Pickleball may become a new favourite pastime in the Pontiac this summer, as a handful of municipalities across the region are making moves to bring the hybrid sport, which combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis, to their own outdoor rinks and tennis courts.

The Municipality of Mansfield and Pontefract is one of these municipalities warming up to the sport.

At its May 8 council meeting, council voted to dedicate funds to purchase pickleball equipment, including nets, rackets and balls, a request first made by a small group of the sport’s enthusiasts living in the area.

Mansfield mayor Sandra Armstrong explained the municipality is in the process of buying the equipment, and now plans to go beyond the original request and create a court in the outdoor skating rink at the town’s Amyotte Park.

“So parents can bring kids or grandkids, they can play at the . . .

park and the adults can enjoy games and pickleball,” Armstrong said.

The Municipality of Alleyn and Caywood also has plans to install a court. Isabelle Cardinal, director general for the municipality, explained it is in the process of revitalizing their parks after receiving $100,000 through the Regions and Rurality Fund, and made adjustments to their plans in light of the growing popularity of pickleball.

“Originally, the plan was to have a tennis court on the pavement where our rink is in the winter,” Cardinal said. “However, we heard that pickleball was the new big thing, so we changed our plans. And instead of having a tennis court, we will now have a pickleball court.”

The Municipality of Thorne is also making moves to make pickleball courts available to its residents. The municipality renovated its outdoor skating rink in Ladysmith last year, and plans to pour cement into the rink to provide a place for people to play the sport during the summer.

“We’re waiting on our contractor to come and cement the inside of our rink,” said Stacy Lafleur, Thorne’s director general.

The town of Shawville was the first MRC Pontiac municipality to welcome the sport.

Shawville mayor Bill McCleary explained the municipality purchased pickleball equipment for the Shawville Pickleball Club, valued at roughly $500 when the club first formed at the Shawville United Church.

Last summer, the municipality contributed funding to upgrade the tennis court next to the Pontiac High School.

“They’ve added pickleball lines on the new court. They did a big upgrade last fall,” McCleary said. “So now in the summer, [the club] will have a place at the tennis court.”

Mary Ann Abrams has been a member of the Shawville Pickleball Club since 2013. She explained the group normally plays at the Shawville United Church Hall twice a week. For her, the sport is a chance to meet people who share a common interest, as well as a way to exercise.

“So the social part of it probably is the biggest part that I enjoy,” Abrams said. “It’s a nice way to get out, talk to people and stay active.”

Abrams praised the updated courts in the town and explained it opens the opportunity for more people to practice the sport.

“With the outdoor courts [ . . . ] now that the nets are there, if you have your own pickleball equipment, you can go out at any time and play with friends, you don’t have to go through the Shawville pickleball group,” Abrams said.

Some Pontiac communities are already ahead of this summer’s craze.

In Chapeau, the Upper Pontiac Pickleball group organizes games several times a week at the Upper Pontiac Sports Complex, and has been doing so since the summer of 2023.

In Otter Lake, fans of the sport can join the Otter Lake Pickleball Pals in matches on the town’s outdoor skating rink when the weather permits.

Norway Bay had its tennis court redone last year, adding pickleball lines to the court. The Norway Bay Municipal Association is offering members supervised openplay for pickleball at four evenings a week this summer.

Val Thompson, from Norway Bay, is extremely grateful for the new pickleball court in the area, and says the material with which it’s made makes it slightly different from others in the Pontiac.

“They’re a rubber surface. We’re very fortunate,” Thompson said. “It’s awesome. And the courts are protected by trees so we don’t have to deal with wind the way they do in Shawville.”

According to Thompson, pickleball is an activity that requires minimal equipment and can be played with as few as one other person or in groups of four or eight.

It’s excellent for fitness, cardio, muscle building, and hand-eye coordination, and can be quite challenging depending on the intensity of the players.

“This pickleball court is there through donations and hard work and fundraising by the residents of Norway Bay,” Thompson said. “And it’s nice that there’s a court. You don’t have to drive to another municipality.”