Bow Valley Pickleball Association

Join the Bow Valley Pickleball Association ("BVPA")

Pickleball is a fun social sport for all ages and all athletic ability levels, with simple rules that make it easy to learn and fun to play, but tough to master. Weather depending, our outdoor playing season usually runs May to mid October. Indoor pickleball will be played November to April at the Canmore Recreation Center.

**TO JOIN, CLICK ON THE "JOIN-RENEW" BUTTON IN THE ABOVE LEFT CORNER**

Membership with BVPA includes:

  • Use of our courts as detailed under "PLAY".
  • Invitations to tournaments and social events.
  • Voting rights at our Annual General Meetings.
  • Organized outdoor and indoor play for both the Recreational and Competitive player.
  • Enable the club to provide clinics and workshops aimed at improving the skills of members at all levels.

Annual membership fees are used to:

  • Purchase new nets, balls, and other equipment.
  • Rental of courts as required.
  • Cover administration costs.
  • Subsidize Ratings, Skills Development and Learn to Play clinics.
  • Subsidize Social Events.
  • Establish a fund for maintenance and development of additional courts.

Join the Bow Valley Pickleball Association ("BVPA")

Pickleball is a fun social sport for all ages and all athletic ability levels, with simple rules that make it easy to learn and fun to play, but tough to master. Weather depending, our outdoor playing season usually runs May to mid October. Indoor pickleball will be played November to April at the Canmore Recreation Center.

**TO JOIN, CLICK ON THE "JOIN-RENEW" BUTTON IN THE ABOVE LEFT CORNER**

Membership with BVPA includes:

  • Use of our courts as detailed under "PLAY".
  • Invitations to tournaments and social events.
  • Voting rights at our Annual General Meetings.
  • Organized outdoor and indoor play for both the Recreational and Competitive player.
  • Enable the club to provide clinics and workshops aimed at improving the skills of members at all levels.

Annual membership fees are used to:

  • Purchase new nets, balls, and other equipment.
  • Rental of courts as required.
  • Cover administration costs.
  • Subsidize Ratings, Skills Development and Learn to Play clinics.
  • Subsidize Social Events.
  • Establish a fund for maintenance and development of additional courts.

Thinking of Joining our Bow Valley Pickleball Association and Getting in on the Fun?

Here’s what you need to know –

The annual membership fee is $75 and 100% of that membership fee stays in the Bow Valley and supports pickleball and BVPA members.

If you join now, your membership is in effect until December 31, 2024.

Joining is easy – just go to our website – bowvalleypickleball.org

We run both an Indoor Play program and an Outdoor Play program.

Our Indoor Program is offered in three sessions (November-December, January-February, and March-April) in Room 200, Canmore Rec Center where we run all our indoor programs on just 2 courts.

Almost all our programs, Indoor and Outdoor, are leveled play: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced.

Our Indoor Program is set up on a cost recovery basis. So for each session, we “presell tickets” – this year we presell sell 5 tickets for $40 for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Our Beginner sessions are priced at 4 tickets for $32.

Only BVPA members may buy tickets and only at their specified skill level. Then, at a later date, only the ticket purchasers can sign up for scheduled play dates. All indoor play is scheduled and members must sign up for dates. We cannot do drop in play.

Our November-December session is completely sold out. If you join now, you cannot expect to play in November-December. You will, however, be eligible to “buy tickets” for the January- February and subsequent sessions.

”Tickets” for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced will go on sale to BVPA members in mid-December.

“Tickets” for Beginners will go on sale on January 8 immediately after the January 7 TRY IT sessions.

So, if you wish to play in January-February and beyond in 2024, you must take out a 2024 BVPA membership and you may do so now on our website.

Pickleball TRY IT Sessions

To bring pickleball to our community, we offer FREE Pickleball TRY IT Sessions on specified dates.

If you have never played pickleball before, these sessions are for you – in a short hour and a half, we give you the basics and get you playing. We provide the paddles, balls, nets and instruction.

