By rssfeeds-admin “You make great friends that you would never meet anywhere else,” said Tom Rondone.
Those who gathered at the UW Health Sports Factory are part of a growing club that organizes and plays Pickleball throughout the year.
“So there’s somebody who has all of our emails, you know, we give it to him, and then he says, ‘We’re going to play this day,” said Allen Steely. “They also then on birthdays, people bring cookies and things. So it is a social club as well.”
April is National Pickleball Month, and it has been the fastest-growing sport in America for 4 years running.
Steely said the sport’s popularity is due to its benefits for those who are retired.
“Right after I retired at age 66, then I started to play,” said Steely. “You make new friends, and there’s many different places to play in town… It’s also great exercise for older people to keep your heart [and] your lungs in shape.”
A fellow member feels the same way when it comes to playing the sport.
“You adapt to a certain group of friends, and you become very close,” said Dean Russell.
The health benefits of playing keep Russell on the court.
“I’ve been diabetic for 38 years. It’s to keep moving so I don’t get complications from diabetes,” Russel explained. “It’s just expanding, and I will never meet people that good [of] friends from out of town.”
According to USA Pickleball, 4,000 new courts were added nationwide in 2024.
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