We need pickleball

By Carroll Schultz Reetz

Special to the Express

This is In defense of pickleball and not a comment on Greenway Funds and how they should be disbursed.

Pickleball is not a fad. It is the fastest growing sport in the country and has been around for decades. It’s just that Western New York is a little late to the party as per usual. Pickleball is a great form of exercise, builds community and expands your social circle. All things that are good for you.

My husband and I learned to play pickleball this year while in California and became hooked. We were eager to continue to play here at home in Niagara Falls. So, we immediately searched out courts when we got back. We went to check out the tennis courts at Hyde Park. What a disgrace. While there are pickleball lines drawn onto several of the courts, the courts are in terrible shape (potholes and cracks) and there is no wind screening. No one can play tennis there, let alone pickleball. Kiwanis Park in Lewiston has a few courts but given the dearth of courts in this area, I imagine they are pretty packed. Grand Island has a private facility but not everyone can afford that. We are now having to look across the river to Niagara Falls, Ontario where they have 10 different public parks with pickleball courts.

The City of Niagara Falls needs to start doing something to provide decent recreational and fitness opportunities for its adult citizens and not just golf. The Hyde Park pool is barely open in the summer and there is no adult swim so trying to do laps is nigh on impossible. The schools limit access to their facilities despite the taxes we pay. I live and pay taxes in Niagara Falls and yet have to look at other surrounding cities and another country to find pickleball courts and swimming options. That may be part of the reason that when you look at the bodies walking around Niagara Falls, they are not exactly models for healthy living.

Until this city starts providing services like a real city, people with means will continue to leave for cities that can provide what most cities consider basics and that includes quality city parks and recreational opportunities.