Last weekend, the 16th annual Middletown Pickleball Association Tournament was held at Lefferson Park. The tournament for those 50 and older attracted nearly 400 players from seven states, said Michell Cook, tournament director.
Middletown is known as the “Pickleball Capital of Ohio” and not just because the city has 18 pickleball courts.
The MPA offers free lessons throughout the summer, hosts Saturday morning round-robin play and professional and amateur tournaments and has seen its annual membership that costs $50 grow to 670, according to Cook.
The tennis courts at Lefferson were converted into six pickleball courts years ago. Because of the growth of the sport, more courts were added. Middletown may have the most pickleball courts at one location in the state.
All those courts were full of activity on Saturday and Sunday with men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles being played. The teams competed based on their age (50 to 59 and 60 and older) and skill level, Cook said. Because of demand, Cook said a 70 and older age group may be added next year.
It was “an exhausting week,” but also the “most rewarding,” said Cook, who described the tournament as a family reunion because of all the returning players.
Proceeds from the event will pay stipends for a few tournament officials and be used by the MPA for court maintenance and repairs, she said.
Fairfield also is seeing a need for pickleball courts, said City Manager Scott Timmer.
The city heard the “clamoring” for pickleball courts going back five years, he said. The city dual striped a handful of its tennis courts to accommodate both tennis and pickleball, sharing a common net, he said.
Then, as the sport continued to grow, Fairfield recognized the need for dedicated courts. The city built eight pickleball courts at Harbin Park.
Since those courts are being utilized, Timmer said the city is converting two tennis courts to six pickleball courts at Gilbert Farms Park that it hopes to be completed this year and in 2024, convert two tennis court to six dedicated pickleball courts, resurfacing the other two tennis courts at Waterworks Park.
He said the city is working to improve the court lighting to ensure those courts have the ability to play in fall months when it gets darker earlier.
Standing on a yellow pickleball-shaped base bearing his name, the Kitchen bobblehead is holding a paddle featuring his picture. Wearing sunglasses on his pickleball-shaped head, Kitchen is also wearing a pair of shorts with a net design and a blue cap with his name and a pickleball paddle across the front.
The bobblehead, which will be individually numbered to 2,023, is only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store at https://store.bobbleheadhall.com. The bobblehead, which is expected to ship in November, costs $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
The Pickleball Bobble is numbered to 2,023 and are only available through the Online Store. The bobbles are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
