Frigid weather, pandemic not stopping these pickleball enthusiasts
Kate Dubinski | CBC News | Posted: February 14, 2021 11:00 AM | Last Updated: February 14, 2021
10 players are allowed on the court at a time
You don't usually think of pickleball as a winter sport, but this isn't a usual winter.
Seven days a week, rain or shine, snow or frost, you'll find 10 — and no more, to keep with lockdown guidelines — energetic pickleball players tearing up the outdoor court outside of London's Boyle Community Centre, a daily get-together for exercise and socializing they say has kept them sane during the pandemic.
"I would be going nuts if I couldn't do this," said Dave Parkinson, one of the players. "It keeps you in shape, keeps you moving, and it's not only that, it's the social part of it too that you would miss if you were inside all the time."
The pickleball players are serious about keeping safe. They wear masks unless they're really going hard during a game, they keep more than six-feet apart, and they keep the number of people on the courts under 10, no matter what.
"When the lockdown was announced, they said that pickleball was one of the approved sports, so I think you heard a lot of cheering going on," said Nancy Collwill.
The 10 players in this little bubble are all retired, raging in age from 59 to 81. At least one has had triple bypass surgery. They've raised families large and small, and started playing pickleball after retirement, starting with City of London Spectrum programs and moving to the courts at Greenhills Golf Club.
"I played tennis for 25 years, but my knees are kind of shot, so pickleball is the perfect sport for me, it's a lot easier on the knees," said Frank Vanoort. "It's a lot of fun."
During the pandemic, the sport has been a godsend, the players said, a chance to move their bodies and socialize.