A Real Dilly

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If you’re looking for a fun and affordable physical activity that’s easy to learn, you’re in luck. Pickleball, a paddle sport often described as a combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton, is taking the country by storm, and Lexington is no exception.

Dan Ewing, president of the Kentucky Pickleball Association, was introduced to the game more than a decade ago by Ron Eversole, a friend who had learned how to play the sport on vacation in Florida. Eversole was the church administrator at Tates Creek Christian Church, which was building a new gym at the time, and he decided  to include pickleball court lines to try to get more people to play.

“He described [the game] to me, and I said, ‘Ron, that is the most ridiculous -tball injury put Ewing out of his own sport of choice for a few weeks, he decided the time was right to humor his friend and give pickleball a try.

“By the time I was leaving the court that night, I was asking where I could buy a paddle,” Ewing said.

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Washington Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. The game was invented out of boredom one afternoon using what was on hand: a badminton court, ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The families had so much fun that the men created rules for this new game that the whole family could play together.

“We were growing quite a bit before COVID, but with the lockdowns, pickleball was a great way to go outside and meet new people while staying socially distant,” Ewing said. “It was a safe way to get out and get some activity.”

He continued, “It’s a very social sport. Even when people aren’t playing, they are talking and laughing and getting to know each other.”

Ewing seconds the notion that pickleball is a great sport for people of varying levels of fitness and abilities.

“Athleticism is not the trumping factor in pickleball— it’s a sport that pretty much anyone can pick up,” he said. “We’ve got a gentleman who is 92 who plays consistently, as well as 8- and 9-year-old kids who play. It’s not uncommon to have a 20-year-old college athlete come out and get beat by a grandmother.”

But pickleball is not only great for amateurs looking to have fun or get some exercise — it’s also fun for competitive pickleball players, who can compete at tournaments at local, regional and national levels.

“With tournaments, you can get as intense as you want — you can participate in small local events, like an afternoon event where you have some competition, but it’s not a high-stress deal,” Ewing said. The Kentucky Pickleball Association organizes a pickleball tournament at the Bluegrass State Games, typically featuring 300 or more players, while regional and national tournaments, such as the U.S. Open or U.S. Nationals, feature anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 players.

Unlike other sports where a definite division exists between amateurs and professionals, pickleball pros are far more accessible to less advanced players, often interacting with fans and offering advice or participating in forums online.

While the game of pickleball was being played in all 50 states by 1990, according to USA Pickleball, the domestic governing agency for the sport, its popularity has grown greatly in the past few years – in large part due to COVID-19.

Lexington residents Mary and Joe Bennett started playing the game during the pandemic. The couple had been interested in the sport but hadn’t had the time to explore it until the lockdowns.

“We started just hitting around and then were asked to join a league,” Mary Bennett said. “Now we compete in tournaments and test our skills against others.”

The Bennetts have competed all over Kentucky and in regional tournaments in Cincinnati and in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee.

“It’s a bucket list item to go to the U.S. Open,” said Joe Bennett.

While price is among the factors keeping some folks from tournaments like that, the sport is largely known for its affordability. Players need no special apparel or equipment other than a paddle and ball, and paddles are available at a variety of price points.

With low barriers to entry, it’s no wonder that pickleball appeals to a wide range of players.

“One of the interesting things about pickleball is what you see in terms of diversity. I was playing a game last fall, and I was on the court with a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine, a woman from Palestine and a man from Scotland,” said Ewing. “It’s all over the place in terms of backgrounds and demographics.”

The center of pickleball in Lexington is Kirklevington Park, where 12 outdoor courts are in use both morning and evening every day the weather permits, at no cost to players.

Ewing said, “We have all 12 courts going with people waiting at each of the courts. On any given Saturday there could easily be 100-plus people there.”

A handful of indoor courts are also available for a fee in the Lexington area, but pickleball fans know demand outweighs supply. There are plans in the works for an indoor facility on Enterprise Court that will be similar to a tennis club but fully dedicated to pickleball; there will also be pickleball courts at the new Cardinal Run Park North, Ewing said.

Pickleball, it seems, is here to stay, and Ewing encourages anyone with an interest to simply give it a try.

“If you are a little hesitant, come on out to Kirklevington Park and hang out and meet some of the players. Tell them you are new, and people will be tripping over themselves to help you out,” he said.

Why do pickleball fans keep playing? There are a variety of reasons, but the one most often mentioned is friendship.

Bennett summed it up: “We’ve met a lot of really great people in the community that we would not have met otherwise.” 

More info:

The Kentucky Pickleball Association has published a comprehensive guide to indoor pickleball courts and other information. You can find it, and additional pickleball-related news and discussion, on the organization’s Facebook page, facebook.com/kypickleball.

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