NEAR NORTH DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Pickleball Ontario donates instructional package to NNDSB

In advance of its tournament in North Bay on July 5-7, Pickleball Ontario donated an instructional pickleball package to Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The package, valued at more than $1,500, will be kept at one of the board's two resource centres, and can be signed out by any educator who'd like to teach and play pickleball with their students.

Daphne Micallef Reid, president of Pickleball Ontario, said the donation of the package - which includes a net, pickleballs and four sets of paddles - is a way for Pickleball Ontario to reach out to communities in advance of tournaments, and help to grow the sport of pickleball.

Junior Bent, Pickleball Ontario's vice-president, delivered the package to the resource centre on June 14. He said the organization was happy to donate the package, because they want to see pickleball become an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) and Olympic sport, so helping students to learn about the game is imperative to growing the game.

Bent says there are "so many great health benefits to playing pickleball". In addition to improving physical health, people benefit from increased social interactions, too. He says the game is very inclusive, and multi-generations of families can play the game together; he's seen photos of young people playing with their grandparents.

He credits the popularity of the sport to its low barrier to entry and the variety of health benefits. He adds that it's an easy sport to learn.

Michelle Cundari, president of North Bay Pickleball Club, said the club has seen significant growth in recent years, with a rapidly increasing number of enthusiastic members. The club's rising popularity mirrors the broader trend of pickleball becoming a mainstream sport. This surge has attracted participants of all ages and skill levels to join and engage in the sport.

Lindsay Kunkle, a library technician at the Classroom Support Centre North, said the resource centres house teacher resources that "couldn't be in every classroom". This would include items like manipulatives, toys for kindergarten classrooms, and "additional resources to help teachers provide the best possible education for the children."

Staff can either sign out and have the material sent to their school by courier or can go in person to the resource centre to pick items up.

Bent encourages people to investigate the North Bay pickleball club, and to attend the tournament July 5-7, which is being held at Nipissing University.