Our next TRY IT sessions are scheduled as follows:

December 8 from 8:00-9:30 PM in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 3:00-4:30 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 4:30-6:00 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

If TRY IT participants want to continue playing with the club, they must first become BVPA members where they will be classified as BEGINNERS.

Once they are BVPA members, they may purchase BEGINNER Tickets on January 8 on our website and a few days later they can register for scheduled play times.

It is not required that TRY IT participants are BVPA members but only BVPA members may purchase “tickets” to play.

All sessions for BEGINNERS on the January-February play schedule are mentored by BVPA members who will help you along as you learn to play the sport.

Outdoor Play

Once we get to the outdoor play season from mid-May to the end of September, there are no additional court fees. Your club membership covers the court rental fees. No ticket purchases, no additional fees. You simply register one week in advance through an emailed link. Play is available at your level at different days and times of the week.

Outdoor play is at Veterans Park Courts and Larch Rink Courts as described on our website.

Questions? Comments?

Helen and Sheila

Sheila@bowvalleypickleball.org

Helen@bowvalleypickeball.org

Prices & Deadlines

Regular deadline:
Registration Opened
Registration Fees
Price $75.00 per registrant

All prices in CAD $

Payment Methods

Online

* Small processing fee applies

Join the Bow Valley Pickleball Association ("BVPA")

Pickleball is a fun social sport for all ages and all athletic ability levels, with simple rules that make it easy to learn and fun to play, but tough to master. Weather depending, our outdoor playing season usually runs May to mid October. Indoor pickleball will be played November to April at the Canmore Recreation Center.

**TO JOIN, CLICK ON THE "JOIN-RENEW" BUTTON IN THE ABOVE LEFT CORNER**

Membership with BVPA includes:

  • Use of our courts as detailed under "PLAY".
  • Invitations to tournaments and social events.
  • Voting rights at our Annual General Meetings.
  • Organized outdoor and indoor play for both the Recreational and Competitive player.
  • Enable the club to provide clinics and workshops aimed at improving the skills of members at all levels.

Annual membership fees are used to:

  • Purchase new nets, balls, and other equipment.
  • Rental of courts as required.
  • Cover administration costs.
  • Subsidize Ratings, Skills Development and Learn to Play clinics.
  • Subsidize Social Events.
  • Establish a fund for maintenance and development of additional courts.

Thinking of Joining our Bow Valley Pickleball Association and Getting in on the Fun?

Here’s what you need to know –

The annual membership fee is $75 and 100% of that membership fee stays in the Bow Valley and supports pickleball and BVPA members.

If you join now, your membership is in effect until December 31, 2024.

Joining is easy – just go to our website – bowvalleypickleball.org

We run both an Indoor Play program and an Outdoor Play program.

Our Indoor Program is offered in three sessions (November-December, January-February, and March-April) in Room 200, Canmore Rec Center where we run all our indoor programs on just 2 courts.

Almost all our programs, Indoor and Outdoor, are leveled play: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced.

Our Indoor Program is set up on a cost recovery basis. So for each session, we “presell tickets” – this year we presell sell 5 tickets for $40 for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Our Beginner sessions are priced at 4 tickets for $32.

Only BVPA members may buy tickets and only at their specified skill level. Then, at a later date, only the ticket purchasers can sign up for scheduled play dates. All indoor play is scheduled and members must sign up for dates. We cannot do drop in play.

Our November-December session is completely sold out. If you join now, you cannot expect to play in November-December. You will, however, be eligible to “buy tickets” for the January- February and subsequent sessions.

”Tickets” for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced will go on sale to BVPA members in mid-December.

“Tickets” for Beginners will go on sale on January 8 immediately after the January 7 TRY IT sessions.

So, if you wish to play in January-February and beyond in 2024, you must take out a 2024 BVPA membership and you may do so now on our website.

Pickleball TRY IT Sessions

To bring pickleball to our community, we offer FREE Pickleball TRY IT Sessions on specified dates.

If you have never played pickleball before, these sessions are for you – in a short hour and a half, we give you the basics and get you playing. We provide the paddles, balls, nets and instruction.

