In a pickle

Local pickleball players have lost their winter courts and are finding few options currently available

Posted 12/1/22

Five days a week Randy Burke makes his way to Cody, pulling into the parking lot at the Paul Stock Aquatic and Recreation Center ready to play. Pickleball is his game.

He’s been serious …

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In a pickle

Local pickleball players have lost their winter courts and are finding few options currently available

Posted

Five days a week Randy Burke makes his way to Cody, pulling into the parking lot at the Paul Stock Aquatic and Recreation Center ready to play. Pickleball is his game.

He’s been serious about the game since first discovering it in 2018.

“It’s just addictive,” he said with a grin.

Pickleball is the nation’s fastest growing sport with nearly five million players, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. There are currently more than 10,000 sport specific courts in the country and participation has increased more than 11% per year for the past five years.

The oddly named sport is a combination of tennis, badminton and pingpong. It was invented in 1965 and named for one of the inventors’ dogs, named Pickles, according to one historical account.

There was concern the recent rise in participation was fueled by the pandemic, but unlike other sports that can be played outdoors, there seems to be no slowing of players joining the fun. Burke wasn’t initially interested in playing because he thought it was “an old man sport.” Yet, once he got on the court he realized players of all ages are involved and there’s a fairly even split between male and female participants.

The SFIA reports the split between male and female players is about 60/40 and the average age of players is currently 38. But that is changing quickly; the average age of players dropped more than two years in 2021.

“Pickleball is the only sport where my whole family, from my kids to my parents, can play together and have an absolute blast,” said Dave Fleming, a 54-year-old pickleball pro from Dallas.

That’s right, you can now make hundreds of thousands of dollars playing pickleball. The world’s best pickleball player, Ben Johns, a 23-year-old player from Austin, Texas, makes roughly $250,000 a year as a pro. That said, few can sustain themselves on earnings and most aren’t looking for a new career.

Burke isn’t interested in going pro, although he has played in at least one tournament. He was simply looking for some safe physical activity more fun than putting miles on a treadmill.

“I needed the exercise because I retired seven years ago,” he said. “I loved it. It was really good exercise.”

As he played with groups in Powell and Cody, he found another advantage to the game; the social aspect. He has met many new friends while on the courts, including Powell resident Marynell Oechsner.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s really good exercise — without being overly strenuous. And it’s a great social activity as well,” the retired active player said.

She said finding recreation for seniors in Powell is difficult, pointing out that there are very few offerings by the Powell Rec Department for folks her age.

Colby Stenerson, director of the Rec Department, has helped the group for years to find indoor facilities, purchase nets and refurbish the outdoor facility at Wood Park near Westside Elementary School.

“I’ve heard stories of some who’ve started playing and they’re getting rid of medications and getting healthier. That’s why we started helping them,” Stenerson said. “But right now, getting indoor access is the problem.”

Several Powell players will travel to Cody and beyond to join in the fun competitions, but what area players really want is to have a facility in Powell in which to play.

“We’re struggling to find a place in Powell, so I come up here. It’s expensive with gas prices what they are, but exercise is important to me,” Burke said.

Other players can’t get to Cody, especially in bad weather or during the long, dark hours of winter.

The Powell group played at the National Guard Armory for years, but that is no longer an option. They were shut out this year without much explanation, players have complained. They have looked into other indoor facilities, but have found most doors closed.

Elementary school gyms are too small for more than one court. With a couple dozen active players in town and others interested in joining, that would make for long waits to play. The high school has a packed schedule through the winter sports season and games there couldn’t be played frequently.

Northwest College wants to provide a home for pickleball players — just as soon as the space is available.

College spokesperson Carey Miller said there has been interest in starting a pickleball league on campus if the college is able to secure an appropriate facility open on a regular basis.

“The old Trapper Gym in the Johnson Building would be perfect, however it may not be available this winter,” she said.

That’s because the building is the backup temporary dining facility during the construction of the dining facility being built on the west side of campus next to Trapper Field, home of the NWC soccer teams. The building is planned to open in February and is expected to serve as home for NWC food services for approximately 18 months until the new student center is finished.

However, if the facility is not ready in time to start serving students when they return to campus after the holiday break, the Johnson building would be pressed into service.

“As soon as the old Trapper Gym is no longer on standby for student dining needs this spring semester, it would be available and easy to reserve,” Miller said. “Could be this January, but it could also be May. We just don’t know.”

Players would love to play at Heart Mountain Hall at the Park County Fairgrounds, but so far it has been a solid no.

Jim Tobin, who is Powell’s “ambassador of pickleball,” said the group plans to take their request to the Park County Commission, but they can’t get on the docket until January. He said they’ve had positive conversations with Scott Mangold, Powell’s only representative on the commission, which is charged with approving use in the fairgrounds.

Tobin said the group is conscientious about respecting facilities because “we don’t want to wear out our welcome.” At the same time, he realizes how important winter exercise is for the players. But, he’s worried this could be an annual struggle.

“We’re welcoming to everybody that wants to play and want to approach this with the same positive attitude.”

Some of the players are hoping a squeaky wheel approach may be better in getting the attention of county leaders.

“Surely Powell doesn’t want to develop a reputation as unfriendly to senior citizens who want to get off their butts and move,” Chuck Hassler recently penned in a letter to the editor.

“We are petitioning the Powell Recreation District, our county commissioners or any other local Powell organization with facilities that would permit us to play pickleball there. What about the Homesteader Hall at the fairgrounds when it would not interfere with NWC’s use of the kitchen? After all it is a county facility and all of us pickleball players are tax-paying citizens of Park County,” wrote Oechsner.

Until this is resolved, players will need to travel to play. The Paul Stock Aquatic and Recreation Center, which was constructed in 2001 entirely through private contributions, has up to seven indoor courts and is currently building a multi-court, pickleball specific, outdoor facility.

Ryan Brown, athletic coordinator for the City of Cody, said they currently have more than 100 players participating each week and the number of players is growing quickly. Due to the popularity of pickleball, there are always courts open. Burke said regular players arrive several times through the day and younger players usually arrive after work. There is occasionally a wait for a court, but players are good about giving everyone a chance to play.

Stenerson said an indoor rec center is “in our long range plans, but you know, money, money, money, money” is the biggest obstacle.

There is already a need for funds to fix Powell’s outdoor courts. After spending $60,000 to $70,000 to update the Wood Park facility, including hiring Koch’s Tennis Court Service of Bozeman to fix the surface of the courts in 2020, the surface is in desperate need of repair with large cracks causing concern for most users.

Tobin said the Powell players have adopted a slogan, “have fun and don’t hurt yourself.”

And they are planning their next event; a Christmas party for all of the new friends they’ve met playing pickleball.

    

Reserving facilities

Anyone in the community interested in reserving Northwest College facilities, for reasonable rental fees, can call Nancy Gilmore 307-754-6147 to learn more about options. She works with folks on and off campus to see what’s available to fit their needs. Rental fees are commonly used to cover set-up/clean-up, etc. and are not meant to be a profit generator for the college.

(Zac Taylor contributed reporting)

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