'This will last forever': Four local pickleball enthusiasts open Pickleball U in Sturbridge

STURBRIDGE — It's not often that more than one mind can think in complete harmony.

Unless it’s about pickleball.

Four local pickleball enthusiasts are opening a six-court pickleball complex at the Sturbridge Plaza, turning a hobby into a business.

The echo of drills whirred Wednesday inside the 18,800-square-foot space where contractors worked to bring to life the vision of Gary Galonek, Scott Sargent, Manuel “Manny” Gomes and Christa Gillen.

The four will kick open the doors Feb. 16 to Pickleball U, which is slated to be the second-largest pickleball complex in the county.

“It's a great game,” said Sargent. “You don't have to be super athletic, but you can get in there and have fun."

Sargent was introduced to the sport in January 2023 after friends suggested they’d play during an outing in New Hampshire.

A lawyer by trade, the 54-year-old was immediately drawn to the sport, looking for courts to play on when back home in Shrewsbury.

Finding none, he spread the word about the sport, pitching the idea of establishing an indoor complex to friends, among others, acquaintance Gary Galonek, who he met playing golf at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton.

Galonek, who until recently owned with his wife, Rebecca, the Treetops Montessori School in Sturbridge, had only given the sport one try on a trip to Florida.

It wasn’t long after Sargent approached him that the two started looking for a possible location, settling in a space at the Sturbridge Plaza, which was once home to J.C. Penney.

The company moved out in late 2020 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

A part-time actor, Galonek (whose stage name is Gary Galone) was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2021 movie “CODA”, which took home three Oscar awards in March 2022, among them best picture.

But his passion for pickleball is neither scripted nor acted out, pointing out the sport’s versatility, saying how it “extends the life of tennis players.

“The other night you had John McEnroe playing Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and (Maria) Sharapova playing pickleball,” said Galonek. “Are you kidding me? Now you have the legends of the game embracing it.

“It’s the fastest-growing sport in the country for three straight years.”

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball had 8.9 million players in the U.S. in 2022 — an estimated 158% growth in popularity in three years.

The sport is played with a paddle bigger than the one used in table tennis, which two players use to whack back and forth a plastic perforated ball that is a few holes away from a Wiffle ball.

Pickleball courts measure about the size of a badminton court, slightly smaller than a tennis court.

While Pickleball U is the most recent complex to land in the county, on Feb. 1 a Shrewsbury resident opened Rt. 12 Pickle at the Wachusett Plaza in West Boylston, flipping the former location of Salter College into an eight-court pickleball complex.

Manuel “Manny” Gomes, a local property manager in Norwood, joined the effort to bring Pickleball U to life after playing with Sargent, whom he knew through their Shrewsbury roots.

Gomes, 50, fell for pickleball not long after, introducing it to his family, playing frequently with his wife and children at local outdoor courts.

Playing wasn’t so easy as the wintertime approached, seeing a need for an indoor space.

When Sargent approached him with the idea for Pickleball U, he was game.

“It’s just so accessible,” said Gomes, 50. “It’s for all different ages, all different skills.

“You don't need a tennis background. You just come in and play and there’s also the social element.”

Gomes added they have about five instructors available for lessons and they also plan to introduce leagues to participants.

The three and Christa Gillen, who was not present Wednesday at the complex, have an evenly split partnership on the venture.

They also plan to build a shop inside the same space with the necessary equipment.

Galonek, who also narrates audiobooks, recalled a friend's comment when he shared the news about the complex.

“Somebody asked, ‘You don’t have enough on your plate?’” said Galonek.

“’This,’” Galonek pointed at the courts, “’will last forever. My acting career won’t.’”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Four local pickleball enthusiasts open Pickleball U in Sturbridge