Little Rock, Arkansas – What are you waiting for if you haven’t joined the pickleball trend yet?
In recent years, pickleball has grown at the quickest rate in America, according to the Sports and Fitness Association (SFIA). According to SFIA officials, pickleball is their most popular sport, followed by ski touring.
According to the agency, pickleball participation has increased by 223% over the past three years.
The sport’s accessibility is a major factor in its growth. A paddle, a ball, a net, and a partner are all you need. All you need is the desire to have fun; neither youth nor expertise are necessary.
Several times a week, Darius Jackson performs at Little Rock’s Kanis Park.
“Anybody can play,” he declared. “Everyone is really amiable. They merely assist and instruct me.
At Kanis Park, Lynn Allison also performs. She plays every day and is much older than Jackson.
She remarked, “It’s just so much fun.”
According to SFIA’s Alex Kerman, the agency began monitoring pickleball in 2014 and currently tracks 124 sports and activities. According to Kerman, the increase began with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Pickleball “was a big factor in terms of people reconnecting,” according to Kerman.
According to Kerman, there were about 2.5 million pickleball players before to the outbreak. According to him, it had increased to 13.6 million by 2023.
“At that size of a base, we don’t see that kind of growth,” Kerman stated.
Leland Couch, director of Little Rock Parks and Recreation, stated that the capital city is fully committed to expanding its pickleball court network.
According to Couch, there is a constant demand for more pickleball courts in Little Rock.
He went on to say, “It’s a melting pot of people and diversity that really makes it fun.”
Voters rejected the city’s one-cent sales tax on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Couch said it would have included a 20-court outdoor complex close to War Memorial and 30 pickleball courts at a new indoor sports center.
This would have been “bigger than anybody has in this region,” according to Couch.
Little Rock will soon welcome the Pickleball Kingdom, the biggest indoor pickleball organization in the world.
Ace Rodrigues, founder and CEO of Pickleball Kingdom, stated, “This expansion reflects our ongoing commitment to providing world-class facilities and fostering vibrant communities centered around the sport of pickleball.” “And Little Rock is the best location in Arkansas for us to plant our flag.”
Other cities in central Arkansas, including as Bryant and North Little Rock, have thriving pickleball communities.
Bishop Park Community Center in Bryant has launched its first indoor pickleball league since COVID, according to Hunter Bolin, program coordinator.
The city “definitely wants to utilize” Bryant’s excellent outdoor facility at Mills Park, according to Bolin.
Both an amateur and an advanced league are part of a recently established league at Bishop Park.
Vance Byrd is an advanced league competitor. “I’ve played with kids as young as ten.” Byrd stated, “I’ve played with people who are 85 years old.”
According to the SFIA, the age group that participates in the sport the most is 25–34 years old, with people 65 and above coming in second.
“How physically fit you are isn’t really important. Bolin pointed to one of the more experienced players and remarked, “I mean, we have a guy down there playing in a wheelchair tonight.”
Before you go out and buy your first paddle, consider these two-pointers.
First, don’t forget to have fun. Second, don’t undervalue your opponent.
“You weren’t humbled until a 74-year-old man with two braces beat you like a wet rag,” Byrd jokingly said.
