Mayor Jonathan Cote proved to be the king of the courts in the NWPD Pickleball Classic.
The New Westminster Police Department’s community policing division has been attempting to connect seniors with youth through the Century House Association’s pickleball club. On Saturday, local pickleball players attended the NWPD Classic, a round-robin style tournament that included a celebrity match between Mayor Jonathan Cote and Chief Const. Dave Jones.
“I am a pickleball champion – I never thought the day would come,” Cote told the Record. “I had never played it before. I used to play tennis quite a bit and there are a lot of similarities between tennis and pickleball. I was able to transfer those skills over to the pickleball court.”
Jones was partnered with John Baker and Cote teamed up with Babar Khalid, both of whom are medal winners in pickleball and members of Century House Association and New Westminster Pickleball Club. Cote said Jones was a “fierce competitor” so he had his work cut out for him.
“It was a lot of fun,” Cote said. “Pickleball, from my understanding, is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and is generating a lot of interest in all communities. It was nice to connect with our growing pickleball community here in New Westminster. I know they appreciated watching the chief and the mayor battle it out.”
