MUSCLE SHOALS – Pickleball is a big deal in the QuadCities.
Across the Shoals, you can find pickleball courts in nearly every town, from the six at Gattman Park in Muscle Shoals to those at the YMCA in Florence, from Sheffield to Killen.
And a much-anticipated facility at Veterans Park in Florence, with 14 covered courts and several more outside, is slated to open Oct. 30.
If it’s Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday morning and you’re looking for Danny Arnold, you’ll likely find him in Gym 3 at Gattman Park in Muscle Shoals playing pickleball.
“It’s a lot of fun, good exercise, and a good game, and it’s helped me make new friends,” Arnold, of Florence, said. “It’s a game anyone can play, from 10-year-olds to late 70-year-olds.”
Pickleball is like doubles tennis, on a badminton court, using ping-pong paddles and a Wiffle ball. And Arnold is right – it is a lot of fun.
Like Arnold, Matthew Jones enjoys the way pickleball brings people together.
“I enjoy the community aspect of the game,” said the director of UNA’s Student Activities and Leadership Development. “I have played sports all my life and pickleball is a great way to stay active and also be competitive. There’s no age limit.”
A.J. Benavides, newly elected vice president of the Shoals Pickleball Club, agrees.
“It’s fun exercise and good fellowship,” he said. “I grew up playing tennis, and pickleball is a good way to keep that practice going. It’s a great way to meet people, too.”
According to USA Pickleball, the sport is beginner friendly and easy to learn. And while it may be relatively new to the Shoals, it’s been around since 1965 when three dads in Washington state created a game for their families to play together. Rep. Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum wrote the rules and pickleball was born, USA Pickleball said.
In its 2023 Topline Participation Report, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row. According to the report, pickleball was up to a total of 8.9 million players in the United States over the age of 6.
Go play ball
Arnold resisted the pull of pickleball, at first.
“My friend tried to talk me into it, but I was dead set on playing golf, not pickleball,” Arnold said. “But I started having seizures and couldn’t drive, so when my friend picked me up to play golf, he talked me into playing pickleball.
“I didn’t have any equipment, but someone had an extra paddle and I tried it and got hooked. I’ve been playing about three years now.”
For Benavides, a Christmas gift from his mother-in-law led to this new passion. When he and his wife, Cassidy Counter, moved here for his job at UNA just over a year ago, he learned about the pickleball courts in the area.
“I went to some open play at the YMCA, learned the rules, and tried lots of local places,” he said. “I’ve met lots of folks along the way and then got involved with the Shoals Pickleball Club.”
Try it out
With the growing popularity of pickleball, now is a good time to take up the sport. Equipment can be found everywhere from Walmart to Target, from Academy to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Jones said you don’t have to win to have fun.
“It’s about the only sport that you can lose consistently and still have a good time,” he said. “It’s good exercise in an enjoyable environment. People just go and have fun.”
“Just buy a cheap paddle and test it out,” Arnold said. “Come over and watch us play. Just like everything else, you don’t know if you like it until you try. It’s a cool, fun game and it’s good exercise. It’s just good, clean fun.
“Come over and try. Someone always has an extra paddle.”
Shoals Area Pickleball Club
You can find the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/shoalspickleball/ or on the web at https://www.shoalspickleball.com.
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