FIVE ON THE BOARD
Who runs this
A volunteer board runs the club. Below it, how the whole thing got started in 2012.
The board
WPA is run by volunteers. These five people currently serve on the board.
Patrick Benske
Director of Technology
Darren Crane
Facility Manager
Nic Friesen
Chair / Treasurer
Shelley Friesen
Scheduling & Club Communication
Tim Wiebe
Player Development
How it started
Pickleball came to Winkler in the spring of 2012, brought in by the Winkler Senior Centre. They painted lines on their parking lot, bought some paddles, and invited people to try it. The first year had eight to ten players, using a floppy net held up by sticks cemented into pails. A grant the Senior Centre obtained paid for that first equipment.
Finding court space
Over the years the club has played in school gyms, on the high jump pad at the GVC track, on tennis courts with pickleball lines added on top, on the arena surface in summer, at Buhler, and in Royal Hall.
Growing beyond Winkler
The club has run clinics in Carman, Morden, and Somerset, and all three now have their own pickleball groups. It also introduced the sport into local schools, where it is now part of the gym curriculum and an intramural sport.
Who plays
Players range in age from 20 to 75. The club's focus is recreational, grouping people with others at a similar level while making room for anyone who wants to try. Some strong players from Winkler and Morden have gone on to compete in the Manitoba 55+ Games and at national tournaments, and have medalled there.