All ages, all fitness levels: Pickleball growing in popularity across the region
Courtesy of the Canonsburg Town Park Board
Pickleball courts at Canonsburg Town Park
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
The future site of pickleball courts at Meadowcroft Park in Mt. Lebanon
Submitted
The pickleball courts at Canonsburg Town Park were constructed in 2020 after the Canonsburg Pickleball Club grew out of playing the popular sport in a parking lot. The group raised $65,000 to put the courts in the park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Two pickleball players show off their paddles.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Pickleball instructor Laurel Heilman of Bethel Park demonstrates proper form for the popular sport In this photo from 2020.
From Connellsville to Canonsburg, area residents have “pickled” up a new sport.
Combining elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, pickleball can be played outdoors on a slightly modified tennis court with the players using a paddle on a plastic ball with holes.
And the game is, according to club organizers in Fayette, Greene, Washington and Allegheny counties, becoming quite the phenomenon.
“You play a couple of times, you get addicted,” said Ron Headlee, who works at EQT Rec Center in Waynesburg.
Mt. Lebanon in Allegheny County has embraced the pickleball trend. There are currently six courts under construction at Meadowcroft Park.
Laura Pace Lilley, Mt. Lebanon’s public information officer, said pickleball courts were a frequent request from residents.
“People are calling our tennis center regularly asking if we have pickleball,” Pace Lilley said, adding that Mt. Lebanon is paying $54,320 for the courts.
She said officials are also considering adding pickleball courts to the Tressel Tennis Center at 900 Cedar Blvd. She noted that people are used to pickleball courts being free to access, and that there is a fee for using the tennis center.
“We would have to make sure that is something that we really want to do,” Pace Lilley said.
Construction at Meadowcroft Park is expected to take about two weeks, depending on weather conditions. Since the park is leased from Lincoln Elementary School, the courts will not be available between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. when school is in session.
Some clubs have experienced a surge of interest in game play and has had to turn away players.
“The problem is, the popularity of the sport got so big that everyone wants to join the club, and there’s not enough courts,” said Doug McKenery, who founded the Canonsburg Pickleball Club.
There are currently 125 members, with a waiting list to join, he said.
“We’re not being rude or not promoting the sport, but it affects our play,” he said.
The club started in a parking lot, where members played for three years until they decided to fundraise for a proper place to play. They were able to raise $65,000 for the construction of three pickleball courts at Canonsburg Town Park in 2020. The courts are available for 17 hours weekly to club members, and 52 hours weekly for the general public.
“The non-club nights are packed,” McKenery said.
Retiring from teaching physical education in the Canon-McMillan School District in 2008, McKenery was invited to play pickleball for the first time at the Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center.
“I didn’t know what it was,” McKenery said. “I tried it, and on day one, I said ‘I have to get this in Canonsburg.’ Once you play, you’re hooked.”
McKenery said the part of the appeal of the game is that anyone can play it, regardless of age or fitness level.
“You can make it competitive, but we’re a social club,” he said. “I think it’s good for companionship for widows; they found this as healing and a way to stay physically involved.”
While it might be newish to the area, the origins of pickleball go back to 1965. A congressman from the state of Washington and his businessman buddy were looking for something to do after a round of golf. When they couldn’t find a full set of rackets to play a game of badminton, they improvised and used ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.
They enjoyed the monkeyed-together game and created their own rules, and according to the USA Pickleball Association website, and a new game was born. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for three consecutive years with 8.9 million players now in the U.S., up from 4.8 million in 2022.
For more information on pickleball, visit usapickleball.org.
Jon Andreassi contributed to this article.