Several tennis players from the Kootenays headed to Salmon Arm from Sept. 10-14 for the BC 55+ games, where they played well and had a great time doing it.
Jan and Brad Bingham, David Bellm and Lanni Boutilier from Kimberley all came away with top-four finishes, with David and Lanni winning bronze in Mixed Doubles. John Robertson from Invermere won gold in Mixed Doubles for his division.
"The 55+ Games are competitive, but also super social, with players reconnecting from previous Games," Bellm told the Bulletin. "There is always amazement when Kimberley's indoor courts are mentioned, when most communities have to do without. Another attraction that makes Kimberley 'A Good Place To Be.'"
Coming up this weekend, Sept. 21 and 22, the Bingham's Mixed Doubles Invitational will take place at the Rotary Park Courts. Bellm said this tournament is a lot of fun, with a novel concept: the ladies rotate with a different male partner for each match — which is all legal, Bellm says. He added the prizes are "highly coveted."
Bellm also told the Bulletin that Ron and Joyce Wong are currently working to raise funds through a sponsorship program that will help address the future capital and maintenance needs of Kimberley's Indoor Tennis Centre, as it enters into its twentieth year of operation at its current home adjacent to Selkirk Secondary School.
"So far, Bootleg Gap Golf Course and Shoppers Drug Mart Kimberley have given their generous support and local artist Marg Scott donated a beautiful painting for auction which was successfully auctioned off," Bellm explained.
The Indoor Tennis Courts, when they were located at the ski hill, faced demolition back in 2001, Bellm added. It was due to the efforts of him and his team, comprised of Peter Munro, Eric and the late Doug Gilmar, with the support of School District 6 and the community, that their relocation to their current home was made possible. They now serve as an integral part of the schools Physical and Health Education program, and is the region's only year-round tennis centre.
