Pickleball players voice excitement about new courts

By Editor | May 19, 2026 |

Workers from Speciality Sports Court from St. Louis began work last week on the pickleball courts at Lowry Park. The area was originally a volleyball court, then converted to basketball and now will serve one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The area will hold two pickleball courts. (Beth Zumwalt/River County News)

By BETH ZUMWALT

Pickleball players in and around Pittsfield are excited about two new courts being constructed on the south end of Lowry Park. Currently, those wanting to participate in the sport need to belong to a recreational league held Monday Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons at the Crossroads Center. There is also a competitive league, which only has two weeks left in the season, held at Cindy Miller’s home near Martinsburg.
“I love it,” Miller said. “I had a court put in so I could play anytime.”
Miller says her competitive league plays on her indoor court four times per week. The league has 20 players or 10 teams.
“We have some women that do both the recreational league and the competitive league,” Miller said. “We have pros come in and do clinics.”
Pickleball took off in the United States in the mid 90s and has been growing ever since.
Miller attributes that to the ease of play, minimal cost and sociability.
“It’s a great way to meet people and get some exercise at the same time,” Miller said.
Miller said the cost to get into pickleball starts with the purchase of a paddle, a ball, protective glasses and court shoes.
She estimates a person could easily get on the court for around $100.Miller said most indoor courts do not allow street shoes and a separate pair of shoes must be used. The Crossroads requires separate shoes.
“You can pay up to $250-$300 for a paddle, but, the main thing is decent court shoes,,” Miller said, adding that athletic ability is not required. “If you can hold a paddle, you can play pickleball.”
Miller suspects the game got it’s name from an old practice of building “pickle boats.”
“That’s where you build a boat from scraps that you found laying around,” Miller said. “pickleball is the same way, they use a wiffle ball, an altered ping-pong paddle, a badminton net placed low on the ground and a court the size of a badminton court”
Games are typically played to 11 points and the winner must win by two. Both players on a team get a chance to serve before the other team serves.
After a serve, the receiving team must let the ball bounce before returning it and the serving team must also let the ball bounce. After two bounces occur, either team may hit the ball out of the air. A 7-foot strip on both sides of the net is called the kitchen or non-volley zone. Players may not set into this zone to hit a volley. Serves must be underhanded and struck below the waist.”
Terri Wombles brought the game to Pittsfield four years ago. The recreational league plays at the Crossroad Center, which hold three courts. A fund-raising tournament last year for Every. Little. Thing. which supplies needed clothing, bedding or hygiene items for less-fortunate children in the Pikeland School System used the court at The Crossroads and created four courts in the gym at Pikeland Community School.
Miller has also hosted a tournament for the Pike County Art Guild, but, it has grown so much, this year it will be held in Quincy.
Wombles said her league has waiting list and has no trouble finding substitutes on days a regular can not make it.
“We intend to keep the gym at Crossroads,” she said. “That way we can play rain or shine.”
Both Miller and Wombles said they hope the city puts up signage at the new courts, explaining the rules of the game and advising players of the etiquette that goes with the game.”
“I hope they have paddle stacking,” Wombles said. “In pool halls, if somebody wants to play pool, but the table is in use, they put a quarter on the table, the winner retains the table, but, the loser leaves and the person whose quarter is up next gets to play. We hope they do that with paddles. A player puts their paddle up and they get the next game after the one in progress ends. That keeps somebody from hogging the courts for hours.”
While both women admit the sport appeals to the older generation, they hope the availability of open courts will encourage people of all ages to take up the game.
“We always play doubles, but, in some places younger players play singles,” Miller said.
Wombles agreed that the sport is a lot of fun and should be tried by everyone.
“It’s exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise,” she said.
The court is expected to be finished by early or mid-July and is being paid for my a yet-to-be announced donor. No city dollars are being used to build the courts. Estimated cost of the project was around $180,000.