photo by: Emma Delk

Due to the limited space at the Edgington Lane playground, on one side of a pickleball court there currently is only 6 inches of space between the sideline and a fence. After hearing concerns from local players of the sport, city officials have decided to re-stripe the courts.

WHEELING — The City of Wheeling Parks and Recreation Department is re-striping the new Edgington Lane pickleball courts after the current layout had pickleball players saying it was creating injury hazards.

Director of Wheeling Parks and Recreation Rochelle Barry said the city made the decision to re-stripe the courts to “make the space more user friendly.” The court setup is currently not very “friendly” to players, as there is less than 6 inches between the fence and the sideline on one of the courts.

A large space limiter for all four pickleball courts is the permanent tennis court net that splits them into two sets on each side, which has decreased the space behind the baseline of the pickleball courts to 40 inches. Barry said the courts were combined “to maximize the usage since people wanted both pickleball and tennis.”

Local pickleball players say the courts’ setup creates an uncomfortable playing experience for anyone beyond a beginner level, since one must restrict their movements greatly or else hit a net, fence or another player. The lack of space on the courts has turned away advanced players and competitive pickleball groups, who would rather not risk potential injury.

Nathan Peluchette, a spokesperson for the Ohio Valley Pickleball Club, said the group commends the city of Wheeling for recognizing the need for more pickleball courts, but they would not hold tournaments at the courts in their present state.

“The Edgington Lane playground update has been great, but the pickleball/tennis court project has fallen short of expectations,” Peluchette said.

“The current court setup is not ideal for playing either sport and, in all honesty, compromises player safety.”

For more experienced players, generous space around the outside of the court is needed to get into the right location to make a precise shot and get enough power behind a swing.

“The game of pickleball, like tennis, isn’t played within the confines of the court itself,” said Gregg Boury, who runs the Facebook page, Pickleball Wheeling, West Virginia, and has been playing for over 15 years.

Boury emphasized, like Peluchette, that the city has been very cooperative with local pickleball groups in expanding playing opportunities. The city even consulted him on the design of the courts before construction.

Beyond Boury’s advice, the city also held community input during meetings in 2019 when the project was started.

“The process to make the courts included community input meetings, meetings with sports architects and submitting the grant application,” explained Barry.

The city also has to fix multiple divots left in the court surface by the four portable pickleball nets. Barry said they have met with a contractor and are “looking into the issue of what caused the divots.”

“We will fix the divot issue to make sure it won’t happen again and then re-stripe the court,” added Barry. “We do not have any additional information on the timeline or cost of fixing the courts at this time.”