Registration week for Ottawa Pickleball Association
Pickleball news - November 13 2022
Ottawa/Gatineau region OPA registration week is this week for the winter leagues
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FADOQ tournament results (Gatineau, November 5 2022)
The full results are now in for the November 5, 2022 pickleball tournament at the Centre sportif de Gatineau, a joint initiative between FADOQ and the Association régionale de pickleball de l’Outaouais (ARPO). FADOQ (525,000 members) is the largest seniors' organization in Canada. It brings together and represents people aged 50 and over with the goal of improving and maintaining their quality of life. Save the date for the ARPO's next big provincial tournament at the Centre sportif de gatineau - April 29 and 30, 2023.
Hommes 3.0 (Men's 3.0)
Gold: André Mongeon/Claude Montreuil
Silver: Alain Brunet/Donald Poirier
Bronze: Rock Parent/Réal Malenfant
Hommes 3.5 (Men's 3.5)
Gold: Jean-Pierre de Beaumont/Patrice Bellehumeur
Silver: Martin Pelletier/Roberto Camarra
Bronze: André Côte/Daniel Desjardins
GREYSTONE OPEN - WATERLOO ONTARIO (NOVEMBER 11-13) A few local players invaded the medal podiums in southwestern Ontario at Waterlooès Greystone Open November 11-13, 2022, where 337 players participated in various pickleball events. Congrats to.....
Huyen Nguyen: bronze in mens doubles senior open (highest skill level for that age group) Stephanie Kawamoto and Mark De Abreu: gold in mixed doubles open (highest skill level for mixed doubles) Huyen Nguyen and Genya Stefanoff: gold in mixed doubles senior open (highest skill level for that age group) Stephanie Kawamoto and Genya Stefanoff: gold in women's doubles open (highest skill level for women's doubles) Cat Cote: bronze in women's doubles 4.0 (age 12 to 49)
US Nationals 2022 are complete
The wave https://fb.watch/gNpA0fXARy/
I'm sure some of the matches will be easily accessible on Youtube later this week. The nationals were held in Indian Wells California November 5-13, 2022.
Pro Champions: Women's singles: gold to Anna Leigh Waters
Women's doubles: gold to Anna Leigh Waters and Montreal's Catherine Parenteau
Men's singles: gold to Ben Johns
Men's doubles: gold to Ben Johns and Collin Johns
Mixed doubles: gold to Anna Leigh Waters and Riley Newman (silver to Montreal's Catherine Parenteau and Ben Johns)
New tournaments - Quebec and Syracuse
These tournaments that I just learned about may interest local players. See the tournament section further down for a more comprehensive list of tournament options drivable from Ottawa.
Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures - Saturday December 3, 2022 Tournoi à la ronde double Mixte des Mordus https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=5e112d3e-fbc5-4a73-bc83-ee2c8c291dfc
Drummondville Quebec - Saturday December 10, 2022 Men's and women's doubles only (no mixed doubles), at the Cegep de Drummondville. All participants must be a member of Pickleball Quebec in good standing. https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=8a15bc4f-3681-4f7d-8334-6e9109539391
Syracuse NY - January 27 to 29, 2023 Upstate New York close to Gananoque border crossing https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?cpg=e&eid=e1618592-31b5-429f-bb2e-a22c77354d7c
Magog Quebec - March 4 and 5 2023 PBSport Open
Ottawa Pickleball Association winter leagues (December to February)
Registration for the OPA's winter leagues (running from late November to February) is this week for current OPA members - from Tuesday November 15 to Friday November 18.
There are many changes to the OPA's schedule (what days and what gyms the various leagues will be run in), so look carefully at the dates/locations when exploring your options.
OPA members, log into your OPA account this week to register for the leagues you are interested in. There are two ways to register for leagues:
Register as a regular weekly player (which guarantees you a spot to play each week, so long as you RSVP to confirm your attendance by the league coordinator's deadline). You pay the full league fee up front for a regular weekly spot.
