Relishing Pickleball

David Zapatka

From pickleball’s beginning in the State of Washington in 1965, pickleball has grown to become played in all 50 United States, Guam, Aruba, Australia, Belgium, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Great Britain, Crete, Guatemala, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Spain and Thailand. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2016 Pickleball Participant Report reported pickleball currently has 2.5 million players in the United States alone. There are now 4,747 places to play pickleball in the U.S. with 16,549 courts.

There are pickleball vacations to exotic places where you can receive training from professional players, play with other pickleball fanatics and tour the wonders of the world. Simply Google pickleball vacations to find the many opportunities if you love travel. And if you’re traveling in the U.S. or one of the many foreign countries listed above, go to USAPA.org to find courts and contacts who can put you in touch with other pickleball players from around the world.

Speaking of places to play, due to the efforts of our hardworking USAPA ambassadors, new places to play pickleball in the East Valley are coming to fruition.

* Chandler will soon have six permanent courts at Arrowhead Park.

* Phoenix will soon have 16 new public courts at Pecos Park.

* Gilbert now has six public courts at Highland High School.

* Maricopa now has courts located at Copper Sky Park.

* Phoenix will soon have six courts at Paseo Highlands Park or three at Rose Mofford Park.

Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment or have some picklilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at [email protected].