As the calendar gets set to turn to 2022, open time and space at Great Bend Recreation Commission facilities is at a premium.
With pickleball exploding in popularity in Great Bend, and a full calendar of youth and adult sports already planned heading into the new year, GBRC Assistant Director Chris Umphres told the board Monday afternoon that open time and space at the gyms at both the Great Bend Auditorium and the Great Bend Activity Center are already hard to come by well into the new year. There have already been close to 200 participants making use of the open gym times in the past month, he said.
Umphres told the board that recreational pickleball, in particular, is growing faster than Rec facilities can accommodate open gym space. The facilities are being used throughout the day each day already, and there are very few time slots available for open gym time between now and May 2022.
“Pickleball seems to be growing (more) every year,” Umphres said.
Board member Andrea Bauer asked if players were able to play during the day with facilities set up for indoor winter sports. Umphres told her goals are moved during the day to accommodate open gym time for the pickleball players. There are a total of five courts available across two rec facilities for pickleball players during the day.
Scheduling open gym time for pickleball players is more challenging because the Rec also has a full slate of winter sports requiring game and practice space throughout the winter, including volleyball and indoor youth soccer through January. Basketball will begin in February once the youth indoor soccer season ends. The two seasons were switched on the Rec calendar this winter to improve participation in both sports.
The Rec hosted a tournament last month at the Panther Activity Center at Great Bend High School which brought in more than 80 players, many of whom were from outside Great Bend, Umphres said. With the demand surging, the Rec is already planning another pickleball tournament at the facility in February 2022.
Pickleball will not be the only tournament the PAC plays host to in February.
On Monday, the board also approved an agreement with the Kansas Basketball Academy Foundation to once again host a co-ed youth basketball qualifying tournament at the PAC on Feb. 5, 2022. The Rec has facilitated this tournament for the past six to seven years, Umphres said, in conjunction with Great Bend USD 428. The tournament has played host to more than 30 teams each year in the past.
Sports Complex turf update
Umphres also told the board the ongoing turf installation project is nearly completed.
As of last Monday, only light touch-up work remained on field five, known as Langher Field. “For the most part, it’s ready to go.”
Even though the turf portion of the project is essentially completed, Executive Director Diann Henderson said the fields are still not yet open to the public, because there is some detail work left to be done, including work on irrigation systems and fencing.
“There’s a lot of little details before we’re going to be able to open that up to the public,” Henderson said.
The portion of the work to be completed by project contractor Hellas Construction has been completed.
Great Bend Recreation Commission board meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick look at what the GBRC board did Monday afternoon:
• Approved an agreement to host a 2022 Kansas Basketball Academy Foundation youth basketball qualifying tournament at the Panther Activity Center on Feb. 5, 2022.
• Heard a report from Activities and Enrichment Director Garet Fitzpatrick on the Santa’s Workshop Express Dec. 4. He estimated approximately 700 people in an estimated 190 vehicles attended the drive-through event at the Great Bend Activity Center.
• Heard an update from Assistant Director Chris Umphres regarding the Great Bend Sports Complex turf installation project.
• Executive Director Diann Henderson advised the board that GBRC staff will attend the Kansas Recreation and Park Association State Conference in Manhattan from Jan. 19-21, 2022.
• Entered an executive session for 20 minutes for non-elected personnel to review Henderson’s annual evaluation. Following the executive session, the board approved a two-year extension of Henderson’s contract through June 30, 2024, and an updated annual compensation of $105,000, to line up with the commission’s updated wage scale.
• Henderson advised the board that a vandalism case at the Great Bend Activity Center, 2715 18th St., had been resolved by local law enforcement. She expects GBRC will receive restitution for the damage to the front door of the facility at an undetermined point in the future.
