Pickleball and Ukulele, it doesn’t get much better than that, or does it?

With Kate Aben

What do pickleball, ukuleles, and shinny have in common? You can try them all next week for free during Huntsville Sport and Recreation Week, the Town of Huntsville’s celebration of sport and healthy living.

“We want people to be healthy and happy,” said Simone Babineau, Manager of Recreation and Leisure Services at the Town of Huntsville. “Huntsville Sport and Recreation Week offers residents a great opportunity to experience all the wonderful programs we have available here in Huntsville – either free or for a nominal fee. We have so much going on: adults can try shinny, table tennis, Brain-ersize, ukulele – it’s way more than just swimming and skating.”

The theme for the week – Get Out and Play – encourages residents to take up a forgotten sport or pastime again or to try something completely new. So we did just that.

In a pickle(ball)

Huntsville’s Active Living Centre invited Doppler to join them in a game of Pickleball and Kate and Ben took them up on the challenge. Pickleball, a sport described as a mix between tennis, table tennis and badminton, is played at the Centre every Thursday at 1pm. Manager of Recreation and Leisure Services , Simone Babineau, said that members of the community came to her with the idea after playing in Florida and Texas.

In the winter months, the game is played on one court on the second floor of the Centre; during the summer the group plays on four courts in the Jack Bionda arena. There will be an additional court added this spring for beginners.

The players change every week, but there are some clear regulars. Dennis Wilks and John Garlick are avid tennis players, and take part in Pickleball for extra practice. Wilks said he likes the exercise and wanted something different to do in the winter. They walked us through the rules and allowed us a couple extra practice serves. It was a lot of fun and definitely a work out. The group has added a couple of their own ‘local rules’ such as what happens when the ball hits the ceiling. We noticed that you didn’t have to be a professional to play, and the participants were there to explain the rules and give some tips.

There is a social component to the group as well: tea and coffee is available and participants are encouraged to take a break and socialize. Wilks said he has “met a lot of people and knows a number of them that show up weekly.” A $2.50 drop in fee is asked of the participants. This money goes toward refreshments, fundraising, equipment and other programs.

Babineau said age doesn’t matter and hopes people will take advantage of the free programs offered during Sport and Recreation Week (November 16-21^st). She hopes the week will “get people out to try something new.”

Getting plucky

Dawn checked out the group ukulele lesson, where Barb Mason, Bonnie Borden, and Mary Lou Verbonac were playing along with instructor Glenn Kay. They played so well that I expected to hear that they’d had previous experience, but all had started playing for the first time just eight weeks prior, at the start of the program.

I learned that the best place to strum is where the neck meets the body of the ukulele, a foreign concept to my beginner guitar-playing hands. I heard that not all ukulele music sounds Hawaiian. And I was inspired to go home and pick up my daughter’s ukulele and try it for myself.

The group lesson runs for eight weeks with the next session starting January 12, but you can drop in during Huntsville Sports and Recreation Week to give it a try – no previous music experience required!

Get social

“Lots of people are looking for social opportunities, too,” said Babineau. “These programs are a great way to get out with a friend or make some new ones. Come for Cards is a fun drop-in program and we teach people to play – they don’t have to know before they get here. Or try an aquafit program or morning game of shinny to be active and social at the same time.”

On ice

Residents are encouraged to join Mayor Scott Aitchison on Saturday, November 21 for the Mayor’s Ice Challenge and Public Skate. Mayor Aitchison will be taking challenges from residents interested in fun ice races on an obstacle course run by the Skate Patrol Team from 12:00pm – 2:00pm at the Canada Summit Centre in the Don Lough Arena.

At 1:00pm the same day, residents can meet and skate with three local shinny players, Bill Kennedy, Gerry Lannan and Watt Parsons, who were recently inducted into the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame in Ottawa. “We are pleased to have Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Lannan and Mr. Parsons participate in Huntsville Sport and Recreation Week – their testament to an active healthy lifestyle is something we can all aspire to and motivates everyone to ‘keep those skates on’.”

Huntsville Sport and Rec Week is being held in conjunction with two national activities:

Jersey Day

Friday November 20, 2015 is a national day to show your love and support for sport by wearing a jersey, team or club uniform to school, work or play. From municipal council chambers to office buildings and classrooms across the nation, we envision a sea of Canadians wearing their hearts on their sleeves on National Jersey Day. Wear your favourite jersey and support your team or just to celebrate Sport!

2015 RBC Sports Day in Canada

Get ready to get out and play at the sixth annual RBC Sports Day in Canada! RBC Sports Day in Canada, presented by ParticipACTION, CBC and True Sport, will take place on Saturday November 21, 2015 in communities from coast to coast to coast. This national celebration of sport, from grassroots to high-performance, is an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate the power of sport, build community and national spirit and facilitate healthy, active living.

See the schedule and full list of activities available for Huntsville Sport and Rec Week here or visit the Town of Huntsville website for more information.

Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our twice-weekly email digest and get some of our top stories delivered right to your inbox.

* indicates required