Pickleball continues to serve up fun and recreation for residents throughout the Royal City.
Pickleball’s origins trace back to 1965, when it was invented on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. The game is a cross between ping-pong and tennis, with participants hitting small, light-weight balls over a low net with a wooden paddle.
Residents will have a chance to check it out for themselves at the Seniors Festival on Saturday at Century House from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Century House, Centennial Community Centre and Queensborough Community Centre/Queensborough Middle School all have pickleball drop-in programs. In the summer, the game sometimes moves from the indoors to outdoor courts.
“It still feels like it is hot and on the upward trend,” said Sarad Renyard, a recreation leader at Queensborough Community Centre.
Most of the folks who get involved in pickleball are 50 years and up, but younger folks attend some drop-ins as well.
“We have fun and get active,” Renyard said. “We are mostly appealing to people who want to get out and have fun.”
Pickleball drop-ins are currently offered at Century House on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and at Centennial Community Centre on Thursdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Renyard notes that instructors are available at Centennial Community Centre on Thursdays to provide direction on how to play the game and help players with their strategies.
The Queensborough Community Centre offers drop-ins on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. On Tuesday nights, folks take to the courts at the Queensborough Middle School from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
