Welcome to Deep River Pickleball

WELCOME TO DEEP RIVER PICKLEBALL

Hannah, Karen and Jim

Hannah, Karen and Jim are the three passionate players behind Deep River Pickleball. We kind of fell into it.

When we started playing pickleball, there was enough organization around to learn and have fun. However, the sport was growing quickly. There were lots of new players and lots of players beginning to seek competition and coaching.

Our first initiative was to find and set up an app so that players could communicate, set up games and share insight. We chose Spond. In less than six months almost 55 players had started using the app on a daily basis.

Next, we began setting up fun play nights at our Club. Tuesday was Men's night. Wednesday mixed. Thursday was ladies night. Each night was a couple of hours of friendly round-robin competition followed by socializing at the bar. It wasn't a surprise when the nights became a hit.

Up until then we hadn't been very involved with competitive pickleball. Early in 2022 Jim and Karen attended a local qualifier for the 55+ Games. We were soundly run over by the competition. However, it was a great learning experience that seriously motivated us to keep improving our games. Our first locally organized competition wasn't until late summer 2022. There were 10 mixed teams. Jim and a partner won the competition. Jim's partner won a knee brace! Jim went with the bottle of wine.

With Covid finally lifting, our next initiative was to set up indoor play at local schools for the winter. We arranged three nights on six courts. Capacity was limited to 30 players and the season sold out immediately. We used Spond to send invites each week and collect responses. It worked extremely well.

The Need for Pickleball Coaching and Skills Development

When we started playing pickleball, we learned from each other, and from YouTube videos. Like most Clubs, there were one or two people who traveled south in the winter and brought back knowledge in the spring. However, as more new players joined and experienced players progressed, the demand for coaching and instruction increased. Groups like the IPTPA and Pickleball Canada have stepped up with an overlapping mix of pickleball coaching programs. These programs are designed to standardize the approach to teaching the fundamentals of pickleball. They include everything from warming and safety; to serving, dinking and hitting drop shots. The majority of these programs are offered to beginner and intermediate players as that is the level of most players in Canada.

Certified Coaching

With the obvious interest in Pickleball growing and untapped demand for skill development, Hannah and Jim attended an IPTPA Level 1 Instructor Course in November 2022. There are two primary IPTPA coaching levels. Level 1 accounts for the majority of the demand for pickleball coaches. Level II is advanced. Level III is very advanced. Hannah and Jim are both certified IPTPA instructors.

WELCOME TO DEEP RIVER PICKLEBALL

Having been actively engaged in learning, playing, organizing, teaching and enjoying pickleball for a couple of years, starting Deep River Pickleball only made sense.

Our mission at Deep River Pickleball is to unleash the pickleball potential we see all around us.

We see that players want to get better. They want access to courts and coaching, competition and socializing.

We see towns, cities, clubs and facilities striving to attract players, provide programs and meet the rapidly increasing demand they are experiencing.

Coaches want to learn and get certified. They want to be busy playing, competing and teaching.

Our Programs

These are our programs.

Court time.

We have arranged indoor court time for the winter of 2022/23 and are actively arranging court time options for our members during the summer of 2023.

Coaching.

Our first formal knowledge sharing event takes place January 2023. The full calendar for the summer of 2023 includes monthly events for basic and competitive play.

Competition.

Indoor competitions for players of all levels will begin in February 2023. The outdoor season will begin in June.

Social events.

The winter season will close with a fun event for all participants. There will be an opening summer event and other regularly scheduled activities in conjunction with our coaching and competitive programs.

Community App

Players who want to stay in touch, book games, sign up for events and access content are encouraged to join the Deep River Pickleball group on Spond. It is quite active.

Pickleball Content

Will be posted regularly on Spond, this website and on our Instagram and YouTube channels.

Contact Karen for More Information

If you are interested in more information on Deep River Pickleball, reach out to Karen at mcelroy11@gmai.com