Michiana Pickleball Club is growing

Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Seniors can benefit from being outdoors for many reasons. The latest rage has caught on in the Michiana area with new pickleball courts in South Bend. The brand-new Boehm pickleball courts are located at Boehm Park in South Bend.

Pickleball is a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket or paddle sport in which two players, or four players, hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch high net in the middle using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction.

devised the sport using an old badminton court. Soon, the three men created rules, relying heavily on badminton.

Today, USA Pickleball membership numbers reached the 70,000 mark in February 2023, after a nearly 30% increase in membership growth in 2022.

The new, permanent pickleball courts in South Bend have six new courts. A ribbon cutting for the new courts and a tournament took place Saturday, June 24. Another tournament is planned for Aug. 12-13, at The South Bend Racquet Club.

Michiana Pickleball Club is helping to grow the sport of pickleball in the region. President Nick Falletta said the sport has grown for a variety of reasons.

where you can do that,” Falletta noted.

Pickleball is also a great way to meet new friends.

“I’ve made more friends in pickleball than I have in all my other adult years,” Falletta said.

Michiana Pickleball Club currently has 570 members with some in their 80s.

“We have a goal to get to 1,000 members,” said Falletta.

Denise Van De Walle, club secretary, said the sport has become more main stream.

It is also affordable. A paddle costs about $30-$35. PaddleTech in Niles, Mich., makes paddles and a Mishawaka sporting goods store has a new section designed for pickleball players.

Skill level sets are a guide for evaluating players’ own levels. They were developed utilizing both existing guidelines listed by the USA Pickleball on its website and refinements by larger pickleball clubs.

Pickleball dates back to 1965 when men in Washington state

“I think the reason it is so popular is because anyone can play it at any age,” he said. “So, that’s exciting to a lot of people.”

He said the sport is a very sociable one and one that is multi-generational as families can play together. He said his son-in-law and grandchildren like to play.

“There’s not too many sports

Van De Walle has competed in several tournaments and won.

“I am a competitive tournament person,” she said. “It (pickleball) has become a big part of my life.”

For more information or a list of places to play, visit michianapickleballclub.org or its Facebook page. For information about the sport, visitusapickleball.org.