In The News

The Joys Of Outdoor Pickleball (Sep 29, 2008 Middletown, OH, mipickleball.blogspot.com) Stanley Volkens, USAPA Local Ambassador for Southwest Ohio, and seasonal resident of Arizona, surveyed the 16 tennis courts in Middletown and found them greatly underutilized. Stanley approached the Park Board with a plan to convert two under-utilized tennis courts into 6 beautiful new and regularly used Pickleball courts.

The Real Story Behind Pickleball Coming To The Greater Toronto Area (Sep 27, 2008 Toronto, ON, pickleballontario.blogspot.com) I found out that the first club that any one can remember started in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. I was informed that the couple that started that club were still actively involved. I made a visit to Mississauga and here is the real story behind Pickleball coming to the Greater Toronto area.

Pickleball Piques Wellington Pals' Interest (Sep 26, 2008 Noblesville, IN, www.indystar.com) Pickleball has beaten out tennis as the sport of choice for some at Wellington Northeast. Jim Thompson, 58, Noblesville, has always enjoyed tennis, but he occasionally played the obscure sport of pickleball when staying in Florida.

Pickleball `the Wave Of The Future' (Sep 14, 2008 Kalamazoo, MI, www.mlive.com) Muha said she hopes that some of the senior centers and maybe some of the gyms will start to pick this up because it's definitely the wave of the future. It takes about 5 minutes to learn and a lifetime to perfect, she said. It's a great equalizer between ages because of the compact size of the court and the basics. Grandparents and grandkids can play together; it's just a sport for everybody.''

Florida Import Taking Over Monroe Tennis Courts (Sep 11, 2008 Monroe, NJ, www.packetonline.com) Avid picklers and Roosmoor husband and wife, Frank and Yvonne Nobile, were introduced to the game at The Villages, an active adult community in central Florida, about two years ago. It was there they stumbled upon the ground’s approximately 100 Pickleball courts, Mr. Noblie said.  ”It outplays tennis there,” he said.  After learning the ropes and becoming pickling enthusiasts themselves, the pair brought the game into Rossmoor in May, eventually prying interested residents out of their homes and away from their routine hobbies to take part in the new pastime.

Video From The National Senior Games (Sep 5, 2008 Providence, RI, www.projo.com) Four hundred athletes from around the county have gathered at Bryant University for the four-day National Senior Games Championship Festival. In addition to hockey, billards and weight lifting, the seniors are playing Pickleball. Pickleball started around 1960 and is the fastest growing sport for seniors in the country.

More Pickleball Courts Installed In Bonsall (Sep 4, 2008 Bonsall, CA, www.thevillagenews.com) The newly formed group known as North County Picklers has just completed installation of two more Pickleball courts at San Luis Rey Downs Golf and Tennis Resort. There are now six Pickleball courts for players to practice, play and be physically fit!

Quite A Pickle Of A Game (Sep 2, 2008 South Surrey, BC, www.bclocalnews.com) About 30 men and women are on the courts this Wednesday afternoon for friendly but fierce matches, but the sport’s local organizer Chuck Lefaive says this is nothing. “Everyone’s on holiday. This is slow time,” says Lefaive, who is also the Western Canada ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association. People of all ages, especially older people, can play together. This area hosts the largest pickleball drop-in in Canada, with between 600 and 700 players, Lefaive says.

Passionate About Pickleball (Aug 31, 2008 South Berwick, ME, www.fosters.com) Besides the overall enjoyment, pickleball also has physical benefits. A former ping-pong player who was initially intrigued by the unique paddle sport, Ben Bennett said his resting heart rate is now 46 beats per minute and he no longer suffers from high blood pressure from lack of exercise. "I think I'm in better shape than I was 10 years ago," said Ben. "The game is so good at developing your hand-eye coordination and your overall physical fitness. I'd really like to see younger people get into it.

