The Region of Waterloo officially has a professional pickleball team set to compete in the Canadian National Pickleball League this season. The Grand River Rapids are the regions first pro pickleball team. “It feels cool. I mean, it was kind of, as a joke, A couple of us were getting together, chatting, and we know all the sports going, and we looked up pro teams and we noticed the CNPL was a pro league, and it’s kind of quiet and under the radar. We didn’t realize that there was a pro league. So we reached out to the league and had a chat and we said, hey, we think this sport needs to be in the Wellington Waterloo Region,” Cliff Rego, one of the five owners of the Grand River Rapids said. The CNPL is entering it’s fourth season. Athletes do get paid a minimum appearance fee and can win prize money. “It’s really well run and a lot of good incentives. We had Reebok and a few major sponsors that you’ll see that stepped up and has sponsored the team and want to be partners. So, it’s been great,” Rego said. The Rapids have male and female athletes that compete as a team in doubles and singles. Like professional lacrosse, many of the teams have athletes that don’t live in the area and some not even in Canada. Most train wherever their home is and come together for weekend events throughout the season, culminating with playoffs. “We have (people from) Montreal, New York. But we try, like this weekend. We are here to practice together. I wish everybody was closer. But that’s not possible,” Carolina Hack, a pickler with the Grand River Rapids said. Many of the athletes have other full-time jobs or coach others in the sport. “I do a little bit of lessons in my spare time and a lot of training in my spare time. My full-time job is with the London Down Syndrome Association, where I’m their director, so I do a little bit of fundraising, programing, work with some of their community members and you know, where a lot of different hats for them,” Lucas Wong, a pickler with the Grand River Rapids said. “If the opportunity ever arose to do this full-time and make a living off of it, I’ve always dreamed of about being a professional athlete. So I would certainly welcome that.” Hack said she was a high-level tennis player growing up in Brazil, but she never imagined being paid to play pickleball. “I played just recreational and then things started to be a little bit more serious. I would say three years ago I became pro,” Hack said. “Not like five years ago, I (didn’t) even know about this sport. My background is tennis and squash. Now it’s my full-time job. The team also has a coach to guide them at each event. “They have a really good technical base, but when it comes to like analyzing patterns and like small things that a lot of people don’t see, that’s where I step in and I really can break down those things, especially watching a lot of film and analyzing all those kind of little things,” Shakil Nobes, Coach of the Grand River Rapids said. There is a pro league in the United States, where there’s more prize money and some higher-level talent. The Rapids said the CNPL is the best league in Canada, and it’s only getting better. “Every year the talent increases, the number of players who are interested in playing increases. And so, I think as that continues to grow and the popularity grows, we’re going to see sponsorship flow in. We’re going to see a lot of ways to make this feasible for people to do full time,” Wong said. “It’s an honour to be in the league, to be among Canada’s best pickleball players and to be considered one of them is really special. And to be on this team in particular, I’m very excited because it’s their first year in the league. So, everything we do from here on out will be history for the team.” The team name came from the connection to the Grand River. “There’s mini rapids in the Grand River. However, this team is going to create a massive wave. So, we just had fun with it and said, yeah, this is a rapid we’re going to create,” Rego said. The Rapids still don’t have a dedicated home venue but do most of their training at Four Fathers Brewing in Cambridge. “We’re looking at trying to get a place and for now. You don’t need an actual home ground. But we can host just like we’re doing here. We are very excited that Four Fathers stepped up and Northfield. So technically those two have really been a big support. And we would probably consider Four Fathers as one of the main, but we’re also looking as well,” Rego said. The Rapids are hosting a teaching clinic on Saturday at Four Fathers Brewing Co. in Cambridge, followed by playing an exhibition showcase against some other professionals. The Rapids will compete in the CNPL season opener in Toronto May 9-10.
