At a Gathering Place for Tulsa, you’ll be able to play basketball, volleyball, street hockey or street soccer with a view of the Arkansas River.
Park Director Tony Moore said he looks forward to five lighted courts marked for those sports getting a good workout.
"There’s a challenge from a physical point of view in getting kids out playing sports and not on the couch all the time with electronic devices. And so, we wanted to have a very cool way engage kids in an athletic and a health and wellness manner," Moore said.
NBA veteran, Tulsa native and new Oral Roberts women’s basketball assistant coach Lee Mayberry said the SemGroup Sports Courts offer a much different than B.C. Franklin Park.
"That’s where I learned how to play. Of course, they had an inside basketball court. They had an outside basketball court. They had the slides and some of those things, but this is like B.C. Franklin on steroids," Mayberry said.
The sport courts are at the south end of the park, and they’ll host several events during the 100 Days of Opening Celebration, including three-on-three basketball exhibitions, high school volleyball and fitness classes.
Moore said park staff will be on hand to help switch courts over from one sport to another and help more people get in a game if need be.
"When the attendance is really high, we’ll probably have to do some regulation in how long you’re able to play on a court just to facilitate some rotation, but in the slower times, certainly, if there’s not a wait, it won’t be as regulated," Moore said.
The park will also have some equipment available to use on the courts. There are no plans to offer court reservations right now. The Gathering Place opens next Saturday.