Tennis Court Striped For Pickleball In Lindenhurst, IL (Aug 30, 2008 Lindenhurst, IL, www.suburbanchicagonews.com) A tennis court at Mallard Ridge Park in Lindenhurst has been striped for pickleball. "I had to do some research when it was first suggested, because I had never heard of pickleball," admitted Park District Director Tom Lippert. Village trustee Carol Zerba, a fan of the game that is popular in Florida, suggested the park district establish a pickleball court. "I never expected that within 24 hours Tom Lippert would have a court ready for play," said Zerba.

Group Wants The Villages To Have The Most Members In USA Pickleball Association (Aug 28, 2008 The Villages, FL, www.thevillagesdailysun.com) Even Villagers who don’t play pickleball know how popular the sport is among residents here. But surprisingly, the community is not well represented in the USA Pickleball Association. The community of Surprise, Ariz., leads the nation in USAPA membership with 72 members, while The Villages trails behind in fourth place, with only 23 members. That number could be much, much higher, said Village of Alhambra resident Mike Heinke.

MILWAUKEE RECREATION PLAYS PICKLEBALL (Aug 22, 2008 Milwaukee, WI, www.milwaukeerecreation.net) Over the summer, Milwaukee Recreation introduced a pickleball league for older adults at the Juneau Playfield tennis courts, 6500 W. Mt. Vernon Avenue. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and the department now plans to expand the program in the future. Media representatives and the general public are invited to attend a pickleball game to discover how Milwaukee’s older adults are having fun with this unique activity.

Pickleball’s Field Of Dreams (Aug 18, 2008 The Villages, FL, ) The Villages is a gated retirement community of 80,000 people in central Florida. With 96 wind-screened pickleball-only courts spread throughout 17 of the 23 Villages Recreation Centers, hundreds of residents have made this sport one of their activities of choice. With the success that The Villages has had with their pickleball program, a good piece of advice for communities unsure about building pickleball facilities might be; “Build it and they will come.”

Pickleball Tournament For RVers In St. Clair, Michigan (Aug 14, 2008 St. Clair, MI, usapa.org/south) Pickleball continues to be the sport of choice at Thousand Trails RV Preserves. While soaring gas prices deterred some travelers this summer, serious RV picklers from several states met at the St. Clair, Michigan Preserve for the Second Annual Pickleball Tournament.

Pickleball Gains Popularity (Aug 14, 2008 Rochester, MI, www.wxyz.com) While these athletes are competing in the Senior Olympics, that doesn’t mean pickleball is just for older players. Dick Manasseri said, “The nice thing about pickleball is its for all ages, so you’ll find grandparents playing pickleball with their grandchildren, its not a lot of sports where they can have a lot of fun with those age differences and that’s why its so popular.” (Also see included video)

Court Conversion (Aug 11, 2008 Twin Falls, ID, www.magicvalley.com) One court. Two games. White lines outline the tennis court; baby-blue lines indicate pickleball boundaries. That's the new arrangement for two tennis courts inside Twin Falls' Harmon Park, thanks to recent efforts by the Twin Falls Pickleball Club.

Not Tennis, Not Pingpong, But A Combination: It's Pickleball (Aug 10, 2008 Farmington Hills, MI, detnews.com) "It's been around for awhile," said Dick Manasseri of Rochester, a volunteer for the USA Pickleball Association. "But it really started taking off a few years ago." "It's really just been within the last year that it's gained a following in Michigan," he said. "We have what we call the 'snowbird connection.' People picked it up when they went down to Florida for the winter, and then came back up here looking for places to play."

Hartland Becoming 'pickleball Mecca' (Aug 8, 2008 Hartland, MI, blog.mlive.com) Pickleball mania has taken over at the Hartland Senior Center. A handful of seniors started playing last October. Today, the center offers play four times a week with a roster of more than 30 players. "It is pretty addictive," said senior center director Alice Andrews. "It is just a great game."

Pickin' Up Pickleball (Aug 5, 2008 Kona, HI, www.westhawaiitoday.com) If you are looking to try a new sport this summer, you might want to follow four Kona residents to the pickleball courts. If you happened to be walking in the afternoon by the courts behind the Coconut Grove Marketplace, you might find Alii Cove residents Bob and Jovon Courtney and Tom and Lois Griffiths there playing pickleball.

