Invermere Pickleball Club

2026 Season Info

Hard to believe we’re only one month away from the start of our season in Invy! The Board has been hard at work reviewing the member survey feedback and planning sessions for the season ahead. We’re excited to get things going and to see everyone.

We gain access to the curling rink on April 1st, and it will only take a couple of days to get everything set up and ready to go. Stay tuned for the opening date of our season.

SPRING SMASH 2026 – TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION NOW OPEN TO MEMBERS

Our third annual Spring Smash Tournament is a go — and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever with play spanning three days.

Club members get first access to register. Registration opens to the public on March 12th, so don’t wait. Last year we sold out and some club members were disappointed. Simply send Lisa an email to register or to ask any questions.

More information can be found on our Tournament page.

SILENT AUCTION – HELP US BUILD OUR NEW COURTS

As you know, we are working hard to bring our new pickleball courts to life. This facility will serve our current members and future generations of players in the Columbia Valley.

As part of the tournament, we are hosting a Silent Auction in support of the New Court Project, and we are inviting members to contribute.

If you have something you would like to donate — a service, vacation stay, gift basket, lesson, artwork, sports equipment, gift cards, or a unique experience — we would be incredibly grateful. Every single item moves us closer to our goal.

If you would like to contribute, simply email Lisa and let us know what you have in mind. Let’s build these courts together.

FREE LEARN TO PLAY SESSION

We’re also excited to offer a free Learn to Play session on April 18th at 2:00 p.m. Please feel free to invite friends who may be curious about trying pickleball.

Space is limited to 16 participants. Have anyone interested email Lisa at president@ipbclub.ca.

2026 MEMBERSHIP FEES NOW DUE

A reminder that 2026 membership fees are now due. There is no club increase this year.

You can renew through the Pickleball Canada website. It’s quick and easy.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back on court very soon.

That's it for this season, folks!

It is too chilly for morning outdoor play 🥶 Enjoy your winter and we look forward to seeing you in the spring.

IPBC isn't involved in organizing winter indoor play. For winter indoor play, please check out Columbia Lake Recreation Centre. 

October Play Times

The end nears.... BUT we're not there yet. With the turnover of the curling rink we are now down to Morning Open Play Monday to Thursday and Saturdays. At this point we're starting open play at 11 a.m. at Mt. Nelson. PLEASE use Sign Up Genius whenever possible so folks know others are going to show up on a certain date. Let's squeeze out the last possible outdoor play we can. Here's the link to Sign Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054BAAA822ABFF2-summer#/

Save the Dates

Invermere Pickleball Club members - please save these dates:

October 4th - 6:00pm - Volunteer Appreciation Event - If you have volunteered in any capacity in 2025, please join us for this event! RSVP to Lisa asap. 

October 5th - 11:00am-1:00pm - Open Play at Mt Nelson (weather dependant)

October 5th - 1:30pm - Annual General Meeting at Invermere Seniors' Hall

Would LOVE to have a huge turnout for the AGM - a big year coming up in terms of play and projects and would love to gather lots of input as we begin the planning. 

Invermere Pickleball Day - August 16th

Invermere Pickleball Day – August 16

Save the date for Invermere Pickleball Day – Saturday, August 16. We’ll celebrate with play, community, and a potluck lunch. Full details to follow down the road.

Drop In Time Moved to 9 a.m.

With the consistent warmer weather we are not starting drop in at 9 a.m. at Mt. Nelson Ahtletic Park. Drop in runs at the park Monday to Thursday and Saturday. We do not have guaranteed access to the park courts on Friday so are playing a Royal Court (think Queen's Court) format starting at 9 a.m. at the curling rink. For a full list of all our sessions please check the Play Schedule link above. 

Start of 2025 Season

The start of our 2025 season is now scheduled. Please click on the "Play Schedule" tab above to see what is happening in April.  There are a lot of sessions that reflect what our members asked for in our recent survey.  The board will be monitoring attendance for each session and will be adjusting future schedules accordingly. See you on the courts.

Membership Renewal 2025

Time to renew membership with the Invermere Pickleball Club for the 2025 season. We'd super appreciate it if you could get this done early as we being to think about what the spring season is going to look like. All memberships purchased now will be good until the end of the year. Fees are staying the same as last year and will include access to the indoor play at the curling rink. 

Outdoor Season Finished

What a great season we had!!  With the colder weather we've wrapped up organized drop in. On the occasional warm day we may still get we'll try and post on our Facebook page where and what time we're getting together. Have a great winter. The Columbia Lake Recreation Centre is offering pickleball through the winter. Please check their website if you're looking for more information. See you on the courts in the spring!!

