Patriotic tunes from church bells at Our Lady of Mount Carmel drifted across Bristol’s Town Common on a breezy Sunday morning this month. The music was perfect for this town that bills itself as the most patriotic in America because its Fourth of July celebration is the oldest in the nation.
A ball field, playground, basketball court, and bandstand — tucked behind two old school buildings, the historic Bristol State Capital, and the First Baptist Church on High Street — were all quiet at this hour. Along Wood Street on the opposite side of the Common, though — where three tennis courts used to be — the unmistakable sound of pickleball punctuated the air.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Bristol residents Nancy and Peter Tache, nationally ranked players, had split up to play doubles with Michelle Dias of Fall River and Amy Sanga of Tiverton – and to offer tips to prepare them for the Nutmeg State Games in Rocky Hill, Conn., the following weekend.
Pickleball. You have read about it in national publications. The fastest-growing sport in America: 36.5 million participants in 2022, exceeding 25.1 million golfers and 22.6 million tennis players, according to estimates by the Association of Pickleball Professionals.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2022 report has pickleball participation trailing only biking (51.4 million) and running (49 million) in the United States.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! You have heard the sound of pickleball if you have passed by a public park, vacationed at a resort, or belong to a club that has built new pickleball courts or converted tennis courts. Think Wiffle Ball meets ping pong paddle. In some places neighbors can’t stand the noise and complain bitterly. But for the men and women who play, the sound is sweet music and the game is fun. No, make that F-U-N!!!
“It’s always fun, we’re always laughing, and we’re super competitive,” Amy, 49, told me during a break. She is the director of innovation and technology at La Salle Academy. She also teaches AP statistics.
“We’ve met some really nice people through the sport,” Michelle, 49, added. She is an operations account manager for Travelers Insurance in Braintree, Mass.
The social aspect is a big reason people play pickleball. The game is primarily doubles, and, aside from tournaments, the popular practice is players rotate in and out of games. For example, show up at the Bristol Town Common on a Saturday morning, grab your racquet, hang your bag on the chain link fence, and soon enough you will be playing.
Pickleball is attracting players of all ages.
“I came to Bristol for an open clinic two years ago in July,” Michelle said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I had never heard of pickleball. It was 90 degrees, and I was out here for six hours. I was hooked.“
“During COVID I couldn’t go to the gym. I heard about pickleball starting in Little Compton. Then I came here and met Peter and Nancy,” Amy said.
Pickleball is easy to learn, another attractive feature. Games are to 11 points, the serving team wins the points. Players serve with an underhanded scooping motion. They cannot volley from the No Volley Zone, an area seven feet from the net also known as the Kitchen.
A pickleball court takes half the space of a tennis court, so one tennis court can hold two pickleball courts. The smaller court means less running. Quick hands and feet and good balance are big pluses. Games can be fast-paced, which means you can get a good workout in about an hour.
Nancy and Peter have played tournament pickleball for about five years. This year Nancy, 63, won the gold medal in the 60-64 division at the Boca Raton Masters. In 2022 she finished sixth in women’s doubles at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She won the gold medal in the 55-over division at the Atlantic City Open and has earned multiple medals at the Atlantic Regionals. She is ranked 19th in the Northeast.
Nancy and Peter finished eighth of 40 teams in mixed doubles at the 2022 National Senior Games. They will play in the inaugural Ballpark Series tournament at Fenway Park July 12-16 That’s right. Pickleball in iconic Fenway. As Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione would say, “Can you believe it?”
Oracle Park in San Francisco and Coors Field in Denver are also on the Ballpark Series calendar this summer.
Wait! There’s more. Pickleball is coming to Foxboro this weekend. Courts will be set up on Gillette’s Stadium’s Parking Lot 19 for the Patriot Place Pickleball Classic June 23-25. Players of all ability levels will compete in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles.
Imagine, pickleball at the home of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. And on cruise ships and at so many resorts in the U.S. that pickleball tourism is taking off, according to a June 13 Wall Street Journal report.
Most pickleball is played outdoors on hard courts. The ball does not bounce like a tennis ball. Players in Rhode Island and the South Coast of Massachusetts no longer have to head south to play in the winter. Andy Carr, who coached South Kingstown High School to 17 boys tennis state championships during his 28-year career, and Kara Biller, an occupational therapist and former college tennis player and coach, opened Ocean State Pickleball in Wakefield last January and reached their goal of 200 members in six weeks. They have two indoor courts. They also run outdoor pickleball programs at West Kingston Park and Old Mountain Field in Wakefield.
In Fairhaven, Mass., partners Adam Rogers and Rob Ferreira opened Southcoast Pickleball last August to rave reviews. The 22,000 square-foot former roller skating rink houses seven courts, is air-conditioned and open daily. Michelle and Amy play there.
Nancy Tache, a personal trainer for 30 years and aquatics director for 20 years, teaches pickleball now. Peter, 60, is a commercial real estate appraiser and pickleball instructor. They sold their house in the Touisset section of Warren close to five years ago and rented in Bristol so they could play pickleball. They spend part of the winter in Florida, where the sport is hugely popular. The Villages, a 55+ active adult community in central Florida, has 350 courts.
“It’s a lifestyle,” she said.
Or, as Amy put it before returning to the court on the Bristol Town Common: “Very few people, once they start, don’t continue.”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Breaking news! The Town of Bristol is completing renovations to the Town Common courts this week. The result will be six permanent pickleball courts in place of two tennis courts and one court lined for tennis and pickleball.
Mike Szostak can be reached at mszostak@ripr.org.
