Trail pickleball getting its day on the court By Guy Bertrand - Trail Daily Time Published: August 01, 2013 1:00 PM
In a city rich in sports history, another chapter was quietly being written out in chalk Wednesday morning in East Trail. A flurry of activity at the Butler Park tennis courts signalled the official arrival of sport that has been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.
Although pickleball has been a mainstay in Trail for over five years, Wednesday marked a day when the sport was ready to leave its mark on the city’s impressive list of sporting facilities.Armed with grant money from the Columbia Basin Trust and Teck, the pickleball volunteers were busy marking out the court dimensions that will transform the Butler Park courts into a dual-purpose facility.
Wayne Kissick, a volunteer with the pickleball group, said it has taken three years to get the sport to this point in the Home of Champions.“What finally got it going was the city designating one (Butler Park) court for pickleball,” he explained.
Once it’s all done and approved, the courts will feature two tennis courts and up to four pickleball courts.
Before Wednesday’s initial outlines of the pickleball area, the players used temporary netting in the Cominco Gym and Fieldhouse for winter play and used the tennis courts and nets at Butler Park for summer play.
They drew up lines on the existing tennis court to allow for play.Now they’ll have their own dedicated outdoor space with permanent posts installed, hopefully before the end of the year.
Kissick explained that moving from the existing tennis nets to the standard pickleball nets will improve the quality of the game for the growing legion of participants. Read more: http://www.bclocalnews.com/sports/217994311.html
Although pickleball has been a mainstay in Trail for over five years, Wednesday marked a day when the sport was ready to leave its mark on the city’s impressive list of sporting facilities.Armed with grant money from the Columbia Basin Trust and Teck, the pickleball volunteers were busy marking out the court dimensions that will transform the Butler Park courts into a dual-purpose facility.
Wayne Kissick, a volunteer with the pickleball group, said it has taken three years to get the sport to this point in the Home of Champions.“What finally got it going was the city designating one (Butler Park) court for pickleball,” he explained.
Once it’s all done and approved, the courts will feature two tennis courts and up to four pickleball courts.
Before Wednesday’s initial outlines of the pickleball area, the players used temporary netting in the Cominco Gym and Fieldhouse for winter play and used the tennis courts and nets at Butler Park for summer play.
They drew up lines on the existing tennis court to allow for play.Now they’ll have their own dedicated outdoor space with permanent posts installed, hopefully before the end of the year.
Kissick explained that moving from the existing tennis nets to the standard pickleball nets will improve the quality of the game for the growing legion of participants. Read more: http://www.bclocalnews.com/sports/217994311.html
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