It’s summer and you want to work your jump or find a basketball game.
After a rainy July, August started off relatively dry, so the opportunities to get out are back.
But where can you go? Well you’re in luck because we took the trip to five of Chair City’s playgrounds to assess and rank Gardner’s outdoor basketball courts based on the condition of the panels, rims, nets and the playing surface of the field.
5) Greenwood Park
Greenwood ranks last for two specific reasons: It’s Gardner’s only outdoor court with two basketball hoops instead of four, and the only one to feature a hoop without a net. The back panel of the hoop with the missing net also appears to tilt to the right.
The other hoop has a metal chain net attached, but it is unhooked in five places and twisted on itself.
The playing surface, however, is among the best in town with only a small rut and a small bump visible inside the key at one end of the court. Replace the missing net and Greenwood would slide easily over the next field, and maybe two, on the roster.
4) Pulaski playground
The only outdoor basketball court in town to be fully fenced, Pulaski has the potential to be a hidden gem.
But there are flaws in this argument, large ones that span both courts, and while attempts have been made to close most of them, there are a few with weeds that grow.
The lines of the pitch are faded but visible and metal chain nets hang from rusty double rims that didn’t give Josiah Norville or Dylan Farris many friendly bounces in their head-to-head game on Monday afternoon.
“I don’t go to Greenwood anymore because their nets have fallen. They have to put the ropes back in place and remove the metal ones, ”said Norville, 21, who moved to Gardner from New York City about six months ago. “The metal ones were put up there for about a week and then they were destroyed. This is why I come here (now) because at least these (nets) stay in place. The rims could be better. The ones they have in Greenwood should come here.
3) Bickford playground
Like Pulaski, Bickford has a lot of closed cracks snaking through his two courts, making it more difficult to dribble in an all-court game. As you face the courts from the softball field, the hoop on the right back has lichen growing around the edge where it connects to the back panel. This hoop might be difficult to pull from the end line where tree branches are about to hang over the pitch.
Bickford also drops a few points for writing graffiti on the court surface, but the panels and rims are in better condition than at Pulaski and each hoop features what appears to be a new net of red, white and blue rope.
Bickford also has lights where Pulaski doesn’t, although it’s unclear if the lights are working.
2) Ovila Case playground
A look at Ovila Case’s basketball courts – which is where the playing field tennis courts used to be – and it’s easy to recognize that these are the newest basketball hoops. – city ball.
The white panels, rims and rope nets are all in great condition, the fresh bitumen is arguably the best playing surface in town, and there is ample parking at the entrance to the park. on Stuart Street.
So why isn’t it number one? Well, that might be nit-picking, but if you and your friends are looking for a field to resume a game, you would want the field to have lines, right? There are no painted lines on the playing surface at Ovila Case, which makes it a good place to place shots, but not the perfect spot for your weekly game.
1) Jackson Playground
Within walking distance of downtown Gardner, the two full-size courts at the Jackson Playground are perfect for playing or just working on your shot.
There are no visible cracks in the playing surface, none of the field lines are faded and there is no graffiti. The rear planks and rims are in good condition and the wire chain nets are in better condition than at Greenwood and Pulaski.
In addition, the courtyard is well shaded by trees during the late summer afternoons and evenings.
Once you get tired of running on the court, you can walk over it and find a shady spot in the grass to watch the skateboarders run at the skate park.
