Elevation Athletics, a not-for-profit sports and recreation organization, is launching a recreational pickleball league in Weyburn.
Justin Mitchell, director of Elevation Athletics, says the organization focuses on smaller communities as opposed to bigger cities, as they are typically underserviced regarding recreational activities. Elevation brings recreational pickleball to these smaller communities, and trains local people to run the programs.
“People want to stay in their townships and play their sports. They don't want to always have to travel to a bigger city, 30, 40, (minutes) maybe even an hour away. So, what we started doing is we started going to these small locations on the outside of places.”
Elevation puts an emphasis on recreational sports as the need for social recreation activities is felt throughout Canada. This makes being active more attainable as social connections makes people more inclined to continue participating.
Mitchell describes pickleball as unbiased. The sport is accessible to all ages, sizes, and levels of activity.
“You can be any size you want and still play efficiently. You can be as old as you want and play efficiently, as young as you want and play efficiently. I think it's one of the only sports that is multi-generational that people can truly play from five, six years old, all the way up to I've seen a 93-year-old playing pickleball.”
The program will operate with learn-to-play, beginner, intermediate, and advanced groups.
When beginning in a new location, Elevation starts with ensuring enough interest is shown though their Facebook group.
“As soon as a group hits 20 people, we then say, okay, this is a viable option. So our next offering now is we're registering our not-for-profit name in Saskatchewan at the moment. And then once that's fully registered, it doesn't take too long at all. We then start looking for permits.”
Permits will be secured to use a local school gymnasium to run the program out of. From there they look at registration and engagement. If enough participants show interest, a coordinator and coach is found.
Mitchell anticipates the program will be implemented in Weyburn by January.
“January or December is the ideal start date, is the targeted date to get these programs up and running. If by some other aspect, the story goes out and then we get 150 people to join the Facebook group, I think then we'll have to move a lot faster.”