Pickleball is on the rise, dill with it

By Sabine Wilson

For the TODAY

In case you haven’t heard, pickleball is as hot as toilet paper at the start of a pandemic and is the fastest growing sport in America. In 2020, ESPN even made a public agreement with the Professional Pickleball Association to air all of the league’s 2021 tournaments.

And the people of the Oregon Coast are by no means immune to pickleball’s charms. The Lincoln City Pickleball Club’s membership has climbed to almost 100, with 29 joining a day after the Lincoln City Pickleball Kickoff in June.

And what better way to celebrate the sport’s rising acclaim than to have a tournament?

On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 21 and 22, the Lincoln City Community Center will host the second annual Paddle at the Beach Pickleball Tournament for mixed doubles teams, women’s and men’s doubles, pool play and medal matches.

“We are very excited to host this,” said Boone Marker, recreation supervisor for the Lincoln City Community Center. “We hope to continue to grow to the point that this becomes a destination tournament where people from all over come to compete.”

Pickleball is where tennis, ping-pong and badminton intersect, and has an enticing allure about it that leaves players coming back for more.

“Pickleball is definitely an addictive sport,” Marker said. “I would say the draw is that it’s a great, light exercise with a competitive undertone. And it’s also a great way to meet people.”

The club’s co-founder, Larry Brammer, agrees.

“It’s a wonderful group of people,” he said. “I enjoy the social aspect just as much as I enjoy playing. Everyone gives such a warm welcome to both old and new members.”

Brammer was a surfer, 20-year tennis player and even played 50 years of volleyball before finding his way to the game.

“Now I find some of those sports more difficult to do,” he said. “But pickleball is nice because you’re playing on a badminton-size court so there’s not as much running or aerobics involved. But it’s still a great workout.”

Brammer has been playing for roughly eight years, and remembers when they started with just one court.

“After playing with a friend in Newport, I came back to Lincoln City wanting to play more but no one was playing pickleball yet,” Brammer said. “So I went to the front desk of the gym where I worked and she gave me the phone numbers of a couple of people that hadn’t played before but were interested.”

Brammer called those people and they began playing on one court three days a week. Eventually, Brammer and a friend formed the Lincoln City Pickleball Club and the rest is pickleball history. Now the courts have grown eight-fold from the mere one they started with.

“If I were to describe the game in three words, it would be fun, competitive and social,” Brammer said.

Brammer will be participating in the tournament and emphasizes the importance of strategy with your partner as well as to simply savor the moment. 

“It’s important to figure out who is going to cover which shots and where,” he said. “But what I am most looking forward to is just having fun. I’m not looking to win medals or anything though of course we’ll all try.”

And as if the sport could not get any more wholesome, legend has it that when the founders of the sport were in the early stages of the game’s inception, the name itself was inspired by a dog named “Pickle” who kept stealing the ball and running away with it.

While many might be intimidated having never played before, Brammer says everyone has to start somewhere.

“The Lincoln City Pickleball Club has been known as an all-encompassing, beginner-friendly, all-levels-welcome group,” he said. “If you have any desire at all, you will receive a warm welcome and people who will be more than willing to help you learn how to play the game.”

If you are someone who likes to learn the fundamentals to feel more prepared, there is a wonderful opportunity for you provided by the community center.

“We are hosting a pickleball basics class from September 18 until October 23,” Marker said. “Classes will take place Saturday mornings at 9 o’clock for $30. You can register at the community center.”

The tournament will take place at Dorchester Park, located at the corner of NW 28th Street and NW Neptune Ave. Start times vary and will be e-mailed to registrants. Mixed doubles play matches take place on Saturday and men’s and women’s on Sunday. The entry fee is $50 per team. For more information and to register, go to lincolncity.org/parksandrec.

For more information about the club, go to the “Lincoln City Pickleball Club” page on Facebook.