OR
Register as a spare; if spares are needed for a particular week, spares are all invited at the same time, and the first spares to RSVP get to play. So, if you plan to travel during part of the winter league, or if you aren't sure if you would like to play every week, just register as a spare, which may let you play occasionally when space permits. If/when you get in as a spare, you pay cash to the league coordinator for that particular when you are accepted to play as a spare. On the registration page, you change the drop down menu selection from "regular player" to "spare"
Social leagues (various skill levels) There are a total of 4 mixed skill level leagues available for the winter session, including a brand new one in Orleans on Friday nights. These leagues provide the opportunity to play against other OPA members of higher/lower skill levels. Some even encourage participants to go out for food/drinks afterwards. Be sure to sign up as a spare for these social leagues - especially the new Friday night one in Orleans at Saint Joseph School on rue Carriere. https://ottawapickleballassociation.com/product-category/mixed/
Pickleball courts available for rent The OPA sometimes has "extra capacity" (i.e. courts that are not needed for a specific OPA league), and rents out single pickleball courts that OPA members can purchase, and can invite other OPA friends to play with them. So, check out the "SCU" (Single Court Usage) section of the OPA website to see when/where you can rent single pickleball courts to enjoy with other OPA members: https://ottawapickleballassociation.com/product-category/scu/
Final Reminder - OPA Welcome Back party - Saturday November 19 After a two year COVID hiatus, the OPA is back in full swing, and many people have not seen each other in two years. The OPA's welcome back party is next Saturday November 19; open to OPA members and non-OPA friends/guests.
Grab your tickets and bring your dancing shoes on November 19. https://ottawapickleballassociation.com/product-category/opa-apo-party/
Pickleball Ontario - tournaments and Board positions
TOURNAMENT SERIES
Coming Soon!
Pickleball Ontario Championship Series
Pickleball Ontario is planning a series of tournaments throughout Ontario. Details coming out soon!
Check out the website for further announcements.
BOARD POSITIONS Pickleball Ontario is looking for YOU
Pickleball Ontario Board of Directors is recruiting volunteers to join our team.
Treasurer
This is an Executive Board position. Successful applicant needs to have financial literacy, be detail oriented, and accurate.
Secretary/Social Media Contributor
This is a Board position. Successful applicant needs strong organizational skills, and strong communication skills.
The "Davis Cup style" Selkirk Team Challenge tournament held at Kingston Pickleball Club's new facility from November 4-6 2022 has now wrapped up. This tournament saw 8 "teams" (each with a variety of skill levels, from 3.0 to 4.5+) play as a unit against the other 7 teams.
Grand Champions (A Pool) (black shirts), featuring Ottawa's Sara Weiss and Brian Whitestone
B Pool Champions (grey shirts) featuring Ottawa's Cody Barbeau, Katherine Kurdyla, Adam Bricker
Several Ottawa/Gatineau players were among the 8 teams.
Reminder: Free pickleball for beginners, age 50+
The city has partnered with Assumption School in Vanier (236 Lévis Avenue) to offer free pickleball for beginners, age 50+, on Monday evenings (November 7 to December 12), from 645pm-815pm. Note: it is Lévis Avenue in the Vanier neighbourhood just east of downtown Ottawa. The poster incorrectly says Lévis Street, which is in Bourget Ontario (several kilometres south east of Orleans) and is not the correct location.
Game play only, no pickleball instruction. Players must bring their own paddle. The city official told me that pre-registration is not required, so there may be an issue if too many people show up.
Funny pickleball videos
The Holderness Family (winners of The Amazing Race) has just released their 3rd pickleball video:
New, the 3rd video (parody of Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball) https://youtu.be/95_HeEELzYU
2nd video (released October 2022) (5 stages of pickleball) https://youtu.be/tYX5l6js01U
1st video (2021) (The Pickleball Song) https://youtu.be/MtEWJSc_FJw
Updated: Pickleball coaching options in the Ottawa area
Here are just some of the local options; I know I am forgetting people, while some may not be looking for new students at this time. Check the NCCP, IPTPA, and PPR list of certified coaches at the bottom of this section for additional certified coaches in the area. NOTE: the trick in the winter is WHERE to teach; sometimes these teachers have to get creative in where to teach in the winter!
Ottawa Pickleball Association (OPA), including Matt Kawamoto, Ravi Prakash Palaniswamy, Etienne Blaszkewycz OPA members have access to pro-led clinics, as well as individual lessons through the OPA pros. Members can log into their OPA account to see options, and receive periodic emails with updates on who is offering clinics/lessons.
