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Yukon Pickleball Day has been rescheduled to May 1. Brenda Dion is a Director of the Yukon Pickleball Association.

鈥淪unday, we鈥檙e co-hosting Yukon Pickleball Day with the Canada Games Centre ... they鈥檝e given us the Flexi-hall for five hours to celebrate and promote Pickleball in the Yukon,鈥� related Dion.

鈥淪o we鈥檝e been working on this actually since November because originally we were going to have this day in January. It was going to be like a new year 鈥� start a new sport. But then of course that second little thing of COVID happened so we had to cancel. We鈥檝e rescheduled now for May 1 and we think it鈥檚 great,鈥� she added.

鈥淲e have three sessions planned. The first session is what we鈥檙e calling the Educator鈥檚 clinic. We have spaces for up to 24 folks who are involved in teaching or leading groups of people and want to introduce pickleball to their groups or particularly, we鈥檙e looking for teachers who want to introduce pickleball at their school ... Yukon Pickleball Association has had so many requests ... so we thought 鈥榤aybe this is another way to get around giving teachers information in a group and then they can at least get started with their school.鈥� So that鈥檚 a really exciting session.

鈥淭he second session, we鈥檙e dubbing this the 鈥楥hallenge Court.鈥� Pickleball鈥檚 really grown here in the Yukon, like is in Canada and ... it鈥檚 actually a global phenomenon that鈥檚 going on with pickleball and we recognize, at some point, we鈥檙e going to need our own dedicated courts. We鈥檝e been sharing with Tennis Yukon for the last two summers, I think, but we鈥檙e gonna outgrow Tennis Yukon鈥檚 facility, or at least they鈥檙e going to get sick of us.

鈥淪o at some point we鈥檙e going want to have our own space and we recognize that we鈥檙e going to need support from all levels of government to do that. So what we鈥檝e done is we鈥檝e invited 12 guests ... they鈥檙e either from the City of Whitehorse, from Yukon government, the federal government, or from Kwanlin D眉n or from Ta鈥檃n and we鈥檝e invited them to come and play. We鈥檙e gonna give them a half hour intro to pickleball so that they feel comfortable and then we鈥檙e pairing them up with 12 experienced pickleball players. We鈥檙e gonna do a little doubles round-robin tournament with them. And the whole purpose of this is that mostly it鈥檚 just 鈥榗ome out and play. Come out and experience what a fun, social game this is, how easy it is to pick up,鈥� it鈥檚 a game for all levels of activity of all age groups ... we think that they will enjoy it.

鈥淎nd the idea is when we start talking about pickleball in the communities and start asking for support from government, they鈥檒l have some background. They鈥檒l know what we鈥檙e talking about.

鈥淎nd then the third session we鈥檙e offering is what we call the 鈥楽ee-It, Try-it鈥�. It鈥檚 open to anyone in the public. They can just sign up and we have 24 spots and we鈥檙e going to again, give them an hour and a half intro, come see what this is all about and maybe after you鈥檝e tried it, you might want to sign up for lessons or you might come to the Canada Games Centre for their drop-in.鈥�

Dion explains how many people are in each session.

鈥淭here鈥檚 24 in the last one. We have 12 in the middle one because those are the invited guests ... and in the first session we have space for 24. We still are missing six and that鈥檚 from the Educator鈥檚 clinic. So I鈥檓 putting the word out again to some of the teachers and the teacher鈥檚 association and actually at the Kwanlin D眉n as well, with their recreation folks to see if we can fill those spots.鈥�

The 鈥淪ee it, Try it鈥� has been full for a while.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been full for a couple of weeks but the CGC鈥檚 been keeping a wait list because if we don鈥檛 use all the ... spots in the Educator鈥檚 clinic, we will move the people from the wait list into there. So we鈥檙e gonna try and make sure all those spots are filled,鈥� explained Dion.

The sessions are definitely the right price.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all free ... only because the CGC gave it to us for free. We now have 10 instructors and they all do it for free. We鈥檙e just trying to really celebrate the sport, have people come by, maybe even watch some of the games with the Challenge Court, maybe say, get interested in it, maybe want to come out to drop-in, maybe take a beginner鈥檚 class, maybe want to join our Yukon Pickleball Association,鈥� said Dion.

鈥淲e got a brand new ball machine 鈥� Yukon Lotteries helped us with that 鈥� so we鈥檙e movin鈥�, we鈥檙e shakin鈥�,鈥� she added.

As for the main goal of Pickleball Day, 鈥淚t really wasn鈥檛 to provide programming for our members right now, cause we do that every weekend. It really was to get people to come out who said 鈥業鈥檝e heard about it, or haven鈥檛 heard about it but I鈥檓 interested to maybe see what it鈥檚 all about鈥� and that鈥檚 the reason for it. And we can see how things filled up quickly, that there is an interest in it,鈥� related Dion.

鈥淚t is really a great thing that鈥檚 happening and we hope people will see that when they come on Sunday,鈥� she added.

The general public is welcome to come out and watch.

鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� stated Dion.

鈥淲e really hope people will come out, even if they thought 鈥業 really don鈥檛 know if I want to sign up, but I鈥檓 kind of at least interested in knowing what it鈥檚 about.鈥� Maybe they鈥檒l come, they鈥檒l sit in spectator鈥檚 areas and just watch. That鈥檚 perfectly great, actually.

鈥淚 think this sport has the potential to really explode if we had facilities, if we had more spaces to play it, I think it would be fabulous.鈥�

For more information, or to register or get put on a wait list, you can contact Dion by email at brendadion1@gmail.com or by phone at 336-3466.