Pickleball Lac Brome a growing sensation
New sport draws much attention to TBL and beyond
It’s said that pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and thanks to a few enthusiastic players like Susan Mcguinness, Jean-martin Verreault, Joann Kay, Rena Halickman, and Janet Gibbons, it has become a popular activity for almost 50 individuals who come out to play on a weekly basis in Knowlton.
Since last August when the small group registered the club with the Quebec government and established the club’s objectives and goals for the growing membership, the sport has been gaining momentum. Eight months later there is consideration that it may become associated with the Quebec Federation of pickleball.
Thanks to André Boudreau, coordinator of programs at TBL Community Services, the group was permitted to set up three pickleball courts at the Lions’ Park over the summer months last year. The challenge, however, was to find a place to play over the winter. Mcguinness says that it’s thanks to Benoit Ratte at Tennis Lac-brome that they were able to secure a spot for Club de Pickleball Lac-brome players two evenings a week.
For those wondering what this is about, it is not a pickle nor is it about a kitchen, even though players are not supposed to hit the ball if it goes in the kitchen. It is a relatively new form racquet game that was created and initiated by Joel Pritchard, Barney Mccallum, and Bill Bell in 1965 at Bainbridge Island near Seattle, Washington. The name “Pickle” is after Pritchard’s cocker spaniel who loved to catch the Susan Mcguinness of Knowlton explains to members of the Pickleball Lac-brome Club who is playing with whom during a recent round robin series held at Tennis Lac-brome.
Michel Bolduc and Beverly Quilliams were paired for a game during a round robin series at a regularly scheduled pickleball event held at Tennis Lac-brome in Knowlton.
perforated ball. It requires volleying a ball between one side of a net and the other with something that looks somewhat like a ping pong paddle. It’s a game that all ages can play, according to Mcguinness. She has been playing the game for years and even though she is passionate about a few other sports, she swears that pickleball is her absolute favourite. She claims that she has more fun playing this game than doing anything else.
“By playing round robin we get to have lots of different partners because we are constantly switching up with each other. It’s a great way to get to know everyone,” she said. At this point most of the enrolled individuals are adults but she is hoping that it will catch on with the younger generation.
Ideally, the group would love to have a permanent home with its own designated courts to play on. For now, each time they play they must lay out their own specific boundary lines and lower the existing tennis nets to regulation height for pickleball. “There was a lot of brainstorming in many meetings to figure out the required measurements for a pickleball court, which is the same size as a badminton court. We had to determine how we could put lines down in Tennis Lac Brome tennis court. We purchased the material and had the material cut into the outside lines, center line and kitchen line for the four courts,” explained Mcguinness, who is has been an avid player since living on the west coast of Canada. The plan for now is to continue playing at Tennis Lac-brome until the end of March. As soon as the weather permits the group can begin again with access to outdoor pickleball courts at the Lions’ Park with morning sessions Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and evenings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Verreault has created a Facebook page in order to post information on activities and to help get word out to members and individuals interested in joining. For more information, “like” the Facebook page (Pickleball Lac Brome) and follow along, and, if you would like to be a member, email club.pickleball.lac.brome@gmail.com.