COMMUNITY
Pickleball Brings People Together By Ed Lynt, South Village
2022.
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and Canada. In Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio plays pickleball everyday according to the “How Pickleball Won Over Everyone” article in the 10/21/2021 issue of Vanity Fair. George Clooney’s wife Amal beats him regularly. Pro golfers Annika Sorenstam and Phil Mickelson play pickleball as do the Kardashians, Owen Wilson, Larry David, Jamie Foxx, Melinda Gates, and the Chicago Cubs the article said.
Orlando will get to see pickleball pros and amateurs compete January 1316, 2022 at the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus in Lake Nona. Avalon Park South Village resident Matt Salamon is playing in the Men’s Singles amateur competition on Thursday January 13th. Come out and cheer him on!
Pickleball started on Bainbridge Island, WA. in 1965. It is easy to learn and inexpensive. Florida has thousands of players, especially in The Villages and in Naples where the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships will be held April 23-30,
Kids love the game too Matt’s 8 year old son Zev Salamon and partners Matt and Lori Kaminsky won our October pickleball tournament. Avalon Park has about 50 pickleball players, ages 8 to 80, and the number of players is growing. In South Village, there are 4 tennis courts, 2 of which have been painted for pickleball too. At least 5 different
groups of players play all week and weekend. We’ve had pickleball players from Hawaii, Canada, California, Michigan and Georgia visit Avalon Park and play with us. Pickleball is a very social game.
Garden. You can also find pickleball courts in Eastwood, Ventura, Fairways, Cady Way Park, Mount Dora, Clear One Sports Centre and the South Econ Rec Center.
As 3 time Avalon Park Pickleball tournament winner and South Village resident Linda Kroog remarked, “we not only play pickleball together throughout the week, but we also have built a bond that supports each other through trying times in such a positive way that makes us feel proud and blessed to live in this beautiful community!” The Flats resident Sheila Harvey calls us a “pickleball Orange County has rec- family”. ognized the huge growth of pickleball and is build- Give pickleball a try. You’ll ing courts at Downey Park be glad you did - and mayon Dean Road and adding be you’ll be a little healthmore courts to Veterans ier mentally and physically Memorial Park in Winter too. Pickleball brings people together from all walks of life like no other sport. Top ranked women’s player and Florida resident Simone Jardim said “on the same court you can have a millionaire and someone living paycheck to paycheck. No one is interested in what you do for a living, only how long you have been playing!” she told Vanity Fair.
