Cape Coral resident aims to bring peace, order to pickleball scene

Trixie Mangold met her husband Charlie playing pickleball.

A competitive player, she has taken part in tournaments in Mexico, Ireland, Hawaii and Costa Rica as well as in her native Minnesota and Southwest Florida.

However, she doesn’t like the direction the sport is going in Cape Coral, where she currently lives.

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Long wait times to play, a big discrepancy in talent and just plain etiquette are some of the issues she’s seen.

That’s why she started the Cape Coral Praise and Pickle Facebook group.

She, her husband, son Cody Overcashier and his wife Tana have acted as coaches, organizers and peacekeepers.

“So far, we’ve only received positive feedback,” Trixie said. “We started a Facebook group and had players post their pictures and information about them so we could get to know them more. A lot of players are new to the area.”

For a while, Trixie might have thought she should’ve called it Peace and Pickleball. What she saw included:

·       Two people taking advantage of a sign that said one-hour court time. “A game to 11 can get done in 20 minutes,” she said. “There were 30 people waiting in line.”

·       Players of different talent levels were on the courts, which led to less skilled players having shots slammed back at them or lobbed over their heads. “People were getting mad at each other,” Trixie said.

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To overcome those challenges, Trixie started paddle stacking where four players left the court after their match ended. Meanwhile, players were evaluated like tennis on their playing abilities (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, etc.) and then paired together.

“We’re not looking to make money or do it as a business,” Trixie said. “We take time to coach, teach, train. There are coaches but they don’t get mad at us because once people learn the game, they want to take lessons.

“The goal is to create a community that is safe and where people come to play whatever shape they’re in.”

More than 4,800,000 people play pickleball in the United States, according to a recent study by the sports and fitness industry association. The Association of Pickleball Professionals, however, puts the number closer to 36.5 million. That’s an amazing 630% increase from a previous report.

Because of this rapid increase, pro athletes like Tom Brady, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Chris Evert, NBA owner Mark Cuban, actress Eva Longoria and singer Dierks Bentley are investing in the sport.

In the meantime, more than $180 million is being invested in indoor pickleball entertainment centers around Florida.

Cape Coral also will add facilities. The Lake Kennedy Racquet Center, which will have 32 pickleball courts built in the summer of 2024, will have a groundbreaking at 10 a.m. on March 24 at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd.

Currently, there are a total of 18 public courts in Cape Coral among seven parks as well as a portable indoor court at Four Freedoms, according to Jason Bowman, an athletics and senior recreation specialist with the City of Cape Coral Parks and Recreation.

Bowman added that two upcoming parks in the GO Bond projects – Lake Meade and Sands – will have a combined six pickleball courts.

“The Parks and Recreation Department has recognized the growing popularity and demand of the sport and is working to meet that demand,” he said. “By the summer of ‘24 we will have added a total of 38 pickleball courts to what is already offered around the city. Additionally, we have begun to look into ways to provide all members of the community and (accommodate} their different levels and desires of play, so they have the opportunity to enjoy the game at our open parks.

“I think the biggest benefit right now is to talk with and gather information from our playing community, to get some real solid data on what parks are the busiest and at what times and what are the more prominent ‘styles’ of play.”

For more information, join the group Cape Coral Praise & Pickle on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral resident aims to bring peace, order to pickleball courts