SALISBURY, Md. – There’s a new sport that’s all the rage, and if you haven’t heard about it, you are likely to soon.
That sport is pickleball, which is sometimes described as a mix of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong.
The sport was invented in the 1960s, and was for decades played by a rather small number of people, often senior citizens who wanted the physical workout of tennis, but without the impact on joints.
Pickleball – the name has nothing to do with pickled cucumbers – has been rapidly growing in popularity over the past ten years or so, with a certain global event giving it a boost according to pickleball enthusiast Davia Williams.
“I think it really picked up during the pandemic because it’s really one of the only sports where you can play and not be in direct contact with anybody, and it’s super easy to pick up, anybody can really play it.”
(By the way, the name “pickleball” comes from the “pickle boat” in crew, a rowing sport).
This increased popularity has Delmarva pickleball clubs scrambling for space.
“We had people complaining in neighborhoods that we were making a lot of noise early in the morning, so when they come up with this idea it was the greatest idea,” said pickleball enthusiast Wayne Perdue.
Perdue was referencing a new Wicomico County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism project that will bring new, tournament-quality pickleball courts to Salisbury.
On Wednesday, ground broke on the project at Harmon Field.
Harmon Field, a softball field, was chosen as the site for its location, and its recent lack of use.
“It’s a centralized location that was underutilized and so it’s good to reinvent some things in the current location instead of tearing up farmland,” said Carl Anderton, who represents District 38B in the Maryland House of Delegates.
The demand for playing space is rapidly growing. According to USA Pickleball, across the United States just ten years ago fewer than 4,000 players were registered with the group. In 2022, it has more than 53,000.
And those numbers are growing just as quickly on Delmarva.
“It grew from I’d say five people, to over one thousand people in Wicomico County in just the past two years,” said Leroy Lutz, pickleball ambassador in Wicomico County.
The project is estimated to cost $1.8 million. YMCA of the Chesapeake is contributing $300,000, with the rest covered by State of Maryland grants. No funds will come from Wicomico County.
In addition to the 12 pickleball courts, the new complex will also feature two basketball courts and a playground for children. It’s expected to open to the public in April, 2023.
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