Nanaimo's signature indoor pickleball tournament has just finished its eleventh year. Approximately 60 percent of the participants in the July 12-13 event were from Nanaimo. (Dreamstime)

By Dan Marshall

Paddles Up

Strong turnout for annual Nanaimo indoor pickleball tournament

Jul 17, 2025 | 9:56 AM

NANAIMO — Nearly 200 competitors took part in the 11th annual Nanaimo Indoor Pickleball Tournament.

It wasn’t one of their largest turnouts but considering there were other pickleball events in Victoria and Vancouver the same weekend, organizers were very pleased.

Tournament director Caron Knight said the overall level of play continues to improve.

“The equipment and the players keep getting better. There’s a lot of younger players coming now. They have lots of energy and agility, and they’re picking up the game really quickly.”

There were divisions for men, women and mixed doubles in the 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 skill levels.

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Sally Morten was one of the top local players with two gold medals in the 3.5 division.

Knight said having some of the higher-level players at other tournaments allows the players in the lower divisions to grab the spotlight.

“In the 3.0 in women’s, all three teams on the podium were from Nanaimo, and four out of the six people on the podium were first-time tournament players.”

Two key events are upcoming for the local pickleball community, including Paddles in the Park at Beban Park on Sept. 5 and 6, which Knight said is going into its fourth year.

“It’s an outdoor tournament with men’s, women’s and mixed divisions. It’s a really fun event and it’s quite popular. It will also be a really good practice for anyone going to the BC Games, because it’s the week before.”

The 55+ BC Games take place Sept. 9 to 13 in Nanaimo.

Knight said it’s hard to know exactly how many pickleball players will sign up for the 55+ BC Games, but from her experience going to the Games in Salmon Arm last year, it will be in the hundreds.

There are about 200 players registered with the club in 2025 and a main focus is to generate more interest from younger players.

“The club has donated paddles and nets to every high school in Nanaimo. All the high schools are starting to play pickleball,” Knight said. “We just bought our first sets of kids paddles so we’re going to start bringing it into the elementary schools. Over the summers for the past couple of years we’ve done a number of sessions with parents and teachers for schools as well.”

The club will do orientation sessions for new players of all ages with local schools offering gym time on occasion.

Knight notes pickleball is an attractive option for competition and exercise because it’s inexpensive and the only equipment needed is a paddle and runners.

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