The St. Albert Special Olympics pickleball program has wrapped up its third summer season, and demand for the sport continues to outpace court space.
“This year, we’ve got 20 athletes and 23 coaches, and I have a waitlist of 12 more athletes,” said Gary Cheetham, program lead. “The limitation is, unfortunately, court space. There’s a lot more people that want to play the game than there are courts to allow.”
On July 29, they had their wrap-up celebration at the Alpine Pickleball Courts hosted by the St. Albert Pickleball Club. The Rotary Club of St. Albert also provided a grant, which allowed them to purchase food and gifts for the wrap-up party.
The program utilizes four or five courts each Tuesday night for 10 weeks, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The St. Albert Pickleball Club donates this court space. Cheetham expressed his gratitude for the club’s support in providing access during one of their busiest times.
With four players per court, only 16 to 20 athletes can participate at a time. However, despite the space limitations, the program has become a favourite among athletes, coaches, and parents.
“The kids love it. I mean, that's really the reason we do it,” said Cheetham. “And so do the coaches, ever since we started this, three years ago, it is so fun and rewarding for our coaches, and to add the parent feedback as well, has been fantastic. A few have said this is the best program in the Special Olympics that their kid is in.”
Deanne Saiaoa, one of the athletes, said that she loves being able to come out during the summer and play pickleball.
When playing, Saiaoa and all of the other athletes get a personal coach that they can play against and learn from. The program had 23 coaches volunteering their time every Tuesday.
“They just love it,” Cheetham said. “Probably 10 per cent of our coaches have a personal tie with somebody with an intellectual disability, not necessarily just playing pickleball, a family member or otherwise. They know that they’re fun people to hang out with, and they just want to experience this with them.”
Murray Chaput is one of the coaches who continues to come back every year. This year was his third year coaching, and he said he keeps coming back for the athletes.
“Athletes, purely the athletes 100 per cent,” he said. “I know they change our lives in many ways. They make us smile. The simplest gains in life are the best in my viewpoint, enjoyment. If everybody treated everybody the way they treat us, we'd be better off.”
Cheetham said many of the athletes live with autism or Down syndrome, and that the focus is on confidence, self-esteem and enjoyment.
Everybody looks forward to coming out and having fun and learning,” said Cheetham. “That's part of the Special Olympics program, building self-esteem and positivity and all that stuff. So they get that and have a ton of fun.”
