As we near the end of the 2024 pickleball season, and HCA’s Pickleball Group closes in on 100 members, it is hard to believe that just four short years ago, not only did the group not exist, but the courts we play on, and call home were just being built.
In the Beginning
In the fall of 2019, as the ORF (Outdoor Recreational Facility) Committee were finalizing the plans for Hawkwood’s new park, Heather Kovach, the project lead, was approached by a long-time Hawkwood resident and pickleball enthusiast, Greg Long, to discuss the plans. For years Greg, his wife Darlene Selby, and friends Brian Adams and Leon Leong had to leave the community in order to play their favourite game and Greg was hoping the park would include pickleball courts.
Over the next few months, Greg provided guidance to the ORF Committee on how to maximize the courts for both pickleball and tennis and advised the HCA on the best pickleball equipment to buy. Once the courts were available for play in the fall of 2021, Greg and Darlene helped the HCA host our very first free pickleball clinic to introduce the Hawkwood community to pickleball. In the spring of 2022, Brian and Leon joined Greg and Darlene, to help Heather Kovach, the Programs Coordinator at that time, to create the framework for HCA’s Pickleball Group.
2022 was HCA’s Pickleball Group’s first year of existence, and during that year we held a second free pickleball clinic, held two group drop-in sessions per week, and in the fall installed our first set of windscreens to help offset the challenging Hawkwood winds. Throughout the year, Greg, Darlene, Brian, and Leon, were always on hand to help run our free clinic, encourage new members, and help wherever they were needed.
Dedicating Court #3 to Leon Leong
Sadly, in the fall of 2022, we lost one of our original members, when Leon died unexpectedly. The HCA pickleball community was just getting to know what a great force Leon was, and his death left us wishing we could have enjoyed his presence for much longer. In an effort to honour and remember Leon’s contribution to pickleball in Hawkwood, at the start of our second season in 2023, Court #3 was renamed Court Leon. If you are lucky enough to play on Court Leon these days, you will notice a right shoe print on the pickleball serving line. Ever the competitor, Leon loved to “sneak” his foot across the line.
As pickleball continues to grow and evolve in Hawkwood, we are ever thankful for all those who helped make HCA’s Pickleball Group possible.
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