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A Discovery Hidden in the Archives
When Toronto researcher Jon de la Mothe combed through Pickleball Canada's archives, he uncovered something remarkable: a grainy photograph from the early 1980s showing a shirtless man with a mustache and Chevron cap, wooden paddle in hand, playing on what appeared to be a rooftop court. The location? 1050 West Pender Street in downtown Vancouver, atop the Daon Development building.
This wasn't just any building. It was the headquarters of a company led by Jack Poole, the visionary who would later bring the 2010 Winter Olympics to Vancouver. And on its roof, hidden from street level, was a thriving pickleball community that most Vancouverites never knew existed.
The Rooftop League That Time Forgot
By 1984, the rooftop courts at 1050 West Pender had evolved into something extraordinary: a 48-team pickleball league. Players would take the elevator to the top floor, then climb stairs to reach the courts where the Vancouver skyline stretched out in every direction.
The game played on those rooftop courts looked different from what you'd see on modern pickleball courts today. Wooden paddles were the standard equipment, their solid construction producing a distinctive thwack with each hit. The soft game, the dinking rallies that define contemporary pickleball strategy, was almost unheard of. Players favored power shots, the ball rocketing back and forth across the net.
The early 1980s photograph captures this era perfectly. The player's casual attire, the rudimentary equipment, the makeshift court lines painted on the roof, all tell the story of a sport finding its footing in Canada, far from its birthplace on Bainbridge Island, Washington.