Kudos to Town for Answering Pickleball Call, but Do Troubles Lie Ahead With a New Attitude in the Sport?

Just under three years ago, I helped organize the first public pickleball tournament on the East End, at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays. It was a huge success.

Just prior to the event the handwriting was on the wall that the sport was growing, and I decided to launch Around the Post Pickleball.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you and say that I saw the game expanding to the dizzying heights it has achieved. But I saw growth.

We were coming out of the pandemic, and the sport was gaining some momentum just prior to the start of the COVID era.

People couldn’t wait to get back on the few available courts in our town and play. At the time, the only courts available were in the outdoor hockey rink at Red Creek, where we held the tournament, and SYS in Southampton.

After the initial tournament was held, which we were not allowed to directly collect a fee for because it was on town property, the donations we asked for from the players surpassed our costs, and we donated the surplus monies to the town’s animal rescue center, also located in Red Creek Park.

I mentioned at the time to then-Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman that we could make this event huge, if we had more courts. He agreed.

As winter set in and we played pickleball inside at SYS, it unfortunately became apparent to me that the town was certainly not going to be installing any courts, nor would they allow me to temporarily tape lines on the existing tennis courts at Red Creek.

I moved the event, and many others since then, to the courts at Hampton Bays High School. I was allowed to charge a fee, give lessons and clinics, and expand the game in the Hamptons. We took some donations to provide us with the special surface paint and proceeded to paint the courts at the high school, and I donated the nets.

But the sport exploded. This last year has seen 36.5 million people playing pickleball at least three times in the last 12 months. When I started playing in 2015, it was 750,000 people.

The demand became overwhelming as municipalities across the nation had to meet the demand. But was this a fad or was it here to stay?

I’m happy to say, it’s here and it’s not slowing down. If tomorrow comes and no new players join the sport, the players are here to sustain it.

I’m also extremely happy that the Town of Southampton recognized the need and has answered the bell. It’s not an easy thing to take taxpayers’ money and spend it on a sport that could be a passing fancy. It took a little time, some public outcry and the national growing numbers to convince our officials this would be a sustainable sport and the facilities would be used.

Since our event in September 2021 at Red Creek, the town has installed fully dedicated pickleball courts next to SYS (four), in Hampton West Park in Westhampton across and down the road from Gabreski Airport (four), and an eight-court facility in Red Creek Park, which should be open and playable by July 15. Exciting news for Hampton Bays, which will now have 16 dedicated courts to use.

I am also happy to report that the foundation for another court at the SYS location has been poured, and talk is that more courts will be added to Hampton West.

Kudos to the Parks and Recreation Department and our town’s elected officials, both past and present.

But it’s not all milk and honey.

With the skyrocketing growth and younger players joining the ranks, a new attitude is creeping into the game that at one time was a lighthearted and unpretentious social activity for aging “I can’t play tennis anymore” groups. Its mass popularity is engulfing all facets of amateur athletes, both young and old.

When I first started teaching this sport three years ago, I’d always ask, “Why do you want to play pickleball?” The answer was overwhelmingly, “I used to be a tennis player — this seems easier,” or “I’m just looking to stay active in my advanced years.”

Now the answer to this question is: “My friends are playing it.”

And when your friends are playing it and you’re left out, you feel pressure. All of a sudden, your friends are going out with new friends they made playing pickleball, and you’re home alone. That, for me, has been the most singular reason for the expansion among players over 50 years of age.

The expansion among younger players over 30 years of age has added a new dimension to the sport, where sociability is not the key reason for playing. The social graces seem to be leaving us.

Now we hear horror stories of needing a timeout from play for a couple of weeks so tempers can cool off. I was shocked when I heard that SYS needed to shut down for a few weeks earlier this year. I stand behind that decision 100 percent.

During the holiday week between Christmas and New Year at SYS, the place was mobbed with players. The open play system in place has always worked, but when you play and now it’s a 20-minute wait to get back on the court, people start acting funny. They move their paddles in order to continue to play with the group they want to, and not play “open play” with the rotating system that makes the game social.

In fact, one group had got so bad, and so unashamed about going out for the fifth time together and thinking they were pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes, that yours truly finally had to speak up and address the group. The response from one of the men was profanity and a challenge.

Boy, have times changed.

My fear now is that although we have more courts to play on, the demand is still outweighing the available courts, and the attitude of a once-social, gentle sport will be overtaken by strong-willed players who don’t understand what it’s all about.

Pickleball is about being social. It’s one of the few places you don’t hear political, religious or moral social views. Because it’s just pickleball, dammit!

I’m not trying to paint a doom-and-gloom scenario for this sport. It’s great, it’s fun, it’s easy to learn. If we keep it in the proper perspective and play nice together, you’ll enjoy it more. Believe me, you will.

I am going to monitor very closely the behavior at the new courts at Red Creek. I hope I’m wrong about worrying about it. I also hope our local USAP ambassadors will be present to help along those who need a lesson in protocol and manners.

Remember, it’s just pickleball!