Pickleball is said to be the fastest-growing sport in America, and more than 20 Iowa cities have opened new pickleball courts this year.
The game is played on a small court with a net, similar to tennis or ping pong, and players use paddles to hit a plastic ball with holes across the net to score points.
“It can be competitive, it can be social. It can kind of be anything you want it to be,” according to Stephanie Mehmen, general manager of Pickle Palace in Cedar Rapids. The restaurant and event space opened in January and has six pickleball courts.
Jesup resident Megan Gable started playing pickleball with her kids last year. “I just think it’s a fun sport that anybody can do,” Gable says. “I mean, it’s something that can get you out, get you moving, get you physical.”
While more courts are being found in cities like Des Moines and Davenport, rural Iowans are jumping on the trend, too. Two years ago, Winthrop resident Dave Flexsenhar converted the hay loft in his barn into a pickleball court. He plays there in the wintertime every week, or on rainy days when they need an indoor court.
“It’s a fun way to get exercise,” he says, “interact with your friends.”
According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the number of pickleball players has tripled in the past three years.
(Josie Fischels, Iowa Public Radio)