Pickleball has been a massively growing sport in the Okanagan over the past 10 years.
The same is true for the sport in the 55+ BC Games, which concluded this past weekend in Kelowna.
At nearly 500 athletes, pickleball had one of the highest turnouts for the games, and the biggest in the history of the 55+ BC Games.
Two Okanagan pickleballers celebrated their first-ever games this year.
Jerry and Terri Draude, from Penticton, were happy to play close to home and weren91裸聊视频檛 surprised by the big turnout.
91裸聊视频淧ickleball has been growing by leaps and bounds, this turnout does not surprise me,91裸聊视频� said Terri, who entered in the pickleball doubles competition at Parkinson Recreation Centre.
91裸聊视频淭he games are a great opportunity to meet other players and to see what the sport means in other communities across B.C.,91裸聊视频�
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David Graham, the 55+ BC Games president, said Kelowna was well-suited to host the large amount of pickleballers due to the surplus of outdoor courts, something not all communities have.
91裸聊视频淭he sports been growing and has been hugely popular in Kelowna,91裸聊视频� said Graham.
91裸聊视频淚t reminds me of racketball in the 91裸聊视频�80s; it grows and next thing you know, it91裸聊视频檚 everywhere.
91裸聊视频淚t can be indoor, outdoor and modified from tennis courts. That91裸聊视频檚 the beauty of pickleball.91裸聊视频�
There were great turnouts in hockey, track and field and dragon boating throughout the games, but the pickleball crowd brought out plenty of avid fans to watch the spectacle and cheer during the championships.
With the success of Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 first hosting of the 55+ BC Games and the large pickleball turnout, the sport91裸聊视频檚 popularity shows no signs yet of slowing down.
91裸聊视频淭he games bring more exposure, it brings more encouragement and motivation and trying to excel at the sport,91裸聊视频� said Draude.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 also a lot of fun.91裸聊视频�
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