Basketball players in Saint-Basile-le-Grand must share their court with pickleball players according to a pre-established schedule.
The basketball court, located at Parc du Ruisseau, is the only one in Saint-Basile. Since the investment in the purchase of two retractable baskets installed last summer, teenagers no longer go to Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville to practice their sport, notes William Archambault. ” THE feedback that we have received since their installation is incredible. Young teenagers are happy to be able to play in their city,” explains the former basketball athlete who has lived in Saint-Basile-le-Grand for 12 years.
Improve the land
He testifies that his seven-year-old granddaughter, who plays basketball with her friends, can pounding due to retractable baskets. “There was excellent work done this summer to enhance the basketball court,” he mentions. However, he wants the City to continue investing in this fast-growing sport.
For the former athlete, it is important that the Municipality completes the project, in particular by finishing the painting of the lines, investing in a new surface and adding stands near the field to improve and create an adequate playing space. He recalls that the City, during the construction of the skateboard park, promised to redo the basketball court. “In Saint-Basile-le-Grand, the City invests a lot in sports infrastructure and it is desirable that it continues to do so to allow young people to participate in physical activity. »
Moreover, the resident made his point of view prevail during the most recent regular meeting of the municipal council, on November 4. Mr. Archambault’s suggestions were noted, said Yves Lessard, mayor of Saint-Basile-le-Grand, at the same time.
Schedule respected
Young people must live together with pickleball players. The field is reserved for this sport, according to a schedule, during the summer season. “If we want to get our young people off screens and make them active, we must not be too restrictive and allow access at all times to the physical activity that they enjoy,” argues Mr. Archambault, himself same pickleball player.
“We don’t want to prevent pickleball from taking place, far from it. We only hope that the two sports do not have to share the same field,” explains the former basketball player.
For Lise Langlais, president of the Vallée-du-Richelieu Pickleball Club, sharing the surface is going well. “The young people, like our members, respect the posted schedule. » However, she would like her sport to have its own allocated space. “We have to bring the nets. This therefore does not allow players to come when the court is not used for basketball,” she explains.
Pickleball players, another growing sport in the region, have access to seven courts during the summer season. Three on the basketball court at Parc du Ruisseau and four on a tennis court. For the Vallée-du-Richelieu Pickleball Club, there would also be added value in having a different surface than asphalt. “A surface like a tennis court is much more interesting, but it still works,” says Ms. Langlais, grateful for the City’s presence in maintaining and maintaining the cleanliness of the playground. “Every time we arrive, there is no waste, everything is well maintained. »
-
Two retractable basketball hoops were installed this summer at Parc du Ruisseau.
