Community Pickleball Tournament Raises $3,025 to Fund New Regional Pool

Pickle for the Pool, the second annual community tournament, raised $3,025 to support the Lets’emot Regional Recreation and Aquatic Centre pool in Agassiz. The funds came from entry fees, donated prizes and baked goods sold by volunteers who ran the event.

Thirty-six players from Harrison Hot Springs, Agassiz, Hope and Chilliwack competed Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Community Recreation and Cultural Centre, the building that will become the LRRAC when the new 27,000-square-foot pool facility is finished. The tournament used a scramble-style format with round-robin doubles, pairing newer and more experienced players and rotating partners to keep matches lively and inclusive.

Tournament organizer and player Suzi Inkman praised the local group. “The pickleball group here is amazing,” said Inkman. “We have the most fun and generous people - a great community within a great community.” Volunteers donated prizes and baked snacks, and the mix of participants underlined pickleball’s wide appeal: teenagers through players in their seventies took part, signaling strong cross-generational interest in court sports and recreation programming.

The money raised will go toward the new LRRAC pool complex, which is expected to open late this year. Planned features include an eight-lane lap pool, a lazy river, a leisure pool and additional aquatic programming space. The addition expands local options for lap swimming, family recreation and swim lessons, and it is likely to increase demand for nearby court time and community programming once the facility opens.

For players and supporters looking to contribute or plug into ongoing grassroots fundraising, visit kentbc.ca/fill_the_pool for local donation information and volunteer opportunities. Small community events like Pickle for the Pool do more than add to a construction fund; they build the networks that fill courts and pool lanes when new facilities open.

Pickleballers who enjoyed the scramble-style play found it practical for skill development as well as socializing, making the tournament a model for other clubs that want to combine fundraising with inclusive play. Expect more community-driven events as organizers capitalize on this momentum and as the LRRAC project moves toward completion later this year.