Weyburn's Deana Mainil competed in the Myoflex Canadian National Pickleball Championships, held August 19th to 24th at the Taylor Tennis Center in Winnipeg.
She said more than 720 athletes competed on the venue's 32 courts.
"I played in three events with my partner Dave Clarke from Regina Beach. We competed in the Mixed Doubles 4.0 and above skill level (age 50+) on Wednesday where we had three strong wins and then a loss of 16 to 14 which placed us 2nd in our pool. We then had to face a 5.0 team who took us out in a score of 15 to 6, ending our day and placing 8th out of 25 teams."
She said they played on Thursday in the Provincial Competition with Team Sask, beating Team Manitoba 11 to 7. Then, they beat Team Alberta 11 to 9.
"We then took a loss to Team Ontario with a score of 11 to 9. Team BC beat us 11 to 5 and then we took down Team Quebec with a score of 11 to 1. This gave us 7 points out of a possible 10 for Team Sask, the most of any of the other Team Sask teams as two points were awarded for each win, one point if you lost but your score was 6 or more, and 0 points if you lost and had less than 6 points. Unfortunately, the rest of Team Sask's total points wasn't enough to get us into the playoffs, so our day was done."
Mainil said she and Dave on Sunday played Mixed Doubles 4.5 skill level in the 50+ age category.
"We had a bye in the first round followed by a win against a BC team in two games. We took a loss to an Ontario team in a 3 game tough battle and a final loss before the medal round to an Alberta team."
Mainil played Full Court Women's Singles on Friday, in the 4.0 skill level (age 55+) where she went completely undefeated to win the gold medal.
Two of her events were played with her partner, Brenda Hawryluk from Spruce Grove, AB. They played Women's Doubles 4.0 and over skill level (age 50+) on Tuesday, from which they came out with one win.
"We struggled, so it was a short day," she shared. "Brenda and I played again on Saturday in the Women's Doubles 4.5 skill level (age 50+). We played together much better this day. We had a bye for our first match. We then played a Manitoba/BC duo where we won our first game and then lost the next two in some fierce battles. We were then knocked to the B side where we won our next two matches. We then faced the original team that beat us in three games. We again had some epic battles but again could only win one of the three games, earning us the bronze medal."
Mainil said, "Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and a very fun week reconnecting with pickleball friends from across the country and playing at a level I have never played before. It's a game where the learning never ends and I feel this experience, win or lose, has made me a much better competitor."
