Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, in partnership with Vermont Public.
Pickleball is still the fastest growing sport in America.
The Edge, a gym in South Burlington, opened nine new indoor pickleball courts in the fall. It’s now the largest pickleball facility in the state.
The indoor courts allow pickleball fans to play during the winter. They also cut down on the noise that has plagued the neighbors of the outdoor courts since the sport exploded in popularity.
Keely Ehnstrom stopped by The Edge during Friday afternoon “open play” to see how pickleballers are enjoying their first winter on the courts.
🎧 This story was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript below.
Sue Bentitage: I was dying to play pickleball all last winter and there was nothing. And then all of a sudden there’s three choices.
Krista Reincke: Probably like many other people I started playing during Covid. And I picked it up like that. And I loved it. And just like many people that I talk to, people get, like, bitten by the pickleball bug. And then I just kept playing and playing as much as I could. It’s so fun. It’s so fun.
And there was an article, I think, in the New York Times. I don’t know, but the headline in some news during the pandemic was Why is Pickleball Saving America? And I’m always like, I know why pickleball is saving America! Because it’s so fun! It’s exercise. It’s social. During the pandemic especially, people couldn’t get out. So it was such a great way to be able to be outside and move our bodies.
Jess Wilson: It’s a lot of fun. It’s a fast sport. And it’s one of those sports where you can pick it up as a beginner and be playing a game and having fun within 15 minutes of grabbing a paddle for the first time. So it’s, I think, a low barrier to entry, and then it just becomes a little bit of an obsession because you just wanna play better and better.
Margaret Tandoh: It was very hard to get playing time. So when open play opened, you had to sign up to the minute — three days… to the minute. If you were like one or two minutes late, you wouldn’t be able to get in. Somebody else will get in because there’s only four courts and a lot of people trying to play. But we have Catamount open and that’s seven indoor courts and then this is open too. So you have a lot more play. And the thing, you see, I see a lot more people coming out to play too. So it’s really great to see different people playing.
Tandoh (on the court): Oh my God, Tim. So dramatic! So dramatic, Tim.
Tim Stickle: There are two parts. One is that it’s a good community. And the other is that it’s a good way to challenge yourself and to learn and grow both the technical aspects of the game, but also psychologically, the, you know, be supportive of your teammate and learn to have a positive attitude toward the game.
Jess Wilson: Oh, I’m back in. I’m back in. Thank you. Take care!