The pickleball courts on the Mountain View Campus are in line for a makeover, as the city of Port Townsend’s Parks, Recreation, and Tree Advisory Board passed a proposal Aug. 24 to resurface …
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The pickleball courts on the Mountain View Campus are in line for a makeover, as the city of Port Townsend’s Parks, Recreation, and Tree Advisory Board passed a proposal Aug. 24 to resurface the courts.
The proposal includes the instillation of permanent pickleball nets, the removal of numerous basketball hoops on the court, and forming a multi-use section of the area for pickleball and basketball.
The existing court will stay the same size after the renovations, and will have two newly paved sections for pickleball, along with the multi-use court.
The existing basketball hoops on the property have already been removed for potential safety hazards.
“The hoops were dangerous; they rusted away enough that they were ready to tip over,” King said. “One blew away a year or two ago.”
The new multi-use court will have a half-court basketball section for players to use.
Pickleball has rapidly risen in popularity, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Port Townsend. With participation growing by 21.3 percent in the last year, according to the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, the sport has given people of all ages the opportunity to stay active outside amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
For older residents, pickleball may be more appealing than the fast-paced level of tennis or the slow nature of golf, putting the sport in the Goldilocks zone of athletic activities for retirees.
King hadn’t heard of the sport until around 10 years ago, but praised its appealing nature for residents looking to stay active in a fun way.
“It’s a very social sport, it’s not really intense like tennis,” King said. “Its very, very, popular out here, especially the West Coast.”
Pickleball was originally invented in the 1960s on Bainbridge Island, and was greatly influenced by tennis, badminton, and table tennis. The sport can be played with two or four players, similar to tennis, and uses wooden paddles to knock a ball similar to a wiffle ball.
The new swap in courts follows the conversion of tennis courts at Courthouse Park in Port Townsend to pickleball use.