RA Centre
Offers group clinics, and individual lessons with their coaching team (Bill, Don, Joanne, Cody) https://www.racentre.com/adult-clubs-programs/pickleball/clinics-lessons/ RA Coaching team: https://www.racentre.com/adult-clubs-programs/pickleball/coaching-team/
New! Etienne Blaszkewycz
Etienne Blaszkewycz is from Montreal, QC, where he began playing Pickleball. Prior to pickleball he played junior tennis and professional ultimate frisbee for five years. Since embarking on his pickleball career he is quickly claiming his spot in the game. He has taken Silver in Men’s Doubles at Nationals in 202, Silver and Gold at the Championnat regional du Centre du Canada, and several more gold medals in other regional tournaments. Prior to embarking on his pickleball coaching and playing career, Etienne was a high school PhysEd teacher for six years. Etienne is passionate about playing and teaching pickleball and constantly strives to get to know and build connections with his students in order to help them advance in the game. Etienne is eager to share his knowledge and love for pickleball with his students and watch them thrive.
eblasz@hotmail.fr
Kim Brent Kim has given numerous group clinics in Ottawa, including at the RA Centre, Manotick Tennis Club, Valleystream (rained out), Stingers in Brockville, and other locations. She has been coaching many local players 1 on 1 as well. She has a private location where she she can give private lessons. Kim has her professional Coaching certification with the PPR (Professional Pickleball Registry) strategicpickleball@gmail.com
Paul Morrison Paul teaches wherever he can rent gyms (e.g. recreation centres), and has taught many times through the Ottawa Pickleball Association "learn to play" and "skills and drills" leagues, with several years as a squash and badminton coach. Paul took the IPTPA level 1 course in the past. pmorrisonis@gmail.com
Ravi Prakash Palaniswamy He coaches with the Ottawa Pickleball Association and Valleystream Pickleball Club. He has his Level 2 IPTPA coaching credentials. He is open to teaching at other locations where a court can be rented. ravipickleball@gmail.com
Samir Bhatnagar
You may have seen Samir on the courts at Amberwood, Valleystream, or Britannia Yacht Club, including doing some teaching at Amberwood for much of this past season; he has his teaching certification through the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR). m2b2@rogers.com
Michael Gauthier
Michael has his level 2 certification with the IPTPA, his certification with the (Canadian) National Coaching Certification Program, and his IPTPA ratings specialist certification (i.e. he can assess and confirm your skill level according to the IPTPA skill criteria). Michael was coaching at Manotick Tennis Club and Valleystream this past summer. He is currently recovering from surgery but expects to be teaching again in early 2023. michael@pickleballstrokes.ca
Sara Weiss
This keen player started teaching this past summer to share her passion for the sport, and will be running lessons and clinics at the Kenwood Athletic Club this fall/winter. Sara just created a facebook group called "Heck Yeah Pickleball Ottawa" where she will share her clinic/league info for beginners in Arnprior and, soon, Ottawa. teamprolite@prolitesports.com
NEW:Kelli McRobert (Godfrey/Frontenac Counties) Kelli offers pickleball coaching in Godfrey/Frontenac counties, and has pickleball teaching credentials through the (Canada) National Coaching Certification Program, and Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR). She is also a Selkirk rep with demo paddles.
PICKLEBALL COACHING CERTIFYING BODIES There are 3 of the main pickleball coaching certifying bodies; each website has a list of currently certified coaches. There are others in the city who have completed these programs but won't be listed on the website (e.g. the IPTPA requires an annual membership fee to continue to be listed on their website; so someone could have successfully completed the IPTPA coaching certification, but opted not to pay the annual fee to maintain it)
Canada - National Coaching Certification Program https://www.pbcoachingadmin.ca/TestPBCoaching/Pub/TPACertifiedCoaches.aspx?enc=Y+QYWxiKa+Oi7EA0VW6sqPWUgoYuJ0CXu67LeY1q+on26Q5bOZHq+avw6rW6QJkU
IPTPA https://iptpa.com/certified-members/
Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR) https://pprpickleball.org/find-a-pro/
Reminder: Places to play indoor pickleball
City of Ottawa recreation/community centres (you have to pick on the centre to figure out their actual pickleball schedule) https://ottawa.ca/en/recreation-and-parks/recreation-facilities/place-listing
The following recreation/community centres in City of Ottawa offer pickleball (I may be missing some): Francois Dupuis (Orleans), Richcraft Kanata, Minto Barrhaven, Hunt Club Riverside Park, Hintonburg, Nepean Sportsplex, Overbrook (Vanier), CardelREC (Goulbourn/Stittsville), Eva James (Stitsville), Greenboro, and Rideauview Community Centre.
