Players Gather to Cut Ribbon on New Szymanski Courts: It's kind of a Big Dill

It was a perfect Monday morning at Szymanski Park as a couple dozen pickleball enthusiasts joined for an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new courts and some festive and fun inaugural play.  Among the smiling faces were Ted and Judy Selfridge, a couple who have been leading the way in organized pickleball play for the better part of ten years.  Their passion for the many health and wellness benefits of the sport (physical, emotional, social, and mental) have been expressed to the Recreation and Parks Committee for many years.  Starting off slow, they advocated first for pickleball lines on the public tennis courts for warmer weather play and evolved into utilized indoor spaces in an elementary school gym during the winter months.  When the time came to rehabilitate the Szymanski Tennis Courts, Ted and Judy worked to get the word out to players and encouraged them to meet with staff to envision a complete renovation of the current footprint, making intentional space for four pickleball courts.  While play is now in full force, there are still some additional amenities to be installed; benches and rollers are first on the list with a relook at lighting to follow. Many thanks to Linda Norris for organizing the players and treats this morning and for her continued passion for all things Recreation and Parks and for the amazing work of Adam Cate (Deputy Director of Public Works) for managing the project to completion. As an avid pickleballer himself, Adam was thrilled to be part of this community win.