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IPOP Partners With BC Lung to Promote Positive Health Effects of Pickleball

IPOP is pleased and excited to announce a partnership with the BC Lung Foundation!
With the help of president and CEO Chris Lam,  IPOP and the BC Lung team is on a mission to let the world know about the benefits of pickleball.

From the inception of the Inclusive Place of Pickleball, one thing stands above all else: our passion is more than just a wiffle ball flying over a net and operating pickleball facilities. We want to be different and “be a part of ” the development and promotion of our beautiful game globally.
And to do that, we must change how pickleball is viewed in the mainstream media.

If you haven’t noticed, pickleball has been getting a bad rap in the news this past year from noise complaints, injuries costing insurance companies and even a hunger strike! As avid pickleball lovers and proponents of its health benefits (and positivity!), this trend in the press lately is a little concerning. And something we at IPOP want to change. Now, the news always reports on the negative rather than the positive. However, the more severe problem for pickleball is the misrepresentation of facts — especially when big money is involved from insurance companies and the legal communities (with injuries and lawsuits).

More Positive Scientific Data Is Needed

One main reason we don’t read about the positive is because more data is needed to prove the health impacts that pickleball has. As mentioned, news outlets sensationalize numbers and data — especially negative data. Journalists only have the “bad” numbers right now.
While pickleball has been around since 1965, it has only become wildly popular recently. Anyone who plays pickleball can feel the difference it has made in our lives, but there isn’t much research to corroborate this effect. We think that those of us in the pickleball community should do our part to try to balance the negative media stories with more positive press publications  backed by verified scientific research and that’s what IPOP is on a mission to do. In other words, we need to prove how pickleball makes us all feel with good ole fashion FACTS!

To change the narrative and perception of pickleball more positively in the news, there needs to be more research into pickleball benefits.
With this in mind, IPOP’s quest to verify the health benefits with scientific data begins.

A Passionate CEO
Business partners are necessary, especially when you want to make lasting change. However, for a company like IPOP, we wanted the proper organization to grow with and also to work with a group of individuals who believe in pickleball as much as we do.

Enter Chris Lam, president and CEO of BC Lung. When we first met at an IPOP tour, it seemed like our two companies, not to mention us personally, were a match made in heaven — certainly better than any dating site I’ve ever been on (just in case my ex reads this, I’m joking!)!
Chris and I immediately hit it off — and not just because of our names. He told me he recently started playing pickleball and loves it so much that he’s already entered several local tournaments! Perfect match, right? Yes, and here’s why…
We have one strict rule at IPOP regarding anyone we directly work with. Whether you’re an investor, a sponsor, a graphic designer, answering phones, sweeping the floor, etc., you must do one thing: Play pickleball!
Chris gets a big green happy checkmark in this box — making IPOP’s decision to partner with BC Lung much easier.
Just a small note here: We were approached and had interviews with several societies and foundations but most of the decision makers were barely familiar with pickleball and did not understand the benefits which is totally logical. Afterall, we believe One has to play the game, even only once to experience the healthy mental, physical and spiritual benefits.  So to meet a passionate, pickled CEO like Chris is remarkable.

Every Journey Starts With Understanding Where You’re Going…
After Chris and I chatted, we met with the rest of the BC Lung team to discuss alignment and our mutual goals. It was an open and honest conversation that ended up in our agreed partnership. BC Lung understood that IPOP wished to be more than just an organization that raises money for them and publicly proclaims good respiratory health through pickleball (we do this anyway!). They realize that IPOP’s more profound mission is to change the mainstream perception of pickleball through research.

At IPOP, we dream of a day when doctors prescribe pickleball to their patients before or instead of medications (did you know that in the US, doctors prescribe nature hikes already?) and be a part of an overall health plan — including mental health and all of the other preventable diseases — for people everywhere.
All we needed was a partner in the medical field to get started on that dream.
We found that partner in BC Lung!

