By Taylor Nichols
Blaine and Birch Bay pickleball players will have a chance to train with the best this February. Registration is now open for three boot camps taught by national pickleball champion Tyson McGuffin and his doubles partner, Bellingham native Matt Goebel, hosted by the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District.
Pickleball is a sport similar to badminton and tennis. It’s played using a low badminton net, a whiffle ball and a type of wooden paddle that looks like an oversized ping pong paddle. Invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965, it has grown in the U.S. from 200,000 players in 2016 to 2.8 million in 2018, according to the USA Pickleball Association.
Dotti Berry, 65, began playing in April 2018 and quickly fell in love with the sport.
“The real benefit is the sense of community that people have, and that almost becomes the main benefit and pickleball is the side benefit,” Berry said. “It just really makes it fun for everybody.”
She’s played in several tournaments since she started and won bronze with her doubles partner, Rhonda Saunders, in the Washington State Seniors Games in August. The two are now eligible for the national tournament.
Berry did a boot camp with McGuffin in Spokane, where he lives, and the two started collaborating on a plan to host one in Blaine. Berry hopes lessons with the professionals will draw new players to the game and help seasoned players develop
their skills.
“Anybody can play easily and usually hit the ball, but the strategy becomes more and more important in becoming better,” she said.
There’s a boot camp available for all levels of play. McGuffin will be teaching a three-day beginners course February 4-6, and an intermediate and advanced course February 8-10. Goebel will teach a two-day boot camp for more experienced players February 8 and 9.
Three-day boot camps cost $450, and the two-day course costs $295. The lessons are limited to eight players each, and there are still spots available in all three.
The boot camps also include a free community event open to anyone from 5-9 p.m. on February 7. The evening will include pickleball drills, a question and answer session with McGuffin and Goebel and a chance to play with the national champions.
Berry said she loves how easy it is for people of all ages to play, and the sense of community players have. She’s played in Arizona, Hawaii, Seattle – wherever she goes, she finds a pickleball court.
“It brings people together. It’s just a great connection,” she said. “I think we really need this.”
The Birch Bay Activity Center, where the boot camps will be held, has two outdoor pickleball courts, two indoor courts and equipment available. Players can pay $3 to drop in, $15 for six uses, or $30 for a month of unlimited court use. The pickleball schedule is available on their website at bbbparkandrec.org/pickleball. These boot camps are an opportunity to get pointers from professional players and develop skills in preparation for an upcoming tournament the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 plans to hold in March 2019.
“Pickleball really is about bringing together a diverse group of people and having a sense of community,” Berry said. “It’s really taken off.”
For more information on the boot camps, free pickleball community night, or to register for either, visit bbbparkandrec.org/pickleball-boot-camp.
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