One Armstrong councillor wants to bring pickleball to the city.
Paul Britton said, after reading a letter to the editor in The Morning Star about the fast-growing sport, that pickleball would be perfect for the small single tennis court at Memorial Park.
“It seems an awfully popular sport and I’d like to see something done,” said Britton. “The court at Memorial is too small for tennis. We should make it useable and have more people coming to the park.”
Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.
Players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a wiffle ball, over a net.
“We’ve had a lot of requests for it (pickleball) but we don’t have the money to do it,” said Coun. Ron (Sully) O’Sullivan, who sits on the Armstrong Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation Board. “I know they’ve had the sport in the Hassen Arena.”
Britton suggested using a $13,000 donation from Telus (for having Armstrong residents sign up for fibre optik use) to help resurface the tennis court into a pickleball court, or partner up with one of two pickleball groups in Vernon.
Britton motioned to have Armstrong Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation investigate the costs of resurfacing the tennis court at Memorial Park. His motion was unanimously supported.
Tennis players can use community courts located at Len Wood Middle School.
