After completing six weeks of Gherkin Pickleball for Seniors and Senioras, offered by Vancouver Island University (VIU) ElderCollege, participants gathered for the final tournament on November 9 to play for the right to be called Golden Gherkin of the qathet region.
“Play was simply ‘dill-ightful,’” said program creator and head gherkin Barb Struch. “The participants arrive the first day not knowing much, if anything, about pickleball, and to watch them play like they did today is unbelievably rewarding.”
Participants cheered each other on as they watched their Gherkin comrades dink and volley their way through each match. In the end, three gherkins emerged triumphant: Lynn O’Reilly (gold), Barry Butula (silver) and Deb Maitland (bronze).
“Barb and her fellow gherkins do a phenomenal job of teaching and supporting,” said Maitland. “This game is so much fun!”
Fellow instructor Rosalie Pasquet, along with all gherkins present, commented on how awesome the refereeing was for the tournament.
“The head referee definitely earned her $5!” stated a chuckling Pasquet.
Certified referees receive only $5 to $7 per game, which was joked about during the tournament, according to Struch.
“Whenever I made a bad call, they were deducting $1.50,” added Struch. “At one point, I apparently owed them money.”
Gherkin pickleball teaches the soft side of pickleball with the motto: Placement Over Power.
“I have recently been referred to as ‘an originalist’ because I want to preserve the original intent of pickleball – so that every member of the family can play it and have fun together,” added Struch. “We have so much fun and everybody is very supportive of one another. It’s just so nice to see.”
Struch thanked VIU ElderCollege and, specifically, Xóchitl Hernández, for the tremendous support over these past two years.
“It was a wonderful introduction to learn pickleball and some of the shots and rules; good fun,” said participant Joseph Klee.
Another Gherkin Pickleball for Seniors and Senioras course will be offered in the new year.
“Anyone can play this style of pickleball,” said Bonnie Johanson, who also took part, adding that it was a great group of teachers.
Pickleball popularity is growing at an incredible rate and as a result, it can be extremely competitive; in fact, it is being considered for a future Olympic sport, shared Struch.
Talk show host Stephen Colbert is having a celebrity pickleball tournament called Pickled on November 17, and basketball star LeBron James now owns a professional pickleball team, she added.
The fastest-growing age group for pickleball is players under age 24.
Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to call VIU (604.485.2878) to be placed on the waiting list. The class is very popular and seats are limited, said Struch.
