Pickleball courts break ground at Veterans Park

For those who enjoy pickleball, work began this week on new, designated courts for one of the country’s most widely-played sports.

The courts, at the Veterans Memorial Park, will take about 90 days to complete.

“Pickleball continues to be a growing sport, and several Boulder City residents had expressed a desire for dedicated outdoor courts,” Parks and Recreation Director Julie Calloway said. “City council supported the addition of four new outdoor courts to be constructed at Veterans Memorial Park.”

Pickleball, a somewhat slower-paced version of tennis, has become more and more popular in recent years and now, players will soon have their own courts to play on in Boulder City. Until now, they have been sharing them with tennis players at courts around town.

In December, the Boulder City Council approved a resolution on a bid by Las Vegas Paving Corporation in the amount not to exceed $544,085. Along with surveying, design and advertising for bids, the project will carry a total price tag of $611,520. The cost will be covered by funds as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). They will be maintained by city staff.

Up until now, tennis courts have either been converted to pickleball courts or the two sports share them.

“They will be first-come, first-serve and they can also be reserved for parties, tournaments, or events much like our gymnasiums,” Calloway said.

Speaking of gyms, the courts used inside the parks and recreation indoor facilities will also still be available for use, she added.

Last week, the Review put up a Facebook post asking local players what they think of having designated courts for pickleball. They included the following:

Milly Little: I play pickleball here in town. There are ups and downs to each court. Any pickleball court is a positive thing for us.

She went on to express concerns about the existing courts, such as ABC Park has no permanent net. The recreation center’s wood floors are not ideal for pickleball and often very busy. And the tennis courts in Broadbent Park near the high school have bad surfaces.

Haven Neiman: I’ve been regularly playing pickleball outside at the tennis courts near the high school for over a year. They get the job done, but tend to have a lot of debris and are not maintained well. I‘m looking forward to having dedicated pickleball courts and I hope there will be more upkeep.”

Gary Krason: I’ve been playing indoors at the rec center. There are three courts taped off in the gym. On many days there might be 30 people wanting to play, so there is much down time.

He added that while the indoor courts may be busy, players are out of the elements such as heat, cold and winds.

Tracy West Wolpert: This will be a welcomed and much-needed addition. I can’t wait. I’ve been playing at Broadbent Park. The courts there are well past overdue for resurfacing. So many dead spots.”

A little history

According to usapickleball.org, while the sport is seeing quite a bit of popularity, it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

“After playing golf one Saturday during the summer, Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell, successful businessman, returned to Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island, Wash. (near Seattle) to find their families sitting around with nothing to do,” it states. “The property had an old badminton court so Pritchard and Bell looked for some badminton equipment and could not find a full set of rackets.

“They improvised and started playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. At first, they placed the net at badminton height of 60 inches and volleyed the ball over the net. As the weekend progressed, the players found that the ball bounced well on the asphalt surface and soon the net was lowered to 36 inches. The following weekend, Barney McCallum was introduced to the game at Pritchard’s home. Soon, the three men created rules, relying heavily on badminton. They kept in mind the original purpose, which was to provide a game that the whole family could play together.”