By Jamie Gillies
After meeting with success at the Western Canadian Pickleball Championships earlier in the summer, six members of our local Steamboat Club travelled to Regina to participate in the National Championships in late August.
The calibre of play was outstanding as 624 of the best players from across Canada gave it their best during the grueling five- day tournament. All of the local players had outstanding performances, in particular:
• Bing Wu and Richard Osborn won Silver medals in 3.0 Men’s Doubles (50-55 age category).
• Murray Sielski brought home the Silver medal in 3.0 Men’s singles (50-55 age category).
• Melva Barrault and her partner Diane Smith (Saskatoon) won the Silver medal in the 3.0 Women’s Doubles (64+ age category).
In September, several of our locals continued to play well at the Rally of the Rockies Tournament in Cranbrook, adding to their summer medal count.
• Richard Osborn and Bing Wu won Gold in 3.5 Men’s Open Doubles
• Richard Osborn and Melva Barrault won Gold in 3.0 Mixed Doubles
• Bing Wu and Roberta Schnider won Bronze in 3.0 Mixed Doubles
We are proud of the amazing accomplishments achieved by these dedicated pickleball players from our valley. Kudos and huge thanks to the Columbia Valley Recreation Centre for providing such a wonderful practice facility.
Competing in the Cranbrook tournament: Richard Osborn, Melva Barrault, Bing Wu, Roberta Schnider.
(Photo submitted)
