The Active Interns: Padel
Off the wall Matt! No! The other one!
With a similar dynamic to tennis but requiring the patience and strategy of chess, padel is one of the most popular sports across Europe with hubs in Spain and Sweden. It may surprise you that this popular sport is now more prominent then ever in Calgary!
In this edition of the Active Interns, the Sport Calgary team had the opportunity to try out the sport with The Calgary Padel Club!
Unfamiliar with the sport? Check out this video!
Two guys playing padel
Background and History: From the Summer of ‘69 on!
Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court a third the size of a tennis court. The game is a mix between tennis and squash. In Padel, the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless racquets are used.
The sport was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera in 1969. It is currently most popular in Hispanic American countries such as Argentina and Mexico as well as in Spain and Andorra, although it is now beginning to spread rapidly across Europe and other continents. Padel Pro Tour (PPT) was the professional padel circuit which was created in 2005 as a result of the agreement between a group of organizers of matches of padel and Association of Professional Players of Pádel (AJPP)
Our Experience with the Calgary Padle Club
The Sport Calgary team with the Calgary Padel Club members
Becca hitting a drop shot
When we arrived at the Calgary Padel Club we were met by some amazing hosts! After giving us a brief history lesson on the evolution of padel rackets, we were on the courts warming up. My fellow Sport Calgary intern Adriane was a natural, however it took me a bit more time to figure out the mechanics of the padel and how hard you had to contact the tennis ball. After we rallied for a little I was able to get the hang of it. The toughest thing to account for when playing padel was the use of the walls.
Bill offered great pointers such as where to place the ball off the serve as well as when to play the ball short or longer on the court. Adriane, Becca and I all had the chance to play against some of the Calgary Padel club members as well as catch the last half of one of the kids programs offered by the club. Bill said it best when he said, “I have never seen someone go an entire match of padel without having a smile on their face”. This was so true as we all had an amazing time and will be making our way back to the padel courts. The sport was accessible, easy to pick up and definitely had us all sweating after our session.
Thank you to the The Calgary Padel Club for having us out!
Here is a conversation I had with Bill about the growth of Padel as well as why you should try out the sport!
About the Calgary Padel Club and how you can get started
“I have never seen someone go an entire match of padel without having a smile on their face ”
The Calgary Padel Club is the best place to play padel in Canada! The Calgary Padel Club’s main goal is to help develop the sport of padel in Canada (also known as paddle). If you are new to padel, just come out, you’ll have a blast. The Calgary Padel club has friendly people to play and socialize with, loaner padels, balls, everything you need to start playing padel right now. The Calgary Padel Club encourages tennis players, squash players, racquet sports players in general to come and try padel, you will get hooked on the one of the fastest growing sports in the world!
Padel offers an array of programs and open tournaments open to both kids to adults.
For kids, the Calgary Padel Club offers the STARS program, which has a goal to get kids trying the sport. With some commitment, and also lots of laughs along the way, it is possible to some day in the near future wear the Canadian colors and play padel for your country. The club has done it and would love to train the future stars of the sport again!
The Calgary Padel Club also offers programs for adults who are experienced and new to the sport as well! The Calgary Padel membership is a great deal as it allows people to experience the sport and grow. The membership for only $50 dollars allows individuals to play padel three nights a week and gain access to lessons and social events put on by the club.
I want to thank the Calgary Padel Club again for having us to try the sport. This is one I would encourage anyone to check out and try!
Thanks for reading and stay posted for the next Active Interns article!
Check out some of my other Active Intern articles: