A brewing battle between pickleball players and roller derby skaters has come to an amicable end.
Earlier this year, the Eves of Destruction roller derby league raised concerns about scheduling changes at Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sports Centre.
The concern was that the league’s training time had been moved to accommodate pickleball players. That new timing, however, placed some roller derby practices during school hours, which impacted the league since some players were students.
On Jan. 30, Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said she was confident a solution would be found, and on Friday the township announced a new schedule had been made that accommodates both groups.
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The Greater Victoria Minor Ball Hockey League, which also uses the rec centre to train, has agreed to move their practice to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, freeing up space for other rec centre users.
“I commend all involved—including our staff—who worked hard to find a solution that addressed the concerns raised by Eves of Destruction,” said the mayor on Friday.
“We have a finite amount of recreation facilities and a lot of growing interest from user groups,” she said.
While the Greater Victoria Minor Ball Hockey League has agreed to move for the spring season, Desjardins asks everyone to keep an open mind in the future.
“It’s always a challenge to balance community requests with the overall efficient use of our resources,” she said. “I imagine will we see the need for flexibility in the future as demands on our facilities continue to grow.”
The township says the Archie Browning Sport Centre sees approximately 6,000 hours of rental and program time annually, for both its ice rink and dry floor surfaces.
“Balancing seasonal activities and community access can be challenging at times,” said the the township in a release Friday. “We value all users and thank them for their understanding and patience during this transition.”
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Adam Chan
