Local pickleball enthusiasts set for 2026 Rally in the Peace Valley tournament

TAYLOR, B.C. — Registration for the second local pickleball tournament of the season in the region is now underway.

Registration has started for the second annual Rally in the Peace Valley event, hosted by the Peace Country Pickleball Association (PCPA).

The tournament was driven by a need to “keep things interesting” and “draw more competition” from outside the region when it was started a year ago, according to Ted Euchner.

Euchner is a past president of the PCPA, and says while only around 40 participants took part in 2025, there are already out-of-town entrants for this year.

“We did not have a lot of lead time leading up to the registration deadline to get advertising done for the 2025 tournament,” said Euchner. “We are hoping to draw people from Dawson Creek, Peace River, Grande Prairie and Prince George.” 

“We have had registration open now for at least a week. Our first registrants for this year are two people from outside of Fort St John, which is great.” 

Similar to tennis, pickleball features large, table-tennis style large paddles replacing racquets, a hard plastic ball instead of a tennis ball, and an emphasis on team play rather than individual effort.

Played on a smaller court, there are specific rules unique to the game regarding scoring, service and gameplay. 

Service and return to the start of the point must be taken on a bounce; volleys within the frontcourt area known as the “kitchen” are illegal; and games go until 11 points for a victory, with the winning team required to win by at least two points.

While the event itself is non-sanctioned, participation in the tournament requires registration with the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), a system for ranking skill levels.

Results in the tournament will affect a player’s DUPR overall rating. 

The tournament will feature draws in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles. The first day will be exclusive to mixed doubles, while the second will have men’s and women’s doubles draws.

Participants will take part in a round-robin format, followed by a knockout stage in which one must win to advance.

The event is open to all participants over 14, and draws will be determined by DUPR rating, from 2.5 to 4.0.

“If the registrations are really low, we will amalgamate one or two brackets or eliminate them altogether,” said Euchner. “We won’t be able to make that decision until registration is closed.”

Registration is $60 for one entry, with draws to additional events at $30 each. It can be done online at pickleballtournaments.com, with an account required to register.

The deadline to enter is midnight on Wednesday, July 22. 

The 2026 Rally in the Peace Valley Tournament will take place on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26 at the Taylor Pickleball Courts at 9999 99th Avenue, adjacent to the Lone Wolf Golf Course.