It is often said that pickleball is a welcoming game that is as much about community as the sport. The politicians only frustrate the community with little real hope of a future for pickleball in North Saanich. But I want to highlight another side of the pickleball community.

I had a serious motorcycle accident back in August. I was flown to the Kamloops trauma centre.  

A pickleball player I had met only once or twice in Creston, reached out to offer my wife and daughter their then-vacant home in Kamloops, for as long as needed. Players from the Saanich Peninsula volunteered to walk our dog and tend our yard over the three weeks we were in Kamloops.  

When I was transferred to VGH it was a contingent of pickleball players who first came to visit (some who I really didn't even know), loaded with bakery treats because we all know what hospital food is like. That community has continued to support me with visits at home, (still) walking the dog, offering support as I shuffled with a walker to join my wife shopping, invites to Christmas parties, and literally supporting me as I joined a polar bear dip.

I love that the passion for the game is also there for life, for kindness, for sharing, and for supporting me through my struggles. Thank you, friends.

Frank Gee

North Saanich