Showing up somewhere on your own is the hardest part. That's the whole reason Sportamii exists, and it's exactly what the last week looked like for us: two events, two local partners, and a lot of people who arrived solo and left with plans.
Intro to Pickleball at IPOP Burnaby
Pickleball is having a moment, and for good reason. It's quick to learn, it's genuinely fun within about ten minutes of picking up a paddle, and it's one of the most social sports going.
We teamed up with IPOP in Burnaby to run an intro session for anyone who'd been curious but hadn't found a way in. A coach walked the group through the basics, everyone got time to practise, and then we played. No experience needed, no pressure to be good at it.
The point wasn't just the drills. It was that everyone left knowing a few names and faces, people at a similar level, in the same part of the city, looking for someone to play with. That's the bit that's usually missing when you try to take up a new sport.
Pickleball is one of the biggest sports on the app right now, with 562 players in the community. If you've been meaning to try it, you're not short of people to try it with.
Light the Night Kayaking with Vancouver Water Adventures
Then we went out on the water after dark.
Our Light the Night kayaking adventure was open to every ability level, including people who'd never sat in a kayak before. The group met and had a debrife before heading out and as the light faded the kayaks lit up.
It was genuinely one of those evenings. Glowing Kayaks on dark water, the city and the mountains around us, and a group of people who'd mostly met an hour earlier laughing together. We can't recommend it highly enough.
Again, plenty of people came on their own, which is the point. When an event is built for solo attendees, turning up alone stops feeling like a risk.
Why We Run These
Vancouver can be a tough place to make friends as an adult. Everyone says it. The advice is always "join something," but joining something on your own still takes nerve.
So we partner with local businesses who already do the hard part brilliantly, the coaching, the gear, the safety, the experience and we bring the people. You get a proper session run by folks who know what they're doing, plus a group where nobody's a stranger for long.
What's Next
These were just two of the events we've been running, and there's plenty more in the works across a range of sports and abilities.
