New pickleball courts to open in Madison

A new pickleball facility is about to officially open at the recreation complex at Town Madison. The courts will be open to the public this week.

The courts are free to use and available to the general public for recreational use.

Pickleball in Town Madison

The pickleball courts, which will officially open Friday, are conveniently located near the Hexagon building, adjacent to the recent City-acquired Public Safety Annex Office, Building 23A.

“We are proud of our expanding Parks and Recreation programs, especially as pickleball ranks as the fastest-growing sport nationally. Our residents can now enjoy 12 freshly re-surfaced courts to broaden our sports complexes across the city.”

Mayor Paul Finley

Currently, the courts will only be open for daytime use, but plans are in place to add lights to the courts for nighttime use.

One of the nation’s fastest growing sports

The courts add a new element to the recreation complex at Town Madison, and add access to one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

“The pickleball courts in the Town Madison area adds another highlight to the district increasing tourism and visitors, helping our local business grow. The Chamber is happy to support this initiative through this ribbon cutting.”

Michelle Epling, executive director of the Madison Chamber of Commerce

Pickleball was invented by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle. And the name “pickleball” apparently has nothing to do with eating pickles. It got its name from Joan Pritchard, the wife of the game’s creator.

Joan was a fan of college rowing and often watched college regattas. Similar to other college sports, those who didn’t start participated in a different competition. In this case, it was called a “pickle boat” race, which was just for fun. So Joel applied the name to this new sport.

And it has truly taken off in the last few years, as more than 30 million people participated in the sport last year, according to a CNBC report.

The City of Madison Parks and Recreation Department is organizing a Pickleball Mixer at the new courts this Friday from 9AM-1PM.

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