West Reading has replaced its deteriorating tennis courts with 10 pickleball courts that opened this weekend and were quickly packed with players.
The courts are in West Reading Park at Museum and Sycamore roads, and 30 minutes before they were scheduled to open Friday morning there were eight games going on.
One of the competitors Friday was Michael Strouse of Temple.Â
“I think it’s like between tennis and racquetball but a little bit slower, but definitely challenging,” he said. “I think it’s a good sport for me to get into: get out and get some exercise, fresh air, meet people.”
Pickleball is sort of a hybrid of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, played on a smaller court than tennis and with a lower net using a paddle and a ball much like a Wiffle ball.
Saturday and Sunday there will be free lessons given to those new to the sport, but many already enjoy it, said Helen Moyer, borough recreation director.
“It’s a trendy sport,” she said.
The park’s four tennis courts had hardly been used in recent years, in part because they were so cracked and deteriorated, she said.
So instead of spending $200,000 to $300,000 to replace them, borough council decided last fall to go in another direction.Â
Fromuth Racquet Sports in Spring Township and the Shields Foundation offered to pay $250,000 to install pickleball sports as a gift to the community, and council accepted. They were built this spring.
Pat and Meg Shields, who own the business and are connected to the foundation, wanted people locally to be able to play a sport that has been around for decades but is quickly growing in popularity, Pat said.
Pickleball is a good for all ages because it’s less strenuous for older folks than tennis and easier for younger people to learn.
He mentioned pickleball’s health, social and community benefits, and said the courts, which were built in honor of Meg Shield’s parents, Terry and Bobbi McGlinn, will be a real asset.
“In 15 minutes of playing you can learn enough to have rallies and have a lot of laughs,” he said. “It’s a great, great sport.”
A nonprofit foundation called the West Reading Pickleball Association will eventually take over planning for events on the courts, he said, and that should soon include clinics, tournaments and leagues.
He hopes to include children from community organizations who might otherwise not have access to the sport.
And for those who want to give pickleball a try, it does not require a lot of equipment, he said. Paddles range from $50 to $200.
Moyer said she has heard from tennis enthusiasts upset with the borough for removing those courts instead of building new ones, but she’s also heard from others excited to use the pickleball courts.
The courts will soon be made wheelchair accessible, a process Pat Shields hopes is complete in a few weeks.
A grand opening for the courts is being planned for July.
