You can count Pickleball Moose Jaw among the many sports organizations negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
And given what they had on the go and planned for the future, they might be one of the hardest hit of all.
While regular games have started up at Timothy Eaton Gardens and Cosmo Senior Centre, Pickleball Moose Jaw proper has found itself without a place to play due to school gyms in the city no longer available for outside groups.
Combine that with a lack of outdoor courts in the city, and one of the world’s fastest growing sports suddenly finds itself searching to find a way to restart now that COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed.
“We’re looking for spaces we could maybe rent that aren’t schools but we don’t have anything definitive just yet,” said Lori Haukass with Pickleball Moose Jaw. “We have well over 50 members who are looking for a place to play this fall that won’t be able to play anywhere if we don’t get into the schools… so hopefully we can round up something up soon.”
The club had previously played at the Kinsmen Sportsplex, but renovations prevented them from playing there this summer. Fortunately, there may be other options – the 15 Wing gymnasium has hosted pickleball in the past, and courts are taped off at their outdoor tennis facilities, making that a potential option if things work out in that direction.
Fortunately, the news isn’t all bad when it comes to pickleball in Moose Jaw. The aforementioned Cosmo Senior Centre program is running multiple nights in their auditorium, which recently had brand new lines painted on their two courts. They also have paddles and balls available for beginners looking to give the sport a try.
Through the month of August, games go Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m., Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. The cost is $2 to play for members and $3 for non members.
Over at Timothy Eaton Gardens, games are taking place daily: 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mondays, 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, 1 p,m. for beginners and 2 p.m. for experienced players on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursdays and at 1 p.m. on Fridays. The cost is $2 for members each night.
When things do get going again for Pickleball Moose Jaw, big things could be in the cards. The club had received a grant they planned to use for a learn-to-play program at Sask Polytech, a potentially months-long event that could greatly expand the sport in the city.
“The plan was to make it available to anyone to learn pickleball, and then even have accredited coaches come in and teach lessons and learn-to-play lessons,” Haukass said. “We’re really looking forward to that, we just have to wait until the space is available or we can move back into some of the buildings we were in before. We’ll keep working on it and hopefully get things going again soon.”
For up-to-date information on Pickleball Moose Jaw, be sure to keep an eye on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pickleballmoosejaw.
