Pickleball's whole appeal is right there in the name of what makes it special: anyone can play. Small court, forgiving pace, low barrier to entry. At Carpe Dink'em, we've built our club around that idea — Coolum State High School's indoor courts, sessions for every skill level, a genuinely social vibe.
But "anyone can play" only means something if it's actually true for everyone. Right now, it isn't. And that's something we want to change.
What Wheelchair Pickleball Is
Wheelchair pickleball uses the same court, the same net height, the same scoring — with one adapted rule: players are allowed two bounces before they have to return the ball, instead of one. That's it. Everything else that makes pickleball pickleball stays exactly the same.
It's one of the fastest-growing adaptive sports in the world right now, and for good reason. It's genuinely competitive, it's social, and it puts wheelchair athletes on the same court, same rules, same rallies as everyone else.
Why We Haven't Launched It Yet
Here's the honest version: we're not experts in adaptive sport delivery, and we don't want to bolt on a "wheelchair session" without doing it properly. Good wheelchair pickleball needs the right court access and space around it, coaches or volunteers who understand the adaptations, and — most importantly — a real connection into the local wheelchair sport and disability community, so the people it's actually for know it exists and trust that it's been done right.
That's not a website problem or a booking-system problem. That's a partnership problem.
What We're Looking For
- Wheelchair sport organisations or clubs on the Sunshine Coast (or willing to travel) who might want to add pickleball to what they offer
- Disability sport coordinators or coaches who understand adaptive delivery and could help us get the format right
- Individual wheelchair athletes who play pickleball already, or who'd want to, and are happy to help shape a session that actually works
- Allied health professionals — physios, OTs — who work with wheelchair users and might see pickleball as a good fit for their clients
We're not looking to run this alone or claim we've got it figured out. We're looking for people who know this space to help us build it properly, from the ground up, with the community it's for.
Get in Touch
If this is you, or you know someone it might be — reach out. We'd love to grab a coffee, get out to a session, or just have a conversation about what a genuinely well-run wheelchair pickleball program on the Sunshine Coast could look like.
Anyone can play. Let's make that actually true.