Pickleball Pitched, but Tennis Players Fear Loss of Vintage Turf Courts

OCEAN CITY – At the Aug. 25 City Council meeting members were given a presentation on plans for pickleball courts. 
Before the presentation by Michael Allegretto, director of Community Services, Don Hepner, an avid pickleball player and organizer, addressed council. He voiced support for the city’s plan to provide permanent pickleball courts.
The sport has become popular with residents and visitors, Hepner said. Presently, during the summer, because there are no permanent pickleball courts, players set up portable nets on the playground adjacent to the Intermediate School on 18th Street.
“Pickleball has been proven to be an activity that is very family-oriented, provides healthy exercise for people of all ages, and brings many people with disposable income over the bridge,” Hepner said.
Hepner provided council with statistics on tennis court usage throughout the resort and pointed out locations that are underutilized. He suggested that the city considers creating permanent pickleball courts on those underutilized tennis courts. Hepner said that the tennis courts at 18th Street are one of the most underutilized on the island and that he is advocating that the site would make the most sense to locate pickleball courts.
Another expressed his concern about converting turf courts to hard courts for pickleball usage. He indicated that the tennis community did not want to lose any more turf courts. He said Ocean City is known for its tennis courts, and the turf courts are iconic, with the turf courts being attractive to older players. 
As recently as 2012, there were 19 carpeted turf courts and five hard courts. He said he was “disappointed” when the 34th Street tennis courts were resurfaced as hard courts following Hurricane Sandy.
Now 11 turf courts exist of 19 tennis courts. 
He proposed that the city forms a committee of tennis players and pickleball players to work out a solution for finding the appropriate location for pickleball courts. He stressed that they should utilize the hard courts already in place and not convert turf courts to a hard surface.
Allegretto presented the city’s idea for pickleball courts. The city is recommending that three of the turf tennis courts at the 18th Street site be converted to hard courts for double usage, tennis, and pickleball.
It would be possible to put four pickleball courts in the space of one tennis court. Access gates for each tennis court could be installed and “teaching nets” placed alongside each court.
Allegretto indicated that the courts at 18th Street are almost unusable and in need of repair. Converting them from turf to hard surface would be a cost effective means of addressing the need to create permanent pickleball courts within the resort. 
Council asked if the courts would be in place by winter. Allegretto said that some factors could delay getting work done this fall but fully expected the courts to be ready for spring 2017.
Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, Wash. in 1965 by William Bell, Barney McCallum and former congressman from Washington Joel Pritchard as an activity for their children, who wanted to play a new game.
It started on a badminton court in Pritchard’s backyard. Pritchard’s cocker spaniel Pickles had a habit of running away with the ball. Thus the sport received its moniker thanks to a playful dog: pickleball.
The sport is played on a 44-foot long by 22-foot wide court, with a 36-inch-high net dividing the center, much like a badminton court.
A 7-foot long area in front of the net is the no volley zone, which is restricted to players. It uses special whiffle balls and paddles, and a net hung lower than a tennis net.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.