Coaldale Pickleball Club triumphant at national championships

By Erika Mathieu
Sunny South News

A number of Coaldale Pickleball Club members achieved medal-winning performances at the 2023 National Pickleball Championships in this summer.

Club members across various age and skill ratings took home four gold, two silver, and one bronze medal in total, and nine members of the Coaldale Pickleball Club attended and competed in the National Pickleball Championship from August 23-27.

This year’s event, held in Regina, Saskatchewan, saw an impressive turnout of participants ranging in age from 16-75 years. Among the 630 competitors, the event, hosted by the Regina Pickleball Club, saw nearly 200 volunteers and 100 officials take part in the tournament.

The large-scale event utilized two of the Regina’s indoor recreation facilities with a total of 32 pickleball courts in play over the five day event.

Medal winners from the Coaldale Pickleball Club include a gold medal in Mixed doubles (3.5) in the 60 to 64 year category by members Blaine Takeda and Cathy Wood; A gold medal in the 4.0 70+ mens doubles earned by Coaldale club member Michael Wagner, and partner from Calgary; A gold medal in mixed doubles (3.0) 65+ by Valerie and Richard Boras; A bronze in Mixed doubles (3.5) in the 16+ category by Stacy Keraiff; a silver in women’s doubles (4.0) in the 50 -59 category by member Ilsa Wong and partner of Medicine Hat; a gold in men’s singles (3.0) 50+ went to Gerard Dower, and; a silver in men’s doubles (3.5) in the 60-64 category was presented to club members Blaine Takeda and Richard Boras.

According to competitor Richard Boras, “the National Championship was an adrenaline rush. We had so much fun competing and meeting our competitors who soon became friends. It was a great team building exercise for the Coaldale Pickleball Club members as we supported each other and socialized together. The speed and intensity of the pro matches were thrilling to watch. The entire National experience is something I’m glad I didn’t miss.”

Championship matches played during the tournament were recorded and live-streamed with commentary and can be accessed by visiting https://www.youtube.com/@AccessNowTV/streams.

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