Fort Saskatchewan is experiencing a pickleball boom.
The Fort Saskatchewan Pickleball Club was founded amid COVID-19. When they began, club members would play on the street with an old volleyball net, but as they grew, they moved to the Sportsplex area, where they used the old hockey rink.
According to the club’s president, Roberta Dorner, the club took its passion to city council, where they pitched refurbishing the Carscadden Park dry pad area behind the Sportsplex into pickleball courts.
“We had multiple meetings, we had zoom meetings, and the final meeting was the tell-all where the city finally approved the go-ahead to have the courts refurbished, and here we are today,” explained Roberta Dorner, president of the Fort Saskatchewan Pickleball Association.
Dorner said it’s been “absolutely wonderful” to see the sport explode in popularity. Construction on the courts wrapped up in August 2021, and the sport has only grown since then. Currently, there are 59 members of the Fort Saskatchewan Pickleball Club.
Dorner encourages people of all ages and abilities to come and try out the sport; they are currently offering ‘pickleball for beginners’ seminars each Wednesday around 5:30 p.m.
“Get up off the couch and get out and be physical; you meet new people and make good friendships. It’s a lot of fun.”
Pickleball is a fast-paced game that combines tennis, table tennis, and badminton on a smaller court.
A grand opening for the pickleball court is scheduled for June 22 at 1:30 p.m.. Mayor Gale Katchur and city council will be at the courts for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.