It's been a darned fine year for the Canadian Mental Health Association's South Okanagan Similkameen Branch, based right here in Penticton.
After a 2021 where they learned they'd be turfed from their old headquarters, 2022 has been all uphill. First, the gang -- and their families -- slaved for months renovating their new HQ (known as Unity House) on Main Street. Then in June, the job complete and the dazzling new space and clubhouse ready, they debuted it at a memorable grand opening ceremony.
A month later they kicked off their annual fundraising campaign with a dance-heavy shindig at Boston Pizza. And now this past weekend, they polished off that campaign with the three-day "Pickleball for Mental Health" tournament that not only put them over their $50,000 goal but also showed off the skills of no less than 132 pickleball players.
That it unfolded just as Unity House executive director Leah Schulting had drawn it up was the icing on the cake.
"I'm over the moon with how this is turning out," said Schulting Saturday after awarding a gaggle of medals at the Penticton Pickleball Club event. "There's no rain, it’s the perfect temperature, and things are running on time. It's just all come together."
Schulting explained that player registration fees and proceeds from a silent auction and assorted raffles were all earmarked for the campaign.
"I play in the club and I love pickleball and I thought is there a better way to combine mental and physical health?" she said.
"So we approached the club and they've been amazing. They let us use the courts for three days for free and they volunteered to run the thing."
As of Tuesday the campaign total sits at $51,660, most of which will go to renovation costs and a peer support program where Unity House clients will be trained to help other clients.
"I'd love to do it again next year," Schulting added. "Especially if my tournament director, Patrick Meyer, would come back. He's given up his life for the past three months putting this together."
According to Penticton Pickleball Club prez Dave Burgoyne, a repeat 2023 tourney would be welcome.
"We run some type of tournament each year," he said. "Whether for the club members -- we have 320 club members -- or whether it'll be an event like this.
"Leah's a friend of mine. We play pickleball together. So I'm volunteering to help her out. And if she's interested in doing this again, I'd encourage our club to support that."
Burgoyne explained that the surging popularity of the sport has a lot to do with it being a relatively quick learn.
"It's easy to learn compared to most sports," he said. "As an adult, it's pretty hard to pick up golf. It's hard to pickup tennis with its hand-eye coordination.
"But with pickleball, if someone hasn’t played before, if they have a little bit of athletic background, within a half hour to an hour they can be involved in a game, understand the rules and carry on a bit of a rally. People who aren’t athletic at all will take a little longer."
And as the tourney proved, it's no longer just a game for retirees. We saw a wide variety of ages on the courts Saturday afternoon, including 30-somethings James and Tennille Beaumont.
Indeed, the Beaumonts won the gold medal in the "Skill Level 4.0" mixed division Saturday, and later James talked about the sport and their affinity for it.
"It’s a great game for everybody because you can get pretty good pretty fast," said James. "With tennis, it's hard to get to a good standard. But with pickleball, you can just play."
But, he added, the game is filled with advanced tactics that you only pick up with time.
"The best players in the world right now are in their 20s," he said.
On the other side of the spectrum were Tom Pinfold and Carol Brophy of Sechelt.
"We live together and play together," laughed Brophy of her partnership on the court and off with Pinfold.
And they acquitted themselves well. We didn’t see them win any games, but they were competitive throughout and moved around splendidly. And that's not bad for a guy of 82 and a girl of 76.
We asked Pinfold is there's a division for more…ahem…mature players and he responded in the affirmative.
"But the tournament was full," he added, "and we were put on a wait list. And when we came up on the wait list, they asked us if we'd play any age because that's how we could get in. And we said sure."
According to Pinfold, a friend of his on the Sunshine Coast likens pickleball to a bowl of cherries.
"Every time you play, you get a bowl of ice cream," he said. "If you win, you get the nuts and the cherry and the whipped cream too. But every time you just step on the court, you win."
But the big winner this day was Unity House. For more information on the organization, head here. For more info on the Penticton Pickleball Club, head here.
