Eugene-Springfield‘s pickleball club held its annual tournament last weekend. The event drew over 150 competitors for the nation's fastest growing sport.
The pinging of paddles against neon pickleballs began early Saturday in Springfield’s Meadow Park, on the second day of The Emerald Valley Pickleball Club’s Annual Members Shootout. Over the weekend, players gathered from courts across the Eugene area to test their skills. They ranged from beginners to national champions.
Pickleball is over 50 years old, but its popularity has risen sharply in the past decade. And local organizers said that’s all thanks to the sport’s accessibility.
“It's not uncommon to see an 80-year-old and a 15-year-old on the same court," said Roger Schaljo, a founding member of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club. "I mean, where does that happen?”
Pickleball is like tennis, but on a smaller court. Players stand close to the net to softly bat the ball back and forth, which means less running for shots. That also means those with limited physical ability can more easily play. Schaljo said this also makes the game more exciting.
“A lot of us have played tennis and love tennis. And for me, my favorite part was that rare time when everybody was at the net, and you had the quick back and forth," he said. "This is pickleball every point.”
According to Shaljo, the game’s biggest draw is its community. He said local players maintain a culture of sharing courts, which allows them to talk and make friends with competitors.
“When I park and I get out of the car, the first sound that I hear is not the pickleball," he said. "It’s the laughter.”
Karen Gaffney is on the board of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation. She said these social opportunities are hard to find elsewhere, particularly for the older folk that play the game.
“As people age, maybe they aren't working anymore, they lose their friend circles," she said. It's critically important to be able to connect with other people and to use our bodies.”
Gaffney said that could be why pickleball is popular in retirement communities. But she said the demographics are now expanding, as young people are finding out about the game, too.
21-year-old Josiah Hernandez had never competed before this weekend. He said he likes how pickleball lets him meet different types of people.
“It's multigenerational," he said. "So it's really cool to get to play with guys who have been playing for a long time, and then for them to teach us the ropes.”
Hernandez said the tournament was a chance to test his skills against the rest of the city.
“We don't really know where we fall," he said. "So this is a great meter for us to get started in the more serious realm of pickleball.”
For the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club, these factors have led to considerable growth. They’ve seen club membership climb to over 800 players this year. However, Gaffney said the supply of pickleball courts hasn’t kept up with demand.
Currently, the club’s foundation is trying to build a complex at Lane Community College. After securing half a million dollars from the county, organizers are seeking private funds to finish the project, with plans to open in 2025. Gaffney said it would be the largest pickleball facility in the Pacific Northwest.
Until then, organizers say it is easy for new players to find a place to play.
“You don't need to find a group of people to go play pickleball with," said Sally Ruxton, who earned second this weekend in the upper-division mixed-gender bracket. "You show up at a park at 8:30 in the morning, and everybody's all there, ready to go.”
A full list of local pickleball courts is available online at the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club website.
