Calgary Special Olympic athletes complete popular course in pickleball

More than 30 Special Olympic athletes were recognized for their proficiency in pickleball on Sunday.

The event took place at the MNP Community and Sport Centre in downtown Calgary, where 32 athletes were enrolled in two one-hour sessions taught by certified pickleball instructors Peter and Jean Lellewellyn.

Lellewellyn said Sunday’s group – who were completing the course and receiving certification – were a joy to work with.

“My husband and I both do a lot of teaching throughout the week, but this group is smiles all the way” she said., “They just really appreciate it and love it.

“And as you can see, there's quite a range of skill levels,” she added. “They're very diverse with their abilities, so we tend to divide them into groups according to skill levels, and the top group obviously can play great pickleball games and (with) others, we're focusing more on movement and hand eye coordination for them, which benefits them in lots of different ways.”

The course comes at a time where there is a huge demand for pickleball, a sport that’s growing in popularity.

 Lellywellyn said she could see why.

“It is a game, really, for everyone,” she said, “and I think the people here, because of their diverse abilities, it shows that anyone can come onto a court and enjoy the game.

“It was originally a game that tended to be seen for older people, but the average age has come down from 60-ish, and I think now it stands at 30 something -- so the age is gradually coming down as more people play.”

Damion Chiodo’s first love is basketball, and he also plays golf and hockey, but the budding podcaster said he enjoyed learning the fundamentals of a new sport that allowed him to meet new people and build a community a bit.

Damion Chiodo has a podcast called Accessible Athletics. He also plays basketball, golf, hockey and now pickleball.

“I noticed myself that I still develop slowly over time," Chiodo said. "I'm someone who learns very slowly, but I feel like today I've developed, and I've gotten a lot better.

"My goal is just to improve so that I know that I'm getting better -- and then I can move up and play better players.”

The athletes received certificates of completion from Olympic champion and Sport Canada president Catriona Le May Doan.

With files from CTV's Tyler Barrow