Pool association to hold pickleball tournament
The Ocracoke Community Pool Association will hold a pickleball tournament on Saturday, May 3, at the new courts at the end of Horse Pen Road off Maurice Ballance Road.
Games begin at 8:30 a.m. with coffee, Ruth Toth’s Cafe Atlantic cinnamon crunch cake, fruit and more.
Organized by Melissa DiMarsico, vice president of the association and Ocracoke School PE teacher, the tournament will have four age groups: 13 and under, 14-17, 18-49, 50 and above; and three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
All games will be doubles and medals will be awarded for first, second and third places in the age groups.
Bring your own paddle and balls if possible. Some paddles and balls will be available.
The entry fee is $10 per person and players can register for the tournament that day or online at ocracokepool.org/events.
In addition to being a fundraiser for OCPA, the fourth grade will be raising money for their class trip by providing a Mexican lunch and bake sale, starting at 11 a.m.
Spectators are welcome and parking is limited at the courts but more is available along Maurice Ballance Road, which is off Middle Road.
The rain date is Sunday, May 4.
The two tennis and two pickleball courts opened last year.
Residents and visitors have been enjoying access to both courts daily from 7 a.m. to sunset +30 minutes.
A nonprofit, the OCPA formed three years ago in response to the need for a public swimming pool in the village as a safe place for swim lessons for all ages, exercise and rehabilitation programs.
Fundraising is for the acquisition of land.
For more information, visit ocracokepool.org.
OUMC to lead Water Walk
By Patty Huston-Holm
Aligned with the non-profit Water Mission organization, Ocracoke United Methodist Church (UMC) is planning a three-mile walk to raise money and awareness about water needs worldwide. The walk is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, from the village to the Lifeguard Beach.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for years, and council approved it,” said Pastor Desiree Adams. “I’m hopeful we’ll have interest here and on the Outer Banks.”
Using the slogan “Change for Change,” Ocracoke UMC selected the Water Mission initiative because of its reputation for bringing safe water and the Christian message to populations most in need, especially those in developing countries.
According to the Water Mission non-profit, two billion people around the world lack access to safe water, and one person dies every 37 seconds from water-related illness.
An added issue is the number of women and girls vulnerable to sex abuse during their routes from carrying water to and from bore holes.
The significance of the three-mile walk is that this is the distance people in poorer countries must walk each day to get clean water.
Ocracoke Island has clean water from a facility today, but before the 1970s, residents gathered water in rain barrels.
Additionally, when Hurricane Dorian hit Ocracoke in 2019, the island’s water source was not damaged while other areas, such as the Bahamas, which was hit hard by Dorian, suffered clean water deprivation.
“Not only can we imagine how a slight change in circumstances could impact us, but several people on the island have shared how they have condos and have visited in parts of the Bahamas,” Adams said. “There are fundraisers for our own community but the blessings we take for granted are the ones we should continue to fight for to help others around the globe.”
In addition to the walk, Ocracoke Island Yoga is offering a donation-based class the morning of May 3.
Glad to see this community reach out to help others who are less fortunate.
Comments are closed.