Pickleball: Warrenton Man Relishes Challenge Of Spreading New Sport (Jul 29, 2008 Warrenton, VA, www.fauquier.com) Wheat, a Warrenton resident, was introduced to pickleball in 2006 around his winter home at Indian Creek RV Resort in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., and believes it would be a perfect recreational activity for local residents of all ages. He has secured a court at Auburn Middle School and begun trying to recruit interested players.


Pickleball, Anyone? (Jul 28, 2008 Twain Harte, CA, mysierramountaintimes.com) Robert and Carol Philis (left) play an exciting game of pickleball against Manny and Ethel Brager at the upper Twain Harte tennis courts where pickleball boundary lines have recently been painted.

Director Says Show-Me State Games Have Been A Success So Far (Jul 28, 2008 Columbia, MO, www.columbiamissourian.com) This year there were three new sports added to the Show-Me Games, however, not all were successful.Pickleball, however, was a huge hit in the Senior Show-Me Games this year. He said about 40 people signed up, all older than 50. "Pickleball will definitely be a sport for the senior games next year," Ungles said. Gill said that since pickleball was such a hit in the senior games, they are looking at possibly adding it to the Show-Me State Games next year.

Pickleball, A Game That’s A Cross Between Tennis And Ping-pong (Jul 26, 2008 Farmington Hills, MI, www.suburbanlifestyles.com) Hard-core players say they won’t go on vacation where there isn’t a court. Others love being able to play with their kids and grandkids. And some claim the feeling of athleticism returns them to their youth. Whatever the reason, a sport known as pickleball is spreading across the country like wildfire, and it’s now caught up with Farmington Hills.

Locals Volley Their Way To Better Health Wielding Wooden Paddles, Large Grins (Jul 24, 2008 Loveland, CO, www.reporterherald.com) What do you get when you mix tennis, badminton and table tennis?   A) A great source of exercise.   B) A sport that draws a group of Loveland residents to Sunnyside Park every week.  C) Pickleball.  D) All of the above. You guessed it, all of the above.


State Games Spirit: Winship Shakes Off Injury To Compete At 86 (Jul 20, 2008 Billings, MT, www.billingsgazette.net) In the fast-paced sport of pickleball, Wally Winship, at age 86, is both a comeback story and success story. Winship, who was the oldest of the 26 pickleball players competing on the three indoor courts at the Billings YMCA, wound up walking away with a gold medal in the special Youth vs. Legends doubles competition.

SSG's Pickleball Proving Popular (Jul 20, 2008 Topeka, KS, cjonline.com) Pickleball. It's the Sunflower State Games' newest sport, and it's quickly growing in popularity amongst people of all ages and sizes. "The best thing about it is anybody can play," said Pat Hupfrauf, the gold medal winner in men's singles who teaches physical education at Perry-Lecompton. "I've found that it's always the students' favorite game in class because everyone has a chance to be good, unlike basketball or football where one or two athletes can just dominate the game."

Seniors Are Tickled By Pickleball (Jul 20, 2008 Royal Oak, MI, www.hometownlife.com) Just call it pickleball, a new sport that's gaining popularity in Royal Oak. "It's a game all ages can play," said Pat Sullivan, a Royal Oak resident who introduced the sport to her hometown after playing it in Arizona, where she spends her winters. "I played a lot of competitive sports in my life and this is the most fun," she said.

There's A New Game In Town Pickleball Being Played In Wooster (Jul 16, 2008 Wooster, OH, www.the-daily-record.com) For the past ten years, Don Walker and his wife Harolyn have packed up their motor home and made the almost 2,000-mile trip to Arizona in the winter and every time the couple of 48 years has always done the same thing. Every venture to the southwest included the pair taking part in a friendly game of pickleball.

