FROM THE USAPA and an inspiration to everyone she meets . She ’ ll be competing next year in the National Senior Olympics in Birmingham , Alabama .
Niles is also experiencing great growth . It hosts the annual Southwest Michigan Tournament and even had to move it to a larger facility in Indiana this year ( yep , SW Michigan played in Indiana ) to accommodate the increase in players . Niles is also the home base of Paddletek , a major paddle company and a great supporter of pickleball nationwide .
The best part of pickleball in southwest Michigan — the people . They are welcoming , encouraging , and willing to help in any way to support our sport and our tournaments . If you are traveling in the area , be sure to stop by and play .
ROYAL OAK LOCAL CLASSIC
BY NANCY ROBINSON
Summer of 2010 – Royal Oak opened its first outdoor pickleball courts thanks to Pat Sullivan , who had learned how to play pickleball in Sun City Grand . She and a group of residents transformed two unused tennis courts in a park into eight beautiful pickleball courts . At the time , the park was a place where homeless people were living and the courts were an eyesore ; today it is a vibrant park with daily activity of basketball players , kids playing , and of course the pickleball courts that are filled every morning beginning at 9 a . m . The courts are so busy that two years ago I went to the city and asked if there was another park with unused tennis courts that could be made into pickleball courts . Once again , a core group of volunteers did the manual labor and made eight courts . Our club has grown so big that this year we became a nonprofit with the goal of helping out the community . Free beginner clinics are offered at both locations in the summer . This year a group of volunteers went to downtown Detroit to teach veterans how to play pickleball . Our second park is located right across from an elementary school , so in the spring we have a group of kids who come on their lunch hour to learn how to play pickleball .
Today the original courts host the Royal Oak Skill Level Tournament and every year it fills up before the deadline , leaving some players on a waiting list . The last few years we have had the pleasure of some of the top-level players come and play at our tournament . Profits from the tournament are used to maintain the courts since we are a self-sustaining club .
For the sport with the funny name that ’ s played with a wiffle ball , the game ’ s genesis in Michigan certainly didn ’ t begin with a big bang . It had its beginning in 1985 with a small group of players who began playing once a week in the parking lot of the Grand Traverse Yacht Club . Gary Ford , George Powell , and a few other men played for the pure love of the game in what was less-than-ideal conditions , but as most pickleball players know , that really doesn ' t matter much . What really matters is the fun and fellowship of doing something you really enjoy , with other like-minded people . Oh , and did I say for the adrenaline rush you get hitting that wiffle ball really hard ?
Well , as time went on , this small group started inviting other friends from the Yacht Club to try this addictive game they so loved . Several of that group started renting a court from the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA in the early 1990s . Gary Ford , current President of the nearly 200-member nonprofit Traverse Area Pickleball Association , stated that “ more than likely we were the only group of pickleball players in Michigan at the time .” According to him , during this period all equipment was purchased from Pickleball , Inc ., Seattle , Washington — the only supplier of equipment at the time . The supplier was often asked whether there were other people buying equipment in Michigan and always responded that Traverse City was the only place in the state where people were playing pickleball and buying paddles , balls and other equipment . So that ’ s our story and we ’ re stickin ’ to it !
Fast-forward over 30 years to 2016 and we see a totally different pickleball landscape in the Traverse City and surrounding areas . An important part of the recent growth in our area is due , in no small part , to the tireless dedication of Bob and Ginny Postma from Traverse City . Bob and Ginny started a pickleball program at the Traverse City Senior Center in 2009 . Today it has over 200 players registered for a program that offers play three days a week on six pickleball courts using portable nets at the Senior Center tennis courts located on the shores of beautiful Grand Traverse Bay . The program also has introductory beginner playing lessons once a week during the
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TRAVERSE CITY AREA
BY GARY FENELEY , USAPA DISTRICT AMBASSADOR
Is the sport of pickleball growing in the Traverse City , Michigan area ? I can answer that question in a nanosecond : YES ! Growing isn ’ t a strong enough word for the explosion in the sport ’ s popularity in and around the Traverse City area .
DECEMBER 2016 | MAGAZINE 53