Pickleball grows beyond the retired community

Last semester, I took Union College’s pickleball class from Dr. Nancy Petta, who is now retired. I wasn’t awful at the game, and I enjoyed it. One of my friends is taking the pickleball class this semester, so I invited him to go to Peterson Park to play.

             For those of you who haven’t taken the pickleball class yet, here’s some history. The sport was invented by a group of men in 1965 on an island off Seattle. The game has grown and is now played by 4.2 million Americans. The rules are pulled from a combination of other paddle and racquet games including tennis, ping pong and racquetball.

             Pickleball in Lincoln has been a slowly growing sport. Before 2016, there were no dedicated pickleball courts. The available courts were drawn with chalk or string on tennis courts. In fact, Union College was a common location for local pickleball players to meet. In 2016, a group of private donors and the Lincoln Cares fund raised $55,000 to convert Peterson Park’s two tennis courts into six dedicated pickleball courts. In the spring of 2020, four more courts were put in. Counting courts that have painted lines for both tennis and pickleball, Lincoln now has 30 courts.

Before today, when I was writing this article, I knew little about the pickleball community. I knew the game and that it was popular among retirees. I also knew that the community was growing quickly. Beyond that, I expected a quiet morning due to the 45-degree Fahrenheit weather. And I was right. Mostly.

There were about four people there when we arrived. We went to the farthest court to avoid them and played two games (I won both.) Then an older gentleman took the court next to us while he waited for his opponent. He started conversation with us, giving us tips and even offering to play doubles with us. His partner arrived, and he went to his own game. One round later (which I also won), we decided to leave. That is when another player pulled up in his car and rolled down his window to have a conversation with us. He brought up my Maine license plate, which is understandable. We mentioned Union, and he told us that the group used to play there before Peterson Park’s courts were built. That prompted me to research the topic which ended up in this editorial.

What you should know is this: Pickleball is easy to pick up and fun to play. Equipment isn’t expensive. The community is very inclusive, welcoming anybody and everybody.

We would love to have you join.

By Annelise Jacobs