Our next TRY IT sessions are scheduled as follows:

December 8 from 8:00-9:30 PM in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 3:00-4:30 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 4:30-6:00 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

If TRY IT participants want to continue playing with the club, they must first become BVPA members where they will be classified as BEGINNERS.

Once they are BVPA members, they may purchase BEGINNER Tickets on January 8 on our website and a few days later they can register for scheduled play times.

It is not required that TRY IT participants are BVPA members but only BVPA members may purchase “tickets” to play.

All sessions for BEGINNERS on the January-February play schedule are mentored by BVPA members who will help you along as you learn to play the sport.

Outdoor Play

Once we get to the outdoor play season from mid-May to the end of September, there are no additional court fees. Your club membership covers the court rental fees. No ticket purchases, no additional fees. You simply register one week in advance through an emailed link. Play is available at your level at different days and times of the week.

Outdoor play is at Veterans Park Courts and Larch Rink Courts as described on our website.

Questions? Comments?

Helen and Sheila

Sheila@bowvalleypickleball.org

Helen@bowvalleypickeball.org

Prices & Deadlines

Regular deadline:
Registration Opened
Registration Fees
Price $75.00 per registrant

All prices in CAD $

Payment Methods

Online

* Small processing fee applies

Thinking of Joining our Bow Valley Pickleball Association and Getting in on the Fun?

Here’s what you need to know –

The annual membership fee is $75 and 100% of that membership fee stays in the Bow Valley and supports pickleball and BVPA members.

If you join now, your membership is in effect until December 31, 2024.

Joining is easy – just go to our website – bowvalleypickleball.org

We run both an Indoor Play program and an Outdoor Play program.

Our Indoor Program is offered in three sessions (November-December, January-February, and March-April) in Room 200, Canmore Rec Center where we run all our indoor programs on just 2 courts.

Almost all our programs, Indoor and Outdoor, are leveled play: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced.

Our Indoor Program is set up on a cost recovery basis. So for each session, we “presell tickets” – this year we presell sell 5 tickets for $40 for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Our Beginner sessions are priced at 4 tickets for $32.

Only BVPA members may buy tickets and only at their specified skill level. Then, at a later date, only the ticket purchasers can sign up for scheduled play dates. All indoor play is scheduled and members must sign up for dates. We cannot do drop in play.

Our November-December session is completely sold out. If you join now, you cannot expect to play in November-December. You will, however, be eligible to “buy tickets” for the January- February and subsequent sessions.

”Tickets” for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced will go on sale to BVPA members in mid-December.

“Tickets” for Beginners will go on sale on January 8 immediately after the January 7 TRY IT sessions.

So, if you wish to play in January-February and beyond in 2024, you must take out a 2024 BVPA membership and you may do so now on our website.

Pickleball TRY IT Sessions

To bring pickleball to our community, we offer FREE Pickleball TRY IT Sessions on specified dates.

If you have never played pickleball before, these sessions are for you – in a short hour and a half, we give you the basics and get you playing. We provide the paddles, balls, nets and instruction.

Our next TRY IT sessions are scheduled as follows:

December 8 from 8:00-9:30 PM in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 3:00-4:30 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 4:30-6:00 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

If TRY IT participants want to continue playing with the club, they must first become BVPA members where they will be classified as BEGINNERS.

Once they are BVPA members, they may purchase BEGINNER Tickets on January 8 on our website and a few days later they can register for scheduled play times.

It is not required that TRY IT participants are BVPA members but only BVPA members may purchase “tickets” to play.

All sessions for BEGINNERS on the January-February play schedule are mentored by BVPA members who will help you along as you learn to play the sport.

Outdoor Play

Once we get to the outdoor play season from mid-May to the end of September, there are no additional court fees. Your club membership covers the court rental fees. No ticket purchases, no additional fees. You simply register one week in advance through an emailed link. Play is available at your level at different days and times of the week.

Outdoor play is at Veterans Park Courts and Larch Rink Courts as described on our website.

Questions? Comments?

Helen and Sheila

Sheila@bowvalleypickleball.org

Helen@bowvalleypickeball.org

Bow Valley Pickleball Association
  • UPCOMING DATES IMPORTANT TO YOU

    Hello Everyone,


    Here are some dates to keep in mind –


    Our January/February Indoor play session will begin on January 7, 2024.


