In The News

YMCA Sees Upswing In Pickleball (Feb 2, 2012 Niles, MI, www.nilesstar.com) A new activity in Niles is piquing the curiosity of Niles-Buchanan YMCA members and pingpong and racquet sport enthusiasts. “We’re trying to grow it,” Clark said. “It’s all ages. I really would like to see a kids’ pickleball.

Young Or Old, Tall Or Small, Pickleball Is A Game For All (Jan 28, 2012 Chanhassen, MN, www.chanvillager.com) Start lining up. From what they say, Pickleball is incredibly easy to learn, and maddeningly addictive. Pickleball has come to Chanhassen.

Fast And Hilarious (Jan 18, 2012 Bluffton Sun City, GA, www.savannahnow.com) Hilarity seems to be part of the game, if it is not in the rules, and the fast-paced action of this relatively new sport lends itself to laughter and miscues.

New Activity Sweeping The Nation! (Jan 17, 2012 Minneapolis, MN, www.insightnews.com) Over the years, Pickleball has been refined and fine tuned. Today it is a full-fledged activity which is regularly played in more than 38 locations across Minnesota. If you are looking for a great way to stay active without a lot of exertion or expense, and would like to form new friendships, Pickleball just may be an option for you.

Obscure Sport A Growing Hobby For County Residents (Jan 14, 2012 Canton, GA, www.cherokeetribune.com) Tom Earley, and his wife, Ann, brought (pickleball) to Cherokee County after seeing it played at a resort on a two-month vacation in Arizona. The Earleys were both avid tennis players at the time and brought their tennis rackets with them on vacation. Their plans for recreation changed, however, after they saw a game of pickleball.

A Dill-lightful Game (Jan 12, 2012 Glenwood Springs, CO, www.postindependent.com) Since its inception, pickleball's popularity has taken off, and it has a particularly sizable presence in its state of origination. “It has quite a big following back in Washington,” James relayed. “That's where pickleball originated, and then it kind of developed into a big senior sport. “Now it's spreading back to all ages.”

Seniors Hit With Many Injuries (Jan 5, 2012 Green Valley, AZ, www.gvnews.com) Whether you’re a weekend warrior, conditioned athlete, or rocking chair fan, says physical therapist Steve Sanders, senior injuries and ailments are bound to catch up to you.

Harold Ramsden Another Man On The Court (Jan 4, 2012 Lincoln Hills, CA, www.lincolnnewsmessenger.com) Playing pickle ball has become part of Lincoln Hills resident Harold Ramsden’s daily routine, improving his quality of life over the past six months. Ramsden, 71, suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

Pickleball Bouncing Into Mainstream (Dec 9, 2011 Daytona Beach Shores, FL, www.myhometownnews) Parks and Recreation Director Rick Hall said the demand can't be denied. "Less than a year ago, we toured The Villages, and the thing we came away with is that (pickleball) is the hot item right now," Mr. Hall said.

Shadeland Center Picks Up Pickleball (Dec 8, 2011 Lafayette, IN, www.jconline.com) Indiana has pickleball players in Fort Wayne, Kokomo, Terre Haute and Indianapolis. Nationwide there are thousands of players and hundreds of courts, according to the USA Pickleball Association.

Pickleball Makes Its Way Into Foothills Park And Rec (Dec 5, 2011 Littleton, CO, yourhub.denverpost.com) 45 eager and interested people came specifically to learn and play the game. Overall feedback was very positive with many stating how happy they are to have Pickleball in the Littleton community.

YMCA Offers Unique Indoor Sporting Event (Dec 1, 2011 Roseburg, OR, www.kpic.com) The YMCA hosts the game twice a week, and officials say there's always a pretty good crowd, but it's not just about the game. "The social part of it, everybody likes to be social, they're always down here talking, making new friends," said Christine Turvey of the YMCA.

Pickleball Takes Off At Cage Fieldhouse After Being Added To Community Education Programming (Nov 20, 2011 Swartz Creek, MI, www.mlive.com/news/) After the district purchased the fieldhouse, Cavett reached out to the community to see what they wanted for programming. The biggest request was pickleball, she said.

SCCL Pickleball Club Donates Nets To Indian Land School (Nov 15, 2011 Indian Land, SC, south.usapa.org) The Sun City Carolina Lakes (SCCL) Pickleball Club in Indian Land, SC not only taught pickleball to Indian Middle School (ILMS) students, they also donated two portable nets to help jump start the program. USAPA member Luis Lopez organized the event held the last week in October.

