PIckleball season is fast approaching.
The Oceaside Pickleball Club is gearing up for another busy season that gets underway on April 7. The games will be played mostly at the Parskville Community Park pickleball courts.
The club is also holding its annual general meeting AGM on Thursday, April 3 (9 a.m.) at the Parksville Royal Canadian Legion Branch 49.
There are some major changes the club wants to establish this coming season. They include making it more inclusive rather than exclusive, according to OPC president John Philip in his annual report. The plan is to remove the 55-plus age restriction from the OPC constitution.
Out of their 291 members, the average age is 68 years old, with the oldest member being 88. The youngest member they have is 15 years old. There are 168 women members and 123 men.
"Analysis of the membership data indicates we need younger people in our club," said Philip.
Club members will also be asked to whether they should amalgamate with the Parksville Oceanside Pickleball Society. Philip indicated the need to support this move now in order to capitalize on opportunities that will result when the two clubs amalgamate.
With the weather still unpredictable, the club has come up with alternative plans if play gets rained out. The Parksville Curling Club will again be utilized and is removing the ice to transition to a pickleball court starting April 14.
Philip indicated there will be no cancellations to the scheduled play due to weather conditions on April 14 as they can move the activities inside the curling rink. The club is also looking at ways to improve ball visibility inside.
He also pointed out the need for the club to expand their program into the evening to accommodate members unable to play due to other commitments.
The club is also looking for more volunteers such as marshals and set-up people for Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. At the AGM, there will be a sign-up sheet by the front door of the Legion.
Down the road, the club must make some adjustments due to expected disruptions in 2026 as the City of Parksville plans to resurface the lacrosse box and also turn the tennis court to a pickleball court. Once completed, they will have 16 designated pickleball courts as well as eight temporary courts at the curling rink.
The club also wants to work with other pickleball groups in the District 69 region including helping the Qualicum Beach Pickleball Club develop their own pickleball facilities, which the Town of Qualicum Beach has agreed to establish with a donation of land near the Qualicum Beach Skatepark just behind the civic centre and also allocated funds in their five-year financial plan.