    January/February Indoor play ticket packets will go on sale the week of December 17, 2023. More details to come on that in the coming days.


    January/February Indoor play session will begin on January 7, 2024.


    Challenges for Advanced Play


    We are going to do a better job of planning for our Challenges for Advanced play by setting the dates in advance. This will allow players to better prepare for the Challenge sessions.


    Our next Challenge for Advanced play will be held on December 11, 2023 from 2:00-3:30 and then the next subsequent Challenge for Advanced play will be held in early February. The longer gap between scheduled Challenge Round Robins allows candidates more time to develop their game and thereby demonstrate improvements.


    Please let me know if you wish to Challenge on December 11.


    Progression from Novice 2.5 to Intermediate 3.0


    This process will be streamlined a bit by observing a member’s play during a scheduled Round Robin. We will still be looking for challenging players to demonstrate the required skills expected of Intermediate 3.0 players. And we will give feedback on areas of strength and areas where improvement is needed.


    More TRY IT Sessions are Coming


    We will send more information out by separate email which you can share with your friends, neighbors, relatives. Stay tuned.


    That’s all for today.


    Have a great day!


    Helen

    November 7th, 2023
  • BVPA MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

    A gremlin (from Halloween??) has crept into our Membership Renewal process. We're working on removing it.


    In the meantime, please do not attempt to renew your membership on our new system. And, DO NOT renew it on the old system. When the gremlin is gone, we'll send out renewal notices to you.


    There are a few of you that have in fact got through the process and renewed, or are new members. Rest assured that your membership is valid if you have paid the 2024 dues.


    Sorry for the inconvenience.

    November 4th, 2023
  • SOME PROVISOS TO MAKE OUR SESSION A HAPPY SUCCESS FOR EVERYONE

    Hello Everyone,


    Our November/December Indoor Play session is off to a roaring start! Many thanks to all those who helped create yet another fab indoor play session!


    Special thanks to Sheri Layton who has generously volunteered to act as our onsite Indoor Play Coordinator!


    A few provisos to keep in mind –


    Court time and court availability is limited and therefore precious.


    We believe we have sufficient court time to accommodate our membership needs but we need you to adhere to some provisos -


    “No ticket – no play” is in effect. If you turn up to play without your ticket, you may not play. It is that simple.


    We do not do “Drop In” play in any form.


    Our entire Indoor Play program is open for BVPA members only. You may not bring “guests”. We cannot have “guests” taking spots away from members.


    Do not give out your “access code” to non-members. We monitor ticket purchases and session sign ups daily and we delete sign ups from non-members.


    Cancel yourself from a session if you find that you can no longer play at that time. We have Wait Lists for many sessions. If you can’t use your booked spot, rest assured that there are others who will gladly take your spot. Give them a chance.


    This year, if you are a No Show for a session for which you have signed up, you will be charged a ticket for your missed session.


    You may sell/buy tickets from your fellow members but the arrangements for that are up to you. We do not act as “middlepersons”. However, sales must be to other BVPA members at your level of play.


    If you are a relatively new member and you have questions along the line of “How do I….?” please contact Sheila Churchill, BVPA Membership.


    Sheila is an excellent resource for us all and she knows the answers to many, many questions. Just ask.


    That’s all for now,


    Paddles up and ready!


    Helen Thomson


    helen@bowvalleypickleball.org


    Sheila Churchill


    sheila@bowvalleypickleball.org

    November 2nd, 2023
  • Good News-- Additional Indoor Play Sessions Added

    Hi all,


    Good news! Due to the popularity of our MXDSP sessions, we have added 3 more.

    The sessions are:

    Wed. Nov. 01, 6:00pm- 7:30pm

    Wed. Nov. 22, 6:00pm- 7:30pm

    Wed. Nov. 29, 6:00pm- 7:30pm

    These sessions follow already scheduled MXDSP sessions from 4:30-6:00pm.

    If you would like to register for a new session and are already registered for the 4:30-6:00 on the same day, please remove yourself from this session to make room for those people on the waitlist.


