Edmontonians got their paddles out on Saturday to celebrate Pickleball Day as designated by the sport’s national organization. The Edmonton Pickleball Club was packed with activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with each of its six courts hosting new and experienced players alike. “It’s kind of bizarre, because I was introduced to pickleball at a young age when I grew up in D.C. … so I played it, and then nothing. Nobody really knew about it until the last 10 years or so,” club president Andrew Happer said on Saturday. His club settled at the Royal Gardens Community League around that time and began gaining traction shortly after. “(Players) find it’s quite easy to learn from a skill perspective. You can just jump in and start playing,” he said. “It’s quite a social community … It’s time to gather, have fun, celebrate the sport.” He’s hoping the next step in pickleball’s popularity – now that there’s a national day dedicated to it – is designation as an Olympic sport. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
