Promoting Pickleball through Community Connection - Hohepa Elkington
Community Connection
Hohepa or Hopi to his close friends was introduced to the sport of Pickleball through his friend Andrew Widdicombe. Over time, the enthusiasm built enough momentum to develop a community of 60+ users attending every week. Hopi has been instrumental in the success of the development and growth of Pickleball in Hamilton and surrounding areas, and now over three venues in Temple View, Rototuna (The Peak) and Hamilton East (East Link) there are over 300 people attending and connecting through the game of Pickleball on a weekly basis.
Due to the growth in the Pickleball players at their local community at Temple View, Hopi and friends had a hunch that more people would benefit from the sport. Pickleball is popular because it is easy to learn, doesn't require a high skill level like tennis, school age kids to seniors can play, and it has the same footprint as a badminton court, meaning that courts are widely available in community halls, schools etc. Hopi overcame some of the barriers such as starting new game times that worked for different lifestyles and also location challenges. The Temple View group was playing Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday in the early mornings. They heard there was a need coming from the wider community for an evening time slot, so made arrangements for a night time slot that worked in with those who may prefer to play after work. The group had already invested in nets, paddles, and balls so that it could be easily deployed in other locations. The next step was to work out a venue they could use in the evenings. Hopi found the Peak venue in Rototuna across town from the original venue. Hopi used his positive energy and passion for connecting people through this fun and simple sport, and he reached out to join with other Pickleball clubs in the Waikato region. He had a vision to increase the fun and enjoyment that was happening with Pickleball with a diverse range of people and ages.
To meet the need of the Community Hopi led the Pickleball group to decide to trial an evening slot at The Peak. To keep costs down further they selected a cheaper rate later in the evening from 8-10pm. The first night they had 40 or more people attend. They hired out the gear they had to cover court costs. The relatively small profits that were made were re-invested into more gear to meet the growing demand and remove a lack of equipment as a barrier to people not taking part. As part of their promotion, they introduced a one-hour coaching clinic and soon had newcomers to the sport hooked. They have established the sport on the West (Temple View), North (The Peak), then connected with East Link to grow the sport in Hamilton East. Pickleball is also played at the YMCA and Hamilton Tennis and Squash Club.
Hopi has also been busy promoting Pickleball in Hamilton to schools, community organisations and even out to Thames, and Tokoroa through coaching and taster sessions.
Hopi and friends have already run a successful Pickleball tournament in Hamilton through the work they did with the three venues. Due to popular demand, they have another tournament planned for the 14th October.
Coaching and taster sessions that Hopi has actioned in the community have seen a number of schools and community groups invest in their own gear to promote the sport to their community, which has further built their own capability to deliver for their local communities. It’s a game for all ages, ambitions and abilities with a wide range of ages on the courts.
Hopi also attended the first Sports Waikato led online hui which was attended by several Pickleball groups in the Waikato Region. The general sense from the hui was that the sport was growing and was becoming very popular in the diverse communities. It was agreed that with a collaborative approach, a range of community benefits could be realised through the fun and simple game of Pickleball.
Over the three venues in Temple View, Rototuna (The Peak) and Hamilton East (East Link) they now have over 300 people attending and connecting through the game of Pickleball on a weekly basis.
Hopi has run coaching and taster sessions to over a dozen schools and community organisations across Hamilton and further out to communities in Tokoroa and Thames. Some of these organisations have now invested in their own gear to engage and promote the sport with their community. Hopi had a passion to grow and promote Pickleball in the Waikato region and was very successful to utilise his skills for the benefit of the sport.
