The YNCU Curling Centre held an open house on Monday for its new pickleball courts.
Soo Curlers began offering indoor pickleball at the curling centre on July 19 and continuing to mid-September.
“Next year we will be open from May 1 to around Sept. 15. It's super exciting for us because typically in the off-season from curling we're closed,” said Jennifer Reid, YNCU Curling Centre general manager.
By including indoor pickleball from May to September, management at the YNCU Curling Centre hope to have the building, including its restaurant and bar, open all year round.
“We have such a great facility here and it's such a shame to see it closed during the summer months. It's almost like a hidden gem in the middle of our city,” Reid told SooToday.
The indoor facility at the YNCU Curling Centre at 124 Anita Blvd. includes eight courts specifically designed for pickleball.
“A lot of the indoor facilities here in the Sault have many lines on the court when people are trying to play pickleball.
"There are basketball courts, volleyball courts and badminton courts. The lines on our courts are only for pickleball. They roll out in strips. There are five strips per court and each one weighs 500 pounds. So a court weighs 2,500 pounds,” Reid said.
The courts were purchased from a southern Ontario company.
“Because they roll back up we get to store them for the winter, put in the ice and go back to curling, so we're becoming both a curling and pickleball club,” Reid said.
That’s good news for Gene Santoro, Soo Pickleball vice president.
“I think it's truly amazing that the curling club has endeavoured to get us to this stage and have indoor pickleball for the summer months,” said Santoro, a seasoned pickleballer who has played the sport for 14 years.
“We really like playing inside because outside you get the sun that is beating down on you and you get the wind that comes up. The nice thing about this is that it allows us to play in the afternoon when it’s 35 C outside,” Santoro said.
Pickleball is like tennis but played on a court a quarter the size of a tennis court.
It can be played by singles or doubles, including mixed doubles.
Soo Pickleball hopes to see a year-round indoor pickleball facility become a reality.
“It's something we've been chasing for a long time. We believe the curling club wants to include us, hopefully, in an expansion by putting up a new exterior building so we can have a permanent home,” Santoro said.
Soo Pickleball players currently meet whenever courts are available at the Sault YMCA, Algoma University’s George Leach Centre, The Tech, and the F.H. Clergue French Immersion Public School gym.
Santoro estimated Soo Pickleball currently has over 600 registered players.
“You'll find people who are in their 20s to their 70s playing," he said.
"I like it for two reasons. It gets me out. I can play it at a slower level and some people play it at a faster level.
"A lot of the more mature people like it because they can play at their level and it's fun. The other thing is the social aspect of it. I like playing with all these other people that you meet and become friends with," Santoro said.
Those interested in joining can learn more on the Soo Pickleball website, including about an upcoming pickleball tournament coming up in August.