Pickleball At Altona Forest PS (Jul 16, 2008 Pickering, ON, www.snappickering.com) Mr. Cho Chu has a passion for Pickle Ball. he has introduced the sport to the Recreation Department at the City of Pickering, is busy doing the same at the Town of Ajax and most recently helped introduce the sport to Altona Forest PS...the first of what we imagine will be many schools who take up the sport over the coming months and years.

Enjoy A Pickleball Experience (Jul 9, 2008 Rochester, MI, www.myfoxdetroit.com) Since the mid-1970's, Pickleball has grown and expanded from a family activity game to a paddle court sport with formalized rules. Now, over 20 years later Pickleball is played in thousands of school P.E. programs, parks and recreation centers, correctional facilities, camps, YMCA's and retirement communities. This sport is becoming very popular among active senior adults at community centers. Direct link to the video by Fox 2 News in Detroit.

Introduction To Pickleball (Jul 4, 2008 St. George, UT, www.thespectrum.com) But you know what? I learned a couple things that day. You can have a load of fun playing pickleball without spending half your time chasing the ball. You can also get one heck of a workout.

Middletown Ohio Pickleball Demonstration Games (Jun 30, 2008 Middletown, OH, middletownusa.com) Senior Olympics Pickleball Demonstration Games - August 2nd.
Sponsored by Middletown Recreation Department

Relishing Pickleball (Jun 29, 2008 Clute, TX, thefacts.com) Pickleball is one of the latest family entertainment crazes sweeping the Houston area, and now is making an impact in Brazoria County.

Pickleball Hits Home (Jun 29, 2008 Farmington Hills, MI, www.hometownlife.com) It's a cross between tennis and ping pong and it's sweeping Oakland County as the hottest game around for people of all ages. It's called Pickleball and it's now happening in Farmington Hills. "It's a contagious game," said Dick Manassari of Rochester Hills, who is an ambassador for the United States Pickleball Association.

Sun City West Delivers Pickleball Court Plans (Jun 25, 2008 Sun City West, AZ, www.yourwestvalley.com) Pickleball players in Sun City West got a first look at their future mecca on Tuesday at a forum showcasing preliminary site plans for six new courts at the Kuentz Recreation Center. About 40 residents attended the forum, which featured a concept drawing for the expansion of the pickleball area.

Pickleball Is A Fun Way To Exercise (Jun 25, 2008 Hot Springs Village, AR, www.hsvvoice.com) It started as a family game in Seattle, Washington, spread across the nation and found a home in Hot Springs Village. It’s fun and easy, and it’s been called addictive by more than one player. What is it? Pickleball, of course.

Middletown Ohio Tennis Court Conversion (Jun 24, 2008 Middletown, OH, Stanley Volkens) The Park Board of Middletown Ohio gave we Pickleball players permission to convert 2 Tennis Courts over to 6 Pickleball Courts.  The dimensions work out perfectly.  The Courts have 14 ft. between them with 8 ft. at the ends. The Tennis nets are the back between the ends of the Courts.  The Courts are laid out North and South.  We Pickleball players did all the work and paid all the cost ($3956 total). We presented the new Courts to the city with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Park Board and City Council Members.

GVR Approves New Pickleball Courts (Jun 24, 2008 Green Valley, AZ, gvnews.com) To applause and some cheers Tuesday from some pickleball enthusiasts, Green Valley Recreation authorized construction of two new courts and to refurbish the existing court. Director Marge Garneau, chairman of the planning and evaluation committee, moved to build the new courts and to refurbish the existing court after the local GVR Pickleball club donated $7,100.

Former Tennis Players Sweet On Pickleball (Jun 22, 2008 Columbia, MO, www.showmenews.com) While on their annual winter vacation in Tucson, Ariz., a few years ago, Skip and Jerri Deming discovered people playing a strange game that looked a bit like tennis. Turns out, it was pickleball, a sport that borrows the concepts of tennis but with less ground to cover and the velocity dialed down a notch.