Surprise Pickleballers Earn Gold In Tourney (Nov 15, 2011 Surprise, AZ, www.yourwestvalley.com) Surprise played host to its first pickleball tournament Oct. 28-30 at the Surprise City Courts. The tournament was a fundraiser for the court refurbishment, including resurfacing, nets and net posts.

WOW, Pickleball Rocks At The 2011 Nationals! (Nov 12, 2011 Buckeye, AZ, www.pickleballrocks.com) Wow, wow and yes, WOW! Can’t think of a more appropriate way to describe the experience at my first National Pickleball Tournament. What a great week of fun, friendship and pickleball competition. From the moment we pulled into the parking lot, I knew this was going to be fun. Big white tents full of vendors selling anything you can put the word pickleball on. Pickleball paddles everywhere and the main corporate sponsor, My Retirement Direct, giving out goody bags stuffed with tshirts, water bottles and yes, retirement info.

Pickleball: An Interesting New Sport That's Found A Home In Cerritos (Nov 10, 2011 Cerritos, CA, cerritos.patch.com) The fast growing sport of pickleball has come to the CIty of Cerritos where it is being embraced by the young and old alike. For those seeking an alternative way to stay fit and have fun, you might just want to consider pickleball. You may never have heard of it, but the sport has rapidly grown in popularity over the last few years.

Pickle-ball Is The Fun Sport With The Funny Name (Nov 6, 2011 Kona, HI, www.westhawaiitoday.com) It's the sport with the unusual name that's rapidly gaining in popularity on the mainland. And now, a group of active players are hoping it will catch on here as well.

2011 USAPA National Pickleball Tournament Comes To Phoenix (Nov 1, 2011 Buckeye, AZ, www.prweb.com) The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) is pleased to present the 2011 USAPA National Pickleball Tournament in Buckeye Arizona with play November 6-14th. With its unique name, pickleball is rapidly growing into an international sport for players of all ages. Over 420 pickleball players will be participating in this year’s National Pickleball Tournament from 31 states and provinces.

Kids Are Playing In Ogden (Oct 28, 2011 Ogden, UT, ) John Gullo, ambassador for Northern Utah announced some great news today. The mayor of Ogden and the Superintendant of Ogden Schools have collaborated and with funding from the American Dream Foundation will implement Pickleball as a mandatory PE program in all Ogden Schools, 5th through 12th grade. But it doesn’t stop there.

PICKLEBALL ANYONE? (Oct 27, 2011 Williamsburg, VA, www.williamsburgneighbors.com) A fast growing sport for all ages, pickleball has caught on in Williamsburg, especially with seniors. Page Sutton organizes pickleball tournaments and helps spread the word of this sport sweeping across the United States. NOTE: This is a very large (36MB) PDF download. Story is on pages 40-42.

New Ballgame - Pickleball Makes Swing Northward (Oct 23, 2011 Worcester, MA, www.telegram.com) Casey Lewis, 16, whose form gives away that she also plays tennis, plays pickleball at the Bancroft School in Worcester.

Pickleball Advocate Receives Award For Popularizing Sport In Columbia (Oct 22, 2011 Columbia, MO, www.columbiamissourian.com) Because of Deming, pickleball has been a part of the Show-Me State Games for four years. Community members enjoy their time together and staying active and healthy.

GVR Sees Huge Growth In Pickleball Popularity (Oct 18, 2011 Green Valley, AZ, www.gvnews.com) The immensely popular game has spread so rapidly around the state that many RV parks, retirement projects and building developments have either added courts or put them into their plans. “We are building more pickleball courts than anything else,” agreed MidPac’s owner Al Stultz, a former satellite tour tennis player from Seattle who has been building and resurfacing tennis and other sport courts for 30 years.

Pickleball Tourney Helps Fund Permanent Courts (Oct 16, 2011 Surprise, AZ, www.yourwestvalley.com) The Surprise Pickleball Association supports a pickleball fundraiser Oct. 28-30 at the Surprise Recreation Campus to help promote pickleball for all ages and families.

Grosse Ile Picks Up On Pickleball (Oct 14, 2011 Grosse Ile, www.thenewsherald.com) Ever want to play competitive sports with your grandchildren? Now is your chance. Pickleball has come to Grosse Ile, and it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.