Annual General Meeting - Sept. 21st

The Annual General Meeting is planned for Saturday, September 21st. Please save the date and come and join us. We'll play some pickleball at the curling rink between 2 &4 p.m. and will follow that with finger food potluck snacks and Wes will open up the bar. The meeting will start around 4:45.

We have three vacancies for sure coming up on the Board for the 2025 season and perhaps four. (We currently have our full 10 members on the Board.) Please consider whether this might be a good fit for you. Always important to have new energy and skill sets.

New Memberships Good Until End of 2025

Canada Pickleball has announced that any memberships purchased after Sept. 1st, 2024 will be good until the end of December 2025. If you've been thinking of joining us, this is the time! 

2024 Season Update

1. Membership renewal for 2024 is now due and we're excited to get going. We have a LOT of things planned for the season.

2. We get access to the curling rink as of April 1st and will get things up and running quickly. 

3. Here is the link to our Facebook page so you can stay connected: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807772116864629

Kevin Stanley Lessons

The club has arranged for Kevin Stanley to return to Invermere for lessons and instruction on May 8th and 9th. For those of you that attended last years sessions I'm sure you will want to level up this year and if you haven't been to Kevins lessons its well worth the time. Sessions have been posted on signup genius, we have morning, afternoon and evening sessions available. Sign up early as they might fill up quickly! Cost will be $50 per session usually 2 to 3hrs of instruction. Pay by interac to "pickleballcv@gmail.com" and mention Kevin Stanley then go to signup genius to May 8th or 9th and sign up on whichever session you want. Below is Kevin's suggestions of how you might self rate yourself regarding the sessions.

Here are some ideas on how I would expect players to be able to play in each level.Novice Players (new to 2.5)

1. Know the Rules
2. Doesn't really know the proper paddle grip or ready position
3. Can practice dinking back and forth at the kitchen line 3-8 times without chasing the ball
4. Can serve successfully 2-4 times out of ten in a game scenario
5. Know basically where to stand when serving or receiving the serve
6. Can return the serve successfully 3-5 times out of 10 successfully
7. Seldom try to do third shot drops
8. Sometimes lob out of desperation
9. Don't know how to handle a lob shot done to them
10. Really struggles at resetting from no man's land

Intermediate Players (3.0+ - 3.5)

1. Understands the rules and can share same with Novice players as needed
2. Knows the proper grip and ready position but may not be consistent with executing
3. Can practice dinking drill 10-20+ hits without chasing the ball
4. Starting to move dink shots more effectively and strategically
5. Knows where to stand during serve and receive and executes properly 50-60% of the time
6. Can execute all 22 pickleball shots 40 to 60% of the time in a game scenario
7. Attempts and succeeds the third shot drop 40-50% of the time from forehand or backhand
8. Attempts a lob at strategic times and knows better on how to handle a lob
9. Successfully able to reset from no man's land 40-50% of the time
10. COmmunicates with his or her partner and works to move strategically with their partner more often than not

Advanced Players (3.5+ - 4.0)

1. Knows the rules and regulations of the game and is able to share with others
2. Knows the proper grip and ready position and may be starting to develop their own style
3. Can practice controlled dinking straight and crosscourt for 20 plus shots forehand and backhand fairly easily
4. Displays dinking accuracy that created chaos on the opponent's court
5. Instinctively knows where to be and court awareness with their partner
6. Attempts third shot or drive shots 60-80% of the time successfully in a game scenario
7. Rarely lobs but if so executes often and can defend a lob with a third shot drop or relob if appropriate
8. Comfortable resetting from mid court 68-80% of the time as needed
9. Communicates well and moves very well with their partner
10. Knows how to identify weaknesses in opponents and change game accordingly
11. Can execute all 22 pickleball shots with a 60-80% success rate in a game scenario

These guidelines are approximate but I find it fairly easy to recognize once we have people on the court. My job is to adjust the lesson or clinic based on what I see in terms of skill level within the first 15 minutes and modify the lesson as needed. To identify individual items and or issues and address them to individuals personally as I see them arise.

Volunteers Needed For Hosting Duties

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Due to insurance and
liability concerns we need a "host" at each session of play. If you indicated
you are prepared to volunteer with the club and thus enjoy a reduced
membership fee, we would sure appreciate your help. New volunteers will
be given assistance the first time to make sure you're comfortable. If
you can help, please email Simon at sgin102854@aol.com with your
availability.

Stay in the know and get to know some of the other members by joining our new Facebook group.  You can request to join at https://www.facebook.com/group.