Local pickleball player Joe Healey recently travelled to Regina to participate in the 2023 Pickleball Canada National Championship and returned home with a title to his credit. Healey competed in the Men’s Singles Skill: (3.0 And Under) Age: (16 And Above) category, alongside 12 other participants. In conversation with bdnmb.ca Healey said he won 13 matches in total over the weekend. He cruised through his opening few matches en route to the championship tilt. As the championship was a double knockout format, he met an opponent (Jairus Stonehouse) he had defeated earlier in the tournament in the finals. Healey lost the best of 3 final. As it was the first loss he suffered over the weekend, the two then squared off in a game to 15, with Healey coming out on top 17-15.
A relative newcomer to the sport, Healey said he only took up the sport last fall. He took off the winter to participate in other sports like squash and hockey. Summer brought him back to the pickleball courts and he has participated in a number of tournaments this summer across the Prairies. He primarily practices out at Stanley Park and has a number of upcoming tournaments tournaments on the horizon including Arborg and Calgary.