Pickleball, A Rapidly Growing Sport, Is Added To The Senior Games (Jun 20, 2008 Columbia, MO, www.columbiamissourian.com) New to the Senior Games this year, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport for people over the age of 50, according to Skip Deming, the pickleball coordinator for the games. Its growing popularity certainly shows. The 38 registered participants surpassed Deming’s expectations of 20 entries. “Now the challenge is to schedule everyone; we might need two days now,” Deming said.

Pickleball Popular With Old, Young Alike (Jun 18, 2008 Davenport, IA, ads.qctimes.com) For three years, Kathy Dolan of Bettendorf and Rita Post of Blue Grass, Iowa, have been playing pickleball weekly with the Iowa Picklers while wintering in Florida. Now they can play the sport — a combination of badminton, tennis and pingpong — while spending their summers in the Quad-Cities.

Join The Pickling Tourney (Jun 18, 2008 Big Bear Lake, CA, www.bigbeargrizzly.net) On July 2 anyone who has ever participated in the pickleball sessions in Big Bear will square off for a tournament at Meadow Park. The tournament is a round-robin style event, with every level of player invited to participate.

Finals Matches Ahead Of Schedule (Jun 13, 2008 The Villages, FL, www.thevillagesdailysun.com) The first day of the inaugural Lake Miona Advanced Pickleball Championships went so well the players didn’t want to stop playing — literally. The schedule called for eight quarterfinal matches to be held Thursday morning in the men’s and women’s doubles divisions of the tournament, which does not have age groups. However, once on the courts, the competitors decided to play right through the semifinal round, setting up two championship matchups this morning at Lake Miona Recreation Center.

Public Pickleball Forum Slated In Sun City West (Jun 13, 2008 Sun City West, AZ, www.yourwestvalley.com) The Recreation Centers of Sun City West has scheduled an open public forum for the community's six new pickleball courts. The forum will be at 1:30 p.m. June 24, in the R.H. Johnson Social Hall.

Couple Wants To Start Pickleball Craze In WNY (Jun 6, 2008 Lockport, NY, www.lockportjournal.com) A Lockport couple came home from Arizona with a case of Pickleball withdrawal and a hope to get the senior activity going here. Don’t laugh. No. Do laugh. Pickleball is a retirement community craze and very addictive, according to Ray and Frances Kidney.

Things Get Competitive When It Comes To Pickleball (Jun 3, 2008 Lewiston, ID, www.klewtv.com) Athletes from all over the area were in Lewiston Tuesday for day two of the Senior Games. KLEW Sports caught up with some dedicated pickleball players, who didn't mind battling the elements.

Passionate For Pickleball (Jun 2, 2008 Hagerman, ID, www.magicvalley.com) Gary Robbins doesn't fit the stereotype of "retired." The 68-year-old is quick to smile, looks trim, wears a trendy, black Quiksilver brand cap and can outvolley even the best Pickleball players.

Pickleball In The Greater Toronto Area Of Ontario, Canada (Jun 1, 2008 Toronto, ON, by Wayne Roswell, USAPA Ambassador) I had the privilege of spending Wednesday afternoon with Tony Sequeira, the ambassador for the Greater Toronto area. Tony invited me to come to his club that plays out of the Milliken Community Center in the North East end of Toronto, Ontario. The club was formed in 2001 and thanks to Tony has grown to 40 members playing Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 to 3:30.

Pickleball Players Are Wanted (May 28, 2008 North Vancouver, BC, www.canada.com) Ed and Lilly Orlovsky are passionate about pickleball. The avid players of the fast-growing sport are USA Pickleball Association ambassadors and have dedicated themselves to introducing North Shore residents to the game they've come to love.

2008 NSGA Championship Festival & Euflexxa Hockey Championships (May 10, 2008 Providence, RI, www.nsga.com) Providence, Rhode Island, will host this new annual event September 4th-7th, 2008. Sports will include Billiards, Team Bowling, Ice Hockey, Pickleball, and Weightlifting. Anyone 50 and older may enter - no qualifying necessary.