Small steps begin journeys…
We have already started planning our first fundraiser ( June 2024) and have begun discussions with one of Canada’s top pulmonary researchers, UBC’s Dr. Pat Camp. The goal is to have a small study begin later this year. This statement is from our Memorandum of Understanding with BC Lung, and we at IPOP are very proud to participate in such a lofty and ambitious goal with our new partner.

1. Mutual Goal
This partnership will have many mutual benefits, but having a mutual goal is of the utmost importance. Our mutual goal is to prove that pickleball is the pathway to a new standard of treatment in recovering patients from respiratory illnesses. This has to be accomplished with a triple-phase clinical trial and published in an academic journal by 2027.

Big dreams begin with a single step. A rebirth of health and well-being can often inspire that first step. For our pickleball community to grow and grow up, we need to take these steps, not alone but with partners like BC Lung.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming fundraiser in June…

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National Pickleball Weekend: Celebrating the iPOP in BC

 

What a truly fantastic weekend it was, fully immersed in the world of Pickleball. I wholeheartedly advocate for extending the celebration beyond just a day; how about National Pickleball Month? The joy this sport brings is worth the extended festivities!

Golden Ears volunteers with Steve Deakin

By starting the day with a deep sense of gratitude for discovering this wonderful game, it’s challenging to put into words just how profound Pickleball is to me. It’s not just a sport; it’s a spiritual experience, enriching my life in countless ways, often leaving me speechless.

When describing Pickleball, I often say the game itself is the glue that binds like-minded individuals together, emphasizing the components of Friendship, Fitness, and, most importantly, Fun!

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to share the beauty of Pickleball through an interview with our national broadcaster, CBC, on a local show, North by North-West. We gathered at Keswick Park during Beginner’s Night, where I, along with other passionate Pickleball enthusiasts, taught Jeremy how to play, during the middle of the interview.  My goal was to present Pickleball from a different perspective, one of diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism. It’s a shining example of Canadian multiculturalism, so much so that I’d suggest using pictures of Pickleball courts from across our great nation in Canadian government immigration brochures and textbooks. It fills me with pride to be Canadian.

Hanging with the President of the BPA, Karen Watson

How can I repay the gift of Pickleball in my life? The answer lies in paying it forward and giving back in as many ways as I can. This commitment led me to Squint Lake Pickleball Courts, where my local association, the Burnaby Pickleball Association hosts beginner’s morning pickleball. This event is an opportunity for new players who have already been through our Learn to Play program to connect and experience the game at their level. It’s a lot of fun and especially fulfilling because I was part of the teaching team for the L2P program, and now I get to watch these players grow into the game.

I even had the privilege of playing with them, squeezing in a few games before heading off to another local community hosting their annual Pickleball tournament, the Golden Ears Summer Classic. A highlight of the event was witnessing Canada’s highest-ranked pro player, Steve Deakin, accept the Lifetime Member award for his dedicated service to this club. It was a great day, full of Pickleball passion.

Steve is awarded a lifetime membership

Sunday followed a similar pattern for me—skills and drills in the morning with a small group of eager beavers. This time allows me to work on the technical aspects of the game and focus on improving specific aspects, like my drive or dink shots. I recall a Pickleball podcast featuring a pro who mentioned the importance of incorporating “practice” time, skills, and drills into his schedule to break through plateaus. I see this in my own game, especially as I spend a significant amount of time playing with beginners, which makes scheduling practice time a crucial part of my game.

Waiting to play on Burnaby’s newest courts on National Pickleball Day! amount of time playing with beginners, which makes scheduling practice time a crucial part of my game.

Sunday morning practice sets the right headspace before I head to the third municipality in my story, New Westminster, where I teach a beginner’s basics class. It’s the ideal way to spend my Sunday afternoon, sharing the foundations of the game with eager learners. This experience is something I wish I had when I started, and it’s why I pursued the Level One Coaching certificate with Pickleball Canada.

As you can see, my National Pickleball Day stretched into a weekend, and for this, I’m truly grateful. The joy and connections Pickleball brings into my life are immeasurable, making this extended celebration all the more meaningful.

 

Beginner’s group at Squint Lake

Here come the teenagers!

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