Central Park Gets Pickled: Huge Pickleball Court Opens At Wollman Rink

CENTRAL PARK, NY ? Central Park-goers got properly pickled this weekend when "the largest pickleball installation in the northeast" opened to the public.

CityPickle opened Saturday at Wollman Rink a 14-court installation replete with pickleball themed murals painted by New York City students and artist Scooter LaForge.

"Pickleball is for everyone," said Mary Cannon, CityPickle co-founder. "It's for all ages, it's for all levels.

Dozens of New Yorkers gathered for the big event, which saw CityPickle's inaugural players mount the court and then, of course, there were speeches.

"Pickleball took New York City by storm after the pandemic," said Parks department representative Iris Rodriguez-Rosa.

"It's popularity has made it a hot commodity in city parks, and why not?"

Players interested in picking up a pickleball paddle will be able to do so through Oct. 9.

CityPickle will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and players can book open play slots ranging from $20-$30 per hour with clinics offered for $40 per hour.

CityPickle will also provide free classes and programming through partnerships with the Boys' Club of New York and Solutions Now ?a nonprofit that works with NYCHA residents ? and other community organizations. Daily community play time will cost $5 an hour and includes free paddles, which usually rent for $6 a day.

Boys' Club of New York director Stephen Tosh said the partnership would serve almost as a passport to the kids his organization serves.

"Historically for boys at the Boys' Club, Central Park and certainly Wollman Rink has been almost another country," Tosh said.

"Our boys play just about every sport and they play them well, and they have no idea what pickleball is," Tosh added. "But now they've seen it a little bit and they're excited."

Richard Habersham, President of Solutions Now, noted similar community programs helped develop tennis greats such as James Blake and Althea Gibson.

"Sports with low barriers to entry," Habersham said, "are in many ways written in the proverbial DNA of every great athlete this city has produced."

Many organizers said Saturday's first games were the beginning of a pickleball era in New York City.

"It's just a matter of time before pickleball becomes an Olympic sport," Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright said. "And New York City, I bet, will finally win."