While coaching for three years, Richard Lahaie joined forces with playing partner Alain Poliquin to officially create the Académie trifluvienne de pickleball (ATP).

Keep in mind that this sport, which has become popular among our southern neighbors, especially in Florida, is gaining more and more followers. More than 80 players are registered for each of the two autumn sessions offered by the ATP.

“I’ve been teaching for almost three years and with one of my friends (Alain Poliquin) with whom I compete, we decided to join forces to make it more official. We are supported by Renée Duchaine, who helps us as an assistant when she is available. Our first courses under the ATP name just started this fall,” begins Richard Lahaie, owner.

“Our academy has two main tasks. The first is to introduce newcomers to the sport of pickleball with good playing techniques, and our second is to help intermediate level people progress. It’s still a growing sport. Until the end of October, the academy will offer 88 enrolled students ten lessons per week. The next session will have 80 followers and will last until the end of November. »

The two partners of this adventure have also made the decision to limit the number of registrations in order to offer a more personalized service.

“Our specialty, and that’s what sets us apart, is that we put a maximum of eight people on two fields. There are larger group classes, but there are four of us going to the coach,” adds the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) certified trainer.

“We have several new players every season. It is still a sport mainly practiced by people of FADOQ age. On the other hand, we are beginning to observe young couples in their 30s who are interested in sports. We also made an offer to the school authorities, because after all we would like to introduce the game in the region’s grammar schools, especially during the lunch break. »

Is there enough land?

There is enough land in the region to meet the – current – ​​demand during the summer season, but for the autumn-winter season things get more complicated.

“It’s always the $100 question, even the $1000 question (laughs). When we compare ourselves to other cities, we are right about open land. Inside it gets complicated. People are retired so they want to play during the day but the schools are not available. In the dream of dreams we would have facilities like the Arena Saint-Georges-de-Champlain in the Shawinigan sector. It has fallen into disuse and they have built five beautiful pickleball courts that are filling to capacity. It would also be a great project for us to have an indoor center dedicated to pickleball,” he says.

The latest US numbers show that 100 new pickleball courts are being built each month. The Fédération québécoise de Pickleball had 2,000 members in 2019, three years later there were 7,000 members.

As for coaches Lahaie and Poliquin, we also have to highlight their performance as players. They recently won the silver medal (age 65 and over) at the provincial FADOQ games, in addition to silver at Canada Central in Ontario. “We compete a lot. We are educators, but we are also good players,” concludes Mr. Lahaie.

To follow the activities of the ATP, visit the Facebook page of the Académie trifluvienne de pickleball.