    We have also booked some time for OPEN
    play on Fri nights.

    The sessions are:

    Fri. Nov. 24, 8:00pm- 9:30pm

    Fri. Dec. 01, 8:00pm- 9:30pm

    Fri. Dec. 15, 8:00pm- 9:30pm


    To register click here
    register and remember to use your code bvpnov23c


    Thanks and Paddles Up,


    Mike Layton  mike@bowvalleypickleball.org

    October 27th, 2023
  • IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR MEMBERS

    Hello Everyone,


    This is really, really important, folks, so please read all of the following carefully.


    Our Bow Valley Pickleball Association’s transition from the Pickleball Canada membership management system is complete and we are now fully functional on the Trackie platform. This means that everything the club runs is already coming through the Trackie platform. All the ticket sales, all the sign ups, all the emails - everything.


    So, here’s what you need to know –


    On October 16 2023 the BVPA Board of Directors approved a 2024 membership fee of $75.00 which is the same total fee as last year.


    Unlike last year, the entirety of this membership fee will stay with our club to provide services to our members and our community. There will be no fees submitted to Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Alberta.


    Click HERE to take you to the new website and please use this new link whenever you access anything on our website. In fact, save it as a “favorite” so it is always handy for you.


    We have opened our website to new member registration on the Trackie platform.


    If you have friends who are waiting to join us, please let them know we are ready for them.


    We are encouraging 2024 BVPA membership renewals on the new Trackie platform starting November 1.


    All new memberships and all 2024 membership renewals are effective from date of purchase right through to December 31 2024.


    Of course, you still have the choice to join Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Alberta but as an individual and not as part of BVPA.


    COMPLETELY IGNORE ANY AND ALL RENEWAL NOTICES YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM PICKLEBALL CANADA AND PICKLEBALL ALBERTA. In due course, BVPA will issue our own Renewal Notices.


    The November and December indoor play program is open to existing 2023 members and new 2024 members.


    However, you should plan to have your 2024 BVPA membership in time to purchase your tickets for indoor play in January and February. Ticket purchase for Indoor play in January will require you have a 2024 BVPA membership.


    But never fear –rest assured that I will be there to remind you!


    Cheers, everyone!


    Helen

    October 20th, 2023
  • INDOOR PLAY TICKETS FOR NOV/DEC

    Ticket Packets for November/December Indoor Play


    Ticket Packets for the November/December Indoor Play Session at Canmore Rec Center will go on sale online on Thursday, October 12 at 6:00 PM.


    Packets for all sessions except Beginners are 5 tickets for $40. You may purchase two packets per person initially. There is a maximum of 55 ticket packs being sold for each category of Novice, Intermediate and Advanced player. Beginner packs are 4 tickets for $32 and limited to a maximum of one per player and 20 in total.


    On Monday, October 16, we will open up sales of any unsold ticket packets and you can buy more if you wish.


    On Monday, October 23, we will open up the sign-ups for the entire November/December Play Session.


    On October 30, indoor play at the Canmore Rec Center begins.


    This time we are offering three new types of sessions –


    Two series of 4 Beginner Sessions for “graduates” of our TRY IT sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to gently ease our brand new members into our pickleball play. They will practice the basics of our game and they will learn how our club operates before they move into our Novice 2.0 group.


    Mixed Doubles Same Partner Session


    This Co-Ed session has 6 play dates and is open to all levels of play.


    Both partners must have tickets and both must sign up individually.


    Skill Development Sessions


    We are also offering 4 Skill Development sessions which are open to all levels.


    You may use your Tickets for play at the Round Robin Sessions for your skill level, the Skills Sessions and/or the Mixed Doubles Same Partner Sessions.


    So, remember that Ticket Packets will be available for purchase starting on Thursday, October 12 at 6:00PM. Click on the HERE button found in the Quick Links section to get in on the action.


    Cheers,


    Helen

    October 9th, 2023
  • News Update-- Plans for Indoor Play

    Hello Everyone,


    Here are some dates for you to keep in mind –


    Outdoor Play


    Outdoor play at Larch Courts ends on September 30.


