News & Blog

In January, SCI BC hosted its first Wheelchair Pickleball Try-It Night with Fraser Valley Wheelchair Sports (FVWS) and Gosse was one of the eager new players who took to the courts. “Like anything new you try, there’s a learning curve. This was probably the most challenging part of the evening… [but] it was fairly new to most of us and having a small group made it great for learning the sport. I really enjoyed it.”

Para pickleball, also known as wheelchair pickleball, follows the same core principles of the traditional game with a few modifications to the rules. To play, teams of one or two players use paddles to hit a ball over a net, scoring points when the opposing team fails to return the ball or when a fault is committed. In para pickleball, players using wheelchairs are allowed up to two bounces to return the ball, instead of one, and the second bounce may occur anywhere on the playing surface. During a volley (when a shot is hit out of the air before it touches the ground), the front wheels of a player’s wheelchair are allowed to touch the non volley zone. This zone is an area closest to the net and is typically off-limits in regular volley play. The recommended playing surface area for wheelchair play is 44 feet (13.41 m) wide and 74 feet (22.55 m) long. The size for wheelchair play in a stadium court is 50 ft (15.24 m) wide by 80 feet (24.38 m) long. However, most recreational players use whatever courts available to them at community centres, outdoor tennis courts, or open gyms.

Some para pickleball players opt to use sports wheelchairs for more dynamic movement and maneuvering but your everyday chair will also work just fine. Other adaptations may include Active Hands (a gripping glove), sports tape, or specialized pickleball paddles with a suction on the bottom of the handle to make it easier to pick the ball off the ground. Thus, reducing back strain and bending over (these paddles are available on Amazon).

Perhaps the most inclusive adaptation of para pickleball is the hybrid game. In this version, not all players on the court use a wheelchair. Instead, a wheelchair player partners with a standing player, and they compete against either another hybrid team or two stand-up players. In hybrid games, the para game rules only apply to players in wheelchairs. This opens the game up to everyone. “It was a great experience to be able to play it with my girlfriend and her 10-year-old son,” Gosse says. SCI BC’s Try-It event embraced the hybrid model, with four wheelchair user participants, one ambulatory participant, two able-bodied players, and coaches.

Darlene Antoniuk, administrator for FVWS and parent of a para athlete, partnered with SCI BC to host the Try-It event after noticing an increase in demand for the sport and picking it up as a family hobby. “[We] started playing pickleball in our driveway two years ago. My son, who uses a wheelchair in his daily life, enjoyed playing with us. I think it’s a great wheelchair sport for many reasons,” Antoniuk explains. “The sport is growing rapidly so there’s lots of places to play, the equipment is inexpensive, it offers a good cardio workout… and it’s less jarring than tennis on the shoulders when hitting the ball because the paddles and balls are lighter. It’s also a great social event where you can meet a lot of other people with the same interest.”

Established in 2015, FVWS works closely with the BC Wheelchair Basketball Society and typically focuses on wheelchair basketball, but they’re excited to broaden their reach with pickleball and look forward to future events. “[FVWS] is open to all levels of players, from new to experienced… we have players with CP, Spina Bifida, SCI, and congenital birth defects to name a few examples,” says Antoniuk. “[One of the] main benefits is that you can play pickleball with other players who don’t need to use a wheelchair, which makes it easier to find opportunities to play.”