Pickleball, tennis make peace: Asheville announces compromise. How will your parks change?
ASHEVILLE - Parks and Recreation announced its compromise to appease users of the city's public outdoor hard surface courts, recently caught in a fierce game of tug-of-war: All courts will be dual-lined for both pickleball and tennis, a solution that will preserve the city's inventory of 11 public tennis courts and nearly double the pickleball offerings from 12 to 22 courts.
Asheville Parks and Recreation will also institute a shared use schedule with dedicated times for each sport to ensure no one user can dominate the courts, according to a Nov. 9 news release from the city.
Leaders of both camps reacted with optimism, hoping they have landed on a short-term solution that will ease the conflict arising on Asheville's unlikely battlegrounds.
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"It will take a little bit of work, there’s no question about that," said Jeff Joyce, member of the Asheville Tennis Association and former president of the nonprofit. “We’re all human beings and we all want what we want, but I think it’s the best option that was available to make this work and to bring peace back to the courts.”
This was echoed by members of the newly-dubbed Asheville Pickleball Association, which is currently seeking nonprofit status.
“I think the whole community feels like this is a win-win, and it’s a great place to start," said Sexton, a pickleball player and board member, who goes by one name. "Parks and Recreation will be assessing the situation throughout on the schedules and be looking at how they can include pickleball and tennis in their masterplan.”
Pickleball is a tennis-badminton-ping pong hybrid played with paddles and a hard, plastic whiffle-like ball. A single tennis court can accommodate two pickleball games at once, usually with four players each.
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Yira Pia Sanchez, USA Pickleball Association ambassador for Buncombe County, agreed that the response was positive, particularly since the plan includes the addition of semi-permanent pickleball nets at some locations and/or a pilot system in which nets can be checked out in the future.
Currently, any pickleball players must provide their own nets and lug them to the dual-lined courts themselves, which Sanchez said has been a barrier for out-of-town players and anyone who doesn't want to invest in their own net.
“The community is pretty happy with the decision," Sanchez said. "This is the first time we are so close to getting so many courts that we need, and all the nets that we need.”
Addition of dual lines, also known as shared lines or blended stripes, is expected to begin in early 2023 and take four to six weeks based on contractor availability, according to the news release. When complete, tennis court dimensions will remain white and pickleball court dimensions will be light blue.
In addition to more pickleball courts in parks where there are already at least one dual-lined court, Weaver Park will get pickleball lines for the first time.
Sanchez said this was a huge benefit, especially as disgruntled neighbors in Montford continue to butt heads with pickleball players over parking issues and constant noise, with one neighbor attesting that play occasionally begins well before the park opens at 6 a.m.
Sanchez hopes an additional playing location with newly-renovated court surfaces and plenty of parking will alleviate these strains on the Montford neighbor, keeping players from continuing to overwhelm the residentially-located courts.
Joyce agreed Parks and Recreation's proposal was a good one, the "fairest decision for both sports," and hopes it will increase opportunity to play for everyone.
Joyce said enforcement of the schedule will likely fall to the user groups.
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“Signage will dictate who has the priority," Joyce said. "That’s where the work is going to have to come in, and both groups are going to have to buy into it and agree to their priority times. It’s going to be a work in progress.”
Parks and Recreation spokesperson Christo Bubenik said alternating schedules have worked well in other communities.
"The goal of the alternating schedule is to provide equitable access to priority times while ensuring that both sports have some priority access at all times," Bubenik said. "If courts are not being used, anyone can play either pickleball or tennis."
However, frustrations are not absent. Bubenik pointed to the Asheville Parks and Recreation Facebook post about the news, which was almost immediately inundated with disgruntled players from both user groups.
"While there is certainly animosity between some players ... the vast majority of players have found a way to support the growth of both sports and coexist in the same space," Bubenik said.
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According to the release, dual lines have existed on shared use courts in city parks since 2016, when Asheville Parks and Recreation brought the first outdoor public pickleball courts to the area.
Department director D. Tyrell McGirt said this compromise was the result of months of discussion with tennis players and pickle-ballers.
"We have developed an equitable short-term solution to the exceptional local growth of both sports,” said McGirt. “By adding dual lines to all of Asheville’s existing public tennis courts and instituting a structured play schedule, we’re following the lead of other recreation professionals in communities across the nation to support both popular racquet sports and minimize user conflict. We’re not removing tennis courts and the total number of lined pickleball courts will nearly double in a matter of weeks.”
What's next?
Though the short-term solution seems to have appeased all user groups for the moment, Sanchez said the fight for dedicated courts is not over.
It's been a longtime call from Asheville pickleball players, and they hope to begin fundraising once the organization establishes itself as a nonprofit.
“We are not going to stop asking for them," Sanchez said. This means continuing to show up at City Council, as players have been since April, and networking with partners around the city to secure funding and find space.
Joyce echoed the sentiment.
"The hope is still to have a dedicated pickleball facility one day," Joyce said. “And I hope it’s sooner rather than later."
Where to play:
Kenilworth Park, 79 Wyoming Road
Malvern Hills Park, 75 Rumbough Place
Montford Park, 345 Montford Ave.
Murphy-Oakley Park, 715 Fairview Road
Weaver Park, 430 Merrimon Ave.
Aston Park Tennis Center’s 12 low-cost outdoor clay courts are not affected by this decision, nor are six low-cost indoor pickleball courts at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers.
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Aston Park Tennis Center’s courts are available from April 1-Nov. 30 with season passes for Asheville residents ranging from $149.50 for an individual to $299.50 for a family. Coupled with the 11 hard surface courts, Asheville community members will maintain access to 23 free or low-cost public tennis courts.
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville to convert all public courts for tennis and pickleball play
