By Ken Haggert, Director, Pickleball Ontario Board
This past summer, I volunteered at both the Pickleball Ontario Championships and the Pickleball Canada National Championships. My tasks were minor compared with many other volunteers, but I could still see how they contributed to these successful events. So I decided to write this short article in the hope of encouraging more pickleball players to reflect on their own volunteering.
As I was volunteering and watching all the other volunteers, I asked myself: what IS pickleball?
The pickleball community is a community of volunteers
- Most local not-for-profit clubs and associations would not exist without volunteers.
- Most smaller groups of friends who play regularly rely on at least one person volunteering to organize the next day’s play.
- Even commercial, for-profit organizations rely on volunteers to lead, organize or help with sessions and events.
Without volunteers, pickleball as we know it may not exist
- Volunteers help keep pickleball affordable.
- Volunteers make events possible.
- Volunteers often run the Learn-to-Play sessions that help clubs grow.
How you can help
If your local club or facility isn’t offering a program you or others are looking for, whether that’s a ladder, round robin, open play or something else:
- Consider volunteering to lead a play session.
- If you’re unsure how to start, ask an experienced volunteer if you can shadow them and learn alongside them.
- Ask your local community how you can help get that program started.
- You don’t need to sit on your club’s Board of Directors to volunteer. Many programs and parts of a club are run by committee volunteers. Every club needs volunteers.
Whether your local playing group numbers four, fourteen, forty-four or many more, volunteers are often the people who make it possible for that group to exist, grow and succeed.
Volunteering can also benefit the volunteer. Research and commentary on volunteering frequently point to benefits such as stronger social connection, a greater sense of purpose and improved well-being. For those interested in reading more:
- Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits (HelpGuide)
- Helping people, changing lives: 3 health benefits of volunteering (Mayo Clinic Health System)
- How Volunteering Could Help Us Feel Connected Again (Greater Good Magazine)
So the next time you enjoy a tournament, league, round robin, Learn-to-Play session or regular weekly game, take a moment to think about the volunteers who helped make it happen.
And perhaps ask yourself: how could I help?