ST. PAUL – Pickleball is often referred to as a seniors’ sport, but the St. Paul Pickleball Club is showing it can be more than that.
More and more young players are playing pickleball, bringing generations together through the sport.
"At one time, people thought this was a game just for seniors, but that trend is changing,” says Larry Hodinsky, a director on the club’s board, while pickleball players took to the courts at Kinsmen Park.
The reason is simple, says Hodinsky - the sport is accessible and easy to pick up. “It's not a very expensive sport to play. All you need is a racket,” he says. "It's also one of the fastest growing sports in Canada and more and more people are playing this game all the time.”
More players means more competitiveness across the sport, Hodinsky adds. Some players at the St. Paul club are now playing in tournaments out of town, upping both the competitiveness and social aspect.
But, the club's focus remains on welcoming people of all skill levels to the sport. Because if the club’s focus is put on the competitive aspect, “Nobody’s going to want to play," acknowledges Hodinsky.
Like any other sports clubs, “The goal of the club is to promote activity and fun for people of all ages – young and old,” explains Hodinsky.
“We really promote the fun, the camaraderie, and the laughter, and it's just a good way of getting out and having a lot of fun,” he says.
Barb Markham, who is also a director at the club, agrees. “As you can see here, we’ve got these young guys and then us, older guys, and they slow their games down for us,” she says.
“Then they can go off and have their really good and competitive games too,” she adds. “So we try to accommodate the new, the intermediate, and the advanced.”
Markham points out how the sport isn’t only growing in St. Paul, but across the region. Other players and clubs from other communities sometimes even visit the town to play pickleball.
“It’s a very welcoming club.”
Non-club members can play at the court during non-club hours. Club hours are set for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Advanced play is from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Evening club hours are 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Playing during club hours requires membership, but the first session is always free for newcomers.
The court at Kinsmen Park is also where the tennis club sometimes plays. The two clubs partnered to buy four semi-permanent pickleball nets last year that allow the public to use the courts for pickleball whenever they want, outside of club hours – provided they bring their own paddles and balls.
The tennis club’s partnership with the pickleball club also aligns with the tennis club’s mandate of providing access to the courts for the public.
