Putting Rockford on the pickleball map: 'There is nothing like this'
Tim Ancona has been one of the biggest names in Rockford tennis for decades after playing at Iowa State University.
He met his wife on the court at Victory Tennis Center in Loves Park. His first job was as maintenance boy at Victory, “changing light bulbs, picking up junk, doing everything no one else wanted to do.”
He coached at Rockford Christian for nine years. His two sons were NIC-10 champs. His youngest son was a college star at Valparaiso and Notre Dame. He built a tennis court in his backyard.
This tennis man may be the perfect person to make pickleball explode in Rockford.
Ancona is buying the old Victory Sports Complex, 7003 N. Alpine Road, and plans to turn it into a 15-court dedicated pickleball facility with a targeted opening date of Sept. 1.
More: How this 72-year-old Rockford native became a star in the unique sport of pickleball
“I have a vested interest to make this place something the entire community is proud of,” Ancona said. “Our goal is to make something bigger and better than anything in Illinois and maybe the Midwest. There is nothing like this.”
“This” isn’t this yet.
Victory hasn’t been a tennis facility for more than 30 years. The building, on north Alpine near Riverside, was most recently used for baseball practice and indoor soccer. It needs a major renovation. Ancona described the project as $3 million-plus.
“Unfortunately,” he said one afternoon gazing over the arena, “I think it’s going to be plus, but that’s OK.”
Dubbed the fastest-growing sport in the United States, pickleball saw a 159% increase in participation during the past three years.
In the Rockford area, people can play indoors at times at the UW Sports Factory and the YMCA, among other places, but there is no facility specifically tailored to and built for pickleball.
“I would not view the Sports Factory or YMCA or anywhere else as a competitor,” Ancona said. “Those places not only have wood floors but different lines for basketball and volleyball and everything else. We will have permanent nets and real lines. It won’t be just temporary. That will make a big difference.”
Corey Engel, who has taught pickleball lessons at Highland Community College in Freeport, said a tennis-like asphalt surface is even more important for beginners and average players.
“The ball just does not bounce well enough on those surfaces,” Engel said of playing on converted basketball or volleyball courts. “They are too slick. The plastic ball slides too much. Skilled players can handle those surfaces because their hands are better, but a dedicated facility with a gritty, asphalt surface is better for a rec player. It slows the ball down dramatically and makes it bounce higher. That makes a heck of a difference.
“People," Engel added, "like to go where everybody plays. If it becomes a hot spot to play in, it will become hotter and hotter.”
More: Rockford Christian's Brandon Ancona rediscovers love of tennis
Ancona also plans to have a bar and a restaurant at the facility and make it the pickleball gathering spot.
"We needed this," said Rockford's Jen Lassandro, a former NIU tennis star who is ranked No. 5 in the world as a women's senior pro pickleball player. "We don't have to travel now for pickleball. Normally, we're driving for an hour. Now, we can finally have something in our home town.
"It's going to bring the community together. "
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Loves Park facility could become pickleball center of Rockford
