The Cowichan Valley Winter Rally tournament, a two-day event hosted by North Cowichan Pickleball Club, took place over the weekend at Queen Margaret’s School. Women’s, men’s, and mixed division’s competed for podium finishes across nine divisions, with players hailing from across Vancouver Island.
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It’s the second successful tournament run under the North Cowichan Pickleball Club banner, which continues to build and facilitate the growth of pickleball in the Cowichan region.
“This is the second tournament at Queen Margaret’s School (QMS),” said tournament director Pat Poczobut. “We are grateful to be able to host events that help grow the pickleball community. We have limited access in the Valley to indoor facilities, so we are thankful that QMS is on board with us developing pickleball programming at their Sports Hall, and we have received nothing but support from their staff.
“Along with our tournaments, we are also starting to host coaching clinics, and drop-in games for players in the Valley, along with students and teachers of QMS.”
High-level competition and strong community vibes were on hand throughout Saturday and Sunday’s competition.
“It’s awesome to see,” added Poczobut. “[There were] a lot of people competing and having fun…that’s what I love about the pickleball community, they come together from all different ages, and different backgrounds.”
While Poczobut and wife Kelsey led the charge on the implementation of the tournament, he was quick to point out the numerous volunteers and members of the community who helped make the Winter Rally a success.
“So many volunteers,” noted Poczobut. “Assan and Fabian came from Court Crushers. The list goes on, but so many, awesome community members helping make this thing a success. So everyone who’s helped, thank you so much.”
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