Court of activity
Upgrade has hoops booming in Rankin Inlet again
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Monday, September 28, 2015
RANKIN INLET
A long-awaited upgrading project is paying huge dividends with keeping young people involved in a healthy activity after school and on weekends in Rankin Inlet during the past few months.
Silas Ayaruak, 7, watches as Keenan Uluqsi, 7, right, prepares to go for the basket at the Victor's Playground basketball court in Rankin Inlet on Sept. 23, 2015. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
A complete facelift for the basketball court at Victor's Playground was completed during the first week of this past July.
The old, smaller court, and its nets and concrete, were ripped out so the new court could be installed from scratch.
The playground's basketball court is now double the size of its predecessor at 80' x 46', and features a nice, modern surface to play on, as well as NBA-style nets and backboards.
The hamlet received funding for the project through Nunavut's Sport and Recreation Division of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth (formerly Sport Nunavut).
Rankin recreation co-ordinator David Clark said the project was delayed for awhile due to issues with the concrete and other materials needed for the work.
He said if things had gone the way they were originally scheduled, the project would actually have been completed during the summer of 2014.
"Basically, we ran out of time to begin the project by the time the materials arrived during the summer of 2014," said Clark.
"So, I rescheduled it to be completed in late spring or early summer of 2015.
"We received a lot of help from NDL Construction Ltd. this year in getting the concrete in and set and from there, we put down the surface, which is like a plastic sports type of basketball surface.
"Then we put the new nets up and had the court lit for evening use and the kids have been using it almost non-stop since then."
Clark said he's particularly proud of the work done on the basketball court project.
He said he has his own fond memories of shooting hoops in his youth and is very happy to see today's young hoop stars being able to have an even better experience on the court.
"I played a lot of basketball on that court as a kid, he said.
"I spent many, many hours down there in my younger days, and I kind of wish we had of had something of that calibre when we were all playing on the court back then."
Backed by the hamlet, Clark talked to the Nunavut Power Corp. (NPC) about the new project and NPC agreed to install a bank of lights at the court.
He said having the lights allows the young people to play late into the evening but he hopes to be able to limit the time the court is lit going forward so the activity doesn't upset anyone in the neighbourhood.
"The lights stay on all night right now but we're looking at having a timer put on them because we have kids playing out there in the middle of the night and that's not appropriate for anyone.
"The court at Victor's Playground has always seen a lot of use, although it did take a dip for a few years when the court began to really show its age and wasn't that great anymore.
"It's a project I really wanted to get done and I'm pretty excited that it's finished and the kids are using it so much."
Rankin Inlet now boasts an outdoor soccer field, basketball court, ball hockey rink and baseball diamond.
Clark said he always tries his best to have facilities available so both youths and adults in the community are able to keep active in sports and recreational activities.
He said the hamlet currently has a great lineup of outdoor facilities and his department is doing everything it can to keep them that way.
"We try our best to take good care of them, but sometimes it gets tough with acts of vandalism, garbage being thrown around and stuff like that, he said.
"We try to keep on top of things and I'm really proud of the hamlet, and our department in particular, for bringing these projects forward and making sure we have facilities available for everyone in our community to enjoy."
