Vic and Olivia Phillips of Rocky Mountain Court Surfacing near Logan are starting preparations for paint work on the west pickleball court in Malad City Park.  The east court has already been painted and lined, and is “ready to go” according to Phillips.  The painted court is awaiting the completion of the fencing and gating around its perimeter, but is otherwise finished.  The court took a bit longer than originally anticipated owing to some fibers in the surface construction that required additional efforts before the paint could be applied.

The company anticipates that the second court should also be painted and lined by the end of next week.  After the fencing is completed, the city plans to officially open the facility with a pickleball tournament.

“We know people are interested in what we’re doing,” Vic said.  “Every day we’re out here people walk by and stop to see what we’re doing and whether we’re done yet.”

A dedicated group of citizens has been hard at work promoting the project and making sure it’s moving along.  A large amount of the funding is the result of a grant from the AARP, and much of the labor has been locally sourced.  

Pickleball is older than many people think.  According to the sport’s official organization (USA Pickleball), it was invented in 1965 by Joel and Joan Pritchard, along with the input of friends and neighbors.  Joel and Joan’s son Frank was 13 and complaining about being bored in their hometown of Bainbridge Island, Washington.  According to the recollections of those involved, Joel said “When we were bored, we used to make up games,” to which Frank replied, “oh really, then why don’t you go make up a game!”

Taking on the challenge, Joel and his friend Bill Bell started experimenting with different options on an old badminton court.  Finding that the table tennis paddles they initially used were subject to breaking under the strain of hitting the perforated plastic ball from one of Frank’s sports sets, the two contacted neighbor Barney McCallum, who was something of a materials wizard.  Pritchard credits McCallum with being crucial to developing much of the game’s equipment and many of the rules.  The game developed over time to the point where it had become locally popular.  After it was picked up in a piece of entertainment journalism in 1968, it began to spread throughout the region, and eventually went national.

The name pickle ball was also homegrown.  Originally, it referred to a “pickle crew” of rowers, who were those left over from crewing teams that were not the official racing team.  The sport itself takes rules from a number of different ball and paddle sports, and combines them into something new of its own.  According to the Pritchards, again, the sport was not named after their dog Pickles, but rather, he was named after the sport (although there is still some amount of controversy over that claim).

In any case, pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country at the moment, with courts like those in Malad springing up literally everywhere a surface can be put down or retrofitted.  The sport is more welcoming than tennis, for instance, which is generally a high-speed, high-intensity workout.  Because pickleball courts are smaller and the speed of the ball is lower, it is easier to learn and become adept at.  

Medical experts point to a number of benefits to the sport.  As a moderately intense sport, it ranks alongside hiking, yoga, and water aerobics in terms of heart rate and calorie consumption.  In addition to the cardiovascular workout that it entails (one which is considered to be safer for those with various heart-related medical conditions than other paddle sports), it also has been shown to be beneficial for eye-hand coordination and fast-twitch muscle workouts.  The fact that the sport is usually played in doubles also allows for socialization to be a strong component of the sport’s appeal, and gives players a chance to spend positive time together in a way that is emotionally healthy.  

The sport is often seen as skewing older.  Less than a quarter of adults over 55 in the United States are said to partake in adequate exercise to maintain weight and health.  Pickle ball has been shown to be an extremely popular sport among that demographic.  The majority of “serious players” (those who play eight or more times a year) are over 55 years of age.  It’s also true, though, that the majority of casual players are under that age range.  The fastest growing segment of the pickleball population is, in fact, under 24.  Malad High School recently started its own pickle ball club, proving the truth of its appeal to the younger set.

As the sport increases in popularity, it has staged a number of high profile national tournaments and leagues.  There is currently a concerted effort to advocate for its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, though it did not make the cutoff for next year’s Paris Olympics.  

The pickleball courts will be a healthy, active addition to the other recreation options in the park, including baseball and basketball facilities, cornhole, splashpad and the walking path that circles the park itself.  The City Parks and Recreation department is always seeking to expand its offerings to the public.  A recent project brought lighting to the walking path to allow it to be used outside of daytime hours.  In the future, there are plans to add other elements to the park, one of the city’s busiest and most popular areas for families, teams, and individuals looking to exercise.