Pickleball is poised for growth, with tournaments and even a restaurant coming soon.
An estimated 5 million people play pickleball in the United States, and hundreds play it in Knox County.
Pickleball is a hybrid recreation sport that combines paddleball and tennis, and some describe it as table tennis, but with the players standing on the table.
According to legend, in 1965, at a two-family outing on Bainbridge Island, Wash., former Washington Lt. Gov. Joel Pritchard and his buddy Bill Bell finished their golf match, came back to Pritchard’s home and found that their families were bored with no way to pass the time. The dads went into action to spice things up creatively and competitively. Pritchard’s property had an old badminton court, so they envisioned a two-family badminton match. However, they couldn’t find enough rackets for a full game, so instead, they improvised by using spare ping pong paddles and a wiffle ball. With these bits and pieces lying around, a brand-new game was born. Today, it is known as pickleball, and interest in the sport is growing nationwide and in communities Ohiowide. Some reports suggest that it is the fastest-growing sport in America.
In Knox County, the sport has been played in its parks, gymnasiums and sports complexes for 12 years and was first played in Mount Vernon at the YMCA. Since then, the game has been introduced to Mount Vernon schools during gym class, and courts have been opened at Memorial Park and Hillcrest Park. New courts were dedicated at the YMCA last August when Mount Vernon hosted its own tournament, the Summer Slam.
Upcoming Ohio tournaments include the Springside Athletic Club Pickleball Showdown on July 16 at 215 Springside Drive in Akron; the 15th annual Middletown Pickleball Tournament on Aug.4-6 at 2145 S Briel Road in Middletown; and the Pickleball for Pelotonia #SmashCancer Tournament on Aug. 20 at 4250 Mountview Road in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
In addition, a national pickleball club and restaurant chain is opening its first Ohio location in Columbus. The Real Dill Pickleball Club is opening with a Polaris clubhouse and eatery. The club, which is billed as a spot for competitive, league-based and casual pickleball, will be located within the Galaxy development at Polaris. As part of the development’s last phase, Real Dill is slated for an opening in the fall of 2023.
If you have any local pickleball information, let us know at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
