About Us…

About 4 years ago, I was sitting on the bench, outside the gym, at a Super Saturday Session, and just before the games were about to begin, I looked over to my friend Ted, who was seated beside me, and said "we need more courts and a place to call our own". My statement was a follow-up to a conversation that had been going on about how we had lots of people who wanted to play with us but couldn't because we only had access to 3 courts. He then got up and as he was walking into the gym, looked back at me and emphatically said "yes we do". That was when my idea to create a pickleball facility was reignited and started to take flight, again.

These Super Saturday Sessions had started in about February or March of 2019 at the Rady Jewish Community Campus. Back then, I was able to rent space there as I had previously been their Head Badminton Coach for several years. Just before that, in late 2018, my childhood friend Tom and I were at the Winter Club one night and chatted about this game his sister had played down south, called pickleball. It was the most excited I had seen Tom talk about a racquet sport in quite some time. He raved about how it was easy on his knees and fun. At the same time, my shoulder was nearly toast and I was looking to retire from competitive badminton and so this game called pickleball was suddenly attractive to me. We agreed to play at the Winter Club one night, when all the badminton players were long gone.

One session of playing singles was all it took for us to realize we could do this, have fun, and probably be okay at it as we had both played some decent squash, tennis, and badminton in our lives. I then harassed him long enough to convince him we should play a tournament. The problem was that we hadn't played any real games yet and so we needed to learn the rules and get some matches under our belts. Our first taste of action happened at Building 21, aka 17 Wing. Here we met the legendary Ken, who ran the show, and showed us what pickleball was all about. We were a little different from the other players as we basically played a combination of the other racquet sports on the pickleball court with lots and lots of smashing and different spins. We went on to meet several players who gave us feedback and tried to convince us of this thing called the 3rd shot drop (I'm not sure how well we learned that lesson). Eventually we started playing more and more with some folks named Sandra, Mark, Matt, and Damien. As we continued to hone our skills and annoy some folks with our, admittedly, aggressive style full of smashes and drives, we started to realize that what we needed: a competitive group where we could, more safely, continue to develop our style and game. I talked with Damien and Matt a fair bit and convinced them, as well as Sandra, and eventually Mark, to join my group. It was going to be more expensive than any pickleball that was being played anywhere else. Back then, players were skeptical that anyone would pay more than $3.00 for a 2- or 3-hour session. I was going to charge about $7.00. Many thought it wouldn't fly. Another challenge was that this group would be an invitation-only style group. It started small, with just 4-6 players, but it grew quickly as people saw the level of play. This was the launch of what would eventually become known as Super Saturdays. Having a private, invitation-only group, at a semi-public facility faced some challenges and so eventually I was forced to relocate the group to SJR, where we continued until the summer of 2024. During those years we had to relocate a few times due to the challenges of the pandemic but fortunately I was usually able to secure space at private facilities.

I am very grateful to all the players who were a part of making the Super Saturdays what they were and what they became. Over the seasons and sessions, what was once a group geared towards competitive and elite pickleball, evolved into different programs, some that accepted all levels of players, ranging from beginner to advanced. These programs ran 3 times per week and served as my testing ground for different concepts and ideas about how to run pickleball programs. I was able to draw from my experiences as a badminton coach and tournament organizer to create a variety of events. All the while, everyone who played with us at Rady JCC, St. Paul’s High School, Prairie Badminton, Selkirk Community Church, SJR, Picklehaus, and at the Super Saturdays, the weeknight programs, and those who played during the summer at La Fleche, played a role in contributing to the creation of the mini pickleball community that is morphing into the PCW. At our current location, Picklehaus, we have continued to grow as individual players and as a group, with some of the original members still playing with us (thank you to each of you). Soon we will relocate once more, to 20-500 Caron Road. As before, the goal is to continue what we have always aspired to accomplish and that is to build community through the sport of pickleball. Along the way, people and players will be encouraged to grow themselves and to develop their skills, to be their best, have fun, and make memories. Thank you to everyone who has helped bring me, us, and the Pickleball Club of Winnipeg to this point.

The ownership group consists of me (Nicholas Rush), my sister and her husband, and my friend who is an avid pickleballer. We all want the Pickleball Club of Winnipeg to be a place for everyone and look forward to meeting you.

Nicholas Rush
President
Pickleball Club of Winnipeg