Members of the Osoyoos Pickleball Club are thrilled the new outdoor courts are expected to open sometime this week or next week. The courts are located adjacent to the tennis courts near Osoyoos Secondary School. On hand for the announcement last week that the new courts are about to open were (from left) Tom McKenzie, Gloria Bedwall, Steve Shannon (from the town’s community services department), Dr. Fred Hamilton, club president Carol Taylor, Marion Collins, Gerald Davis (town’s director of community services), Terrilyn Mandalik and Debbie Armstrong. (Keith Lacey photo)

Pickleball has become a huge hit in Osoyoos over the past five years and the game’s popularity is sure to climb exponentially now that members of the Osoyoos Pickleball Club can play outdoors.

The local club now has more than 100 regular members who play year-round in the gymnasium at the Sonora Community Centre.

Most of those members will be moving their pickleball racquets, running shoes and bodies to the new outdoor courts being erected near the tennis courts located northwest of Osoyoos Secondary School.

While the new outdoor pickleball facility won’t be completely finished until this fall, members with the local club are expected to be able to play outside starting this week.

“The posts and fencing will be put up very soon, but we won’t be able to complete the liquid asphalt surface until the fall because the company that does the work is just too busy building other courts around the province,” said Gerald Davis, the director of community services for the Town of Osoyoos.

The new outdoor facility for the Osoyoos Pickleball Club will feature four, 20 by 40-foot courts that will all be fenced off from each other adjacent to the three outdoor tennis courts near the high school.

Sometime this week or next week, it’s expected all four courts will have painted lines and players will be able to play on a temporary surface, said Davis.

The Town of Osoyoos contributed $32,500 for the new outdoor pickleball facility, while the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) contributed another $20,000, said Davis.

The courts will be located on an asphalt surface that used to be used for outdoor basketball and ball hockey, said Davis.

Carol Taylor, chair of the Osoyoos Pickleball Club, said members are thrilled they will soon be able to play the game they love outside in the beautiful South Okanagan sunshine.

“We are all very excited,” she said. “We’re up to close to 150 members and I know most of them are looking forward to being able to play outside when the weather is nice.

“Some members will prefer to play only indoors and they will still have that option at the Sonora Centre.”

While some club members are disappointed the liquid asphalt surface won’t be installed until the fall, most members are happy temporary courts have been set up and they can head outside to play for the remainder of spring, all summer and into the fall, she said.

For those who don’t know, pickleball is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.

The game combines the elements of tennis, badminton and squash.

Players hit a whiffle ball and score points by landing the ball inside the designated playing area on each court. Like tennis, the ball can only bounce once before it has to be returned to the other side of the net into the scoring area.

Anyone wishing to join the Osoyoos Pickleball Club is welcome to visit the Sonora Centre around noon Monday to Friday to observe the game, learn the rules and give the game a try, said Taylor.

“We invite everyone to join in.”

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times