✅ From the YMCA to Team Canada: Ryan Hanes and the Rise of Canadian Pickleball | Kitchen Conversations

From wooden paddles at the YMCA to helping lead Canadian pickleball toward the world stage—Ryan Hanes has experienced the sport’s extraordinary evolution from almost every possible angle.

Ryan is a Canadian national champion, elite coach, certified referee, tournament director and the Director of Competition for Pickleball Canada. In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, he shares how one seemingly ordinary visit to the Kingston YMCA ultimately transformed his life—and helped make him one of the most influential figures in Canadian pickleball.

Ryan takes us back to a time when Kingston players competed on taped gym floors, dragged mats across RMC and played around walls, pillars and badminton lines. He also reflects on the people who built the local game, the friendships he developed across Canada and the remarkable journey from those grassroots beginnings to today’s dedicated facilities and national competitions.

Ryan doesn’t simply understand where Canadian pickleball is today—he helped build the pathway that brought it here. His perspective on where the sport is heading, and what must happen next, makes this an essential conversation for anyone who cares about the future of pickleball in Canada. Whether you’re a recreational player, tournament competitor, coach, official or someone considering picking up a paddle for the first time, this episode offers an extraordinary look at how one sport can reshape a life—and how one person can help reshape a sport.

CONNECT WITH THE KINGSTON PICKLEBALL CLUB: 🌐

Official website: https://kingstonpickleballclub.com/

👍 Official Facebook page:   / kingstonpickleballclub  

👥 Kingston Pickleball Club Facebook group:   / 367714510043537  

Pickleball Canada https://pickleballcanada.org 👍 Like this episode

💬 Tell us how pickleball first entered your life

🔔 Subscribe to Kitchen Conversations for more honest conversations with the people building, leading and shaping the game

Content, illustrations, and third-party video appearing on GEORGIANBAYNEWS.COM may be generated or curated with AI assistance or reproduced pursuant to the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42. Attribution and hyperlinks to original sources are provided in acknowledgment of applicable intellectual property rights. Such referencing is intended to direct traffic to and support the original rights holders’ platforms.