Members participate in open-play pickleball action at the Boothbay Region YMCA on Friday, Nov. 17. (Mic LeBel photo)
In ancient times, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon searched the Americas in vain for a fabled fountain of youth. Had Ponce de Leon sought the fountain in Lincoln County he would have found it on the pickleball courts.
A tour of indoor pickleball programs in Damariscotta, Waldoboro, Wiscasset, and Boothbay demonstrated that many seniors of both genders and diverse socio-economic backgrounds are embracing the healthy exercise and vigorous socialization stimulated by the sport.
Pickleball is a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, and is usually played two against two (doubles). A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court (20 feet by 44 feet), and the net is slightly lower than tennis (36 inches).
“Our biggest age group for pickleball is players in their 60s,” said Georgia Ahlers, the director of racquet and paddle sports at the CLC YMCA in Damariscotta. “I love how it’s an intergenerational sport. A 70-year-old can easily play with their grandchild – it’s a great family activity.”
In addition, Ahlers said, the rules and scoring system are easy to learn.
In pickleball, competitors use a paddle to hit a plastic ball with holes back and forth over a net on a marked court like tennis, except the court is much smaller. The court is striped like tennis with left and right service courts, except it also has a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net called the kitchen. The ball must bounce in the kitchen before playing it.
While pickleball can be athletically rigorous at its most competitive levels, for the most part it’s a low to moderate cardiovascular activity that also promotes balance and hand-eye coordination for people of all skill and fitness levels. Perhaps most importantly, it creates a pathway for healthy social interaction and an opportunity to meet people in a casual social setting. At every location visited, pickleball players noted that the social community is a cherished element of pickleball.
Although pickleball is said to have been invented in 1965 by a bunch of dads in the Seattle, Wash. area looking for a fun new activity with their kids, it didn’t burst onto the national scene until the past decade. Now, pickleball courts are springing up all over on repurposed gymnasium floors and tennis courts.
There is a wide variety of year-round opportunities for people to get involved in pickleball throughout Lincoln County.
“Tennis courts are easily converted to pickleball, and since the courts are so much smaller, a facility can accommodate a lot of pickleball participants,” said Ahlers.
Informal pickleball clubs are springing up locally, too. The Round Pond Picklers, a group that swells to more than 35 players in the summer, spruced up the outdoor tennis courts in Round Pond village to create a hub of social activity.
“It’s all about community and making friends,” said Alis Ohlheiser. “Everyone is welcome, just show up and play.”
The mostly senior Round Pond group gathered donations and created a pair of pickleball courts, with a third budgeted for 2024.
“We hold a social event each month,” said Martyn Moses, the informal organizer of the group. “In September, we hosted a tournament with 22 participants, and in October we had a snowbird happy hour as a send-off to many of our summer players that go south for the winter.”
This time of year, most pickleballers are looking for an indoor court, and on a chilly November morning five of the Round Pond Picklers have honed in on the warm, inviting environment of the CLC YMCA in Damariscotta with other locals for the open play session on one of the repurposed tennis courts.
Oftentimes, players have to wait their turn to use a court, but they find ways to pass the time. The waiting players mingled, socialized, and smack-talked the active players out on the court. There was a lot of laughter, and the pickleballers were getting a workout.
At the Wiscasset Community Center, Bob Brzozowski said he moved to the area two years ago and joined in the pickleball action last year.
“I wasn’t getting any exercise before this,” said Brzozowski, a 77-year-old former tennis player. “I’ve met a bunch of good people and had a lot of fun.”
“It’s the fastest growing program we offer,” said Duane Goud, Wiscasset Parks and Recreation director. “This summer we held it on the high school tennis courts and would have five pickleball courts busy each day. Now, we’re inside on three courts and those are full just about every morning from 7:30 to 10.”
The Boothbay Region YMCA offers the most comprehensive pickleball program in the county with classes, a variety of open play times for beginner, intermediate and competitive levels, and a large pickleball league with 32 players and 15 subs on Monday nights.
