Pickleball could be considered one of the world’s fastest growing sports.
Next month, the Lethbridge and District Pickleball Tournament will be held at the Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre May 2-4.
“This all-ages Tier 4 event will be sanctioned by Pickleball Canada, meaning participants are guaranteed great competitive and exciting competition throughout the tournament,” says Lethbridge and District Exhibition Director of Community Engagement Paul Kingsmith.
The best part, Kingsmith adds, is the event is a collaborative event. “A massive amount of the credit goes to our partners, the Lethbridge Pickleball Club and the Coaldale Pickleball Club. Making this truly a southern Alberta affair.”
“This is an open registration event, meaning anyone can enter. So far, we have over 130 registrants for the tournament,” notes Kingsmith. “It shows the enthusiasm for this kind of event.”
According to Kingsmith, the Lethbridge and Coaldale pickleball clubs are also waiving the registration fees for the first 25 junior members to register.
“We will have 12 courts of action taking part inside our trade halls,” says Kingsmith.
Lethbridge Pickleball Club President Klaus Witzke says the tournament took a lot of work on behalf of both pickleball clubs and LDE. “We are the fastest growing sport and it’s being played by all ages – young and old, and families. Everybody has an opportunity to play this great game.”
“Our long-term goal is to have this type of sport event happen on an annual, semi-annual and possibly even three to four times a year. The long-term goal is to host a provincial tournament. Eventually, we would like to even hold a national tournament,” adds Witzke.
(Photo by Stan Ashbee)
