Editor:
Re: “Council hears proposal for swapping Hackett Park tennis court with pickleball surfaces,” coastreporter.net, May 22.
The Coast Reporter article on the Hackett Park pickleball/tennis court proposal omitted specific reference to the principal aspect of the proposal – namely the separation of the two sports with half of the facility dedicated exclusively to tennis and half exclusively to pickleball to enhance the play opportunities for both sports.
Currently there are two tennis-sized courts jointly marked for tennis and pickleball with players from each sport competing for the same court space. With pickleball players outnumbering tennis at the facility, it is not unusual for both courts to be taken by pickleball players. Further, there is a gross inefficiency in having one much smaller pickleball court consuming an entire tennis court. The proposal from the Sunshine Coast Pickleball Association addresses these conflicts and inefficiencies by creating four dedicated pickleball courts on one of the two existing pickleball/tennis courts and dedicating the other exclusively to tennis.
Hopefully the public and Sechelt council will support this fair and efficient proposal that results in a significant upgrade for both sports.
