"We See It Similar to a Gym Facility Where We Have a Multitude of Different Lines on a Floor
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This letter is submitted on behalf of a group of homeowners of Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich who are avid pickleball players and enthusiasts. We are requesting that each of these three municipalities add picldeball lines to some of their existing tennis courts. You may already be aware; pickleball is the fastest growing sport in Nmih America. It is especially popular with seniors but it is growing among the general population. It will be featured at the 2014 Senior Games in Langley as well as the 2014 Canada 55+Games in Alberta. Its popularity increase in greater Victoria is indicated by: • It has gone from being offered at one Recreation Centre three years ago, now it is at all • Comiside Spmis have seen a huge upswing in their pickleball sales to the extent they are producing their own paddles as a method of keeping up with the increased demand. • Many schools have added it to the PE cuniculum including Stelly's and Parkland Secondary Schools • At Panorama the Pickleball programs have gained exponentially in numbers of participants over the past year. In the month of April, there were 245 paid admissions in addition to those entering on a pass. As a group we have been playing at Nmih Saanich School and at Greenglade through Panorama Recreation Centre. While we appreciate those facilities, in both gymnasiums the back lines are so close to the wall they cannot be played as a full court. We will lose some time at Greenglade in the summer months due to the various camp programs that will be added once the school year is over. These indoor facilities can only be used during designated times eliminating many players who work regularly. Adding pickle ball to existing tennis comis provides not only opportunity for anyone to play (naturally playing outdoors during the summer months is preferable) it is also a cost effective way to provide comis for all citizens to play more than one sport. We would like to respond to the reasons given for refusal by Sidney Council last year: 1. The court markings for pickleball, when added to a tennis court, interfere with the clarity and visibility of the tennis court markings when playing tennis. Response: A City of New Westminster official had this to say: "we see it similar to a gym facility where we have a multitude of different lines on a floor. The same thing happened when the City's started to build artificial twffields and needed to put more than one set of lines on the field. Groups and players adapt and seem to tune out the other lines when playing. With today 's limited budgets and a growing need for all sorts of facilities it is really hard to keep a City asset for a one sport only facility" It should be noted in his 20 12 Annual report, Mayor Cross referred to the courts at Iroquois Park as "an all-purpose multi-sport court" That seems inconsistent with the current sign posted on those courts that says, "These municipal Tennis Courts are for the playing of tennis only. Please do not use these comis for other games or activities such as ball hockey, pickleball, skateboarding, dog training etc." 2. The culture and etiquette of the two games is different and it is not compatible for the two sports to be played simultaneously, in adjoining courts. Response: We have no idea what is meant by this statement. Most pickleball players have played other racquet sports in the past, many of them continue to play tennis as well. It's hard to imagine that mature adults really have this problem. 3. The noise emitted by the contact of a pickleball racket and ball is quite loud and generates complaints from both other tennis court users and local residential neighbourhoods, where the sound may also echo off buildings. Response: The noise is frequently used as an excuse by individuals who don't want to share facilities. Many tests are available online; most cite tennis as being around 58 db. and pickleball at 60. We would invite anyone with concerns to come to Greenglade during a drop in session and see for themselves (maybe even try it out.) Many municipalities have added pickleball lines to public tennis courts, they include: Ladner, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chemainus, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Trail, Parksville, Kelowna, Whistler, White Rock, Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria. A city of Chilliwack employee advised that he had dual lined comis behind his house for 5 or 6 years now. He said, "sometimes people play tennis, sometimes they play pickleball and sometimes the kids play hockey ... it's never a problem." The following link provides a very good perspective on pickle ball. You may need to copy and paste it into your browser. http://www.thewire .com/entetiainment/20 10/10/no isy-pickleball-takes-elderly communities-by-storm/18654/ In summary: • Adding pickle ball lines to existing tennis comis is cost effective and of benefit financially to taxpayers. • It is a simple solution that allows a broader use of these underutilized publicly funded facilities. • This in turn assists all residents, including seniors, to be more physically active and contributes to a healthier community. The following homeowners have given permission for their names to be added to this letter: Brenda Hardy (250 656-9525) 9767 Glenelg Avenue North Saanich Lilian Hadden 9371 Webster Place Sidney Margaret Donaldson 8651 Lochside Drive North Saanich Larry and Darleen Wilson 8576 Emard Terrace North Saanich William and Nina Dobbs 10270 Resthaven Drive Sidney Arlene Antonik 1860 Rye Place Saanichton Sharon Flaherty 7843 East Saanich Road Saanichton Richard and Catherine Lorette 9337 Maryland Drive Sidney Diane Sopuck 1759 Colburne Place North Saanich Errol Fisher # 16-2353 Harbour Rd., Sidney Jim Fraser 105 10459 Resthaven Drive Sidney Erin Harris 790 Dalkeith A venue North Saanich Barb Fradette 9503 Eastbrook Drive Sidney Sandy and Bruce Johnson 6573 Bella Vista Drive Central Saanich Bev and Brian Canfield #420 6880 Wallace Drive Central Saanich Phil Benbow 2244 Malaview Avenue Sidney Ray and Linda Hawthorne 6602 Bella Vista Drive Central Saanich Betty Holland 9251 Balsam Road North Saanich Sheila Paulson 2114 Rennie Place Sidney Terry and Carl Freitag 303 2545 Oakville Avenue Sidney Anne Scheffer 307 1959 Polo Park Court Saanichton Helen Brandon 9381 Brookwood Drive Sidney Robert Scantlebury 2358 Malaview Ave Sidney John Hartley 8586 Echo Place West North Saanich .