Pickleball is back.
After nearly a five-year hiatus, Barrhead Pickleball is hoping to revive the sport.
Pickleball was first introduced to the Barrhead area as part of the 2013 Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games co-hosted by Barrhead and Westlock, but after the Games it did not manage to get a foothold.
Pickleball is a racquet sport, which is played by two to four players, that combines aspects of badminton and ping-pong and is played on a shrunk-down version of a tennis court.
Last summer a small group of pickleball enthusiasts approached Barrhead’s parks and recreation department and asked them if they could convert the towns’ two tennis courts into a multipurpose facility in hopes of reviving the game.
The department obliged, but the sport still didn’t gain any traction.
In April, the group made another attempt at reviving pickleball, asking the town if they could use the outdoor ice rink next to the Barrhead Agrena. The parks and recreation agreed, and purchased two portable pickleball nets and provided the paint to help the club members mark out six courts.
“The tennis courts weren’t really the right venue for us,” said club member Dennis Lafleur, adding there they are limited to two courts and as a consequence couldn’t hold anything other than informal games. “Our current location allow us to have up to six courts and it allows us to have more structured games and if anyone wants to have a pickup game they can still use the tennis courts.”
Currently, the club meets three times a week Monday 9 to 11 a.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and there is no membership fee.
At least as of yet. Lafleur said that will likely change in the near future as the club plans to become a year-round club, meeting in the winter months at Barrhead Elementary School.
“We are also going to be organizing a few tournaments, but that might be a bit down the road until we get more firmly established,” he said.
Although the majority of the club’s 30 members are seniors, the sport and club is open to all ages.
“I started playing four years ago and I just love it and I am sure when people have an opportunity to try it they will too. Today [July 3] we have the nine-year-old grandson of one of our members trying out the game for the first time,” Lafleur said. “It didn’t take him very long to pick it up and he’s as much having fun out there as everyone else.”
For those who would like more information or would like to get involved with Barrhead Pickleball the best way is visit the outdoor ice rink when they are playing. The group can also be contact through e-mail at [email protected].
