WINNIPEG, Man. – After a week of intense competition against hundreds of the country’s best athletes, Weyburn’s Deana Mainil came home with a hard-earned gold medal from the Myoflex Canadian National Pickleball Championships, fulfilling a goal she set on her 50th birthday.
Mainil was undefeated in the Women’s Full Court Singles 55+ category, taking gold and securing the national title Friday during the six-day tournament that drew more than 720 athletes to Winnipeg, Man., from Aug. 19-24.
“I finally achieved that goal six years later,” said Mainil recalling a birthday party game where she was asked what she most wished to accomplish. “I said, ‘I want to win a gold medal at a National Pickleball Championship.’”
Singles play is grueling and Mainil describes it as a love/hate relationship.
“I have always done very well with it but is much more grueling than playing doubles as you have the whole court to cover,” she said. “I feel a lot more pressure playing singles than I do doubles because any mistakes are very critical and its only me; I have no one covering for me. There are typically fewer entries in the singles than in mixed as it is just a lot more taxing and a higher risk of injury.”
The win was a highlight of a strong showing for Mainil, who also captured a bronze medal in Women’s Doubles with partner Brenda Hawryluk of Spruce Grove, Alta.
From start to finish line
The path to the podium was a marathon of matches. Mainil also competed in multiple Mixed Doubles events with partner Dave Clarke of Regina Beach. Additionally, she was selected to represent Team Saskatchewan in the inaugural Provincial Team Competition in Masters Mixed Doubles.
Her bronze medal in doubles was a testament to her perseverance. After an early loss to a Manitoba/B.C. duo, Mainil and Hawryluk battled through the B-side of the bracket, winning two matches to earn a rematch and a shot at bronze.
“We again had some epic battles but again could only win one of the three games, earning us the bronze medal,” she said. “Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and a very fun week reconnecting with pickleball friends from across the country and playing at a level I have never placed before.”
Mainil’s success on the national stage isn’t new. She has also won on the international stage, including three golds at the 2019 International Indoor Pickleball Championships in Washington, and a silver at the 2019 USA Nationals in California. She has also won bronze at the 2021 Canadian Nationals in Red Deer, multiple medals at Western Canadian Regionals from 2022-23, and multiple medals at the 2023 Canadian Nationals in Regina.
Winning a silver in the 2019 US Nationals, alongside Pam Clarke in a championship match, was significant for Mainil.
“I only competed in the one event there and was very fortunate to be able to do so because my partner Pam Clarke had previously qualified in a US qualifying tournament by getting a gold medal. Her partner was unable to go with her and so she asked me to play with her. We were only a couple of points away from taking a gold medal at that tournament. The team that won gold had beaten us earlier that day but we worked our way back up and met them in the gold medal match. We beat them in two out of three games but because they had beaten us earlier in the day in the best out of three games, we had to play a Championship Match to15 points. We lost 15-11. But I am pretty happy with all of my national medals.”
The discipline behind the victory
Mainil is meticulous in her preparation for tournaments.
“Depending on where my partners are from, I try to get to Regina or Saskatoon as much as possible to practice together with them,” she said. “Doing pickleball drills is my favourite way to warm up and prepare before play. These are all critical to a high-performance game.”
Hooked at first swing
Mainil first picked up a paddle eight years ago and was immediately hooked.
“I am still a pickleball addict," she said. "For several years, I carried a portable pickleball net, everywhere I went, in case we could find a place to play, even drawing lines with chalk on tennis courts during Covid when was in full swing or in private facilities."
Her passion for the sport led her husband to build an indoor court at their family cabin at Kenosee Lake. She has since become a certified coach, taking Level 1 National Coaching Certification Program, and now gives lessons in Weyburn and shares the knowledge she’s gained from competing internationally.
“I absolutely love to share what I have learned through playing in many tournaments locally, provincially, nationally and internationally and through clinics and training I have taken,” she said. “I love to see the progression of skill development in the players I coach and play with.
“It’s a game where the learning never ends and I feel this experience, win or lose, has made me a much better competitor," she added.
Raised on a farm southeast of Weyburn in a family of 14 children. She attended Halbrite School from Grade 1-9 and then Weyburn Comprehensive School from Grades 10-12. She played sports as a youth before transitioning into adult recreational leagues and eventually pickleball.
“I have always loved sports of all kinds, growing up playing ball with my siblings,” she said. “When we weren’t working, I always had a bat and a ball or a stick and a ball hitting against the barn or a cement wall when I had no one else to play with. In fact, in my junior high years, I dreamed of being on a travelling ball team but never mentioned it as I knew it would never be a reality living that far from town and only having one vehicle shared between family members. I was also passionate about soccer, broomball, and floor hockey in those years.”
For the past 25 years, she has lived on a farm a few kilometres north of Weyburn with her husband, Dale, and their four children.
