This weekend, beginning on Friday, a tournament that has seen noteworthy growth is returning to Winkler’s Lion’s Park.
The Summer Solstice Pickleball tournament — which has 92 teams compared to last year’s 54 —runs from Friday to Sunday.
The thriving event has become a significant one for the Winkler Pickleball Association.
Beyond providing a competitive space to play a sport that has soared in popularity, it’s also a monument to the community built through pickleball.
A passionate player and organizer
When it comes to passion for the game, Martha Bergen (the vice president of the Winkler Pickleball Association and the acting director of the Summer Solstice Tournament) has it in spades.
Bergen’s involvement in the sport goes far beyond playing women’s doubles in the tournament this weekend. She also watches professional pickleball, stays connected with the sport’s latest news through social media, and is a member of both the Manitoba Pickleball League and Canadian National Pickleball League.
For Bergen, what inspires her enthusiasm for the sport is the inclusivity that comes along with it at court level.
“If you ever play pickleball, you will instantly feel included,” she says. “It is very social. It is very community. Anywhere you go, you could [play] — I went to see my son in Calgary and I hopped on a pickleball court, and I was instantly included because it's pickleball.”
Bergen says that this feature of the game is what she likes most.
“My favourite part is probably the community and the friendships that I've made,” she says. “I met people I wouldn't have met without it.”
Winkler Pickleball
For Bergen, friendliness is an integral part of the sport.
It may be part of the reason that Winkler’s pickleball association has approximately 250 to 300 members in its fall and winter program.
In the summer months, the group begins the week by playing at the Lion’s Park in Winkler on Mondays.
As can be expected, the organization accommodates players of all skill levels.
“Anybody's welcome, even if they haven't played before,” says Bergen. “Half the courts are for the beginners and lower levels, and then the other half of the courts are for the intermediate and advanced levels.”
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Bergen says the six courts at Lion’s Park are always filled on Mondays. Approximately thirty people come to play regularly.
‘I want people to come out’
As for the Summer Solstice Tournament, the event has attracted individuals from all over to play in Winkler.
According to Bergen, there will be players from Brandon, Gimli, Arborg, and other locations. She says that there may even be visitors from as far as Thunder Bay, which was the case for last year’s tournament.
Although registration is closed, Bergen still invites the community out to be a part of the welcoming atmosphere.
“I want people to come out. I want them to come and experience and see what pickleball starts with — what it can be for them,” she says.
Bergen adds that Superior Smash Food Truck and the IceCycle mobile ice cream cart will also be in attendance.
“Just bring a lawn chair,” says Bergen.
The details
The Summer Solstice Pickleball Tournament takes place from Friday to Sunday at Winkler’s Lion’s Park.
The schedule is as follows:
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Women’s Doubles (Friday, June 20th)
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Mixed Doubles (Saturday, June 21st)
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Men's Doubles (Sunday, June 22nd)