The City of Green, in the past few years, added pickleball courts to their facilities. Boettler Park and Green Tennis Club are places to play, and soon Greenwood and Green Primary are just a few of the places to play this high rising sport. Boettler Park has outdoor courts. They are open to the public during all park hours except Tuesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Those times are reserved for the Adult Pickleball NEOPP league. Additionally with the limited courts, the pickleball courts at Boettler fill up quickly and are usually full during the available times. Greenwood and Green Primary School provide the public indoor pickleball courts. Starting September 27th, Green Primary will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6pm to 11pm, while Greenwood will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“While pickleball is a great activity to get more people active, pickleball courts should not be made by creating multi-use courts out of tennis courts. Tennis courts in Green can be hard to come by on a busy day,” said Lily Howdyshell ‘24.
Pickleball is played either as singles or doubles. To start the game, one player serves to the opposite diagonal court. However, if the server fails to complete the serve on the first try, they do not get a second chance or a do-over. Points are scored by only the serving team. A fault is when someone causes a violation of a rule and this stops game play. Faults include when a player hits the net, the serve does not go to the correct area, etc.
From the use of a net to the look of the court, pickleball is a mixture of tennis and table tennis. Table tennis is played in a much smaller place and tennis is played in a much bigger area. Therefore, everything is mid-sized compared to the two sports.
“Tennis is harder than pickleball. It’s much more demanding on the body. You have to be able to cover much more court space when playing tennis, so it demands a lot more running,” said Howdyshell.
Equipment needed to play include the court, net, the paddles, and the balls. The paddles look like table tennis paddles, however; pickleball paddles are larger and more rectangular shaped. Depending on where an individual plays, there are possible free paddles to borrow. Places like Dick’s Sporting Goods and other athletic stores sell all the necessary equipment to enjoy the game. The ball used during the game is similar to a wiffle ball, but a pickleball is slightly heavier.
Pickleball creates a new connection within not just the City of Green community, but everywhere. People from all over can meet new people through joining a new league or just showing up to a court and playing. It is a sport that unites people from all walks of life
