What is pickleball and why is it so popular in Battle Creek?
The tennis courts have never been so busy.
But few are playing tennis.
As you drive by the Kellogg Community College tennis courts and see all the people gathered there, look a little closer. It is not tennis balls they are hitting. Those are pickleballs.
And pickleball has become a growing sensation in Battle Creek and throughout the area in recent years.
The Battle Creek Pickleball Club is one of the driving forces giving people the opportunity to experience the sport. With the KCC courts at near capacity on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and even Tuesday and Thursday nights, the Bruin tennis facility hasn't seen this much action in years.
"We play regular in the mornings on those days and some nights. We even have a Tuesday morning session for ladies only that is kind of for beginners," said Donald Bouchard of the Battle Creek Pickleball Club. "I don't keep track exactly, but in a given week, I would say you probably have 300 to 350 hours of pickleball being played on these courts and maybe 20 or 30 hours of tennis."
A story in The New Yorker said pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. During the pandemic, more than a million Americans picked up the activity, pushing the total of players to around five million in the U.S., the story said.
The Battle Creek club has been playing pickleball for nearly a decade, going back to when they would put their own tape down on the court before eventually getting permission to paint the courts themselves. For several years, they would bring their own temporary posts and nets to play on courts that would revert back to tennis after they were done.
In recent years, KCC has done its part to help grow the sport. The school has created new pickleball opportunities in spaces that used to hold tennis, with freshly-painted courts and permanent posts. Now nearly half of the KCC courts are no longer useful for tennis with posts in the middle of the serving area, but it has created a new way for the school to reach out to the community.
""KCC is part of the fabric of the community and we are glad to provide a space for our pickleball friends to enjoy a fun, safe, healthy activity on our North Avenue campus in Battle Creek," KCC spokesman Eric Greene said. "Some people have played pickleball at KCC for many years and it has been exciting to watch the sport grow and thrive."
So what is pickleball?
Think of it as a combination of tennis and table tennis, if the players were standing on the table. It is a smaller court, with wooden paddles and softball-sized wiffle balls. The ball moves slower than its tennis counterpart, there isn't as much room to cover by the players and often it is done in a doubles format — making for even less need for running.
All of that lends itself to being a great game for older athletes, but that isn't necessarily always the case.
"We get a lot of former tennis players," said BCPC member Joyce Ashdon, who is still playing her in her 80s. "They call it old people tennis, but we get young people, too."
Bouchard followed, "It's a much smaller court and we hardly ever play singles, so then it makes the area you are in even smaller. You maybe sprint a few steps, each time, maybe three steps to hit the ball.
"We don't need to have too much running, you fall down and get hurt," Bouchard added, only half joking.
The Battle Creek Pickleball Club is a group of enthusiasts with a common interest and a drive to have the game available. There is an unofficial fee of $2 expected when you show up to play pickleball during the club's designated times, which has helped buy equipment as needed and, in the past, the nets and the posts.
Most of the time, the action is just for recreation. But once a year, the club does keep track of scores for about eight weeks and hands out, "a silly trophy," Bouchard said.
"And, we have a board, but other than that, you don't sign up to be part of the club. You just show up and play," Ashdon added. "We help organize the games some, too. And we mix it up, men and women playing together, put four new people on a court for a new game, or have winners stay, with two new players.
"Part of the club, too is we are always trying to get the word out. Would like to have more people come out and we think Battle Creek is missing the boat. We could have big tournaments here and have people come from outside the area as well."
Club or not, having pickleball available to play allows for groups of people to enjoy some camaraderie and exercise in a fun way. On this weekday morning, six courts were in use with 24 people playing and a half-dozen pickleballers waiting their turn.
"I think what brings everybody out is that it's just fun," Bouchard said. "When I first started playing, I would come home and my wife would ask who won. I would say, I don't know, it was unimportant. Do I remember good shots and good games? Yeah. Do I remember bad shots? Yeah. But mostly it's just fun.
"If you come down when we are playing, just listen. You will notice there is a lot of laughing going on. A lot of good people having fun."
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: What is pickleball and why is it so popular in Battle Creek?