Pickleball Finds Niche In New Haven (Oct 13, 2011 New Haven, IN, www.eastallentimes.com) “People were playing pickleball in Franke Park and we went up to see what it was about,” he said. “I’ve never been competitive in my whole life. I got bit by it.”

Enthusiasts Bring Pickleball To Charlottesville (Oct 9, 2011 Charlottesville, VA, www2.dailyprogress.com) Margie Davenport, the USA Pickleball Association's ambassador to Charlottesville/Albemarle, hosted pickleball matches in town on Sunday. She said the game has become popular elsewhere among tennis players looking to remain active during the winter. She believes that trend will soon spread to Charlottesville.

Pickleball Court, Skate Park Are Big Hits At Kennedy Park (Sep 28, 2011 Eastpointe, MI, ) Both the skate park and the pickleball court were paid for by funds the city received through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, or NSP, in a use-it-or-lose-it offer that also covered the cost of the demolition of Kellwood Elementary School and the restructuring of Oakwood Middle School to become senior living complex.

Las Vegas Pickleball In Play Across The Valley (Sep 27, 2011 Las Vegas, NV, ) Malou Fury has been playing the game for a year, and like many pickleball enthusiasts, she travels to different recreation centers and gyms across the valley to play. "It's very social," Fury said. "We can play Monday through Friday if we want. We have one place we can play outdoors on the weekend."

In A Pickle (Sep 25, 2011 Attleboro, MA, ) "It's also a ritual for North Attleboro High School gym classes and team sports, with the game introduced by the physical education teachers several years ago,..."

Pickleball, Anyone? (Sep 24, 2011 Cape Cod, MA, ) Most Cape players got hooked on pickleball somewhere else. “The people who started the groups in Sandwich and Brewster are from the same community where I live in Florida where pickleball is bigger than tennis and softball,” says Tom Burgess of South Yarmouth. While pickleball is a great game for seniors, people of all ages enjoy the game. “I dragged my grandchildren out here once, and the next time they couldn’t wait to get out here and play,” Burgess says.

USAPA Pickleball Tournament At Sun City Oct. 7-8 (Sep 20, 2011 Mesquite, NV, ) Hundreds of enthusiastic athletes from across the country and Canada will converge at Sun City Mesquite in October for one of the largest sanctioned pickleball tournaments in the nation. [Correction: The reference in the article to a USAPA National Tournament is incorrect.]

Pickleball Catches On (Sep 11, 2011 Syracuse, IN, ) Susie Sharp learned the sport of pickleball at the airport hanger and now plays regularly at the community center. “Tom (Roebuck) got us up to speed on the rules,” Sharp said. “Then it just took off. Sometimes we have so many people they have to wait. It’s fast. It’s good eye-hand coordination. And it’s active but there’s not a lot of running.”

Pickleball, Anyone? (Sep 7, 2011 Windom, MN, ) Quietly, pickleball has become a popular Windom sport, especially among those 50-and-better. However, the game is for every age group. In fact, they've had youth attend the Wednesday and Saturday sessions and every age in between.

Funny Name, Serious Game: Pickleball Is The Latest Craze (Sep 1, 2011 Guilford, CT, ) Judy Sullivan of Guilford was a physical education teacher for 17 years and said pickleball was in the curriculum throughout the years. She currently competes with her husband and has gotten her whole family involved. "We've had family gatherings and it can be adults down to middle school-aged kids playing together, which is fun," said Sullivan. "In a competitive family like mine, we have a great time with it."

Having A Ball In Radcliff - City Modifies Courts To Accommodate Pickleball's Growing Popularity (Aug 23, 2011 Radcliff, KY, ) “Everybody really likes it,” he said. “There are people there who have given up tennis to play it. It’s just a really good game.” He said seniors like pickleball because they want to live active lifestyles without overextending themselves.

Will Great Game With The Funny Name Become The Rage In Allendale? (Aug 19, 2011 Allendale, MI, ) Jim Snell started playing pickleball as part of a program to regain strength after triple-bypass surgery. Now he's so excited about the game, he wants to organize a club and form teams for tournament play.

What In The World Is Pickleball? (Aug 11, 2011 Cheyenne, WY, ) Talk to just about anyone taking part in the pickleball contests at this week's Wyoming Senior Olympics and you'll hear the same common word over and over again: addicting. No matter the age, no matter the skill level, the game with the strange name has become a habit those who play can't break.

