Pickleball is a sport that’s been surging in popularity nationally and across Michiana. If you’ve been curious, you have a chance to learn Saturday in South Bend.
Listen to some of the words that fly out of Shannan Lindzy’s mouth on the court as her husband Brett’s beating her rather soundly, and you might just wonder how solid their marriage is.
"She calls it competitive," Brett says.
Shannan laughs.
"That's nothing! That's not anger, that's mild," she says.
The Mishawaka couple are two of the many people who like to spend their evenings at the city’s Central Park, playing the sport they can’t get enough of: Pickleball. It’s been called a cross between tennis, ping pong and badminton.
Once they get hooked, players say they get how it’s become America’s fastest growing sport. You can play one-on-one or two-on-two, it’s easy to learn, it plays fast, and it appeals to kids, young adults, the middle-aged and seniors. The only equipment you need is a wiffle ball and paddle – the middle-aged and up will tell you knee braces also are key – and you can play for free outdoors.
On this recent weeknight, shortly before 6, the couple in their early 50s are squaring off against each other while they wait for two friends to arrive. Brett says that by 6:15 the courts will be full. The city used to have basketball courts here but replaced them with six pickleball courts and a tennis court as the sport grew in popularity. The tennis court was getting so little play, compared to the pickleball, that it also was converted for pickleball.
The Lindzys started playing this summer.
"It's something we can do together and the exercise alone, you don't even feel like you're exercising," Shannan says.
"You're here two hours and it passes really quick," Brett says.
Shannan agrees.
"Early on I lost seven pounds in a week and it wasn't from anything other than we came out and played pickleball."
Nick Falletta has seen a lot of people pick up the game as president of the Michiana Pickleball Club. Falletta was one of the area’s early adopters, having first picked up a paddle 10 years ago after seeing a brief TV news story about it. At the time, he was having a harder time playing his beloved tennis because of ankle problems. Pickleball is played on a smaller court.
Falletta says the general manager at ICE Athletic Center agreed to let him tape off a pickleball court in the gym.
"We started playing, the four of us, and we never really did much solicitation but as people walked by going to work out, and doing other things in that facility, they'd see us and go, 'Hey what are you guys doing?'"
"I'd say, hey, come in and try it, it's a new sport. It really took off. Before ICE Athletics closed their doors, they probably had 100 pickleball players paying monthly fees to play there."
The club has 724 members. Falletta had hoped to reach 1,000 this year but says that’s likely coming next year. Membership includes introductory lessons, two tournaments a year, social events and community service projects.
Two club members will volunteer Saturday to introduce the game to anyone who’s been curious. The city of South Bend’s Venues, Parks & Arts plans a Ray Comer Pickleball Social Event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Boehm Park, where the pickleball courts have been named after a longtime parks employee who championed the sport before his death in 2020. Forecasted rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene could threaten the event.
Gary Demski, VPA’s athletic director, said adding the courts to Boehm Park has drawn more people to the park on Edison Road.
"I will see people out there as early as 7, 7:30 in the morning that are participating and playing pickleball," Demski says. "At times at 8 o'clock in the morning, we have eight courts out there, all eight of them will be filled. People I talk with on our Athletics Facilities team, 9, 10 o'clock they've got people actually waiting to get on the court."
Falletta, with the pickleball club, says one of his favorite things about pickleball is its wide appeal.
"It's easy," he said. "We've got folks that never played any sport in their entire life but they're playing pickleball."
At the same time, it appeals to serious athletes. In tournaments, players are matched by age and skill level.
"I'm 78 and I've gotten on the pickleball court with my 50-year-old son-in-law, my 16-year-old grandson and 17-year-old granddaughter, and it's a pretty unique game because you can actually play it. That 16-year-old grandson of mine, after a couple of open play, he was playing better than I'll ever play the rest of my life."
