the last PaGe sB’s in a Pickle

SB’s in a Pickle!

by Jeff mIller

The West Coast is famous for fads . Skateboards, Hula Hoops, Wacky Wallwalkers, and Santa Barbara’s own Beanie Babies are just a few examples . The latest is a game with a funny name and a whole lot of fans . It’s called pickleball . (The name: The most popular theory is that it was dubbed for the creator’s dog, Pickles, who would sometimes run off with the ball .)

Invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island off Seattle, pickleball’s growth was slow and steady until fairly recently when it exploded . If you want proof, look no farther than Santa Barbara’s Municipal Tennis Center, fondly known as Muni .

“We started about six years ago with four courts,” said Richard Salzberg, Santa Barbara’s enthusiastic Pickleball Ambassador . Then it grew to eight courts . And now, after two-years of working with the city, it’s shot up to 12 .

The push to raise funds for four more courts was initiated by a pickleball-themed mask-making brigade led by Jan Wesemann, which brought in about $3,000 . Then the players themselves made donations that propelled the total to over $10,000 . Game, set, match .

Where did those courts go? On former tennis courts . “They’re being used less and less,” said Ambassador Salzberg . Meanwhile, the 12 pickleball courts are jammed every day . “Literally, people are getting up at midnight to reserve 8:30 a .m . slots as soon as they’re available,” said Wesemann .

Courts are also popping up all over the city, at tennis clubs, other public parks, and behind private residences . It’s a bona fide rage .

So what’s different about pickleball, compared to tennis? Well, it’s played with paddles and big whiffle balls, instead of racquets and tennis balls . And the court is about one-fourth the size of a tennis court . With less space to cover, it’s easier for players to negotiate . Which means it’s very popular with older folks, but not exclusively so . Lauren Stratman, a Dos Pueblos High School graduate and a former tennis star at Westmont, converted to pickleball and is now a teaching pro in Tennessee .

“The most important message about our sport is that it gives people the ability to be active, regardless of age or skill level,” Salzberg said . “I don’t think you can say that about many sports . ”

Also, pickleball is “fairly easy to learn,” he added . “I like to say it’s a sport you can easily learn and quickly become mediocre .”

But while the court is smaller, that doesn’t mean the exertion necessarily is too . “It’s good exercise,” said Wesemann, who plays tennis and/or pickleball most days of the week . She feels pickleball is “much more exhausting than tennis, mostly because the rallies are longer . ”

Bottom line for her: “I love pickleball . But I definitely also love tennis . ”

Not everyone’s so broad-minded . “Tennis people don’t like pickleball,” Salzberg said . “We’re infringing on their territory .” It reminds him of another transition, when snowboarders started taking over the former exclusive terrain of skiers .

Nevertheless, the pickle population keeps pickling . When Salzberg took over as ambassador five years ago, the newsletter mailing list numbered 80 . Now it’s 475 . And not just locals are playing . People come down regularly from Santa Ynez and even Napa . Visitors from as far away as Hawaii and Europe frequently visit the courts .

“It’s not only growing here but in every other part of the world,” Salzberg said . But it’s so evident here because, “Let’s face it,” he said, “everybody wants to come to Santa Barbara . ”