Pair Of Pickleball Courts Unveiled By Niles Park District

Niles Park District: The Niles Park District unveiled two pickleball courts this month at Kirk Lane Park, Jonquil Terrace and Waukegan Road, to keep pace with increased demand for the popular sport.

Fans and first timers can play pickleball from 9 AM to 10 PM daily. The outdoor courts will be lit for evening play. Court time is on a first come, first served basis. There is no fee. “Pickleball is a fast growing sport that improves fitness and because the game offers aerobic exercise without much risk of injury seniors love it,” said Tom Elenz, executive director for the Niles Park District. “The sport is a combination of badminton, tennis and ping pong.” The Niles pickleball courts opened August 5 and have been busy since then. The paddle sport may be played with singles or doubles. It all started with a request by Henry Betka to the Niles Park District that they install outdoor pickleball courts at Kirk Lane. Betka, a Niles resident, made his request at the May 21 Park District Board meeting during the time allotted for public comment. The District considered it, thought it was a great idea and within weeks the courts were ready for play. “The USA Pickleball Association describes the activity as one of the fastest growing sports in the country,” Elenz added. Pickleball was invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, former Lieutenant Governor of Washington, and two friends. Pritchard and Bill Bell had returned from a game of golf on a Saturday afternoon and wanted to energize their families. They had a badminton court, but not a full set of rackets nor a shuttlecock so they improvised with ping pong paddles and a whiffle ball. The following weekend Barney McCallum was introduced to the game and they started creating rules, patterned after badminton. The game was formalized two years later and by the mid-70s, the public and press were talking about “America’s newest racquet sport.”