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Successful Championship – Exciting Pickleball at all Levels
About 300 players descended on Waterloo for the Annual PAO Championship. Three days of exciting pickleball. Congratulations to the organizing committee and the many volunteers for doing a great job. Winners List – Click here Special thanks to Michelle of FSF Focus for taking pictures all weekend.Link to her website to view and/or purchase that special picture. FSF Focus
BE THE HOST OF THE 2020 PICKLEBALL PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS We are now accepting bids to host the 2020 Pickleball Ontario Provincial Championships. Working in partnership with Pickleball Ontario (PAO), you have the opportunity to be the center of the Pickleball world in our province! Interested parties should submit a letter of intent no later than: October 1 2018 11.59 PM EST. The bid should include:
Please email your bid to: president@pickleballontario.org Interested parties will be contacted to review their submissions. We look forward to announcing the winning host in the coming months!
PAO (Pickleball Association of Ontariois pleased to announce that our organization has been awarded a Grow grant of $198,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The OTF grant, along with $12,000 from the PAO, will be used to create a structure to develop certified pickleball coaches, under the umbrella of the Coaching Association of Canada, and their flagship program called the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Specifically two modules will be developed: Introduction to Competition (supporting our competitive player population) and Community Initiation (focusing on recreational players). This initiative fully supports the OTF outcome of certified coaches, which in turn promotes healthy and active people across the province of Ontario. To make this happen, over the next two years, we will conduct development workshops, create video instruction content, evaluate through pilot workshops, and create supporting organizational oversight. Updates on progress will be provided, so please stay tuned.
Sharing of Expertise and Information to Grow the Sport
There are many people across the country and within the territories and provinces who have great expertise, knowledge and information. Being an affiliate with PCO allows us to more easily connect and share.
Reduced Costs and Shared Funding
A case in point is insurance where PAO and other affiliated provinces will embark on optimizing insurance coverage with PCO, for the purpose of providing the best insurance coverage for our affiliated clubs and members at the most economical cost. On the share funding front, Trillium is an excellent example where, if the PAO Trillium grant application for Coaching Development is successful, PAO will develop the Coaching Program for PCO and the other provinces to share. If the application is not successful, we will be looking to PCO and the other provinces to share costs through other provincial, territorial and national grants or budget contributions. Access to National, Provincial and Territorial Sports Organization Funding Here there is a need to collaborate and support each other such that the PCO can be registered as the National Sport Organization (NSO), governing the sport at the national level, and each province and territory become registered as their respective Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) or Territorial Sport Organization (TSO). Once the regions and PCO are recognized as PSO/TSO and NSO, then many avenues for funding open up, with the purpose of developing the sport even further for the enjoyment of the members.
Having a Voice on the Interprovincial Territorial Advisory Committee
Our voice can develop policies, programs and recommendations for the sport of pickleball nationally, regionally and locally. Having a voice to create and or influence the development of a sport within a country is very valuable, and affiliation with PCO allows an easy access in that regard. It is exciting times for a relatively new sport in Canada, with the growing pains and development of programs and policies that will enable the sport and its members to grow appropriately.
Advocacy and Lobbying for Support to Grow the Sport
There is strength in numbers in dealing with elected officials and government bodies. By affiliation, the provinces, territories and the national body can combine to lobby and advocate for specific and general causes to support its members.
Membership Details
Becoming a PCO Affiliate means that every member of the PAO is entitled to membership in the PCO.
Looking to Build a Pickleball Court?
USAPA has just published a manual to help you with this task.
Don’t have a local place to play pickleball? Find some friends and check these links on how to get it moving in your area.
Looking for places to play?
If you want to have your place added to this list, contact Cathy Lone-Dawson with the details.
Pickleball Ontario would not be successful as it is without its many, many volunteers. At this year’s Annual General Meeting, the PAO Board recognized a few of these special people.
Builder Recipient – Wayne Roswell Wayne was the founding member of the Pickleball Association of Ontario and the Association’s first president. Prior to the inauguration of the PAO, Wayne started the Port Perry Club in 2009 and was the Pickleball Tournament Director for ACTIFEST in 2011. Wayne along with the Jim Van Camp, Dave Werry, Roy Wilson and Dave and Helen Hall contributed many hours of work and covered the necessary expenses for legal fees for Articles of Incorporation for “The Pickleball Association of Ontario”. Wayne and the other founding members contributed many hours helping to introduce the sport to other communities and offering guidance and support to clubs as they started up. Wayne and the first Board of Directors had the energy, talent and leadership that nurtured the growth of Pickleball across the province.
Ambassador Recipient – Angela Hupalo 
Angela has been the Ambassador for Saugeen Shores Pickleball Club since its founding in 2012. Angela worked with the town to find a site for some pickleball courts. She and another founding member entered into an agreement with a private fitness club, Lakeshore Recreation, to develop outdoor courts. The initial four courts have grown to eight and the club has grown to 150 members. The club runs six days a week and provides times for all levels of ability to play, drop-in lessons, mentor play and weekly round robins. Angela organizes inter-club play and the annual tournament. She also handles the finances, purchases, equipment and looks after emails and e-newsletters. Angela is welcoming, encouraging and enthusiastic. As one of her nominator’s said, “Her positive approach and sense of humour make for a call and fun-filled atmosphere”.
Community Recipient – Edwin Maryuen 
Edwin is one of the original builders of pickleball in the Markham and Scarborough regions. He spends seven days a week, week in and week out, coordinating and managing pickleball at the Cornell Community Centre and the Pan Am Centre in Markham. He has also provided support and coordination for the new Aaniin Community Centre. He is truly a tireless volunteer. The drop-in program at Cornell was in danger of being cancelled due to lack of participation. With Edwin’s organization and promotion, last year the daily drop-in program grew to over 8,000 drop-ins. The total number of drop-ins for the Markham community in 2018 is expected to reach more than 15,000. Edwin has engaged City of Markham Recreation Planning staff to include pickleball in their five-year planning process which most recently has seen the addition of outdoor courts at several tennis courts. Edwin is actively involved in programs designed to introduce pickleball to schools and organizing clinics and providing instruction and coaching to literally hundreds of players at all levels of ability. Edwin is an enthusiastic promoter of the game and regularly inspires others to participate in skills clinics, tournaments and social activities. In the words of one of his nominator’s, “he is very dedicated to the advancement of the game of Pickleball, a truly dedicated, unselfish and humble individual”.
Official Recipient – Donna Leung Donna has made major contributions to refereeing at all levels in Ontario. Since 2010, Donna has spent countless hours travelling to and providing referee clinics for clubs and groups often at her own expense. These clinics and have built a strong base of trained player/referees to support the growth in annual tournament events. Donna has officiated at many tournaments and has often be the Chief Referee. She has officiated and assisted with the planning of the annual PAO Provincial Tournament since its inception. Donna is always up-to-date on the latest rule changes and makes a point of discussing these changes with her officiating team. As one of her nominators said, “Donna’s eyes seem to be everywhere. She was able to spot a potential “problem” or situation that needed her attention and go there personally to solve it. She roamed the courts, encouraging the refs and helping where she could and if she was needed. It was always comforting to know that Donna was “omnipresent” during the tournaments in which we acted as refs. She has selflessly given of herself to make the tournaments as professional as possible.”
