Bourkevale Community Centre's indoor facilities may have been largely closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was plenty of activity at the club outdoors during the spring and summer months. You may have noticed daily pickleball games on the north rink, one of the fastest growing sports in North America. Bourkevale is now home to Winnipeg West Pickleball, which has over 100 members and plays on six freshly-painted courts at the club. With the help of two grants from the City of Winnipeg and a financial contribution from Bourkevale, the club has purchased nets and other equipment for WWP and granted the organization exclusive access to the north rink for games, practices and tournaments from Monday-Saturday between 9 am and 2 pm.
It was also a busy spring and summer for youth soccer at the club. Several games a week (and many practices) were held on Bourkevale's 3/4 field on the west-side grounds. Bourkevale continues to be an active member of the St. Charles Soccer Association and the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association.
Meanwhile, a local branch of Beaver Scouts (Scouts Canada) is using the club's north rink for outdoor, weekly meetings. The Beavers have scheduled their annual "buggy race" at the club for Saturday Sept. 26, beginning at 2 pm. Bourkevale has also been hosting St. James-Assiniboia Minor Hockey Association's monthly board meetings.
One of the most valuable assets of the club is the ability of the community to use its grounds on a casual basis, which we saw in spades this year; from ball hockey games, rollerblading and basketball on the north rink, to karate classes and other fitness activity on our sprawling greenspace (not to mention daily use of the club's play structure). Undaunted by the constraints of the pandemic, at least one concert band took to the outdoors during the summer and serenaded the community from our front yard with wonderful evenings of fun, toe-taping live music.
Bourkevale held its annual general meeting Sept. 10. The community centre is excited to welcome several new volunteer board members and many returning ones, including our new president Daevid Ramey, vice-president Scott Nystrom, and hall rental assistant Cassandra Zibell. We would like to thank outgoing president Dan Reles for his many years of service and his unwavering commitment to Bourkevale Community Centre.
Bourkevale's board continues to monitor and follow public health orders regarding COVID-19. There are plans to begin re-opening the club's indoor facilities on a limited basis in the fall. Unfortunately, owing to wide-ranging public health orders that require the club to adhere to social distancing rules and other requirements, it will be some time before the club is fully operational again. Nevertheless, we are making the best of it and Bourkevale continues to be a thriving and important part of our community.
If you have an idea for the club, would like to attend one of our monthly board meetings or just want to send us a note, please email us at bourkevale@gmail.com. We are always eager to hear from community members and count on your support and participation to ensure the longevity of the club.