Portage Parks Superintendent Kelly Smith was one of the first to use the new pickleball courts at Woodand Park on Sunday morning. It was her first time to play but likely not her last.
“Kelly, are you addicted yet?” asked Sherri Green, of Portage. “It’s fun,” Smith replied.
Green is a Professional Pickleball Registry coach and instructor. “I’m part of the Pickleball Partners as well,” she said. On Sunday, she gave Smith her first lesson in the sport.
The ball resembles a whiffle ball but is a bit harder. “It’s a combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton,” Green said.
Wearing eye protection is highly recommended.
Drills help build skills, as with any sport. But winning isn’t the best part of the game.
“It’s a game to have fun. You laugh a lot,” Green said.
“I’ll probably be out here every day,” she said. It’s good exercise, and it’s easy to learn.
The fun extends to prizes in some tournaments, where a jar of pickles can be the prize, Green said.
Tracey West, of Portage, has been playing pickleball for about two and a half years. “A friend of mine introduced me to it, and it was so addicting,” she said.
Gary Shepherd, of South Haven, was introduced to it about seven and a half years ago at the Hobart YMCA. “I fell in love with it immediately and have been competitive ever since,” he said.
“Patience and working your thinking skills” is his strategy. “You learn your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses as you play with them some more.”
Mayor Austin Bonta said he was initially reluctant to agree to building pickleball courts. “A couple of years ago, I thought that was a fad,” he said, and would soon fade, like racquetball. That seems not to be the case.
“Pickleball is one of those incredible sports that’s intergenerational,” he said during Sunday morning’s ribbon-cutting.
“It’s a multi-generational game,” Green said, pointing to where a young girl was sharing the court with three adults in the same game.
Smith credited Game Plan Solutions President David Uran. “He was a vital part in both the planning and execution of this project. We value his dedication and vision,” she said.
She also thanked Bonta and the Park Board for their support.
The pickleball courts were a popular request by residents. Pickleball Partners offered expertise, experience and generous donations for the courts, Smith said.
“This is truly evidence that the city is listening to its residents,” said Jerry Czarnecki, executive director of the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce, as he held the giant scissors and the rolled-up ribbon to be used for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the championship court at the center of the complex.
Smith sees the pickleball courts as bringing life and vitality to the park. “I think there was really a need for it in the community,” she said.
Assistant Superintendent John Harrison said construction was quick, about two months from start to finish.
The pickleball complex has a QR code on the sign for people to reserve a court, but two courts will always remain open for anyone to just drop by.
For now, at least, the courts are open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Where the courts now stand was once a pool, some 50 years ago, then a parking lot.
Woodland Park was once more popular, a prime location on Willowcreek Road, but the construction of a major thoroughfare that connects Willowcreek to Crisman Road and Ind. 249 cut off traffic to the park.
“It’s a beautiful park, but I think it’s underutilized,” Smith said.
With the pickleball courts now open, along with other improvements at the park, that might change.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
