By Pickler Paul at Blogfinger.net
Picklers are pushing town officials all over to build dedicated pickleball courts. The impact of pickleball is tremendous. It is the fastest growing sport in America. There are now an estimated 5 million Picklers in the US and growing. Town officials are getting caught by surprise since most never heard of the game.
In Clifton they are finishing construction on 12 dedicated courts. The Mayor of Clifton is being pressured by “the pickleball community.” The Clifton mayor calls the sport “a juggernaut.” The Clifton pickleball page has 300 members. Note that Clifton is financing their courts with Green Acres funding. What does OG get from Green Acres?
Towns are under pressure to build dedicated Pickleball courts in large numbers. Building tennis courts for double duty as Pickleball courts (ie “hybrid courts”) is not desirable. Picklers get exhausted chasing balls around tennis courts, and the lines on lines can be disorienting.
The noise issue is a red herring, and the noise reduction curtains don’t work well. The balls and the paddles are hard. The problem with neighbors is the repetitive sound, not the decibels.
Providing pickleball courts in sufficient numbers won’t work in the Grove unless the North End is turned into a park. Then, yes! It should have become a park years ago.
Neptune should put courts in all their parks. The Township should take part in this discussion. Neptune has a history of dodging OG issues, like when they wouldn’t help with the Sandy cleanup near the Ocean. It’s the old private vs public discussion, and our taxes should offer more for the Grovarian Picklers.
Pickling is even suited for coed competition. Some places have installed lights for night-time play. Players often cite the exercise value–“more fun than walking.”
And they need a song, like the Dr Pepper song—just change it to “I’m a Pickler.”
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