    Outdoor play at Veterans Courts ends on October 31, dependent on weather


    Indoor Play


    Ticket Packets for the November/December Indoor Play Session at Canmore Rec Center will go on sale online on October 12. Packets are 5 tickets for $40. You may purchase two packets per person initially.


    Then, on October 16, we will open up sales of any unsold ticket packets.


    So, don’t dilly-dally – if you plan to purchase ticket packets, please do so between October 12 and 15.


    On October 23, we will open up the sign-ups for the entire November/December Play Session. This year, the system will only allow you to sign up for the number of tickets you have purchased. If you somehow “accidentally” sign up for more sessions than your tickets allow, we will delete your extra sign-ups.


    On October 30, indoor play at the Canmore Rec Center begins.


    Ratings Challenges


    We would like to have players settled into their correct groupings before we start the indoor season.


    If you are thinking about moving from Novice 2.5 to Intermediate 3.0, please let me know.


    And, if you would like to Challenge for Advanced Play, please let me know.


    All Challenge sessions will be held outdoors, hopefully before the end of October.


    Some of you have already let me know that you want to challenge for a higher rating and I haven’t lost track of you. We just want to make sure we reach out to everyone before we schedule challenge sessions.


    2024 Membership Renewals


    Please stay tuned for 2024 membership renewal information. We are currently awaiting additional information about Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Alberta 2024 fees. Once that situation clarifies, we will let you know about our next steps. In a typical year, we will begin accepting renewals in November.


    That’s all for now,


    Cheers,


    Helen

    September 20th, 2023
  • Tournament Update and News About Fall Play

    Hello Everyone,


    The weekend is shaping up to be spectacular and there will be lots of pickleball for you to enjoy.


    Our “End of Summer Pickleball Tournament” will be in full swing on Saturday and on Sunday at Veterans Park Courts.


    Best of luck to the participants and if you are interested in viewing some fine pickleball, “come on down” to the courts to enjoy the fun and cheer on the participants.


    The Novice Preliminary Round Robin will run from 10:00 to 12:00.


    The Advanced Preliminary Round Robin will run from 12:30-2:30.


    The Intermediate Preliminary Round Robin will run from 3:00 to 5:00.


    The Finals for all three levels will run concurrently from 11:00 to 1:00 on Sunday.


    And no one wants to miss the Fall Social at the Canmore Legion from 3:00 to 5:00. No entry fees, no sign ups for the Fall Social – just come and enjoy!


    Prize presentations to the tournament winners will be made at the Social!


    Kudos to Gerry French -


    The Second Edition of “Monthly Technical Tips” was sent out yesterday via email and we have already received many positive responses to this ongoing series which is authored by BVPA member Gerry French. Gerry is doing an outstanding job of presenting fun, informative, accessible information to help us all better understand and improve our game.


    If you haven’t yet had the chance to fully digest all the good information in this Second Edition of “Monthly Technical Tips”, please do so in the next few days.


    What comes after “End of Summer”?


    Well, shoulder season and then we move indoors for fall and winter.


    The Larch Courts scheduled season finishes on September 30. After that, if the courts are still available, play will be casual only.


    The Veterans Park Courts will be scheduled until the end of October unless the weather chases us away earlier.


    And then we move indoors to the Canmore Rec Center, Room 200.


    This year, we are able to secure more indoor court time but the court rental charge has gone up.


    So, we will again sell “Ticket Packets” for scheduled play. The price this year will be “5 Tickets for $40”( 2 packet maximum per member) and “Ticket Packets” will go on sale on October 12 with Sign-Ups for the l November-December session going out on October 23.


    More detailed information will go out to you once our schedule is finalized so stay tuned.


    That’s all for now!


    Helen

    September 14th, 2023
  • Gerry's Technical Tips of the Month

    Hello BVPA Pickleballers,


    This is the first in a series of monthly emails which is intended to provide informative, interesting and useful information about some of the technical aspects of pickleball around rules, skills and strategies.


    Hopefully there are some nuggets in these emails that you will find helpful in developing your game and continuing to enhance your enjoyment of this great sport.


