Pickleball has ‘exploded’ in Pierce County — for good reason. Here’s where to play
Walk into just about any local YMCA gym these days, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear an increasingly familiar thwack.
On courts across the South Sound, pickleball — the fastest-growing sport in the country, we’re told, played with paddles, a wiffle ball and a lowered net, a little like miniature tennis or super-sized ping-pong — has taken off. Demand has been so high it’s been difficult to keep up, according to Zachary Shea, the adult sports director at the University of Washington Tacoma YMCA Student Center and the YMCA’s downtown location.
Longtime players and first-timers are turning up in droves, Shea said, eager to lace up and participate in an activity that’s suddenly sweeping the country — complete with pro teams, famous investors and TV deals.
“Pickleball has just exploded,” Shea said last week. “We see a huge demand. It’s a great way to be active, and the need for socialization is just huge right now, especially post-COVID.”
For YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, the challenge has been how to respond on a local level to the pickleball explosion.
With people clamoring to gather and play after spending the better part of three years avoiding each other, the popularity of pickleball is a tiny but telling reminder of the power of real human interaction — and also the childlike appeal of a sport with Pacific Northwest roots.
Shea said local YMCAs have dedicated more court time to pickleball and offered increased instructional opportunities, but later this month staff will double down. The Y will celebrate a system-wide post-COVID return to adult sports programming by launching regular tournaments at seven area locations, he said, beginning March 25.
Pickleball won’t be a passing fancy, Shea is nearly certain.
“The demand is just tenfold,” Shea said. “Anyone can play pickleball; there are so many people asking about it, and just wanting to learn.”
Beyond its quirky name — the origins of which have been debated at times over the years — pickleball’s popularity makes sense in Washington.
According to official lore, the sport was invented on Bainbridge Island nearly 60 years ago when former U.S. Rep. Joel Pritchard and some family friends combined elements of table tennis and badminton one summer afternoon. By 1976, the first pickleball tournament was held in Tukwila, and by 1990, the sport was being played in all 50 states, according to USA Pickleball.
Last year, Washington lawmakers took a break from more important things to name pickleball the state’s official sport.
Of course, for some Pierce County residents, pickleball’s local origins mean they don’t need an introduction to the game. That happened a long time ago.
For me, it was gym class at Edgemont Jr. High, under the expert tutelage of a tube-socked instructor, Mr. Schick. More than basketball or volleyball, pickleball was the section we looked forward to every year in school.
Last week at the Morgan Family YMCA on South Pearl Street, you could have sworn that John Wisdom, a Gig Harbor resident, was reliving his youth.
“It’s just a great sport for socializing, and exercise — mind, body, spirit, all of that,” Wisdom told News Tribune photographer Tony Overman between games. “It’s just fun. It’s like being a kid again.”
There’s something to be said for that — no matter how old you are.
Pickleball might not always be the country’s fastest-growing sport, but genuine human connection — and a little good-natured competition — will never go out of style.
The YMCA is banking on it.
“We want to serve everyone in our community,” Shea said.
“We really relish this opportunity with pickleball, and we can’t wait to grow the programs as much as we can.”
Cardholders and members of the general public can sign up for adult pickleball tournaments in person at seven local YMCA locations. Learn more online by visiting ymcapkc.org.
