Why Springfield will be the pickleball hub of the Midwest in 2023 and 2024

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·4 min read

Hundreds of pickleball players and enthusiasts are expected to visit Springfield the next two years for the USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Championships.

The Springfield Sports Commission announced Monday that the championships will be held at Cooper Tennis Complex, located at 2331 E. Pythian St., June 1-4, 2023 and May 30-June 2, 2024.

In a competitive bid process, Springfield won the rights to host the events over Milwaukee and Chicago, according to a Springfield Sports Commission news release.

"Together with a team of experienced tournament operators, directors and the Springfield pickleball community, we anticipate this to be the largest and best pickleball tournament in the state of Missouri," Roberto Camara of Pickleball Blast, a Branson pickleball organization, said in the news release.

Camara will co-direct the events alongside USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Director Jim Berger.

More: What is pickleball? A look at the rules and equipment to play the sport in 2022

What are the USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Championships?

The USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Championships are hosted by the USA Pickleball Association, the official national governing body for the sport, founded as a nonprofit in 2005.

Gold medalists of the Middle States Regional Championships advance to the following year's National Championships. Gold and silver medalists will advance to the Diamond Amateur Championship and gold, silver and bronze medalists are entered into a lottery for the National Championships.

The middle states region consists of Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, but athletes from about 30 states are expected, the news release states.

More: New Branson entertainment complex will combine food, drinks, pickleball, golf and more

Each year, between 800 to 1,000 athletes may participate. Local hotels can expect 2,000 rooms filled each night during the events, with about $675,000 spent by visitors.

This year, the Middle States Regional Championships are May 26-29 at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis. Registration is open until Sunday on the Pickleball Tournaments website.

USA Pickleball Association membership is required to participate in official tournaments. One-year membership plans are available for $35 on the USA Pickleball Association website.

What is pickleball anyway?

Pickleball is often described as a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Players use solid paddles to hit a plastic, perforated ball over a net on a badminton-sized court. The sport can be played as doubles or singles, both indoors and outdoors.

According to the USA Pickleball Association website, pickleball was invented in 1965 out of pure boredom. Three fathers, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, created the sport's rules after playing a homemade version of the game with ping-pong paddles on a badminton court. The sport was created as a way to bring their families together.

As for the name, there are several theories about the origin, but a popular one is that it was named after Pritchard's family dog Pickles, who enjoyed chasing the ball, the USA Pickleball Association website states.

The first known pickleball tournament was held in 1976 in Washington. Since then, the sport has been rapidly growing in popularity across the globe. In 2021, there were 4.8 million pickleball athletes in the U.S., according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

Where to play pickleball in Springfield

For those interested in trying out the sport, Springfield offers a variety of spaces to play pickleball:

  • Chesterfield Family Center on Thursdays 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays 4:30-7:30 p.m. at 2511 W. Republic Road

  • Dan Kinney Family Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to noon, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 3-5 p.m., and Fridays 7-9:30 p.m. at 2701 S. Blackman Road

  • Doling Family Center on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 8-10 a.m. at 301 E. Talmage St.

  • O'Reilly-Tefft Gymnasium Mondays-Fridays 8 a.m. to noon at 1408 E. Pythian St.

  • Horace Mann School-Park at 3745 S. Broadway Ave.

  • Meador Park at 2500 S. Fremont Ave.

  • Nichols Park at 1900 W. Nichols St.

  • Zagonyi Park at 2146 W. Mt. Vernon St.

  • The Fieldhouse Sportscenter at 2235 W. Kingsley St.

More: The Social Birdy, coming soon to Branson

Ten-pass punch cards are available to non-Park Board members for $25 at all Family Center facilities.

For more information about pickleball in Springfield, visit parkboard.org/pickleball.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: USA Pickleball Middle States Regional Championships coming to SGF