise Burger -grilled 1/4 pound Prime Rib burger garnished with all the trimmings
served with sea-salted fries or garden salad 
2. The Margherita 10” pizza topped with fresh basil, tomato and rich tomato sauce, topped
with melted Mozzarella, Monterey Jack & Bocconcini cheese. 
3. Old Style fish & chips cod loin in a light beer batter, served with fries and tartar sauce.
Other items on the menu and drinks can be purchased at the regular price

The whole day was spent setting up at ARC and Yale.  Dave, Shirley and Mike spent 6 hours taping the NVZ lines on 14 courts. Danny Garinger, Ken Witt and other volunteers helped to set up, put up banners, nets, posters, court numbers, tables, chairs etc.  We have trained 25 volunteers to do scorekeeping, food and registration table.  There will be many other volunteers doing referees and other jobs.  Everything is ready to go!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Practice Time for Tournament Participants July 5, 5pm – 8pm

Pickleball Canada National Championship:
Practice time for Pickleball Tournament Participants at ARC will be Friday, July 5, 2013 5pm – 8pm $2 drop in