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Volume 55, No. 15
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CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Fast-Growing Sport Thriving in Chester By Brian Doering brian@karlovecmedia.com In case you haven’t heard, the paddle sport with an amusing name mixing elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton doesn’t show any signs of decreasing in popularity. Jim Enger, owner of the Chesterland Legacy Equestrian Center on Sherman Road, said the game, once considered a grandparent sport, has added a new dimension with a younger generation. “There’s plenty of aerobic exercise and it definitely increases your agility and balance,” Enger said. “If you’re a baseball player, soccer player or a tennis player and you are very quick on your feet, along with your eye-hand coordination, you will be better at playing the game.” Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America and addictively fun, said Atlanta-based Pickleheads team co-founder Brandon Mackie. “You don’t need any prior racquet sports experience or athletic experience. You can go out and learn the game the first time out,”
BRIAN DOERING/KMG
From left, Geauga resident Kate Kercher, owner Jim Enger and resident Charee Paleolla finish playing a series of pickleball games at the Chesterland Legacy Equestrian Center in Chester Township.
Mackie said, adding it’s a social sport. “People like to play in large groups,” he said. “You almost always play the sport as doubles and because of that, it’s a big social outing for people much more than it is a sport.”
Pickleheads is a website that helps players find courts, set up games and connect with nearby players. There are currently 337 pickleball courts in the state of Ohio, according to its site. “We estimate that 46 courts
are in and around the Chesterland area,” Mackie said. The equestrian center opened in 2017 and the pickleball courts were opened in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Enger said. “A lot of recreation got cancelled around the country and in the communities. We had an existing barn that we converted into an indoor pickleball court and then we put in an outdoor court, as well, so we can play ourselves,” Enger said. He said Pickleball was available in Lake and Cuyahoga counties, but Geauga residents were tired of driving to other municipalities to play. “They felt that we have enough land and there’s enough people playing on a daily basis that we should have courts in Chesterland and Geauga County … (so), let’s put something together to bring this sport more into Geauga County and have it in our own backyard instead of traveling to other counties and cities,” Enger said. A cross between ping pong, badminton and tennis, pickleball was invented by three vacationers on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, See Pickleball • Page 5
MERRY CHRISTMAS +
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Undefeated Wolverines Boys Win Battle of 306 By Alan Kornspan sports@karlovecmedia.com When Head Coach Micah Young returned to lead the West Geauga Wolverines boys basketball program in the fall of 2022, winning the Battle of 306 was certainly an important goal. The Wolverines rarely won the rivalry game in the past decade, but have now won two in a row, defeating the Tigers 53-48 on Dec. 13. After the game, Young talked about how meaningful it is to defeat the Tigers. “This is a dream come true for me,” Coach Young said. “Even as a young kid, I’ve always dreamed about leading this program. Playing in the program and now leading the program, it’s come to fruition. “We talk about beating Chagrin Falls every single day — 4-15 against Chagrin Falls in the past 10 years, 1-8 in the past five years against
Chagrin. We want to beat those guys.” Carson Weisman, one of only two seniors on the Wolverines roster, made some huge plays to help the Wolverines obtain the Battle of 306 victory. Weisman echoed his coach’s excitement about defeating the Tigers. “It was a wild game against our rival. Anything can happen,” Weisman said. “In the last five years, we were 1-8. So to get that win was incredible. “We were down most of the game, the shots weren’t falling, but we came back and got the W.” The Wolverines were excited and motivated about the possibility of defeating their rival, the Chagrin Falls Tigers. Their motivation to compete was certainly evident from the opening tip, as the game was played
at a quick pace filled with emotion and intensity. In the first quarter, the Wolverines were led by Landon Lear, who has been spectacular so far this season. Lear had seven points in the first quarter. Ryan Curtiss led the Tigers with four points in the first quarter on two field goals. All the Tigers’ additional points came on four longrange three-pointers. The Tigers outscored the Wolverines 16-13 in the second quarter to take a 32-28 lead into halftime. Not surprisingly, the second half of this rivalry game was an inSee Basketball • Page 5
BILL FUGATE/KMG
West Geauga’s Landon Lear led all scorers with 18 points in the Wolverines 53-28 win over rival Chagrin Falls on Dec. 13.
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