Anette Happel

Anette earned an Honours Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario and moved to the KW area after graduation.  She has been a sports participant throughout her life, playing basketball, soccer, volleyball and hockey, and enjoys running.  Anette is a pickleball enthusiast who was introduced to the sport in 2016.

Anette is level one NCCP coach, and a graduate of the POWWR Coaching Certification Program.   She is a student of the game and enjoys helping players develop their skills and enhance their game strategy.  Her motto is “do good and keep moving” and is an ambassador for the physical, mental, and social benefits of the sport.     

Anette has completed Concussion Awareness training, the St. John Ambulance First Aid/CPR course and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training.  

Ann Weber

Ann is a sports enthusiast.  She earned a BA in Physical Education from Laurier and followed that up with a BA in Education.  She spent 31 years teaching Phys. Ed. and coaching both basketball and badminton at Bluevale Collegiate.  

Growing up, Ann played basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, track & field, golf, skiing etc, but her first love was basketball.  Ann played for the Ontario regional and senior provincial basketball teams and translated this success into playing university basketball at Laurier.  During her university career, she earned OUA All Star status, Academic All-Canadian status as well as being inducted into the Laurier Golden Hawk Athletic Hall of Fame.  Ann’s pursuit of excellence led her to coaching with the Laurier Women’s basketball team resulting in an OUA silver medal.  Ann is a NCCP qualified coach and a pickleball addict.

Anne Evans

Anne attended York University, obtaining a BA in Physical Education and a certificate in Sport administration. While at university, Anne competed for the varsity basketball team, ran for the cross country team and played one year for Canada’s national field lacrosse team. After graduating, Anne worked at both the provincial and national level in amateur sport as well as serving with the Ministry of tourism and  recreation. While raising two lovely girls, Anne worked as a campaign director for the United Way. 

Anne has always enjoyed an active lifestyle, allowing her to embrace pickleball.  This love of sport has afforded her great opportunities for both friendship and competition as well as winning medals at the Canadian National Championships in both 2021 and 2022. Anne was one of a small group who obtained a provincial grant that began the process of developing a coaching program for Pickleball in Canada and has brought that same passion and knowledge to our POWWR coaching program.  Anne is a talented pickleball player, a dynamic coach, and a level 2 certified referee.

Claudia Knorr

Claudia has always led an active lifestyle, having played badminton and tennis (WCSSA and CWOSSA) on her high school’s teams. She earned her post-secondary degree at the University of Western Ontario, and then completed the Graphic Design program at Conestoga College. 

Claudia was instantly hooked by pickleball. She loves the strategy of the game almost as much as she loves the social side of it. In fact, she was motivated to become a coach so that she could help more people find the joy in staying active while having a great time and meeting new people. Her goal is to help people feel confident about playing pickleball, regardless of initial skill or ability. Her latest accreditations are the POWWR Coaching Certificate and training in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 

“Let’s have fun and play well, PADDLE UP!”

Fiona MacGregor

Fiona is the President and one of the POWWR founders. She earned a BA in Physical Education from York University as well as a BA in Education from Queen’s University.  She spent 30 years teaching and coaching at the high school level.

Fiona’s passion for sport led to years of coaching several different sports. She coached the Ontario Provincial Volleyball team and the Queen’s University Varsity women’s volleyball team.  She has coached Pickleball since 2012 and currently coaches with the City of Kitchener as well as with POWWR.

Fiona was a self-admitted gym rat and found early athletic success in volleyball.  She played for the Ontario Provincial volleyball team and then took her volleyball talents to York University.  At York, Fiona earned OUA All Star status for her volleyball talents as well as winning a CIS Canadian University silver medal with her team.  At Queen’s, Fiona’s squad earned an OUA bronze medal.  Not only is Fiona a gifted volleyball player, but she is also a decorated pickleball champion.  She has won a Provincial gold medal in women’s 3.5 doubles, a bronze medal in 3.5 mixed doubles and a silver medal in 4.0 mixed doubles.  Fiona has coaching certifications in pickleball, volleyball and field lacrosse and recently received certification in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She also completed Concussion Awareness training and the St. John Ambulance First Aid/CPR course.

MJ Joostema

Marilyn Joostema (MJ) is passionate about helping others develop their pickleball game.  She earned a degree from Western University, specializing in physical and health education.  MJ spent 30 years teaching and coaching various sports.  She has also played a variety of sports and that versatility has allowed her to excel in pickleball. MJ was the first coach to pass through the POWWR Coaching Certification Program and is now helping to develop new coaches for this ever-expanding organization.

MJ is active in the broader pickleball community as an advanced tournament player, a coach and a mentor.  She has served as the Vice-President of Pickleball of Waterloo Wellington Region (POWWR), and is a teaching pro at Four Fathers Pickleball Society..

 MJ thrives while working with all age groups and skill levels and uses her extensive pickleball coaching experience to develop players.  Her teaching focuses on skill progressions, technique, and strategy within a positive environment.

Rob Klassen

Rob attended McMaster University where he earned a Master of Science degree.  He was a prof at Brandon University and then brought his academic prowess to Ontario where he taught high school for 31 years.  During his teaching career, Rob coached basketball, volleyball and golf every year.  Under Rob’s caring and talented coaching his high school junior boys volleyball teams won 12 district and CWOSSA championships, and his senior girls volleyball teams won a silver and two antique bronze OFSAA medals.  Rob is a provincially certified volleyball referee and a level one NCCP coach.  Rob’s vast experience in education and coaching are a valuable addition to our POWWR coaching family.

Tom Chow

Tom attended the University of Toronto, studying in the Faculty of Pharmacy.  He met his wife Gayle while in school (also studying pharmacy) and they married shortly after graduation, in 1979.  Tom and Gayle practiced community pharmacy in the Waterloo Region for close to 40 years, most of them as an owner-operator of a medical pharmacy in Kitchener; he retired in 2018.

Tom played table tennis and badminton growing up and tennis in adulthood, so pickleball was a natural fit.  He also enjoyed skiing and cycling over the years but once he found pickleball, he was hooked.

Tom started playing pickleball shortly before retirement and feels fortunate to have met and learned the game with a group of keen fellow pickleball enthusiasts.  Tom is grateful to the many individuals who have positively influenced his knowledge of the game and it is that generosity and advice that have motivated Tom to give back and pay that knowledge forward.  Tom participated in one of the first drill and play programs with POWWR and was impressed with the organization’s positive community.  Tom and Gayle are both committed to improving their own skills which has resulted in many memorable outings, and he looks forward to sharing his skill, his passion and his knowledge with our POWWR community.