It did not take long for the six pickleball courts in Kiwanis Park to fill up after the city of Battle Ground live-streamed the official opening of the gate to the courts on social media on Wednesday, July 2.
Pickleball was designated as the official state sport of Washington in March, 2022. The sport was invented on Bainbridge Island, across the Puget Sound from Seattle, in 1965. The game of pickleball has almost developed a cult-like following, but players of the game say it is an amazing way to meet new people and get some cardio in for the day.
When all six courts were full of people having loads of fun with the game of pickleball, a pair of guys stood out from the rest. It turns out that Steve Lyon and Jaren Ek didn’t even formally meet each other until The Reflector interviewed them; they just showed up at the brand-new courts and started playing pickleball.
“I never met him,” Lyon said. “I didn’t know his name until right now.”
Ek and Lyon shared a laugh after that. Both of them have been playing the ever-growing popular sport for a few years now, they said.
“The community is a big thing,” Lyon said of how pickleball brings people together. “It’s a very inclusive community. If you see somebody, I mean, that’s how I got into pickleball. I was out at a tennis court with my kids, and some people I’ve never met before invited me to play with them, and now they’re some of my best friends.”
Ek and Lyon expressed that the sport has exploded into popularity, pointing to the six courts full of pickleball action just hours after it opened at Kiwanis Park for the first time.
“A lot of people have [courts] at their homes,” Ek added.
Ek also said how rewarding the activity of the sport is. Despite it being a smaller court than tennis, he said he gets great exercise from playing the sport.
“It’s an all-ages thing, too,” Lyon said. “Like, I played with kids over there, you know, and had a good time. One time at another place I played — I’m in my 40s, my partner was in his 50s — and we got our lunch money taken away from a guy in his 60s and another guy in his 70s; they destroyed us.”
Now that Battle Ground has a designated location for the sport, Lyon and Ek encourage everybody to come give it a shot.
“I’d say the level to get good enough where you have a fun time, not chasing the ball as you miss it, it’s really short,” Lyon said. “You know, to get from beginner to good enough to have fun is a really short distance. You play a few games, and you’ll be good enough, and you’ll want to keep playing and get addicted to it quickly.”
“Practice, Practice, Practice,” Ek added.
Lyon also gave an insight on equipment, “Don’t buy the cheap paddle.”
The Kiwanis Pickleball Courts are open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with six courts and a queuing station to stay organized.
