Gladstone Pickleball Club (GPC) had its start in 2018, on the cracked, weed-filled tennis courts at Gladstone's Max Patterson Park. With a $3,500 grant from the city of Gladstone, Club founders, Bill, Lisa, and Kathi Preble, and Tina and Steve Hall, began scrubbing, chipping, patching, and filling cracks until presto, after a few weeks they had six very decent pickleball courts.
In the summer of 2018, GPC boasted about 35 members. By the end of the next year, despite the pandemic, GPC had about 230 club members, and by mid 2021 membership pushed past 300. How?? Well, a good part of the reason is simply the allure of the sport. People love it! But, equally important is GPC members' welcoming attitude to everyone, no matter their ability.
If there is a shortcoming to having so many members, it's that it has been rough on the courts. Despite annual repairs, the courts, which are 50+ years old, were simply beyond repair. And, to make matters worse, because of the pandemic and a devastating ice storm, the city of Gladstone simply did not have any money in its budget to fix them. So, GPC, in partnership with the city, started a first of its kind, cooperative effort to do a complete restoration of the courts. The first order of business was to raise $85,000 which was done through a GoFundMe campaign, as well as a variety of tournaments, clinics, and other fundraisers. While that was going on, contractors were lined up and contracts signed to remove the old courts, lay down new asphalt, resurface, and re-line them. The renovation project started the first week in August, and was completed the following month. We now have 8 beautiful pickleball courts, which you will see filled with players any day of the week, weather permitting!
"Just wanted to drop a word that today was my first time at the courts. I heard about them at RECS indoor facility where I just learned the game. The courts and the people were great! I dropped $10 in the till I was so impressed. I can't wait to go again, and look forward to joining your club." October 2, 2022
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We are a volunteer run, non-profit club whose mission is to help our members make the most of the benefits that the sport of Pickleball has to offer. Gladstone Pickleball Club strives to promote the development of the sport through participation, training, and good sportsmanship. We do this by:
The vision of the club is to facilitate the growth of Pickleball in the Gladstone Community for the enjoyment, health, and social engagement of all players by offering organized recreational and competitive play at all skill levels.
When membership at GPC hit 200+ members by its third year, it became evident that some sort of organization had to be brought to the Club, particularly considering the need to finance the complete renovation of the courts. A Board of Directors was thus setup with the purpose of creating a set of by-laws, setting up financial records, and simply staying in touch with the members.
GPC BY-LAWS Updated 10-30-23 (docx)
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