Ohio Valley Residents Catching Pickleball Fever
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WHEELING -- After playing a game called pickleball while on vacation in Florida, Pat Carroll was eager to bring the sport back to his home city of Wheeling.
The problem was no one really knew anything about it, so there wasn't anyone to play with. Carroll, who had developed such an affinity for the game, started knocking on neighbors' doors to spread the word about the newfound sport.
He felt so strongly about it that he even offered to pay for the development of courts in Elm Grove in exchange for a nominal rent paid to the city of Wheeling. And so a local pickleball league was born 13 years ago. All people had to do was pay dues and show up - equipment was provided.
Carroll just a few months ago gave back control of the courts to the city, which means the facility is now open and free for anyone to play on - no membership is required and people use their own equipment.
Carroll said the city is even planning on expanding the number of courts at the Patterson Recreation Park, Sycamore Avenue, Elm Grove.
"More and more people are playing now. It's overcrowded at times," he said.
There is open court play on Mondays and Wednesday evenings starting at 5 p.m. and on Saturdays starting at 8 a.m. If people who are interested in learning more about the game show up at those times there is almost always someone to play with.
Pickleball courts are smaller than tennis courts, but a net is still used between each side. Instead of a tennis ball, a plastic ball much like a Wiffle Ball is used, and instead of a tennis racket a special pickleball paddle is used. The equipment can be found online and at most sporting goods stores.
Carroll said people of all ages can play. He said for most seniors it is easier to play doubles because less running is involved. However, younger folks may want to try playing singles.
"I fell in love with the sport in Florida and I knew it would catch on here," he said.
Carroll said he and his fellow pickleball players are preparing to host an open competition, the Pickleball Cares Tournament, on June 10 at the Patterson Courts.
The cost is $25 per player with proceeds going toward seating, signage, landscaping and other projects for the facilities. There are men's and women's doubles for those older than 50 and those younger than 50 years old.
The men's play begins at 9 a.m.; arrive at 8:30 a.m. Women's play begins at 1 p.m.; arrive at 12:30 p.m.
To register visit the group's Facebook page, Pickleball Wheeling, West Virginia, or call 304-650-6900. People can register for the tournament on the Global Pickleball Network website, but one must create an account with the site first.
"Literally, hundreds play now," Carroll added. "If you go on a Monday evening there will be 20 or 30 people there. It's grown very quickly. During open court, people are invited to come in, always. It's a very social group. We're happy to teach people who walk on."
Carroll said his favorite part of the sport is the nice people he meets.
"You make a lot of good friends, it's good exercise and it's fun," he said. "It's a small court ... there's not a lot of running, but you have to be quick."
He noted in addition to the Patterson courts, there are also pickleball courts available at The Highlands Sports Complex and Oglebay Park. He believes more courts might be coming to Wheeling and Bethlehem. There are also courts in St. Clairsville.
Brandon Mackie, co-founder of the online platform Pickleheads, said there are now 44 pickleball courts located across the state of West Virginia. Wheeling, he said, is the third most popular city to play the sport in the Mountain State.
"I love how easy the sport is to learn. Anyone can learn the rules, get a feel for the game and even win matches their first time out," Mackie said.
"This makes it very fun and motivating for anyone I bring out on the court with me. It's become a favorite activity among my friends and family."
Mackie, who played tennis competitively most of his life, said he learned about pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I quickly got a feel for the game and started playing multiple times per week," he said. "I frequently met local players out on the court, and it became a big part of my social life."
Mackie said he wants people to know that pickleball is an easy sport to learn.
"You don't need fancy equipment to play. This makes it really easy to try out and once you do, you might get hooked," he said.
According to statistics provided by Mackie, there are now 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States alone. They have their choice of more than 10,000 courts to play on, too.
The popularity of the sport has grown by more than 156% in the last three years. About 28% of players are 18 to 34 years old. About 60% of players are men and about 40 percent are women. The largest age bracket hitting the courts are people 55 years old and older.
The sport has also turned into a big business with the paddle selling market estimated at $156.8 million.
The rate of people trying the sport is on the rise with pickleball being the third most played sport in the U.S. It is surpassed only by running and biking, according to Pickleheads.com.