A niche filled by local pickleball enthusiast Bill Cooper has lead to an indoor tournament tomorrow (Mar. 25) at the SLS Family Sports Centre.

Forty-eight pickleballers will be hitting the courts to participate in the one-day event that offers about $1,100 in prizes. The play begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

"We've got a whole bunch of prizes and raffles, and we're trying to do a lot of stuff in a short period of time," says Cooper.

That includes collecting nonperishable items for the Cochrane Activettes Food Bank.

"One of our players has been in contact with them, and there are certain kinds of things that they'd like to get, so we've passed that list along to our players."

"This tournament looks like it should be lots of fun. It's going to be pretty recreational, but there are a few people who are starting in their pickleball career that are going to be playing as well."

The tournament grew out of Cooper's initiative to book a block of time for pickleballers at the rec centre. It has expanded to the point where they have morning and afternoon sessions most days of the week.

Along the way, it introduced about 50 people to the sport.

"It just never ceases to amaze me. I get a phone call, email, or a contact a couple of times a week. It's kind of crazy, but it's good because now I've got people out doing something, learning, and hopefully they'll carry it on. Not everybody does, but I would say it's kind of that 50-50 rule."

"It's not always easy as a beginner to start, but if you form a little group from your beginner session, you have some people to go out and play with, and it's a lot more fun."

He believes the sport offers many pluses to the community, both health-wise and economic-wise. He pictures the day when a two-day tournament will attract 100 to 150 people to the community.

Several organizations have offered prizes for the tournament, including the town, SLS Family Sports Centre, and Shuswap Ski and Board. Money from the group's regular sessions has also been added to sweeten the purses.

The indoor season will soon make way for the outdoor season the pickleball courts on 1st St. E. near the Frank Wills Memorial Hall. Still, there's the possibility of more indoor tournaments.

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