Second pickleball season will soon wrap up in Willoughby Hills

Oct. 28—The second pickleball season in Willoughby Hills will soon be concluding.

Located in Campbell Park at 35405 Chardon Road, the city's Service Department plans to close the courts for the season on Nov. 1, as well as the pavilions and the restrooms.

"You can still walk through the parks and everything, but they stack up the tables in there and all the restrooms will be winterized, and locked up so they can be ready for next spring," said Mayor Andy Gardner.

According to Councilman-at-Large Joe Jarmuszkiewicz, the Recreation Commission is looking to turn an additional tennis court into a pickleball court or use it as a dual purpose court.

"We are shorthanded right now a little bit and always looking for individuals interested in helping out with some of the programs, and events we put on with the city," Jarmuszkiewicz said. "It's a good way to meet people, get out and give back to your community."

The courts are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

After picking up on the pickleball phenomenon, Willoughby Hills worked to convert its two tennis courts to bring the game to the community. After years of planning, the courts opened for the first time in the spring of 2022.

A combination of racquetball, ping-pong and tennis, the game dates to 1965, according to the USA Pickleball Association. There are now nearly 8,500 locations on the USA Pickleball's Places2Play map. The spread of the sport is attributed to its popularity within community centers, physical education classes, YMCA facilities and retirement communities.

Additionally, flag football season will be coming to an end this weekend.

"It was a great season, the kids had a lot of fun and learned a lot," Jarmuszkiewicz said. "I got to coach one of the teams and that was interesting for 5- and 6-year-olds at my age. It's a nice thing for kids in the city to get involved to learn what the game of football is."