Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, but the need for special courts means its not always easy to play. In Centre County, there’s been a step towards improving that as a new batch of Pickleball courts opened.
The game has become quite popular in Centre County recently, and now it has a permanent home. Pickleball is a newer game, having been invented in 1965, but has vastly gained notoriety in recent years, largely because of how easy it is to get started. Drew Von Tish, a State College Pickleball Player saying: “I think the thing that separates Pickleball from other sports is it’s very simple to learn. It’s difficult to master but most people, their second time out can play a decent game of pickleball, and you don’t have to be a super athlete to get the basics of this game, and it’s just plain fun.”
Bo Barbrow, is known as the ‘Pickleball Czar’ around these parts. He says the game is for players of all ages. Barbrow saying: “We have a 12-year-old playing to an 82-year-old, it’s a low impact on your body, and a wonderful way to exercise regardless of age.”
In State College, the YMCA has been supportive of the rise of Pickleball over the last several ears. Joshua Cone, the Healthy Living Director for the State College branch, says they’re happy to have helped out. Cone adding: “6-7 years ago, I had a gentleman approach me and ask me about, this game of pickleball and could we put some lines down and try it out, and I looked into it and I was like ‘you know, alright, let’s give it a whirl,’ then I just felt the vibe of the community that this was something that I think would be a real benefit.”
And it’s created a tight-knit bond within the local Pickleball community. Drew Von Tish adding: “We travel together, we’re friends, we worship together, we, we go out to dinner together, we go to events, we even travel to Pickleball tournaments all over the United States together and this community is so welcoming to anyone who wants to join it.”
