Pickleball Mega Center opens

Pickle Pro decided to go for the "full monte" with this development.  We're not sure how the economics of this idea will work out.  However, since it ties into their manufacturing plant and retail store, it will probably have enough usage to be profitable.  We're not at all sure if this business model would work anywhere else but it sure will be interesting to see of there are any "copy cats" out there.

http://southfloridareporter.com/naples-company-opens-worlds-first-pickleball-mega-center/

Cape Cod Pickleball

Screen Clip from interactive map found on the USAPA "Places to Play" webpage:
http://www.usapa.org/places-to-play-pickleball/

After reading this article, we thought there are 11 communities on Cape Cod that offer pickleball.  It actually turns out there are FIFTEEN places to play on the Cape! We were playing pickleball in Sedona, Arizona, one sunny Sunday afternoon this winter when a tourist from Cape Cod stopped by the courts.  He and his daughter were very good players.  While sitting out between games, we talked at length about pickleball on Cape Cod.  The individual told me that pickleball was exploding on the Cape and he fully expected a lot more courts to be built very soon.  Well, judging from this article, he sure was correct!

“It’s just exploding,” said Recreation Director Mary Bradbury. “It transcends ages and skill levels, mobility, flexibility — anybody can play.”

http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170602/pickleball-popularity-grows

Here's a June 16 Editorial from "The Falmouth Enterprise" newspaper regarding some of the pickleball developments in the Cap Cod area:

http://www.capenews.net/falmouth/opinion/pickleball-s-growing-popularity---editorial/article_b52d60fa-53c3-5c80-8834-f2c202cec9d7.html

Big News in Courtice, Ontario

In most communities of 35,000 people, the adventures of a Pickleball Person would never make the news.  Well, that's simply not the case in Courtice, Ontario.  Randy Elliot is going to the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Alabama, and that definitely made the news in Courtice!

https://www.durhamregion.com/sports-story/7292910-courtice-pickleball-player-heads-south-to-compete-in-u-s-national-senior-games/

Few over 80 compete in National Senior Games

Here's a general view of the pickleball courts inside the 220,000 sq. ft. Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Source of screen clip: http://abc3340.com/news/local/national-senior-games-kicks-off-in-birmingham

The National Senior Games (NSG) take place every two years.  In 2017, the NSG event is taking place in Birmingham, Alabama.  The 2019 NSG will be in Albuquerque.  About 10,000 Senior athletes are participating in this year's NSG, including 900 pickleball players.

The NSG pickleball competition got underway June 3 with Women's Doubles being the first events.  Men's and Mixed Doubles are also scheduled as well as singles.

About half of the pickleball competitors are aged 70 or less.  In men's singles, for example, there are about 200 competitors. In that category, the 70 and above contingent is well represented with about 75 players.  Very few competitors are aged 80 or above.  Only 18 of those are aged 80-84. Eight are 85-89 and a mere four are aged 90-94.

In Women's Singles, there are only 5 entrants in the 80-84 age bracket with just 3 in the 85-89 bracket and none any older.

In Men's Doubles, there are 14 pair entered in the 80-84 age range and just six in the 85-89 age bracket. In Women's Doubles, there are a mere six pairs in the 80-84 category and only two in the 85-89 bracket.

In Mixed doubles, there are eight pairs entered in the 80-84 bracket and five in the 85-89 age range.

The full roster of pickleball players comprises 75 pages.  Yo can look it over here:
http://www.nsga.com/media/documents/participant-lists/2017-Pickleball-Athlete-List

Ashland Pickleball demo

 As nearly as we can discern, pickleball will be played in this street in front of the museum.

Pickleball is front and center June 2 outside the Ashland, Kentucky, Heritage Center.  Featuring pickleball there is a very interesting "tie-in" to the theme of an upcoming Smithsonian exhibit entitled, "Hometown Teams How Sports Shape America."

Here's the news article: http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/pickleball-exhibition-in-front-of-museum-friday/article_ee134bc4-4646-11e7-b2b0-835331bc01c3.html