Francois Dupuis Recreation Centre (Orleans, Portobello and Brian Coburn) has the most # of pickleball sessions per week (by far) of any City of Ottawa facility. www.ottawa.ca/fdrc
See local player Ted's website for a quick list of options at City of Ottawa facilities; it has been improved to update daily, has added an icon for evening times, and has added an icon for new timeslots (added within the past 7 days) https://zero-zero-today.vercel.app/
Ottawa Pickleball Association (OPA) leagues - for OPA members Memberships are not currently available; check the OPA website in early to mid November, in case memberships are offered again to non-members https://ottawapickleballassociation.com/
Kenwood Athletic Club (78 Edward South, Arnprior) 3 quality indoor pickleballs with many many hours of weekly pickleball options, and different membership types to suit your likely pickleball playing habits. https://www.kenwoodathletic.com/
Association régionale de pickleball de l’Outaouais (ARPO) https://www.pickleballquebec.com/outaouais/
City of Gatineau facilities https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=activites_evenements_idees_sorties/activites_sport_loisir/activites_interieures/pickleball&ref=pastilles
RA Centre Option 1: has pickleball drop in Tuesdays and Thursdays 7pm-9pm for players of all skill levels, and Fridays 11am-1pm for novice players
Option 2: pickleball court rentals for $20/hour including tax https://www.racentre.com/adult-clubs-programs/pickleball/
Russell Sports Dome (150 Sportsplex Street, Russell) https://www.russell.ca/en/recreation-and-culture/sports-dome-and-membership.aspx
Kingston Pickleball Club (1150 Gardiners Road 1A, Kingston) https://kingstonpickleballclub.com/
COMING SOON! Kingston Raquet Centre (Innovation Drive, Kingston) https://tennisclubs.ca/kingston/
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Greystone Open (Waterloo ON) - November 12-13, 2022 https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=e950c72c-9a96-4b9c-a82d-77bdb91dc7e6
Burlington Vermont - November 18 to 20
Events for Skill 3.5+ and 4.0+
Registration via the Edge front desk. https://edgevt.com/
Laval Quebec - Saturday November 19, 2022
Mixed doubles challenge event at Tennis 13 in Laval https://sites.google.com/view/t13-pbsport-tournaments/fran%C3%A7ais?fbclid=IwAR0lU8jeoucfpkH8UTVAb9dS9d3moF_hdqUKd3tZRXEsQ55elLMAvuZ61q0
Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures - Saturday December 3 Tournoi à la ronde double Mixte des Mordus https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=5e112d3e-fbc5-4a73-bc83-ee2c8c291dfc
Drummondville Quebec - Saturday December 10 Men's and women's doubles only (no mixed doubles), at the Cegep de Drummondville. All participants must be a member of Pickleball Quebec in good standing. https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=8a15bc4f-3681-4f7d-8334-6e9109539391
Burlington Vermont - December 16 to 18
Events for Skill 3.5+ and 4.0+
Registration via the EDGE Vermont gym front desk https://edgevt.com/
Laval Quebec -Tennis 13:
Saturday December 17, 2022: mens doubles/womens doubles
Saturday January 21, 2023: mixed doubles
Saturday February 18, 2023: mens doubles/womens doubles
Syracuse NY - January 27 to 29, 2023 https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?cpg=e&eid=e1618592-31b5-429f-bb2e-a22c77354d7c
Magog Quebec - March 4 and 5 2023 PBSport Open
Gatineau Quebec - April 29 and 30, 2023 Organized by the Association régionale de pickleball de l'Outaouais (ARPO and being held at the Centre sportif de gatineau.
Regina Saskatchewan - Pickleball Canada National Championships - August 23-27, 2023
FACEBOOK GROUP FOR LOCAL TOURNAMENTS Join the below Facebook group to help keep track of local tournaments: PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENTS QUEBEC/ONTARIO
If you are a facebook user, you may also want to join the below group: OTTAWA/GATINEAU PICKLEBALL PLAYERS
Reminder: Options for indoor court shoes
For wood and tile floors, be sure to purchase indoor court shoes that do not mark the floor. In the picture above, you will see 5 bottoms of shoes with a "gummy yellow type" sole - these are safe for indoor wood/tile floors. If the soles of the shoes you want to buy to play on hardwood/tile floors does not look like the above picture, ask the salesperson for non-marking soles.