    Rule of the Month: What are the rules for a legal pickleball serve?


    Ever wondered if your serve or your opponent's serve is ”legal”? The pickleball serve is quite unique from other paddle/racquet sports that many players come over from. There are three key items that are required for a “legal” pickleball serve motion:


    1. Underhand Serve: The serve must be hit in an underhand motion below the navel (defined as belly button) at the point of contact


    2. Upward Arc: Your arm must be moving in an upward arc at the point of contact


    3. Paddle Head Below Wrist: At the point of contact with the ball, the highest point of your paddle head must be below the highest part of the wrist


    So what does all that mean? Here's a link with some more detailed descriptions and pictures that make it simple and easy to see the differences between “legal” and “illegal” serves. The link also goes into some additional details on serving that you may find helpful:


    https://thepickler.com/blogs/pickleball-blog/pickleball-serving-rules


    For those that are into the detailed rulebook description, here is a link to download the official Canadian rulebook. Section 4 in the .pdf relates to The Serve, Service Sequence and Scoring Rules.


    https://pickleballcanada.org/play-and-learn/official-pickleball-rules/


    Skill of the Month: Drop Shots


    The drop shot is commonly referred to as the "third shot drop" however it is very useful and important in many situations during a rally beyond the third shot as a way to take back control of the rally. It is a key skill all pickleball players need in order to progress their game, have more fun and have more success. So - what is the 'drop' shot and what's the strategy behind this shot?


    The drop shot is a critical shot that is generally executed from middle to deeper in the court. It is played as a softer shot intended to just clear the net and land in your opponent’s “kitchen” (or non volley zone) closer to their feet making it a difficult ball for them to attack and allowing your team to follow your shot up to the net putting yourself in a strong position to reply. This is where you have a higher probability of getting control of the rally. For both new and seasoned pickleball players, the drop shot can be challenging to hit with consistency - sometimes it goes in the net, sometimes it is played with too much force, sometimes it gets popped up - we have all experienced these situations. Spending some time practicing the drop shot skill can really lead to an improved pickleball game for yourself and also for your fellow participants.


    Here are a couple short YouTube videos with some suggestions on drop shot drills that might be helpful. Happy "drop shot" practicing!


    Drop shot fundamental drills (6 minute video)


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2BV4Z9EdDo


    Drills for Developing Consistency: Video 2 (4 minutes)


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQyyoco0Qdw


    Fun Fact: This sport is growing like crazy!


    Thank you, Captain Obvious - I already knew that!


    But did you know that pickleball is growing in popularity at an estimated rate of 158% year-over-year in the last three years? And that participation in pickleball is now third in the US behind only biking and running and well ahead of other popular pastimes such as golf and tennis.


    The snapshot below shows estimated participation by sport in the US for 2023. I know - we live in Canada! Growth is even higher in Canada but I couldn't find any fun charts like the one below.


    Pickleball Canada estimated even higher growth rates in Canada with the number of players increasing from 350,000 in 2020 to approximately 1 million players as of the end of 2022. The fastest growing demographic right now is in the 18-34 age group highlighting that this sport is for everyone of all ages.

    August 22nd, 2023
 

Venue

Larch Rink Courts (Outdoor Play)
1200 17Street
Canmore
T1W 1T4
Larch Rink is found in behind the townhouses on the west end of 17th Street, off of 11 Ave. 2 permanent courts. 2 temporary courts. Concrete surface.

Veterans Park (Outdoor Play)
925 - 9 Street
Canmore
T1W 2B9
Veterans Park is found at the West end of Main St. (8th Street between 8th and 9th streets.
There are 2 permanently lined pickleball courts and space for 2 more temporary courts. Please park on 8th street when using the courts.

Canmore Recreation Center (Indoor Play)
Room 200, 1900-8 Ave
Canmore
T1W 1Y2
2 indoor courts. Temporary nets used. Gymnasium flooring.

