Category: PIckleball in the News
How to summarize Pickleball for your friends!
Here is a great summary of the appeal and the basics of playing Pickleball. If you don’t already play, it might help you understand the new sport, or for avid players, it’s a nice, concise explanation for your friends.
USA Pickleball Ambassadors Visit
Pickleball ambassadors are volunteers who have pledged to promote the sport of pickleball and the USA Pickleball Association. On Tuesday, July 2, our local USAPA ambassadors, Mike and Princess Leong, were invited to the SIR 114 luncheon at the Clubhouse. Mike and Princess gave an informative talk about pickleball and the benefits of playing, followed by a demonstration on the courts.Spectators were encouraged to join in and play.The Leongs are very supportive of our plans for dedicated courts, acknowledging this would make pickleball atThe Villages accessible to more players. They listed some of the many benefits:attracting new residents, increased club membership, building new friendships and supporting healthy living. A big thank you to the SIR organization for helping to promote pickleball here in The Villages!
Pickleball is Hot!
Villages Pickleball is hot! No, not the temperature, but Club growth and participation. Our membership has grown by over 60% so far this year, with new members joining weekly. We’re now averaging 35 court reservations per week; there would be more if had more time slots available!
We made the Cover!
The Meteoric Rise of Pickleball
- 2.815 million players
- Catalyst: a surging professional game
- Increase in TV Contracts and professional endorsements
- Larger prize purses and incentive pools
- Tremendous opportunity for cities, facilities, pro-shops, teachers, and more
Racket sports serve up health benefits
The World’s Most Interesting Man
Pickleball is for Golfers Too!
Pickleball Dominates Florida Community
Pickleball Dominates Florida Community
Naples Daily News (Florida)
When Chad Edwards and Simone Jardim uprooted their life in Michigan and moved to Naples two years ago, the husband and wife were betting on pickleball.
Edwards ran a baseball academy in East Lansing, while Jardim was the women’s tennis coach at Michigan State. But after playing in the 2016 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, the couple – already addicted to the sport – saw the game’s potential in Southwest Florida.
The bet paid off. Edwards and Jardim now run the academy at the largest pickleball facility in the country at East Naples Community Park. They’re at the forefront of helping the sport infuse with the DNA of Naples.