WEYBURN - Pickleball Weyburn celebrated the opening of their new permanent courts on Wednesday evening, at the outdoor rink behind the Credit Union Spark Centre, with a barbecue, and open court time for people to try the popular sport out.
Two special cakes were cut for the event, with the proceeds of the barbecue to go towards Pickleball Weyburn’s club expenses. Representatives of the City and of Pickleball Weyburn were on hand to cut the cake, and a number of residents tried out the sport alongside seasoned players.
The club fundraised about $22,000 for the court paint, nets, fences and balls, said Bob Maurer, president of Pickleball Weyburn, and with all of the community support provided, the funds were raised in a very short time.
The court paint used on the concrete surface of the rink is a special paint that has grains of sand in it to give it some traction, and it was squeegeed on by club members, said Maurer.
The club currently has about 63 members, he said, and the cost to join for a year is $49. Of that amount, $30 is for Pickleball Weyburn, $10 is for Pickleball Canada, and $7 goes to Pickleball Saskatchewan, of which the Weyburn club is now a member for the past two weeks.
From now until about mid-October, the courts are open seven days a week from 8 to 11 a.m., plus from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
In addition, each Tuesday and Thursday, two of the courts are reserved for beginners who are just learning how to play the game, said Maurer.
Once the equipment is packed away for the winter, pickleball will be played at the Knox Hall through the winter, he added.
In the spring, after the ice is taken out of the outdoor rink and it begins to warm up, the club will take a look at how the court paint survives being under ice all winter. Maurer noted this hasn’t been done before in Saskatchewan that he’s aware of, so they are anxious to see how well the paint survives.
There is room for two more courts on the rink, but it will depend on demand and interest if they will be added this summer, or next spring, he added.
The executive for Pickleball Weyburn includes Maurer as president, Ray Flaten as vice-president, Wanda Pleckham as secretary, Tanya Hulbert as treasurer, and Janice Bakken is a director.