Join the Bow Valley Pickleball Association ("BVPA")

Pickleball is a fun social sport for all ages and all athletic ability levels, with simple rules that make it easy to learn and fun to play, but tough to master. Weather depending, our outdoor playing season usually runs May to mid October. Indoor pickleball will be played November to April at the Canmore Recreation Center.

**TO JOIN, CLICK ON THE "JOIN-RENEW" BUTTON IN THE ABOVE LEFT CORNER**

Membership with BVPA includes:

  • Use of our courts as detailed under "PLAY".
  • Invitations to tournaments and social events.
  • Voting rights at our Annual General Meetings.
  • Organized outdoor and indoor play for both the Recreational and Competitive player.
  • Enable the club to provide clinics and workshops aimed at improving the skills of members at all levels.

Annual membership fees are used to:

  • Purchase new nets, balls, and other equipment.
  • Rental of courts as required.
  • Cover administration costs.
  • Subsidize Ratings, Skills Development and Learn to Play clinics.
  • Subsidize Social Events.
  • Establish a fund for maintenance and development of additional courts.

Prices & Deadlines

Regular deadline:
Registration Opened
Registration Fees
Price $75.00 per registrant

All prices in CAD $

Payment Methods

Online

* Small processing fee applies

Thinking of Joining our Bow Valley Pickleball Association and Getting in on the Fun?

Here’s what you need to know –

The annual membership fee is $75 and 100% of that membership fee stays in the Bow Valley and supports pickleball and BVPA members.

If you join now, your membership is in effect until December 31, 2024.

Joining is easy – just go to our website – bowvalleypickleball.org

We run both an Indoor Play program and an Outdoor Play program.

Our Indoor Program is offered in three sessions (November-December, January-February, and March-April) in Room 200, Canmore Rec Center where we run all our indoor programs on just 2 courts.

Almost all our programs, Indoor and Outdoor, are leveled play: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced.

Our Indoor Program is set up on a cost recovery basis. So for each session, we “presell tickets” – this year we presell sell 5 tickets for $40 for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Our Beginner sessions are priced at 4 tickets for $32.

Only BVPA members may buy tickets and only at their specified skill level. Then, at a later date, only the ticket purchasers can sign up for scheduled play dates. All indoor play is scheduled and members must sign up for dates. We cannot do drop in play.

Our November-December session is completely sold out. If you join now, you cannot expect to play in November-December. You will, however, be eligible to “buy tickets” for the January- February and subsequent sessions.

”Tickets” for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced will go on sale to BVPA members in mid-December.

“Tickets” for Beginners will go on sale on January 8 immediately after the January 7 TRY IT sessions.

So, if you wish to play in January-February and beyond in 2024, you must take out a 2024 BVPA membership and you may do so now on our website.

Pickleball TRY IT Sessions

To bring pickleball to our community, we offer FREE Pickleball TRY IT Sessions on specified dates.

If you have never played pickleball before, these sessions are for you – in a short hour and a half, we give you the basics and get you playing. We provide the paddles, balls, nets and instruction.

Our next TRY IT sessions are scheduled as follows:

December 8 from 8:00-9:30 PM in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 3:00-4:30 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

January 7 from 4:30-6:00 in Room 200 at the Canmore Rec Center. Click HERE to sign up.

If TRY IT participants want to continue playing with the club, they must first become BVPA members where they will be classified as BEGINNERS.

Once they are BVPA members, they may purchase BEGINNER Tickets on January 8 on our website and a few days later they can register for scheduled play times.

It is not required that TRY IT participants are BVPA members but only BVPA members may purchase “tickets” to play.

All sessions for BEGINNERS on the January-February play schedule are mentored by BVPA members who will help you along as you learn to play the sport.

Outdoor Play

Once we get to the outdoor play season from mid-May to the end of September, there are no additional court fees. Your club membership covers the court rental fees. No ticket purchases, no additional fees. You simply register one week in advance through an emailed link. Play is available at your level at different days and times of the week.

Outdoor play is at Veterans Park Courts and Larch Rink Courts as described on our website.

Questions? Comments?

Helen and Sheila

Sheila@bowvalleypickleball.org

Helen@bowvalleypickeball.org

Contact Us

Website and Events Questions
Membership Questions