Capital Sport within the RA Centre (2451 Riverside Drive) This new store has by the far the largest selection of indoor court shoes I have ever seen in Ottawa. www.capitalsport.ca
Sporting Life at Landsdowne Park https://www.sportinglife.ca/
Sports 4 (149 Bank Street, and 1371 Woodroffe Avenue) https://sports4.com/
Kunstadt Sports (2 stores on Bank Street, one in Kanata) https://kunstadt.com/
Performance Tennis (70A Leonard, Old Ottawa South) https://www.performancetennis.ca/
Sportchek https://www.sportchek.ca/
Oliver Sport https://www.oliver-sport.ca/collections/oliver-indoor-shoes
Racquet Guys (Markham, 7400 Victoria Park) Huge selection of court shoes, and pickleball gear. If you are in the Toronto area, you may want to swing up to this store given their huge selection of products at their Markham store. https://racquetguys.ca/
Reminder: Local pickleball product advisors / distributers
In my experience, employees at local sports shops don't know anything about pickleball or the pickleball products they sell, and the stores have very limited selection of paddles (and often they are on the lower price range/lower quality side of things). We have a few local reps of major pickleball companies here in Ottawa who can give advice on their pickleball products; many of these individuals have demo paddles that you can actually try out before making a purchase.
SELKIRK: Cody (has demos, and sells directly) at: codybarbeau@gmail.com Kim (has demos, but does not sell directly) at:strategicpickleball@gmail.com
NEW: Kelli McRobert (in Godfrey/Frontenac counties), with Selkirk demos. kattgrrrl@gmail.com
ENGAGE: Matt: m.kawamoto@live.ca Matt has discount codes for Tyrol shoes. Mo: mo@mowaja.com
OLIVER SPORT: Carlos at:carlos@oliver-sport.ca
https://www.oliver-sport.ca/
GEARBOX Bill (ask him about discount codes): bsimon@racentre.com
VULCAN: Ravi at: ravipickleball@gmail.com
MANTA/HUDEF pickleball and ACACIA shoes Luc at: luc@corepickleball.com Website: https://corepickleball.square.site/
TMPR: Michael at: michael@pickleballstrokes.ca Website: https://pickleballstrokes.ca/shop/ Michael has discount codes for Tyrol shoes.
PROLITE: Sara at: teamprolite@prolitesports.com https://pickleball.atomconnects.com/ Sara has discount codes for Tyrol shoes.
YONEX Yonex (very well known in badminton community) will be introducing pickleball paddles in Canada in early 2023; these will be available through Capital Sport at the RA Centre. tedhthompson@rogers.com
ONIX: Ted at: tedhthompson@rogers.com
Reminder: Concussion awareness in pickleball
Pickleball Hamilton has created a series of short videos that outline concussion risks and prevention in pickleball. Head to their website to watch the videos and learn more about this important topic.
https://buff.ly/3dUTWZw
Pickleball Hamilton a créé une série de courtes vidéos qui présentent les risques de commotions cérébrales et leur prévention dans le domaine du pickleball. Rendez-vous sur leur site Web pour regarder les vidéos et en savoir plus sur ce sujet important.
https://buff.ly/3dUTWZw
Reminder: Pickleball & cruise - January 2024
Looking for a a Christmas gift idea? Treat yourself to this Jan 2024 cruise deal. The price is excellent and you can drive to the port of call (New Jersey) easily from the Ottawa area for extra savings (without booking a flight). Limited amount of balcony staterooms reserved under this offer. Contact Diana Mcintosh (613) 791-8089 to reserve your spot. 2 indoor courts for this group reserved for exclusive use from 7am to 9am. Cruises booked through Diana include at least 1 Pickleball clinic given by Ottawa's own PPR certified instructor, Samir Bhatnagar.
Reminder: Pickleball fundraiser in Brockville (Sat January 28 2023)
A fundraising event is being held Saturday, January 28 at Stingers Paintball in Brockville (also home to Brockville Racquet Club, 125 Stewart Boulevard). $25 per player; to register, email Kurt at: ks_hall@hotmail.com. He will let you know if he still has space available, and if so, can provide instructions on payment.