Ping pong is very popular for all ages, regardless of the level of income or skill.
At Guildford Recreation Centre, it used to cost $2 ($1 per person per hour) with three tables available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for five weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the weekend. This provided great fun for six-year-olds as well as 80-year-olds.
Later, the centre converted one table space to a small kid’s playground (filled with giant plastics). The other two tables are now played for free.
Yet, it was done without proper open consultation and without considering a petition signed by the public.
To make things worse, the centre took away another table. Can you imagine three teams of players fighting for one table?
Or, you pay a $12 drop-in fee (outrageous 600-per-cent jump from $2) to play the table placed inside the gym.
Or, you’re “rich” enough to pay a more than $300-$400 annual fee to play.
The centre also drastically limited the play time to three hours for three days only.
When the City of Surrey is boasting its attraction to families, what Guildford Rec Centre is doing contradicts its efforts and hurts its reputation.
The centre should, at least, have two tables available.
Ann Wang
