Michael is a former competitive basketball player from Newmarket, Ontario. Starting from his days as a standout player with the York Avengers REP basketball team, he continued to hone his skills through high school with the Newmarket Raiders before taking his talents to the collegiate level with the Georgian Grizzlies.

However, a significant setback in the form of a devastating knee injury in 2015 required Michael to undergo knee surgery and pivot his athletic pursuits. It was during his rehabilitation process that he discovered pickleball, a sport that captured his passion and determination like never before. Embracing this new challenge wholeheartedly, he immersed himself in the game, eventually making the decision to transition away from basketball and commit himself fully to pickleball by 2018.

Currently, Michael is a entrepreneur now who owns multiple companies across the province.

• - North City Hoops - Providing basketball services catering to adults across York Region, offering recreational to advanced leagues

• - ZEO Event Marketing - Providing professional services for small and large events across the GTA. Services include campaign strategy, event execution, and staffing

• - APA Ontario Circuit - Providing professional/amateurs pickleball events all over Ontario. Tournaments and clinics at state of the art facilities

Abhay Annaswamy, who hails from Bangalore, India and now settled in the GTA since 2018, is a passionate individual with variety of experiences. Abhay picked up the sport of cricket in his teens and excels as a bowler in his Cricket Club (similar to pitcher in baseball) having represented various teams in prize money tournaments across Texas, USA and Ontario.

Since 2014, he has also been involved in administration of cricket leagues and also is a Level 2 certified Cricket referee/scorekeeper, currently is a statistician/league scheduler for one of the prominent leagues in Mississauga. During covid, Abhay picked up pickleball and has since been gathering tremendous playing experience at 4.0+ level along with venturing into tournament operations space.

Abhay, being a player and organizer, brings in a unique skillset which APA is confident will translate into enhancing the player and audience experience in its Ontario circuit throughout 2024 and beyond. Abhay heads ALSS Live Sports, which enables the live action on the courts broadcast into the handheld devices and smart TVs through his Youtube channel @ALSSLiveSports.

The HiSports Pro Cash Cup in Oshawa, ON in 2023 and GTA open 2024 of the APA Ontario circuit at One Health Clubs, Mississauga have showcased his technical prowess in this space and APA circuit is thrilled at the partnership with ALSS to bring all the exciting action live. .

Abhay is a great addition to the APA staff and we wish him the best.

Felix graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Toronto in 2022. Back in 2019 during his undergrad, he stumbled upon pickleball at the Toronto Pan Am Center while attending badminton drop-ins. Since then, he's been hooked on the game and loves exploring all the ins and outs of pickleball, especially its social side.

The Cornell Community Center, in particular, holds a special place in Felix's heart as it became the hub for making new friends through pickleball. Despite a pause in playing during the lockdown until 2023, Felix has happily returned to the scene. He's reconnecting with old friends and making even more friends, finding joy in the blend of sport and social connections that pickleball brings into his life.

Lets GO APA!