New Wyoming YMCA Takes Different Spin On Workout Facility (Aug 10, 2011 Wyoming, MI, ) “We put pickleball lines on the basketball courts when we found out that there is a huge interest in this area in pickleball,” Bev Thiel, Spartan Stores YMCA executive director, said of the sport similar to ping pong and tennis, and played over a net.

Tennis Notebook: Players Cross Over To Pickleball (Aug 10, 2011 Lincoln, NE, ) When he played No. 1 for Kearney State's men's tennis team (now UNK) in the early 1980s, Jeff Fredrick loved to hit a topspin kick serve, come in behind it and volley, then get right on top of the net to close out the point. Now as a pickleball player, Fredrick is forced to serve underhanded, take the opponent's return of serve off the first bounce and stay at least 7 feet from the net to volley the ball out of the air.

Pickleball Growing In Popularity (Aug 8, 2011 Orange County, CA, ) Pickleball is a relatively unknown sport when compared to tennis or badminton, but it is quickly gaining recognition for its low-impact but high-cardio features.

Seniors Embrace A New Racket In Pickleball (Aug 6, 2011 Arlington, VA, ) “Pickleball is growing so much in popularity,” said Eric Legg, sports programmer for the parks department. Legg said the repetitive “pick-pluck-plunk” sound of the bouncing pickleball — a little louder and more irritating than the sound of tennis balls — was a concern in siting the outdoor courts. The department settled on the tennis courts because it is not near any residences and is not often used by tennis players.

Pickleball Gaining Popularity (Jul 30, 2011 Carson City, NV, ) What's not to like about the sport? It's fast, people of all ages and sizes can play it, and you get a pretty good workout. "It's so much fun," said Paula Tlachac, who splits her time between Carson and Surprise, Ariz. "It's like ping-pong and tennis. At least in this game, you don't have to run so far. It's a very quick game. You play in a smaller area, and you can play singles or doubles."

Highland Lakes Seniors Are Enjoying Pickleball (Jul 29, 2011 Highland Lakes, NJ, ) "It, however, is not only for seniors," said Highland Lakes Pickleball organizer Dori Zarr. "Once we learn it and excel, we plan on teaching the game to high school students and possibly incorporating it into the physical ed. program."

Petersburg Court Tickles Local Pickleball Players (Jul 27, 2011 Petersburg, OH, ) Mr. Wheeler said pickleball is easier on the body than tennis because the smaller court makes for less moving around. Moreover, "it's unlike tennis, which is more of a baseline game. Pickleball is more of a net game. The idea is, you get up to the net and start these volleys. You hit it more times than you do on a tennis court," he said. "You're not doing as much running around, although it is very aerobic, but you are not covering as much territory."

Blazing Paddles: Sport Of Pickleball Taking Off In Oshkosh (Jul 27, 2011 Oshkosh, WI, ) Fads spread much like pandemics. They start in an isolated area and travelers pick it up and it goes with them. That's exactly how the game pickleball was brought to the downtown Oshkosh YMCA.

The Skaneateles Pickleball Club Has A Growing Membership And Tons Of Fun (Jul 27, 2011 Skaneateles, NY, ) "Our group grew so much that we bought a third net and chalk a court on one of the basketball courts so more people can play at once," Mulcahy said. "It's become very popular." Last year, Mulcahy also went to the YMCA in Auburn for a pickleball demonstration and the assistant fitness coordinator there, Mena Hansinger, liked it so much she set up a winter pickleball program, which they play on the indoor badminton courts.

Tennis-like Game Sweeping The Courts Of New Market (Jul 26, 2011 New Market, VA, ) He and Boston have both seen and participated in pickleball in Florida and Arizona. Its popularity is growing among people of all ages, she said, because it is fun, takes little time to learn and is easily adaptable to virtually any hard surface indoors or outdoors, including basketball courts, tennis courts, driveways and streets.

Pickleball Hitting Local Courts (Jul 25, 2011 Philadelphia, PA, ) "It is a great workout,"" Dan Wheeler, a pickleball player, said. "It is not as much pounding as tennis. You don't have to run at great distances. There are still a lot of actions because the rallies are longer. You have to do a lot of bending, twisting and quick reactions. It is a great workout that way. The more skilled you are, the better the rallies are."