With growing popularity since 2020, pickleball has been gaining many players and leading to brand new leagues, as well as resulting in converting tennis courts to suit pickleball.
According to retired Souderton English teacher Joanne Jiruska, she likes how easy it is to learn the sport.
“Anybody can play at any age, any fitness level, any athletic ability. A person’s skill level can improve very quickly and it is very fun to progress and get better and better,” Jiruska said.
Pickleball is played on a court similar to a tennis court, but smaller. The pickleball court has a centerline, with sidelines and an area near the net called the “kitchen.”
The sport utilizes big round paddles and a plastic ball with holes in it called a pickleball.
According to Jiruska, pickleball is a very affordable sport since basic paddles only cost around $25 and you only need a paddle and a ball to play.
Due to pickleball’s fast growing popularity, many tennis courts are being converted into pickleball courts.
“There is a fair amount of resistance from the tennis community. Nobody wants to lose something that has been there for a long period of time,” Jiruska said. “They are painting [the tennis courts] so they can be used for both sports, or just converting them entirely.”
For those interested in trying pickleball for the first time, Jiruska offers some advice.
“Try it. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be reluctant,” Jiruska said. “Go to a beginner clinic or just play with some friends who know how to play and are willing to teach you and just go out and do it. You will be surprised how fun it is right away and truly how easy it will come to you.”
Increased interest in pickleball is also giving way to many new businesses, including Horsham-based PickleRight, a company that organizes “competitive and fun pickleball tournaments and offers instruction to players of all ages,” according to the company’s Facebook page.
In 2023, Jiruska’s son, George, founded PickleRight after playing competitively in many tournaments.
“I played in several different states and one of my biggest complaints about tournaments is that you can spend all day at a tournament,” George said. “I played one that lasted 14 hours long.”
As PickleRight’s CEO, George wanted to create a new system for pickleball tournaments that is efficient and doesn’t take a long time to finish.
“I wanted to run tournaments a bit differently. I created a format where you can finish your entire tournament in three to four hours and it’s just more fun,” George said. “It’s had a hugely positive response.”
Aside from running tournaments, PickleRight also runs clinics to help teach people pickleball. “I have a lot of students that I teach and I teach at a few different locations in Pennsylvania,” George said.
George’s advice to someone starting out in pickleball is to “find someone who truly knows what they’re doing the first time.”
According to George, one of the nicest aspects about the sport are the people who play it.
“Pickleball is the perfect [sport] for people to play, because the community is really fun and really friendly. The game is often very light,” George said. “The nice thing is that if you’re looking for that level of competition, it’s there, too.”