b'Pickleball (continued from page 3)Newcomers,naturally,requiremight look like Everest.Rob remains instructors to teach the sports rulesrealistic about the challenge.and strategies.And so does anotherNodoubtthereslotsthatstill important group who hold the key toneeds to be done.As a Club, were pickleballs future. patientbutdetermined.Butwith Wereanticipatingmakingin- the surge in interest that weve seen roads with a program in schools.Atrecently,weagreethatthedoorto the momentand this is just in itsachieving our goals is wide open.infancywere training the trainerIn short, local pickleballs future is withtheguidanceoftheCanadianabout as bright as it can be.Pickleball Association.Thatll ensureDefinitely, he concludes.The quality instruction in the schools. way we see it, if there are more fa-The clubs second ongoing initia- cilities available, and at the same time tive, he points out, has a somewhatwe attract a steady flow of younger longer-term horizon. players with our school program, we Werehopingtohaveoutdoorshouldbeabletoensurethelong-courts in Port Perry within two years. term health of both our Club and our Theoutdoorcourtssixaregame. Jennifer McQuaig with her son Richard plannedwould sit behind the com- The allure of pickleball is expand- Larocque.munitys arena.This places them ining rapidly, by all indications.Not an ideal location to attract youthfullong ago, its growth in Scugog might and in turn telling their friends and users, situated close to two schools.becharacterizedasslow,andwasneighbourshowmuchfuntheyve Such an initiative, of course, requiresgreatly limited by an age restriction.had playing.The pace of pickleballs fundingaswellassupportfromButwiththatconstraintremovedpopularity is spreading like a wildfire Township Council. andanumberofforward-looking just like a secret thats finally been Overall,itsa$190,000project.campaigns in process, more and moreturned loose on the street.WeveappliedforaTrilliumGrantpeopleareseekingoutthegame,By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugogthroughtheprovince.Andwere preparingapresentationforthe Mayor and Council.Its certainly inThe Port Perry Pickleball Club welcomes new members.Join for a year our favour that theres a buzz aroundfor only $25, which includes lessons and paddles.Or, if your preference is town about pickleball. to try before you buy, you can drop in for only $3.The Club maintains Inourinitialapproaches,thea Facebook presence, or you can contact Convenor Rob Smith for details Township made it clear that we hadand membership information at portperrypickleball@gmail.com.to do some of our own fundraising.JOIN US FOR OUR So we started t-shirt sales.As youd expect, those will only generate smallOPEN HOUSE and DEMO dollars, but little things grow into bigSaturday October 12 from 9 a.m.noonover time.And weve partnered withScugog Community Hall, 1655 Reach St., Port Perrysome of the local service clubs, likeAges 10 years+. You must pre-register by calling 905-985-8698 ext 110Rotary and Lions, in hopes of fund- or emailing recreation@scugog.caraising help and potentially grants. Participants must wear indoor, non-marking athletic shoes.Intheseearlystages,$190,000 HERE WE GO! s t e w a r t t o u r s New Orleans: May 7-10Flights from Peterborough AirportGander: June 18-21for 2020 with Stewart Tours! Nashville: September 17-20Savannah: October 1-4 Deposit for all tours is cad $150 per person (non-refundable) Peterborough schedules sell out quickly, call us today to reserve your trip. Travel brilliantly!Virginia, Colleen and Jean158 Casimir St., Port Perry 905-985-2268TICO #4577532 MCvirginia.frew@marlintravel.ca 4 FOCUS - OCTOBER 2019'