“The league has been a big hit with great participation, enthusiasm, and camaraderie,” said Susan Kirby, Boothbay Region YMCA’s U.S. Professional Tennis Association-certified pickleball and tennis professional. “Our whole pickleball program is very popular, and it’s growing. I love seeing the social aspect, the fitness, and the good-natured competition. The age range in the mornings is typically from 40-80 years old … each game is about 10 or 15 minutes. So, the ease of coming and going is another benefit of the sport.”
Don Dickson is a senior and former raquetball player that shifted to pickleball four years ago. “
I’ve met so many people here playing pickleball,” said Dickson during open play at the Boothbay Region YMCA. “It’s fun, easy to learn and it gets people out doing something productive.”
“A few years ago the field house and tennis courts had been trending toward low use and we were looking at other options such as an indoor turf field,” said Boothbay YMCA CEO Andy Hamblett. “Then pickleball exploded onto the scene and the field house has been bustling ever since.” A fundraising campaign added new lighting to the field house that enhanced pickleball, and there are now eight courts painted onto the two indoor tennis courts.
“It brings people together that might not otherwise meet,” said Hamblett. “Our pickleball community has young, local fishermen playing alongside doctors and retirees, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Marcus Benner, Waldoboro Parks and Recreation director, said that for the past several years the town been holding fall and winter pickleball in the gym at the First Baptist Church in Waldoboro.
“Each of our indoor sessions usually draws between a dozen to 20 regulars and newcomers,” said Benner. “I love how pickleball is fitness for everyone. The cost of entry is low, and we have extra paddles if people need them to get started.”
The open play sessions in Waldoboro are mostly comprised of retired seniors, in part due to the time of day when many younger folks are typically at work.
“The regulars are welcoming, and it’s a really good deal,” said Jean Smith, of Waldoboro, a senior who was there for the first time. “I was able to jump right into the action.”
Pickleball is also a sport with a bright future. “In the afternoon the courts are full of middle and high school students,” said Kirby. Over at the CLC YMCA in Damariscotta, Ahlers agreed. “The kids love it and like to play during open gym times. We’re looking at expanding youth pickleball programs.”
While there are plenty of recreation centers in Lincoln Country with official programs to join or to try it out, pickleball also enjoys a grassroots appeal that goes beyond the aforementioned Round Pond Picklers. Groups are springing up in the countryside everywhere, usually converting school basketball or tennis courts. Such is the case with the Midcoast Polar Bears, another freelance club that plays at the community school in Jefferson, even in mid-winter.
The pickleballers in Jefferson bring their own nets and set them up each day they play.
“Pickleball nets are light and you can find a good one for between a hundred and two hundred bucks,” said Benner, who purchased mobile nets for the Waldoboro Parks and Recreation program. “Just set up a net, round up four paddles, chalk or tape some lines, and you can play pickleball just about anywhere.”
If you have information about local pickleball to share, send an email to LCN Sports Reporter Mic LeBel at mlebel@lcnme.com.
Pickleball offerings
Boothbay Region YMCA
Contact: Susan Kirby, 633-2855, sbkirby500@gmail.com
Monday to Friday – beginner open play, noon to 2 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – intermediate open play, 8-10 a.m.
Tuesday, Thursday – intermediate open play, 10 a.m. to noon
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – competitive open play, 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Thursday – competitive open play, 8-10 a.m.
Monday to Friday – open play, 6:30-8 p.m.
Saturday – open play, 8 a.m. to noon
Wednesday – skills and drills class, 11 a.m. to noon
First Saturday of month – learn to play class, 11 a.m. to noon
Monday – Tri-Level Pickleball League, 5:30-7 p.m.
CLC YMCA (Damariscotta)
Contact: Georgia Ahlers, 563-9622, gahlers@clcymca.org
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – open play, 6-8 a.m.
Tuesday – learn to play class, 10-11 a.m.
Thursday – intermediate class, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday – skills and drills class, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Monday to Friday – open play, 9 a.m. to noon
Wiscasset Parks and Recreation
Wiscasset Community Center
Contact: Duane Goud, 882-8230, dgoud@wiscassetrec.com
Monday to Friday – open play, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Waldoboro Parks and Recreation
First Baptist Church of Waldoboro
Contact: Marcus Benner, 832-5369, rec@waldoboromaine.org
Tuesday and Thursday – open play, 9-11 a.m.
