I’m not ashamed to admit that pickleball has started to consume my life lately. The pristine, newly anointed, eight-court pickleball facility at Jokerst Park in Festus is fueling my addiction.
Every day as I drive to work, I pass huge groups of people at the park whacking plastic balls across the nets, cheering when they make a gutsy but rewarding move. At least half the courts are in use at any given time – no matter the heat or threat of rain.
The city of Festus rededicated the pickleball facility at the park on June 28, wrapping up 10 days of tournaments and clinics. You can bet I’ll be there this weekend or the next, playing a few rounds of pickleball with my dad, cousin and some work friends.
The game of pickleball is akin to tennis, badminton or ping pong. Teams of two or four face off in a fast-paced, back-and-forth style, using large, flat paddles to hit a hollow, plastic ball across a low net. The rules can be hard to digest at first, so I tell my friends to just enjoy the art of smacking balls across the net for a little while. After a few games, you’ll start to understand what “staying out of the kitchen” or taking a “dink shot” means.
The game has changed since I first played it during gym class as a sixth grader at Antonia Middle School, and the equipment is better, the rules are more fleshed out and there are actual professional pickleball players who travel across the country for tournaments. Did you read my colleague Kevin Carbery’s recent article about Tony Hoang, a National Pickleball League player from Crystal City making it big? It’s worth five minutes of your time, and you can find it on the Leader website, myleaderpaper.com (shameless plug).
Jefferson County resident Tony Hoang recently was drafted to play in the National Pickleball League as a member of the Houston Hammers.
Jefferson County residents are spoiled with free pickleball courts so close to home – not only in Festus but also in De Soto. The city of De Soto unveiled six new courts at Melkus Park in De Soto in May. The High Ridge Civic Center also has pickleball courts, and the Arnold Recreation Center offers pickleball leagues.
It’s easy to see I’m not the only one jumping aboard the pickleball train. According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (yes, it has an association now), participation in the sport spiked from 5 million nationwide in 2021 to 36 million the following year. Star athletes like basketball’s LeBron James and football’s Patrick Mahomes have invested in professional pickleball teams. Big brands like Anheuser-Busch and Skechers have signed recent pickleball advertising deals.
Yeah, it’s a thing now.
In the rest of this column, I will lay out five arguments for why you should start playing pickleball, like, right now. Once you’ve been converted, feel free to use this column to convince even more of your friends and family to pick up a paddle.
1. Keep up with the Joneses
While it’s not so smart to jump off a bridge if your friend tells you to, I think picking up a pickleball paddle because your friend keeps nagging you is a fine thing. That’s how I got into it. My friend needed a partner in a local fundraising tournament, and who was I to say no? I think it’s good to try things outside your comfort zone. My friend and I got absolutely smoked in the tournament, but we learned a lot about the sport and met some cool people because of it.
2. Keep fit
I’m not the type of person to wake up at 5 a.m. to run 10 miles before work, but I am the type to recruit players for a friendly round of pickleball. When you play pickleball, it doesn’t feel like working out. Suddenly two hours go by, and your shirt is soaked with sweat.
Pickleball requires skill and strategy, but unlike some other sports it’s not exclusive to the young and agile; people of all ages play pickleball. According to the Pickleheads blog, players 55 and older were the largest bracket of players in 2021, at 19.8 percent of total participants. Players 18 to 34 were the second largest, at 18.5 percent.
3. Keep in touch
Up until now, I’ve focused on exercise in a solitary way, swimming laps, lifting weights or walking on the treadmill. But, I love the community aspect that playing pickleball offers. Like any team sport, you’ve got to work and communicate with your partner to absolutely trounce your opponents. The pickleball court is smaller than, say, a tennis court, so players don’t have to run quite as far to return a serve, and it’s easier to carry on a conversation with players across the net divide.
4. Keep your wallet in mind
In my experience, pickleball is a very cost-effective exercise. My first pickleball set, complete with two paddles and a ball, was $15 at Walmart. Of course, you can purchase more expensive gear on specialty websites or pay to play at indoor clubs, but the actual activity of pickleball is relatively cheap.
5. Keep going
I like pickleball because the community of players feels more open and accepting than other, perhaps more exclusive, sports. No matter the season, pickleball players will hound you for a game. Many local YMCAs and churches offer their gyms for indoor play during the frigid months.
I mainly play with my family, and any time we head to the courts, the other players are more than happy to give a few pointers when asked (although this may be more of a testament to how nice Midwesterners are, I’m not sure).
So, if you’re still scratching your head about where to begin your pickleball journey, I suggest taking a short drive to your nearest court and shooting the breeze with local experts. I can guarantee they’re always excited to have more players.