About us The sound and the fury of pickleball

In our increasingly divided world I knew it was only a matter of time before the "sport" of pickleball was declared Public Enemy No. 1.

And I'm not talking about the simmering feud between tennis players and picklelodians over the conversion of tennis courts to pickleball courts. That one will ultimately be decided in the courts. As well as on the courts.

No, the major war now concerns the noise generated when a pickleball is whacked over and over again at a decibel level considerably higher than that created by the tender strings of a tennis racket striking a much softer tennis ball.

Pickleball noise makes Davis' zipline controversy in Arroyo Park look like child's play.

"The sound and disruption from pickleball, America's fastest growing sport, is driving some neighbors, tennis players, parents of young children and others crazy," said the opening paragraph of a recent CNN story under the byline of Nathaniel Meyersohn.

"Homeowners groups and local residents in dozens of towns and cities have rallied to limit pickleball play and block the development of new courts. They are circulating petitions, filing lawsuits and speaking out at council and town hall meetings to slow the audible spread of pickleball frenzy across the country."

Pickleball may be growing by leaps and bounds and taking over tennis courts at a breakneck pace, but opposition to pickleball is growing just as quickly.

At first the opposition was polite, as if pickleball was just a passing fad that would quickly pass away as people moved on to the Next Big Thing.

But it's now been proven that pickleball is addictive, makes many people feel like athletes for the first time in their lives and will continue to grow until every square inch of concrete in North America has been converted into a pickleball court.

The opposition is now openly hostile and increasingly well organized.

Notes Meyersohn, "The game became more popular during the Covid-19 pandemic as people looked for safe, socially distanced ways to exercise outside."

Exercise? Given that a pickleball court is half the size of a tennis court, with a game of doubles featuring four players practically rubbing elbows and stepping on each other's Nikes, you could get more exercise bringing four people together to play canasta.

"Pickleball can be noisier than tennis because the game can fit more players onto the same space as a tennis court. Hits during a pickleball rally are also more frequent than tennis. And it's a more social sport, so the games tend to be louder with players bantering during and after points."

Maybe so, but friendly banter is not the problem here. The noise that's driving opponents crazy is the jarring sound of a glorified Whiffle Ball being struck by a rock-hard, oversized ping pong paddle.

Police applauded at school board meeting

By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer

Thursday’s school board meeting began with a sigh of relief at the capture of the alleged serial killer who murdered David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm and attempted to murder Kimberlee Guillory. Although he lamented the emotional toll these horrific crimes have had on the community, Superintendent Matt Best highlighted the perseverance of the DJUSD staff, students and families and gave thanks to the police officials who put an end to the terror gripping Davis.

“We know how terrifying this past week has been for everyone and our hearts remain heavy with the loss of two amazing individuals, David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm and for the harm that was caused to Kimberlee and our Davis community over this past week,” Best said. “I know we’re all feeling a huge relief now that the suspect has been apprehended, but this journey is not over as our community begins to heal and struggle to understand why this happened and how we move forward.

“I’m really grateful for the Davis Police Department and our many law enforcement partners who came to aid our community this past week and to the hundreds of community members who called in with tips that helped lead to the arrest of this suspect. I also want to thank our DJUSD staff. This was a lot to carry looking at your faces and looking in the mirror all week. I also want to thank our district safety coordinator, Marc Hicks. This past week, Marc worked tirelessly to assist our team and law enforcement in supporting our campuses and community. With more than 30 years in our district and a Davis High School graduate, Marc has devoted his career to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our entire DJUSD and Davis community.”

The meeting itself transitioned smoothly into the Music and Proposition 28 Program update presented by associate superintendent of instructional services Troy Allen. She touched on how Prop 28 has dedicated funds towards art and music and that the DJUSD will receive $1 million in funding with 80% going toward staffing and 20% going toward training supplies and materials.

Allen also touched on the large quantities of community and staff feedback regarding the music programming, the district’s vision and structures. The feedback highlighted that some of the district’s greatest strengths include the legacy of a wide breadth of choices, the ability to play at elite levels and the committed staff that makes it all possible. Improvements highlighted in the feedback include a stronger elementary program that would create more access and representation of all student groups as well as the need for overall improvement in communication about the program with non-English speaking families.

“The proposed elementary program draft for next year is where we see the most shifts,” Allen said.

Even a well-struck tennis ball off the racket of a Wimbledon singles champion makes no such noise.

Adds Meyersohn, "Rob Mastroianni, a resident of Falmouth, Mass., sold his house and moved after the town's recreation department built pickleball courts 350 feet away from his home in a residential area."

"It's a percussive pop," said Mastroianni. "It pierces the air and carries."

Turns out Mastroianni and some of his neighbors filed a lawsuit against their hometown, alleging that pickleball play caused "daily injurious and obnoxious noise levels" that was "substantially impacting their quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their respective homes."

Said Mastroianni, "It's a tough sell to be against pickleball, but at the end of the day it was creating mental and physical health problems with neighbors butting heads."

Note to city of Davis Parks and Rec: Do not put pickleball courts in Arroyo Park.

— Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Crash snarls I-80 traffic

Three people were injured Friday morning in a four-vehicle crash on eastbound I-80 near Mace Boulevard that caused a truck to overturn onto its roof. The California Highway Patrol’s traffic website said witnesses reported seeing a one motorist driving recklessly just before the 6:55 a.m. crash, which backed up morning commute traffic through the area.