Pickleballers’ Plea: More Courts!

To the next person who tells me I should play pickleball: Join the list.

There are already 10,577 ahead of you.

My sister, a doctor friend, half the people in the YMCA locker room — all are pickleball enthusiasts.

Actually, they’re evangelists.

They tout the enjoyment of the game. The ease of learning. The health benefits. The camaraderie.

I wouldn’t call it a cult. Then again, I wouldn’t not call it one.

I’ll play pickleball at some point, I’m sure. In the meantime, here’s a report on the state of pickleball in Westport.

In a few words: It’s good. But it could be better.

Everyone (except me) plays. Which means there are not enough places to play.

In fact, besides the 2 pickleball-only courts at Compo Beach, and 4 others that share tennis lines at Doubleday (behind Saugatuck Elementary School), there are no other public spots in town.

The Westport Pickleball Association aims to change that.

The 6-week-old group is well organized. They have a board. They have members. And they have a mission: raise awareness of the sport; facilitate its growth, and get more courts.

The pickleball push comes as the Parks & Recreation Department is undergoing a study of Longshore’s facilities and future. There are spaces available — like a parking area near the E.R. Strait Marina — and the WPBA wants to make sure every option is considered. They’re working with Parks & Rec’s Racquets Advisory Committee on that effort.

WPBA member Robbi Feinberg knows there are many considerations for new courts, whether at Longshore or elsewhere; topography and terrain, proximity to neighbors, accessibility.

But, she says, those courts are crucial.

Then she invited me to play.

(To learn more about the Westport Pickleball Association, email wpba2022@gmail.com.)