By Tania Phillips
Pickleball on the Southern Down and Granite belt continues to grow and prosper according to Southern Downs Pickleball Association president Helen O’Brien.
The Association has just launched a new session of the sport at Wirac on Friday mornings.
The new session is aimed at players who are less mobile.
O’Brien said the current Wednesday evening session attract more experienced players and the standard of play has improved rapidly.
“As we don’t want to exclude anyone, or deter anyone from participating in pickleball, we are offering the Friday session for people of any age over 16 years who are not able to play at that level,” she said.
“New players are also welcome.
“We also have a session on Sunday afternoons from 2.30 – 5pm which is a social session for players of all abilities.
“New players at either session need to make contact prior to their first session.”
O’Brien said the new sessions have started but they hadn’t promoted it much yet.
“We found that with our Wednesday sessions the standard in the club has really improved over the five years we’ve been playing and it’s just not as good for players who are not as mobile because they struggle to keep up and it compromises the ability of the other players to have really good games,” she said.
“So we thought we’d start another session for people who are less mobile, really new, not experienced with bat and ball sports and want to ease their way in because the Wednesday sessions can now be a bit daunting for new players.”
They are held at Wirac each Friday from 9am to 11am and to get involved you can contact O’Brien on 0429 065 175.
“If they are complete beginners that’s fine we can teach them the game,” she said.
“If they had already know the game and can play, they are welcome to come along but we do like people to let us know that their coming so we know how many courts to set up and what we’re going to be doing.”
The sessions are aimed at getting as many people as possible, of different fitness and ability levels into the sport.
“It’s not just about older people, we’ve come across a few players who are recovering from hip replacements or knee surgery and need to ease their way back in and not be tested by players whose skills are well ahead of them,” O’Brien said.
“It’s an ideal opportunity for people who need to get movement happening again. It’s not gentler (than tennis or squash) when it’s played at a high level but the size of the court and the nature of the paddle and the ball make it easier to play gently than you can play gently In tennis or some other sports. It is a good sport for easing back into fitness or continuing to play as you get older and less mobile. We have some players like that as well.”
O’Brien said as well as the new session, club members have been busy taking part in tournaments across Southern Qld and Northern NSW.
“Club members from both Warwick and Stanthorpe participated in the Queensland Pickleball Championships at Morayfield in June and some played this past weekend in the Northern Rivers Tournament at Ballina,” she said.
“Tournament play exposes players to different venues, conditions and styles of play and is helpful in developing skills and strategies.
“Tournaments tend to be fun social events in between some seriously skilled pickleball matches.
“Many connections are made with players from other clubs from across Queensland as well as from interstate. “
